Never Perfect

In this episode, Beth interviews Dr. Allen Coffman, a seasoned and well loved pediatrician to get us some of his favorite advice on healthy parenting and tough love. Dr. Coffman talks about how parenting is an adventure, not a destination and how we need to love our kids for who they are and not a fantasy of who we assumed they would be. He provides numerous tips and nuggets of wisdom on how parents can customize their approach based on the developmental stage and personality of every child. He also talks a lot about the importance of emotional validation and providing guidance rather than control for children. Dr. Coffman is also open about some of his own struggles as a parent. Get your notepad and a pen because this is a crash course on parenting that you don’t want to forget. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Beth interviews Dr. Carol Stoney, a relationship expert who specializes in helping couples learn healthier ways to communicate and relate to one another. She shares some inspiring ideas and mind blowing discoveries from favorite experts and therapeutic training programs, including Stan Tatkin, John Gottman , and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. Here are a few questions to whet your appetite: How often do you look your partner in the eyes? Eye contact regulates our neurons and increases bonding through the cuddle hormone (oxytocin). How does your partner feel when they’re with you? Do you bring out the care or the panic circuitry in your partner? What if we are fueling the wrong narrative about our partner? And just maybe… “Marriage is our last best chance to grow up…” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Very few of us fully understand the power our brain and our body have to help us heal and what they can tell us if we know how to listen. In this episode, Christy Tittsworth, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, describes the brain as a compensatory system and explains how it can help us heal by providing feedback. She explains different brain waves and how they affect our levels of anxiety and energy and motivation. She explains neurofeedback (also referred to as brain mapping) and how it can be used to understand symptomology. Christy and Beth have a discussion about medication and when it can be most useful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves and others is to discover our unique strengths and weaknesses. This is part of our package deal in life, and a big part of discovering our distinctive user guide. Life is so much easier when we understand ourselves and others. The Enneagram is one of many tools that can be used to understand and explore our gifts, our passion, and our triggers. In this episode, Beth Capecchi interviews Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Enneagram Coach Christy Bonner and yoga instructor Yekaterina Smith about their passion for this assessment and how it can be used to develop greater understanding of ourselves and others. Christy and Kat talk about their podcast “Enneagram + Yoga” which can be found at www.enneagramplusyoga.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you understand the impact of ADHD in your life, including both the superpowers and the obstacles?? How might it impact your relationships and your priorities? In this episode, Beth Capecchi and Tammy, a former client, have a lively discussion about how they have come to understand and manage ADHD in their own lives. Undiagnosed ADHD can lead to mental health issues and relationship problems. It is vital to understand how it impacts us and how to harness the power of it as well. The likelihood of relationship problems increases if loved ones don’t understand how ADHD impacts them. When we understand how we are uniquely wired, we can better harness the power of our strengths and understand and accept our weaknesses. Beth and Tammy also reflect on Dr. William Dodson‘s brilliant new conceptualization of the distinctive ADHD nervous system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Beth and yoga instructor Lauren Aune take a compassionate look at the subject of addiction and substance use disorders. Lauren shares her own story of addiction and recovery and how she uses her experience to help others. She believes that addiction is a coping mechanism developed in response to pain and trauma and urges addicts and the ones that love them to use a lens of compassion when addressing the root cause, focusing less on what is “wrong” with the person with an addiction and more on what happened to that person. Individuals suffering from addiction almost invariably feel deep amounts of shame which becomes a vicious circle of secrets, self-sabotage, isolation, and additional feelings of shame and loneliness as a result. There are many reasons people develop substance abuse disorders to cope, including loneliness, trauma, depression, social anxiety, relationship problems, and a lack of purpose or meaning in their lives. Addiction may serve as a temporary relief, but over time, addiction just compounds these problems rather than resolving them. There is hope for healing! When addicts learn to develop self-love and work through the pain and suffering of their lives in a healthy manner, their need for unhealthy coping mechanism starts to lessen. Lauren believes this is done in a myriad of ways, but finding community and connection is KEY to healing the shame and isolation that comes from addiction. When we share our stories of vulnerability and they are met with love and empathy, that is THE prescription to for connection and healing! Learn more about me and the podcast here: https://www.neverperfect.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Originally intended to be a discussion on mentoring, this episode became a much broader discussion on the topic of coming alongside others, whether strangers, employees, friends, or the homeless. Beth interviews Emerson Burch and Amanda Tarr about their experience of channeling their own childhood pain into a passion for helping others who are struggling and providing them with a sense of family and support. Viewing strangers and acquaintances as neighbors and as part of your community has powerful benefits for everyone. We all have the power to encourage and support others every day, in big and small ways. Learn more about me and the podcast here: https://www.neverperfect.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Beth has a discussion with Therapist Erin Rayburn about healthy ways to approach dating and questions you can ask yourself before getting into a dating relationship. This episode is really good to introduce to teens as well as adults. Beth and Erin share some of their favorite tips and philosophies on dating. Learn more about me and the podcast here: https://www.neverperfect.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beth and her husband Remo and discuss the importance of using conflict to enhance intimacy and closeness and relationships. They talk about their own patterns in communication. Beth shares her assertiveness scale and clinical examples. Learn more about me and the podcast here: https://www.neverperfect.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Beth has a discussion with Leah True Salerno on the importance of struggling together as we navigate losses in life, specifically her husband‘s health crisis. Leah shares how she coped and used her experience to build community and help others. Social support is one of the most important factors for recovery from trauma and loss. Sharing our struggles with others helps us band together and discover that we’re not alone. Learn more about me and the podcast here: https://www.neverperfect.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Beth shares part of her own ADHD story and how she diagnosed herself. She also shares some of the strengths and weaknesses associated with ADHD, along with some groundbreaking findings from William Dodson, a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this 10 minute episode, Beth does an impromptu discussion on the powerful and therapeutic impact of journaling after a client shares his recent experience of trying journaling for the first time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is part one of a series of conversations on the topic of ADHD. This segment includes an overview of the disorder and the symptoms used to diagnose it, including clinical examples and some of Beth’s personal examples. The next episode on ADHD will include more clinical examples and some of the strengths associated with ADHD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Beth and Remo discuss the challenges all couples face in trying to stay connected. Couples with children especially seem to struggle, mostly because of the never ending “to do list” and exhaustion that comes with raising children. Beth and Remo discuss the languages of love and some ideas for staying connected. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this short episode, Beth tells the story of a client who didn’t receive much emotional validation growing up. No childhood is ever perfect, but we all thrive best when we have at least one parent who “sees” us and understands us and responds well to our emotions. The client in the story is on a quest to give her children what she never received. She read a book on “emotion coaching” (A principal developed by Dr. John Gottman) and tells a powerful story about how she apply these principles to one of her own children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a short episode with Beth sharing some reflections immediately following a classic counseling session. Classic in the sense that a variety of common issues were covered in the session, including healthy relationships with oneself and how this impacts the choice of a dating partner, education on types of depression, healthy habits and behaviors that can prevent or decrease depression and anxiety (referred to as “stress muscles”), valuing yourself and recognizing your unique personality traits. Beth also discusses how anxious self talk increases anxiety and low self-esteem, especially when you jump to the wrong conclusions about a situation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us find that parenting is harder than expected. In this episode, Beth interviews 3 working mothers who are driven and battling perfectionistic expectations. They share their Journey of lowering the bar for themselves as they come to the following realization: you can’t do it all. And figuring out what matters most as mothers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Beth and her husband Remo have a practical, lighthearted and personal conversation about healthy communication and how it enhances connection in relationships. Beth shares some of her favorite counseling tips on this subject, and they both describe their own communication style, as well as how their families and cultural backgrounds influence them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ironically, Beth conquers her anxiety about recording podcasts on her own while discussing the topic of social anxiety and ways to treat it. Social anxiety is the most common subtype of anxiety disorders affecting over 7% of the population. Many people make social skills harder than they have to be and this can be paralyzing and debilitating Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Although the topic of death and dying causes anxiety for most of us, it is important to think through these issues, both for ourselves and for loved ones. In spite of the heaviness of this topic, Beth has a surprisingly casual and matter of fact conversation with a hospice nurse Gale Gagnier who has been with 75 people as they were dying. Gale shares stories and advice to help us understand the process while Beth shares some clinical stories and tidbits from her own dissertation research on grief and loss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Body image issues are almost universal in women. Most women overemphasize their least desirable traits and hyper focus on their perceived -ones. In this episode, Beth interviews Erin Rayburn, a therapist specializes in eating disorders on the topic of body positivity. They discuss some of their favorite principles and techniques for helping Women reframe their views and behaviors around this topic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anxiety is one of the topics Beth specializes in and she explains that it is the most common mental health disorder, affecting approximately 30% of the population. In this episode, Beth shares some basic information about anxiety disorders and some of her favorite techniques for coping with anxiety. Her husband Remo shares his interesting perspective on the topic to keep her from sounding boring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Beth shares some favorite principles on balanced parenthood and interviews two mothers who are willing to share their wisdom, mistakes, and laughable moments. They agree that parenting is both messy and delightful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Part 2 of the Depression Episode. In this conversation, Beth Capecchi interviews Kristina about her battle with depression and suicidal thoughts, which are very common in those dealing with depression. Kristina talks about what helped her get through and Beth Capecchi shares her perspective on understanding why suicide is so tempting for people who are unbearable pain. Beth and Kristina also discuss ways to cope with suicidal thoughts and urges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beth Capecchi interviews Kristina about her battle with severe depression throughout high school and college. Kristina shares what helped her get through, including music, pets, and therapy, and her passion for usind her own experience to help others with mental illness. Beth also shares some basic information to understand and identify depression. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a psychologist, Beth Capecchi has encountered many, especially young adults, who are overwhelmed and paralyzed when trying to figure out their career path. In this episode, Beth shares some of her favorite ideas on how to approach this dilemma. She has a conversation with entrepreneur Amanda Tarr about her creative approach to making a living, which entails a refreshing story of a person who did what she enjoyed, and this took her from odd jobs to being a flight attendant for 20 years and now an owner of several businesses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Beth‘s husband Remo will interview her about her reasons for starting this podcast and give you a bit of information about her professional and personal story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices