The Just A Mom Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 130: Lisa Sabey and Alison Paine, Moms and Filmmakers Mar 03, 2026

Show notes

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/

Episode 129: Marcia Earhart, Life/Grief/Trauma/Brain/Mental Health First Responder Coach, Mediator, and HeartSync Minister Feb 24, 2026

Show notes

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).

Episode 128: Dr. Hector Rodriguez, Integrative Psychiatrist Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

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/

Episode 127: Ryan Bevins and JP Claxton, Fight Club Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

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

Episode 126: Jeanette Yoffe, Therapist, Founder of The Celia Center, Author, and Court-Appointed Reunification Expert Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

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/0c2objjx
https://a.co/d/05gu8QMY
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B149JLWY?ref_=saga_ast_ss_dsk_sdp

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Jeanette-icallySpeaking

Non-profit: https://celiacenter.org/

Website: http://www.jeanetteyoffe.com/

Episode 125: Dr. Michelle Sherman, Licensed Psychologist, Author, and Teacher Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

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/

Episode 124: Kati Morton, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

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/.

Episode 123: Matteo Esposito, Lived Experience and Founder of InvisibleChallenge.org Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

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-letter
TEDx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vetfAJ1DvQQ

Episode 122: Holly Swenson BSN, RN, Wellness Blogger, Award Winning Author, and Mom Nov 18, 2025

Show notes

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/).

Episode 121: Lauren Henry Brehm, Author of The French Court; Essays from One Family’s Legacy of Mental Illness Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

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.

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