The SelfWork Podcast

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  515 SelfWork: Enhance Your Skills: Listening Someone Into Existence with Doug Noll 11.09.2026 35dk

  Today we'll focus on how to listen to someone so that they feel truly understood and seen. And it may not be a kind of listening that you know about. It's a method called "affect labeling" - meaning labeling the emotions of the person you're listening to. And our expert today is Doug Noll, who teaches this method all over the world. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  514 SelfWork: Three Essential Questions to Identify Your Role Model 04.09.2026 23dk

  Today I'm focusing on three role models in my own life and the questions you can ask to help you identify your own. Dolly Parton. Maya Angelou. And a woman named "Snooky." Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  513 SelfWork: Inside A Psych Ward: A New Book by JaKob Williams, Chock Full of Nuts 28.08.2026 42dk

  You may never have been on the inside of a psych ward. In his new book, JaKob Williams takes you there. Or at least, he takes you to his version of a residential psych ward. He's an interesting guy. Brilliant. Sarcastic. Successful. Driven. Creative. Funny. And he has bipolar disorder, which sometimes gets the better of him. He becomes manic, and even psychotic. As he says... "You talk about PHD. Perfectly hidden depression. I'm POM. Perfectly obvious mania." Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  512 SelfWork: CBT for Insomnia and Its 100% Effective Cure: Dr. Nick Wignall 21.08.2026 28dk

  Dr. Nick Wignall continues as Dr. Margaret's guest this week, as we switch from focusing on emotional fitness to the 100% effective CBT tool for curing insomnia, called sleep compression. It's hard to believe that in ten years of doing SelfWork, I don't remember an episode where we were focusing on insomnia, although I hear about it on a regular basis all the time. We've talked about "sleep disturbance" frequently in the context of classic depression, bipolar disorder, nightmares, or anxiety. So when Nick told me one of this areas of expertise was insomnia, I jumped at it. How does sleep compression work? Nick goes on to describe the technique called sleep compression (a term I'd never heard) that is a CBT - or cognitive behavioral therapy tool - that is 100% effective for insomnia. It's fascinating to hear and makes such common sense. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  511 SelfWork: Emotional Fitness and Being The Hero Of Your Own Life: Dr. Nick Wignall 14.08.2026 34dk

  Dr. Nick Wignall speaks about the vital importance of emotional fitness and becoming the hero of your life. This whole concept is intriguing and suggests that finding and maintaining your own sense of agency - of having some sense of and belief in your ability to have an impact on your life. Understanding emotional fitness is not just about recognizing the feelings we experience but also about actively managing them. Many people find themselves in situations where they feel overwhelmed by their emotions, which can lead to stress and anxiety. By implementing practices that enhance emotional fitness, individuals can learn to navigate these challenges more effectively. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  510 SelfWork: Ted Lasso, The Pandemic and The Power of Secrets 07.08.2026 21dk

  This week – in fact to be punctual about it – on August 5th, 2026 – the first episode of the new Ted Lasso season was released. Today, we're going to focus on the meaning of so many of Ted Lasso characters having secrets that they're keeping.... and the freedom they discover in the telling of them. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  509 SelfWork: EMDR Therapy: How It Can Help Fill Emptiness and Release Grief with Dr. Laurel Parnell 31.07.2026 43dk

  EMDR Therapy is known for its treatment of trauma. Dr. Laurel Parnell teaches and demonstrates how it can be healing for emptiness and grief - when relationships were never loving and for when they're gone. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  508 SelfWork: The Eye-Opening Grief of Disillusionment and Heartbreak 24.07.2026 20dk

  Disillusionment is defined in psychology as a "belief collapse." And the grief that that implosion can cause can be very hard to work through. Today's focus will be on how to do just that - get through disillusionment. What is disillusionment? Disillusionment happens when something you desire or believe strongly is true and right – something that you’ve worked hard to create or to build - crashes into a harsh reality. So many of my clients through the years have been disillusioned, demoralized people. They have reached a level of pain in their hearts and very souls that feels overwhelming. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  507 SelfWork: How to Effectively Talk To A Perfectionist 17.07.2026 22dk

  The subject for today is how to talk with a perfectionist about your concern for them. Or if you’re the perfectionist, how to allow someone into your world enough for you to hear that concern. I'll offer five definite approaches that work and you'll learn about the feedback loop that makes perfectionism addictive. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  506 SelfWork: Therapy Harm: Straight Talk with Dr. Patricia Dixon 10.07.2026 39dk

  Today psychologist and mental health advocate Dr. Patricia Dixon is shedding light on the often misunderstood concept of “therapy harm.” She explains what it is, how it can happen even with the best intentions, and why clients who experience it often struggle to speak up. We’re also going to focus on what’s called “colorism” - when fairer skin becomes an avenue toward privilege - and how she addresses that in her teaching and practice. Colorism happens in multiple cultures and is so important to legitimize as happening regularly. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  505 SelfWork: What's The Most Recent News For Depression Sufferers in 2026? 03.07.2026 20dk

  What's the most recent news for depression sufferers in 2026? That's the question Dr. Margaret researched today. Some new treatments are available now; some are still trying to get FDA approval. But there's a lot of promise out there, especially for what's termed treatment-resistant depression. There's also a new book out, Rethinking Suicide, that points out more recent research findings in suicide prevention. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  504 SelfWork: Your Questions and Answers: Is Anorexia Back "In", Borderline Moms, and Mother/Son Enmeshment 26.06.2026 23dk

  Dr. Margaret will focus today on questions and answers that listeners have sent her by either voicemail or email. First topic for today: Is anorexia back "in" as beautiful? Second: Why could you be allowing your mom (with borderline traits) to occupy such emotional space in your life? And third: If I'm openly sad when my son is getting ready to leave home, am I unintentionally setting him up to feel guilty? Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  503 SelfWork: Important Insights Into How to Interpret the Enneagram with Courtney Smith 19.06.2026 47dk

  Our expert speaker is Courtney Smith, who's a coach, group facilitator, and consultant who works with individuals and Fortune 500 companies to achieve change. She is a renowned practitioner of the Enneagram personality system, which she teaches alongside other personal development tools. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  502 SelfWork: The Medical and Mental Trauma of Chronic Invisible Illness with Amy Kurtz 12.06.2026 47dk

  194 million Americans–more than 76 percent of the population–are living with chronic illness. Many eventually stabilize, but what happens when the body heals and you still don’t feel safe inside it? Patient advocate and health coach Amy Kurtz knows this gap in our healthcare system firsthand. Having gone to 36 doctors, she was already exhausted from that decades-long effort. Finally hearing the diagnosis of late-stage neurological Lyme disease with co-infections, and getting the right treatment, her labs had improved. But as her body began to stabilize, the fear didn’t fade. . It was her husband who finally named what she couldn’t: the illness may have receded, but the trauma hadn’t. What emerged from that conversation is her book that came out this week - BUT YOU LOOK FINE (Balance, June 9), an earnest guide to get through the dark tunnel of what she calls Medical Trauma Brain. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  Introducing How To!: “How To Take Psychedelics for Your Mental Health with Dr. Will Van Derveer” 09.06.2026 44dk

  This week we’re sharing a special episode from our friends at How To!, the 2026 Ambie Award-nominated “Best Personal Growth Podcast” that’s back with a new host and new topics to fuel your curiosity. Each week on How To!, award-winning journalist Mike Pesca tackles a listener’s question – on topics ranging from travel and finance to health and relationships – with help from world-class experts who actually know what they're talking about. Think of it as eavesdropping on someone else's therapy session, without the co-pay or awkward silence. And today, we’re sharing their recent episode “How To Take Psychedelics for Your Mental Health” where Mike interviews psychiatrist Dr. Will Van der Veer, a psychedelic researcher, and Myq Kaplan who has taken psychedelics for his mental health and other reasons. I love this episode because you get to hear a bunch of personal experiences of medical psychedelics and learn more about this emerging treatment for mental health conditions. And for more interviews like this, make sure to follow How To! on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And tell them we sent you.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  501 SelfWork: Cultural Humility: What It Takes To Walk in Someone Else's Shoes 05.06.2026 22dk

  Dr. Margaret focuses today on the vital importance of what’s termed “cultural humility” as she responds to a listener voicemail, pointing out that as she’s a white person, her advice comes from a place of privilege in the US. Do you have to have walked in someone else’s shoes, carried the same load as they have, lived a life very similar to theirs – to truly understand them? Or to offer something helpful to them? I received a very open and honest voicemail this week that addresses this question. Certainly. with the United States as keenly and at times violently divided as our citizens are, it might be hard to find anyone who’d answer “yes” to that question. Yet, when I think about the people I’ve seen through the years as a therapist, I’d hope that at least many – if not most – of them have walked out of my office feeling as if something has been lifted from them. Or that they’ve gleaned some type of perspective that’s helpful. Sometimes, my experience or style is not a good fit for someone, and I refer that person to someone who might be better. But I was very struck by this young woman’s comment and wanted to share with all of you. What follows is a discussion of the difference between cultural competence and cultural humility. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  500 SelfWork: Paul Gilmartin On Healing from Maternal Sexual Abuse 28.05.2026 46dk

  It’s a little hard to describe Paul Gilmartin. He's worked as a stand-up comic. He makes furniture. And he's a maternal abuse survivor. To add to that, he was one of the first hosts of the TBS show Dinner and A Movie. In fact, he hosted that show for years – and people still recognize him when he’s out and about! But his life has moved in many directions. Since 2011 however, he’s been the host of the Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast – where he interviews all kinds of people – occasionally a mental health professional. And he encourages folks on the podcast to be as honest as they’re ready to be – about things that many have a struggle with revealing. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  499 SelfWork: Emotional Martyrdom: It's Different Than Self-Sacrifice 22.05.2026 22dk

  Recently, I got a comment on the questionnaire blogpost on perfectly hidden depression - from a woman whose every word convinced me that there are too many people in the world who believe it's their job to keep everyone around them happy. So today we're going to look at what's termed emotional martyrdom. This could be you or someone you're in a relationship with. It can sound like, "It's my job to keep everyone happy, whether or not I am happy myself." Or, "Don't worry about me, I'm fine." Or, "I'm not hungry. Y'all go on and eat what's there and I'll see what's left." Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  498 SelfWork: Plastic Surgery: Understanding Its Psychological Side with Dr. Rady Rahban 15.05.2026 44dk

  Today we're focusing on the psychological side of plastic surgery. This interview with renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Rady Rahban answers all your questions about the psychological side of choosing both reconstructive and plastic surgery. Understanding the motivations and emotional impacts of such decisions is crucial for anyone considering these procedures. The intersection of psychology and plastic surgery reveals much about our societal standards of beauty and self-acceptance. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
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  497 SelfWork: What's The Current Controversy Over What "Licensed Mental Health Professional" Means 08.05.2026 24dk

  Today we’ll focus on what it means to be a licensed mental health professional. How are coaches and influencers different from licensed mental health professionals? And how has the rise of therapists themselves online affected the social media culture, while unlicensed influencers are offering mental health advice? We'll focus on five major concerns of the online presence (and often persistence) of online 'therapists', be they the licensed kind, coaches, or unlicensed influencers, including the impact of licensed mental health professionals. Our listener voicemail is from a listener who herself has been diagnosed with BPD – and how she’s struggling with her adult child not being in her life. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands