Beyond Well with Sheila Hamilton

John Puls. Violence and young men.Dr. John Puls returns for an in depth conversation on violence and young men. Dr Puls specializes in the treatment of adolescent and young adult men and speaks to the factors creating more withdrawn, reactive, and explosive young men.

Samantha Rose is an Emmy award winning tv writer, author, and a New York Times bestselling ghostwriter who collaborates with experts, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders.Her book, bravely honest and inspiring, explores her mother’s suicide and her reflections on grief, resilience, and searching for answers that help heal.

Ross Szabo is the Director of Wellness at the Geffen Center and one of the most sought-after mental health speakers and trainers on college campuses. He offers valuable insights on young adults, male violence, and the state of adolescent mental health.

Should your next therapist be an AI chatbot?Not so fast. Ian Kreitzberg is a Puck News reporter specializing in technology and AI. He recently tried out a new app claiming to be “A Therapist in Your Pocket.”Kreitzberg talks with Sheila about the trend toward AI chatbots dispensing advice, along with its potential risks and benefits: Among the benefits: Greater accessibility, early detection, personalized treatment plans and support for therapists. Among the risks: AI does not replace human empathy, a critical component of the therapeutic relationship.It may provide dangerously inaccurate or harmful recommendations. Privacy and data security: AI is not bound by the same privacy regulations as licensed clinicians.And Algorithmic bias: All models are trained on existing data, which can reflect and amplify societal biases based on race, gender, or socioeconomic status.

Cristi Bundukamara, known as Dr. B, is a passionate mental health professional dedicated to helping others build resilience and take control of their mental well-being.Dr. B’s personal grief is as profound as her career, shaped by the loss of three children and her husband. Cristi’s practice is strengthened by decades as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, helping people overcome their most profound traumas and personal losses. In this interview, Dr. B. talks about spiritual growth from loss, cognitive behavioral therapy, somatic techniques for healing, and the use of ketamine assisted therapy.

Author Kelly Sundberg joins Sheila to talk about her new book, ’The Answer is in the Wound. Sundberg wrote the intimate essay collection after leaving an abusive marriage. She details the lasting effects of trauma and PTSD on survivors in a nonlinear method that relied on scholarship, spirituality, tattoos and journaling. For anyone who has suffered domestic abuse, intimidation or sexual coercion, The Answer is in the Wound, is one woman’s unusual path to survivorship. 

John DeGoey is a certified financial planner and portfolio manager who joins us to talk about finances and mental health. There is no greater contributor to mental health problems than lacking the basic necessities: food, shelter, clothing and comfort. John offers his thoughts on the biggest threat to our financial security and how we can begin viewing our financial security more productively.

Adolescent mental illness is spiking—and it’s not just hormones or “kids these days.” Dr. John Puls, one of the nation’s top adolescent mental health practitioners, joins Sheila to break down the real forces driving this crisis. From high-potency THC in today’s marijuana to the isolating grip of social media, from pandemic-born loneliness to the toxic influence of the “manosphere” on young men, Puls pulls no punches. If you’re a parent, guardian, or anyone who cares about the mental health of the next generation, this is the conversation you can’t afford to miss.

Dr. Dobson returns to the show to talk about child sex predators and the difficulty of prosecuting them. Dr. Dobson’s work as a forensic psychiatrist helps her understand both the mind and motivation of child sex predators. In this episode, Dr. Dobson talks*Epstein Files*Motivations of Child Sex Predators*What prevents most children from coming forward*Why child sex predators are difficult to catch in the digital age

Andrea Leeb was just four and a half the first time her father, David, sexually abused her. Her mother, Marlene, walked in to check on what was supposed to be a bedtime bath. When she witnessed her husband abusing her daughter, she didn’t throw the man out, or call the police—she crumpled to the floor and awoke with hysterical blindness. Why are the people around child sex abusers complicit? What are the tactics people use to frighten children into silence?Why does the system continue to disbelieve children when they tell the truth?And how does this case dovetail with the coverup of child sexual abuse in our country?Andrea Leeb is our guest on Beyond Well, talking about her memoir, Such A Pretty Picture

This episode is a revisit from January 2020.Covid hadn't shut us down yet. We were still recording in a studio all together. Nobody knew about Zoom yet. Together with Dr. Jenna LeJune and Dr. Brian Goff we honed in and hunkered down on a human emotion we all deal with. Shame.Enjoy this blast from the past.

Many people are aware of dogs being utilized as emotional support animals for mental health conditions. But Logan Gore explains the new trend of dogs being trained as service animals for mental health conditions. Dogs are helping people with depression attend to basic hygiene and exercise. Dogs are helping people with anxiety re-establish healthy breathing and blood pressure. Logan's dog has been trained to help alleviate debilitating panic attacks.Where do you get started? How does it work? This episode is all about Mental Health Mutts.

This is a "No Stone Unturned" episode featuring the amazing Manny Trujillo.This episode was recorded six years ago and is just as relevant today as it was then.Manny shares lived experience regarding the cultural and specific experience of a latino man dealing with depression and mental health. As well as some of the challenges for Latino's seeking help in the modern day.Manny is a manager for a major power utility as well as serving as board chair to develop a medical non profit to help deliver and provide medical services for those who might otherwise not have adequate health care coverage. Serving those who are or have been marginalized by todays health care system and working to develop network of providers who can build new acumen in the area of health care that focuses on "whole person" care.Enjoy.

This is a "No Stone Unturned" episode we recorded in 2019 with filmaker Lucy Winer.On June 21, 1967, at the age of 17, Lucy Winer was committed to the female violent ward of Kings Park State Hospital following a series of failed suicide attempts. Over 30 years later, now a veteran documentary filmmaker, Lucy returned to Kings Park for the first time since her discharge. Her meetings with other former patients, their families, and the hospital staff reveal the painful legacy of our state hospital system and the crisis left by its demise.We speak to Lucy about her project "Unlocked stories of mental health care".Enjoy.

No Stone unturned.This episode was originally released in September 2019.Sarah Smith is an activist with Mind Freedom International championing human rights in the mental health system.Enjoy.

This is a fun revisit from 2019.It's part of the "No Stone Unturned" series where we listen back to an episode from days of yore. This one is with Kiah Stern.Kiah Stern was (and is) an actress working out of Portland, New York, Chicago and L.A.Kiah joined us in studio with Dr. Goff and Dr. LeJune and speaks candidly about the jumping headlong into a career that can be tough on one's ego and self esteem.Enjoy.

This is a "No Stone Untruned" episode from 2019 with the amazing C. Lamar Frizzell. An expert in the field of behavioral healthcare for over 20 years.When we caught up with him, C. Lamar Frizzell was CEO of Cedar Hills Hospital. Before that, he held a similar role at Willow Creek Behavioral Health located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Oakwood Springs, Perimeter Behavioral Hospital of Jackson... the list goes on. As we speak today in 2025, he has just been named CEO of Recovery Centers of America in the Capitol region located in Maryland.Frizzell brings practical experience as a line-staff member and is educated in the fields of both Mental Health and Divinity In this interview, Sheila talks with Frizzell about the enormous pressure facing psychiatric hospitals because of an explosion of people in crisis. There are never enough beds, care is complicated, and psychiatric doctors and nurses are in short supply. Frizzell’s personal history growing up in a home where mental health problems were abundant informs his compassion and empathy for people in crisis.

As part of our "No Stone Unturned" series, we present to you a great interview from 2019 with our guest Lindy West.Lindy West is an American writer, comedian, and activist. She is the author of the essay collections Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman and The Witches Are Coming and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times. Topics she writes about include feminism, popular culture, and the fat acceptance movement.Enjoy.

Dr. Leigh Vinocur spent years in emergency rooms listening to people complain of heart trouble, stomach distress, and difficulty breathing. Often times, the patient never recognized the culprit: sustained and toxic stress. In Dr. Vinocur’s new book, Never Let Them See you Sweat, she breaks down the physical impact of years of toxic stress on the body and mind. Stress isn’t always a villain. Dr. Vinocur talks about how stress can sometimes help us—and when it starts to hurt us.What actually happens to our brains when we’re under long-term stress.A lot of people think stress is just a mental thing—but how does it show up in our bodies.How long-term stress plays into mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, or burnout.The ‘double whammy’ of being sick and stressed. The mind body connection—what does that mean about reversing stress?Evidence based ways to reduce stress in your life.

This is a revisit from 2019.In this episode we spoke in studio to Author Lidia Yuknavitch about her life, the shadow of trauma, and the life of an artist/writer. Lidia also talks about her memoir, “The Chronology of Water" and how small acts of creating saved her life. At the time, Lidia dropped the secret that the film was going to be directed by Kristen Stewart and starring Imogen Poots as Lidia. Well, this year the film dropped at the Cannes film festival to much acclaim. The film follows Lidia's journey from childhood trauma and abuse to finding her voice through writing.Since you'll be seeing the movie soon, we thought it might be fun to revist this show.Enjoy.