In this episode, we sit down with the wildly talented and utterly honest Ma Sherry Glaser—actress, playwright, author, and activist. Sherry shares her harrowing (and strangely funny) journey through a stroke, a cancer diagnosis, and a kidney tumor... all discovered after avoiding the medical system for decades.

This one’s about what happens when your magical thinking meets a medical emergency—and what it really means to make peace with death.

You’ll hear us talk about:

• How denial and “wishful wellness” can sometimes teach something else
• The shame and shock of getting seriously ill
• What it’s like to have a stroke and discover a tumor in one hospital visit
• Her powerful new show, Life and Death: A Love Story
• And why life tastes sweeter when you finally stop trying so damn hard

If you’ve ever feared getting older, been shocked by your own medical chart, or just wondered how to actually live while you’re still here—this one’s for you.

About Ma Sherry:

Sherry Glaser is originally from New York City and has been doing comedy for over 40 years. She is the star and author of 4 One woman shows, TAKING THE HIGH ROAD, (Comic confessions from behind the Cannabis Curtain), The ADVENTURES OF SUPER ACTIVIST MOTHER, OH MY GODDESS! and the Longest running one woman show in off-Broadway Herstory – FAMILY SECRETS. Sherry is a published author of THE FIRST PRACTICAL HANDBOOK FOR CRAZY PEOPLE, of her memoir FAMILY SECRETS, and MAMA’S 1ST POCKET CHICKTIONARY. She is the founder of the Peace Advocacy group; Breasts not Bombs Her new play is LIFE AND DEATH: A Love Story

Links for Ma Sherry:

Website

Instagram

Sherry also offer Tarot readings. You can contact her directly for more information here.

Find resources mentioned in this episode here.

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*Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

In this episode, we go there—into the deep, raw, and very real territory of death and dying. Sounds jolly, right? But seriously, it's the conversation no one prepared us for, and that’s exactly why we’re having it.

We're getting honest about:

• Sudden loss and the trauma of unexpected death
• The weird things our brains do when we first hear someone’s gone
• The difference between grief and the act of dying
• End-of-life planning, medical aid in dying, and making peace with our mortality
• And yes… the “Oh No” book, because someone’s gotta know where the passwords are

We laugh, we share personal stories, and we hope this episode helps you feel a little more seen and a little less alone.

Find resources mentioned in this episode here.

Learn more about this podcast here.

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*Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

In this episode, we sat down with Kristy Dillon—therapist, survivor, and truth-teller—to talk about something that too many people still struggle to say out loud: sexual abuse.

This conversation is raw, honest, and full of the kind of wisdom that only comes from deep healing. If you've experienced abuse—or love someone who has—this episode is for you.

Here’s what we talk about:

• What it’s like to tell your story after years of silence
• How sexual abuse impacts identity, relationships, and trust
• The complicated feelings survivors often have about their abusers
• What healing actually looks like (hint: it's not linear)
• How safe touch, therapy, and community helped Kristy reclaim her body
• The power of saying it out loud—yes, even if it’s messy or imperfect

Trigger warning: We talk about childhood sexual abuse. Please take care of yourself as you listen. You can pause, come back, or skip this one if it’s not the right time.

👉🏼 If this resonates with you, you're not alone. Healing is possible. We're proof.

About Kristy:

Kristy Dillon is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in Dayton, Ohio with over 30 years of experience in the counseling field. She has been trained in Somatic Experiencing, Developmental and Relational Trauma, and Polyvagal Theory. Over the years, she has worked in Community Mental Health Centers, private psychiatric practice, school-based counseling, and private practice.

Kristy was motivated to earn a degree in Counseling after engaging in her own personal counseling to address sexual trauma she experienced as a child. The profound healing she experienced inspired her to learn how to support others through their own healing journeys.

View Kristy’s profile here.

Find resources mentioned in this episode here.

Learn more about this podcast here.

Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here.

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Stay updated on new episodes here.

*Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

In this episode, Patti shares her experience of childhood sexual abuse, what healing has looked like over the decades, and why it’s so important that we talk about the things that were buried under shame, silence, or secrecy for way too long.

We’re not getting into graphic details—but we are talking honestly about the emotional toll and long-term impact of being hurt by someone who was supposed to protect you.

Here’s what we dive into:

• How trauma shows up in your adult body, even when your mind doesn’t “remember”
• The difference between being a victim and choosing healing
• The complications of caretaking for the very people who failed to protect you
• How to recognize signs of abuse in children—and why it’s never too late to speak out
• What experiential therapies, boundaries, and nervous system work can do for your healing

This one is vulnerable, raw, and real—but it’s also filled with hope.

If this topic is hard for you, please take care of yourself first. Hit pause if you need to. And know you're not alone.

Resources mentioned:

• Gifts from a Challenging Childhood by Jan Bergstrom
• Running on Empty by Jonice Webb
• The Courage to Heal by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
• Experiential therapy modalities: ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy), Gestalt, Inner Child Work

We see you. We’ve got you.

Find resources mentioned in this episode here.

Learn more about this podcast here.

Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here.

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Stay updated on new episodes here.

*Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

This week, we’re getting real about something that hits close to home.

We’re joined by Jan’s dear friend and fellow therapist Laura Williams, who bravely shares her journey through an unexpected breast cancer diagnosis. Stage zero—no symptoms, no lump, no family history. Just one routine mammogram that saved her life.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How a mammogram caught Laura’s cancer before it spread
• What “stage zero” breast cancer really means
• The wild (and frustrating) realities of navigating treatment
• Radiation, Tamoxifen, and the side effects no one warns you about
• The emotional toll of playing it “fine” while quietly falling apart
• How women are often told to suck it up—even during cancer
• The support systems that carried her, and the ones that surprised her

This is a must-listen for any woman who’s ever put off her appointment or felt dismissed in a medical setting. Let this be your nudge, your hug, and your reminder: you matter, and your health does too.

Go get that mammogram. We mean it.

About Laura:

Laura Williams has known since her early twenties that she was called to this work — but the path to Be Found Counseling has been anything but linear. Three children, three moves, loss and birth, other careers, and her own healing journey have all shaped how she shows up as a counselor today. She looks back and can see that none of it was wasted. Every detour has deepened her belief in the power of mercy, grace, and community.

Being a counselor isn’t just what Laura does — it’s who she is. Every day, she gets to witness hope, healing, and redemption unfold in real time. It’s an honor for her to walk with people as they discover their own worth and learn to live from a place of belonging rather than shame.

While Laura’s faith deeply informs the way she sees the world, she doesn’t practice biblical counseling or label herself a Christian counselor. What guides her is how Jesus lived — bringing people out of shame into dignity, meeting them with compassion and understanding. Whether or not faith is part of someone’s story, her hope is that when they sit together, they experience unconditional love, mercy, and grace.

Laura’s work is shaped by her training with the Healing Our Core Issues Institute (HOCI), where she now serves as a member of the core faculty. The HOCI model focuses on human worth, healthy boundaries, creating meaning out of imperfection, taking responsibility for needs and desires, and cultivating joy and secure connection — both with ourselves and others.

She often says this work offers hope in the wilderness. When life feels overwhelming, lonely, or uncertain, it gives us a place to land — and a foundation we can return to again and again. After experiencing this transformation herself, Laura no longer fears the wilderness. She’s ready to step into it with you.

Laura’s Links:

Website: www.befoundcounseling.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/befoundcounseling

Find resources mentioned in this episode here.

Learn more about this podcast here.

Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here.

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*Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

Today we’re diving deep into skin health and cancer — not as experts, but through sharing experiences we’d like to help you avoid.

In this episode we talk:

• How baby oil and iodine once were Jan’s “sunscreen” (yes, really) and how that misguided vibe still haunts her skin today
• Jan’s personal skin‑cancer story: from a spot that wouldn’t heal on her forehead to multiple cuts, stitches and scalp scares
• What MOHS surgery is and how it changed how Jan sees—and wears—her skin
• The emotional landscape of having cancer (even non‑melanoma) and living with the “what‑if it comes back” anxiety
• Practical, no‑fluff tips on what to look for, how often to get checked, and how to build skin‑care awareness as you age
• If you’ve ever thought: “Wait, nobody told me this would happen,” then this is for you. We wish someone had said it earlier to us.
• 🎧 Tune in, share with a friend, and let us know your story if skin health or cancer has touched you. We’re in this together.
• Note: We are not doctors. If you have any concerns about your skin or health, please seek professional advice.

Find resources mentioned in this episode here.

Learn more about this podcast here.

Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here.

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Stay updated on new episodes here.

*Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

In this episode, we’re talking with Susan Kay, a psychiatric nurse practitioner with over 40 years of experience treating anxiety, panic, and mood disorders.

Susan opens up about her own lifelong journey with anxiety—from childhood panic attacks to the hard-won wisdom that comes from facing fear head-on. Together, we explore:

• Why anxiety often begins early and hides behind shame
• The connection between fear, the nervous system, and avoidance
• How to stop letting anxiety drive your decisions
• The power of small, brave steps and saying “bring it on”
• When medication, therapy, and community can all play a role
• The deep relief that comes from being seen, heard, and loved

It’s an honest, compassionate conversation that reminds us we’re never alone in our struggles—and that healing often begins the moment we start talking about it.

About Susan:

Susan Kay is a pediatric and adult psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist with many years of experience treating both inpatients, residential and outpatient populations. She provides psychotherapy both short term and intermittent as well as psychiatric evaluation and medication management. Her designation as a Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist has now changed to Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner by the American Nursing Credentialing Center.

Susan is seeing pediatric and adult populations in an outpatient setting. She offers primarily psychiatric evaluation and medication management is her specialty. She has extensive experience treating affective disorders, ADHD through the life cycle, Autism Spectrum Disorder, OCD and psychotic disorders.

Find resources mentioned in this episode here.

Learn more about this podcast here.

Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here.

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Stay updated on new episodes here.

*Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.

In this episode, we’re going deep into a topic we wish someone had warned us about: anxiety.

From panic attacks to lump-in-the-throat discomfort and the reality of being “on edge” for decades—we’re talking about how trauma shapes the nervous system, and why healing isn’t just about mindset.

Here’s what we cover:

• Patti’s real-life story of anxiety from childhood trauma to adult healing
• Why “calming down” doesn’t cut it when your nervous system is on overdrive
• Panic, agoraphobia, and food-related anxiety
• Therapy approaches that helped (CBT, EMDR, ART, somatic work & more)
• Medication without shame
• The power of naming what’s happening in your body and brain
• Why anxiety looks different for everyone

This conversation is honest, emotional, and grounded in real experience. If you’ve ever felt like your anxiety didn’t “make sense,” this one’s for you.

Find resources mentioned in this episode here.

Learn more about this podcast here.

Submit your 90-second lesson/experience here.

Apply to be a guest here.

Stay updated on new episodes here.

*Information shared on this podcast is not medical advice. If you have a concern about your physical or mental health, please seek support from a proessional.