The Just A Mom Podcast

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Lisa Katona-Smith shares her journey as a mother navigating her son’s mental health challenges and substance use disorder. Through moments of fear, resilience, and hard-earned clarity, Lisa transformed her personal experience into a meaningful framework to support other families facing similar struggles—captured in her book, Parallel Recovery: A Guide for Those Who Love Someone with Substance Use Disorder (https://a.co/d/07C8FLzz).This episode offers both emotional validation and practical guidance—helping parents recognize early warning signs, advocate effectively for their children, and set boundaries that prioritize safety without sacrificing love. Lisa introduces a compassionate shift in perspective—from simply “loving harder” to “loving better,” and explores how families can move from crisis toward sustainable, long-term recovery together.

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Dr. Jenn Rapkin shares her remarkable journey living with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) while also parenting a child navigating the same condition. As a naturopathic physician specializing in mental health and mind-body medicine, Dr. Jenn brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to a conversation that is honest, hopeful, and incredibly insightful.She opens up about the early signs of OCD in her own life, the loneliness and stigma that often surround the disorder, and how those experiences shaped the way she supports patients and her family today. Dr. Jenn also discusses how the pandemic intensified OCD symptoms for many children and why giving OCD a name—like “annoying brain talk”—can help kids recognize intrusive thoughts and begin building resilience.In this episode, we explore evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and the role medication can play in recovery. Dr. Jenn explains how family dynamics often become intertwined with OCD behaviors, the challenge of accommodation, and how parents can begin gently untangling those patterns while supporting all children in the home. She also shares the transformative impact of specialized residential treatment programs and highlights the crucial role family involvement plays in long-term healing.Dr. Jenn offers practical guidance for parents navigating similar challenges, including how to advocate for understanding and support in schools, set healthy boundaries, and care for themselves through the emotional weight of supporting a child with mental health struggles. Finally, she gives us a glimpse into her book, The Feeling Muscle: How Felt Emotion Can Help You Sit with and Outlast Hard Feelings (https://a.co/d/0grm03jh), which explores how developing emotional awareness through the body can strengthen resilience and help both children and adults face difficult feelings with courage.https://www.instagram.com/drjennrapkin/https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575991456912www.drjennrapkin.com

This episode of the Just A Mom Podcast features Meri Viano, an adoptive mother and mental health advocate. Meri shares her journey of adopting a sibling set of boys and a girl with Down Syndrome, highlighting the challenges she faced in navigating the mental health system and the stigma surrounding mental illness. She discusses the importance of community support, advocacy for parents, and understanding the complexities of trauma in children's behavior. Meri also shares her experiences with her son's psychosis and the impact it has had on their family dynamics. Throughout the conversation, she emphasizes the need for quality care and the importance of not giving up on children in need, as well as the need for community among parents.Website: www.ppal.net PPAL Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ParentProfessional-Advocacy-League/220653121088/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOhlO0J8sBSYBBS5mOgxKUAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ppal.mass/

In this episode of the Just A Mom podcast, Dr. Karen Sheffield-Abdullah discusses the critical topic of postpartum depression and maternal mental health, as about one in seven women experiences postpartum depression. She explains the differences between postpartum depression and anxiety, the importance of prenatal screening, and the role of medication management during pregnancy. Dr. Karen emphasizes the impact of social media on new moms, the significance of trauma in maternal mental health, and the necessity of sleep for recovery. She also highlights mindfulness as a beneficial practice for mental well-being and discusses the importance of support for partners of new moms. Finally, she introduces the MomGenes Study (https://momgenesfightppd.org/), which aims to explore the genetic components of postpartum depression. To learn more about Dr. Karen, please visit her website at https://www.beingdrkaren.com/.

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Lisa Sabey and Alison Paine, two courageous mothers, share how they are using documentary filmmaking as a catalyst to revolutionize mental health education and care in the United States. What began as personal journeys navigating their own families’ mental health challenges has evolved into a mission to transform how mental health is understood, taught, and supported across the country. These women are working to bridge the long-standing gap between clinical care and lived experience. While traditional mental health education often centers on diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, their films elevate real stories—raw, honest, and human. By centering lived experience, they are creating resources that resonate not only with professionals but with parents, educators, students, and communities seeking deeper understanding. •Parents to Parents Website: https://www.parentstoparents.org/ •EDC/Zero Suicide site with the film Parents to Parents: After Your Child's Suicide Attempt: https://zerosuicide.edc.org/resources/resource-database/parents-parents-after-your-childs-suicide-attempt •Matters Media: https://mattersmedia.org/ •National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): https://www.nami.org/

In this conversation, Marcia Earhart explores the intricate relationship between grief and joy, emphasizing how they coexist and how one can find solace in memories while living in the present. Marcia knows incredible grief herself as she has lost two sons. She shares her personal journey of incorporating the memories of her loved ones into her current life, highlighting the importance of emotional health and coping with loss. She shares about her role as a HeartSync Facilitator and her organization, The Sterling Rose Sanctuary (https://www.thesterlingrosesanctuary.us/), which helps people navigate trauma and grief. Marcia is also the author of Gripping Grace in the Garden of Grief (https://www.amazon.com/Gripping-Grace-Garden-Grief-Place/dp/B0F9XJ3BSX).

On this episode of the Just a Mom podcast, Dr. Hector Rodriguez, an integrative psychiatrist, discusses the complexities of mental health, particularly in teens and young adults. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the brain's function through tools like SPECT scans (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/spect-scan) and the impact of societal changes, such as the pandemic, on mental health. Dr. Rodriguez provides insights into recognizing signs of mental health issues, the role of cannabis, and the necessity of building a support network for parents. He also highlights the importance of self-care for parents to effectively support their children. https://www.doctorhector.com/

On this episode of The Just Mom Podcast, Ryan Bevins and JP Claxton dive into their organization called Fight Club (https://fightclub-us.com/), a movement created to give teens—especially young men—a safe place to talk about what they’re really feeling.Fight Club was born from a simple but urgent realization: kids are struggling, and many don’t know how to talk about it. What started as a response to that need has grown into something extraordinary. Ryan and JP share how Fight Club addresses the very real mental and spiritual battles kids face today. Through trust-building, peer-led conversations (with no adults in the room during sharing), these groups go deep—creating space for honesty, vulnerability, and growth.Fight Club is shifting the paradigm for young men, helping them learn how to name and express their emotions—often for the first time. Now with 29 groups and growing, the impact is undeniable. Some members have even taken the initiative to start Fight Club groups on their college campuses, carrying the mission forward.Ryan and JP also open up about their own journeys in learning how to talk about their feelings and share powerful stories that highlight just how life-changing Fight Club has been. Additionally, Fight Club for girls has launched, led by Ryan’s wife. Fight Club also has a new partnership with Kids TLC (https://www.kidstlc.org/), an inpatient mental health facility. This partnership brings Fight Club into a preventive care space, supported by two licensed therapists who attend Fight Club meetings.This conversation is hopeful, honest, and deeply needed—for parents, mentors, and anyone who cares about the next generation. IG: @fightclub_us FB: Fight Club

On this episode of the Just A Mom podcast, Jeanette Yoffe, a psychotherapist and advocate for children in foster care and adoption, shares her personal journey of spending six and a half years in foster care. Jeanette details the challenges she faced, including trauma, mental health struggles, and the impact of these experiences. She emphasizes the importance of understanding trauma, the healing power of creative expression, and the need for compassion towards birth parents. Jeanette also discusses her reunion with her birth family and the complexities of those relationships, offering insights into the healing process for both individuals and families. Jeanette offers a myriad of resources listed below, including a YouTube channel with many free videos.Jeanette’s books:https://a.co/d/0c2objjxhttps://a.co/d/05gu8QMYhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B149JLWY?ref_=saga_ast_ss_dsk_sdpYouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Jeanette-icallySpeakingNon-profit: https://celiacenter.org/Website: http://www.jeanetteyoffe.com/

Dr. Michelle Sherman is a licensed psychologist with over 30 years of experience, providing individual and couples psychotherapy to adults in a VA medical center, urban primary care clinic, community clinic, inpatient psychiatric unit, and private practice. Additionally, she served as a Full Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the University of Minnesota Medical School, teaching and supervising trainees from numerous disciplines. Dr. Sherman also conducts research and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice. She has published over 75 articles in peer-reviewed journals, over 80 book chapters and articles in other sources, and four books.In this episode of The Just A Mom Podcast, Dr. Sherman shares her extensive experience in clinical psychology, focusing on the impact of mental illness on families, particularly children. Dr. She emphasizes the importance of listening and support for family members dealing with mental health issues. Dr. Sherman discusses the challenges faced by children of parents with mental illness, the responsibilities they often take on, and the need for resources and awareness in educational settings. She also highlights the significance of prevention and early intervention, as well as the role of co-parents in navigating these complex dynamics. I’m Not Alone, A Teen’s Guide to Living with a Parent Who Has a Mental Illness or History of Trauma was co-authored by Dr. Sherman, along with her mother, DeAnne. In this book, Dr. Sherman and DeAnne hope to help teens feel seen and supported, and can be found at https://www.seedsofhopebooks.com/

In this episode of the Just a Mom podcast, licensed marriage and family therapist and mental health expert Kati Morton discusses the complexities of parenting in the digital age. We explore the impact of social media on both children and parents, the importance of community support, and strategies for fostering emotional regulation in kids. Kati emphasizes the need for open conversations about mental health, including suicidal ideation, and the challenges of supporting adult children. The discussion highlights the illusion of control in parenting and the necessity of creating tech-free spaces for genuine connection. You can find Kati’s latest book, Why Do I Keep Doing This?, as well as a myriad of videos and resources at https://katimorton.com/.

Kicking off the spring season is an amazing conversation with Matteo Esposito, who very vulnerably shares his story of addiction, bipolar disorder, and loss. Matteo chronicles his journey as a high-level hockey player who played junior hockey post-high school and college hockey. Matteo shares his experience with mania, a serious health diagnosis, inpatient hospitalization, and ultimately inpatient treatment after hitting what he calls his rock bottom. Now three years sober, Matteo is a certified Addiction Recovery Coach and a Certified Recovery Peer Advocate as well as the founder of Invisible Challenge (https://invisiblechallenge.org), a movement driven by the need to end stigma around mental illness and addiction. Make sure to check out the Invisible Challenge website as well as Matteo’s other resources referenced in the podcast episode: Letter to My Younger Self: https://invisiblechallenge.org/pages/just-promise-me-you-ll-read-this-letterTEDx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vetfAJ1DvQQ

The last episode of this season, and just in time for the holidays, is an episode just for all parents! Holly Swenson, author of Stop, Drop, Grow and Glow (https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Drop-Grow-Glow-Connections/dp/1950476723), is on a mission to raise the bar for parents and infuse more joy, intention, balance, and wellness into parenting and beyond. She believes learning how to tend to you before tackling life’s asks and demands is the key to opening the door to thriving in life, and not just merely surviving. Holly will teach you how to balance the demands of parenthood with more consciousness, grace, and gentility, not just for your own benefit, but for the lives you are responsible for shaping. In this episode, Holly emphasizes how it is not only ok but necessary to fill your own tank, and that self-care is not selfish. Make sure you check out Holly’s website for blog posts and so much more (https://liveyourglow.live/).

https://laurenhenrybrehm.com/This is a fascinating episode about Lauren’s journey of researching her mother’s family and their mental illnesses through three generations. Lauren has captured her research, as well as her own opinions and experiences growing up in a family with untreated mental illness, in a book entitled The French Court; Essays from One Family’s Legacy of Mental Illness (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-french-court-lauren-henry-brehm/1147219223). Lauren discusses her maternal grandmother’s decades of untreated mental illness and how the family structured everything in their lives to cater to her grandmother’s compulsions and manifestations of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Lauren talks about the generational nature of mental illness, addiction, and trauma, and how she has high hopes for the next generation of her family based on the fact that the third generation is doing what is necessary to reclaim their mental health. Lauren also delves into her complicated relationship with her mother and how she worked to raise her own daughter the way she wishes she had been raised. Lauren shares her history of her own mental illness, including depression and suicidal ideation, and a later-in-life diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Don’t miss this inspirational episode with Dr. E, a family practice physician with a specialty in pediatric anxiety and depression. Dr. E has four children. Her second child, Sophie, has Selective Mutism, a mental health condition where a person can’t talk in certain situations because of fear and anxiety. Dr. E says she knew something was off when Sophie was about 3 1/2 years old. Sophie was super talkative at home, but became a different person when she was out of the house. Advocating for her daughter sent Dr. E on a quest to find Sophie the right help. After several different diagnoses and even accusations of child abuse, Dr. E set out to figure out for herself what Sophie was battling. Through her research and work, Dr. E found the diagnosis of Selective Mutism and founded the Selective Mutism Association (https://www.selectivemutism.org/). Dr. E then created the Social Communication Anxiety Treatment (S-CAT) and the Selective Mutism Anxiety and Related Disorders Treatment Center (Smart Center) (https://selectivemutismcenter.org/), where thousands of people worldwide overcome Selective Mutism. Dr. E emphasizes the importance of parents trusting their guts, and how critical it is to be your child’s advocate. Dr. E concludes the episode by talking about the book Sophie wrote called Unspoken Words (https://www.amazon.com/Unspoken-Words-Childs-Selective-Mutism/dp/1467982598) at age 13. Sophie went to college and medical school and is now married and expecting her first child. Dr. E also hosts a podcast called Unspoken Words (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unspoken-words-a-selective-mutism-podcast-by-dr/id1621959774?i=1000732656789)

This episode is difficult but a must-listen for everyone. Libby Davis says they were just living the “average” life in 2021 when they received the call that every parent fears. The local police called to tell Libby and her husband that their 16-year-old son, Cooper, was having a medical emergency. Libby chronicles the unimaginable pain of that day and how their son, Cooper, and his friends bought 2 pills they thought were prescription Percocet and split the two pills five ways. Cooper was transported to the hospital, where he died later that day of fentanyl poisoning. The other four boys lived. Libby emphasizes that it was fentanyl poisoning, not an overdose, as the boys received counterfeit pills and Cooper took fentanyl unknowingly.Libby shares that she knew immediately that she wanted to use Cooper’s story to educate and spread awareness. Even though both Libby and her husband are healthcare providers, Libby says they had no idea about the counterfeit pills containing lethal doses of fentanyl that are being sold on social media to kids all across the country. She wants to use her grief to keep other families from experiencing this tragedy. Three main points Libby emphasizes are: 1. This can happen to any family. 2. We have to talk about it in schools and at home, at any chance we have. 3. The only safe pill is one that is prescribed to you by a physician and filled at a pharmacy. If it comes from social media, you have to assume it’s fake, full of fentanyl, and will kill you. Having spoken at over 70 schools to date, Libby emphasizes that this is not a one-time conversation and that one bad decision can result in death. Libby brings to light the role of drug cartels in the fentanyl crisis and shares some staggering statistics from the Drug Enforcement Administration (https://www.dea.gov/ (https://www.dea.gov/)). In February of 2023, more than 99% of drugs seized by the DEA were counterfeit, and fifty percent of those seized had a lethal dose of fentanyl in them. Libby also emphasizes that drugs are no longer being sold on street corners but on social media and apps that kids and teens use on a daily basis.Some of the helpful resources Libby references are:https://addictionisreal.org/our-story/https://www.dea.gov/operation-engagehttps://www.songforcharlie.org/https://www.cooperdavismemorialfoundation.org

Don’t miss this important episode featuring Michael Mackniak, attorney and founder of Care Coalition (https://carecoalition.org/). Mike shares his journey as an attorney with 30 years of experience, much of it in probate courts. Mike emphasizes how it was through this work that he saw so many people in need of help, particularly in the realm of families supporting a loved one with a mental illness. The idea of Care Coalition came about based on Mike’s experience. Mike encourages parents and family members to be part of their loved one’s mental health team, to be educated and indispensable, so that care providers include them in the decision making process. In this episode, we also talk about HIPAA (https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/index.html). Mike encourages family members to learn more about what HIPAA is and the rights family members actually have when a loved one is unable to make decisions because of their mental illness. Mike also shared that he is developing an app called Care Compass, which will help family members keep all of their loved one’s information electronically organized.

*Trigger warning—this episode contains explicit talk about suicide and specific methodologyJason is an incredible dad who lost his 11-year-old son, Carson, to suicide in 2017. Jason shares openly and candidly about losing his son, and how his closest friends, or “bus family,” came in and helped Jason and his family navigate the days following Carson’s death. Shortly after Carson’s funeral, Jason started thinking about all the people who don’t have a “bus family,” and don’t know what to do or who to call in the immediate aftermath of losing a loved one. When he couldn’t find any resources online, Jason decided to establish Carson’s Village (https://carsonsvillage.org/) to assist families after losing a loved one. Carson’s Village, an official 501(c)3 nonprofit, launched in January of 2018 and helped their first family in the Dallas area, where Jason lives. To date, Carson’s Village has helped almost 9,000 families across the United States in the aftermath of losing a loved one. Jason shares that initially he thought he could help everyone in person, but quickly realized that was not possible, so they pivoted to an online format. Carson’s Village helps with practical things like selecting a funeral home, explaining the funeral process, and creating fundraising pages. Carson’s Village now provides support to families for up to two years after losing a loved one through check-ins, support groups, peer-to-peer programs, counselors, and a partnership with Better Help (https://www.betterhelp.com/ (https://www.betterhelp.com/)). Additionally, Jason and his team have developed Bereavement Village (https://bereavementvillage.com/ (https://bereavementvillage.com/)) to “support the supporters”—those on the front lines. Carson’s Village partners with school districts, hospitals, companies, police departments, and the like to help families in practical ways after the death of a loved one. Feel free to reach out to Jason personally at [email protected] if you, your organization, or your employer is interested in partnering with Carson’s Village.

Jacqueline (https://jacquelinejanssen.com/) has turned all she has learned about mental illness from her son’s mental health journey into incredible advocacy. Her latest book, Every Homeless Person Has a Mother, chronicles Jacqueline’s experience as a parent of an adult child with schizoaffective disorder. Jacqueline’s son’s battle with mental illness started when he was 19 years old. Jacqueline talks about the myriad of therapies and treatments her son received and how he ultimately ended up homeless as a result of anosognosia (https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/common-with-mental-illness/anosognosia/) or the lack of ability to recognize and treat his mental illness. Jacqueline has been a tireless advocate for families through her own work and with NAMI (https://www.nami.org/) and encourages families to get involved in their local NAMI chapters. Jacqueline emphasizes that when a loved one is incapable of making decisions for his or her own good, HIPAA (https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/php/resources/health-insurance-portability-and-accountability-act-of-1996-hipaa.html) allows mental health providers to talk to families. Jacqueline also discusses strategies for reunification of families if there is estrangement due to mental illness. Jacqueline graciously shares many resources with listeners:Family Rights and HIPAA Facts: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W6DO-beIMgMww0xH1QTUBECiSXd85W8H/view?usp=drive_link; HIPAA Decision Tree: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DsI-DpSCFrZLfgCknTqjaMqXTavh0AGu/view?usp=drive_link; Family Involvement Accelerates Recovery: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IoCvWj7H56K-F4qtSL5hiGHriEn6Nk8U/view?usp=drive_link; Every Homeless Person Has A Mother: https://everyhomelesspersonhasamother.substack.com; https://www.nationalshatteringsilencecoalition.org/; What I Wish I’d Known: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KnkPLJKF7TCNyvTwxgnZIhtAcDOCgoYQ/view?usp=drive_link