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How is your mental health these days?In recent years, our society has grown more accustomed to discussing this very important subject. We have normalized checking in with ourselves and each other, increased our compassion for those who are struggling, and have more resources than ever available to us to educate and guide us toward improving our mental health. Dr. Christina Bjorndal, ND is on our podcast today, and she is considered an authority in treating mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders using a naturopathic physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual approach.

Everywhere I turn, people are talking about menopause. Finally!

This phase of life that used to be ignored, or even considered shameful, is now getting its long overdue spotlight as a worthy wellness topic and normal rite of passage for women.

Oprah recently produced a special with a panel of experts on the subject of perimenopause and menopause. Naomi Watts has helped create a line of holistic beauty & wellness products for menopausal women. And Dr. Mary Claire Haver is inspiring, educating, and empowering thousands of women to navigate this stage of life with confidence by helping them create sustainable, healthy habits.

Dr. Haver is on the Cracking Open podcast today, and I am so excited to share her wisdom with you all!

Brian Burns is the award-winning writer and Executive Producer of the hit television series Blue Bloods on CBS, HBO’s Entourage, and Will Ferrell’s hit comedy film, Daddy’s Home.

I always appreciate it when people tell the truth as they see it and don't sugarcoat or beat around the bush. I trust that raw honesty and find myself reaching out to the truth-tellers when I need advice and support.

Liz Pryor, today's guest on the Cracking Open podcast is one of these incredible truth-tellers.

For months now my team has been encouraging me to do a solo podcast episode where I talk, teach, and just riff about life, parenting, psychology, and anything else that I am inspired by that may also resonate with our listeners.

I initially had a lot of resistance to this idea. Maybe it was the mixture of fear and the choir of voices telling me, “Who would want to listen to just me, and what would I talk about for an hour that would be interesting to the Cracking Open audience?”

But then my dear friend (and episode 9 podcast guest) Tory Junkin offered to interview me and I knew immediately that it was a resounding YES.

In this episode, Larry teaches us that true connection comes from learning how to regulate your nervous system. He even helps me navigate a challenging incident with my daughter in real time!

Join me as Larry helps us all realize that life (and parenting!) is truly about connection, not compliance, teaches us how to repair when there is a rupture, and guides us toward the power of presence we all experience when we have the courage to embrace the truth in our hearts.

Dr. Russell Kennedy, aka “The Anxiety MD”, specializes in the art and neuroscience of helping people recover from anxiety disorders. He knows anxiety from the inside out, as he developed his own anxiety disorder as a result of growing up with a dad with severe schizophrenia.

We are all so lucky to have Dr. Russ join us for today’s episode of Cracking Open. He shares his personal story of how he healed his anxiety and teaches us that anxiety is simply old trauma energy that is stuck in our body and nervous system which sets off alarms over and over again telling us that we are not safe.

We are kicking off this new season with Linda Sivertsen, a woman whom I have admired and learned from for many years – not only as an accomplished writer, but as a mom, woman, and fellow soul seeker.

Linda always wanted to be a writer. And even though she was in the bottom third of her class academically, she had a dream one night where she saw herself as a writer of several books. That was all the encouragement that this dreamer needed to persevere through her old stories of not being good enough.

Today Linda Sivertsen is known throughout the world as "Book Mama". She is a book proposal doctor, author whisperer, agent connector, idea-fairy, and huge-hearted cheerleader of creativity for writers of all genres–and every gold-plated publishing dream. In the past twenty-four years, she has authored & co-authored eleven books. Her titles have won awards and hit all the lists as an author, co-author, and former magazine editor and ghostwriter.

Three years ago to the day that I lost my mom, the most devout Catholic I've ever known, I interviewed this week's podcast guest, who just so happens to be the daughter of a nun. Life is full of surprises, but rarely any accidents.

Liz Dozier is the Founder & CEO of Chicago Beyond, an organization whose mission is to ensure that all young people have the opportunity to live a free and full life. Since its inception in 2016, Chicago Beyond has invested more than $40M in barriers to equity – from education, to youth safety, to health, wellness, and beyond.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone you just met, where time seems to come to a standstill and it feels like you have known this person for years? This is exactly what it felt like when I interviewed Tami Simon.

Tami is the Founder and CEO of Sounds True, a wildly successful multimedia publishing company that she launched more than three decades ago with a dream and one clear mission – to disseminate spiritual wisdom. Now one of the top publishing companies for many of the leading teachers and visionaries of our time, Tami and her team of more than 110 employees are accomplishing their mission to wake up the world.