Noggin Notes - Improve Your Mental Health

06/02/2026

💙 Advocating for yourself can save your life.

In this episode, we speak with Tim McDonald, a Stage IV colorectal cancer survivor who shares his journey through diagnosis, treatment, fear, resilience, and ultimately becoming a voice for others navigating serious illness.

This conversation is about more than cancer.
It’s about:
✨ Finding your voice inside overwhelming systems
✨ Learning how to advocate for yourself and your loved ones
✨ Holding onto hope when life changes overnight

Tim’s story is honest, inspiring, and deeply human.

🎧 Tune in now and hear a conversation about resilience, courage, and the power of not giving up on yourself.

05/25/2026

🧠 Insight alone doesn’t change your life. Accountability does.

In this episode, we sit down with Jake Freeman — Marine Corps veteran, therapist, and organizational consultant known as “The People’s Therapist.”

Jake opens up about:
⚡ Why he became a therapist after struggling to find one for himself
⚡ Why many men feel disconnected from traditional therapy
⚡ The difference between understanding your patterns… and actually changing them
⚡ What it takes to rebuild relationships, identity, and trust

Blunt, honest, and deeply grounded — this conversation cuts through the noise and gets to the heart of what real growth looks like.

🎧 Tune in now.

04/28/2026

🧠 What if the problem isn’t the behavior—but how we’re understanding it?

In this episode, we sit down with Ryan Malphrus to unpack:
👦 Why boys are often labeled as “behavioral problems” in school
🧍‍♂️ The silent mental health struggles many men face
💬 What therapy should actually feel like when it’s working

Ryan brings a grounded, honest approach—creating a space where nothing is off-limits and real growth can happen.

This one is for anyone trying to better understand themselves, their sons, or the men in their lives.

🎧 Tune in now

04/21/2026

🚛 Behind every delivery is a story we don’t always see.

In this episode, we welcome back Adam Coleman to explore a complex and often overlooked reality within the supply chain.

We talk about:
• The hidden side of labor in trucking and logistics
• The impact of cheap labor systems
• Why conversations around exploitation and human dignity matter

This isn’t a simple topic—and it’s not meant to be.
It’s a conversation about awareness, responsibility, and remembering the human beings behind the systems we rely on every day.

🎧 Tune in and engage with care, curiosity, and compassion.

02/07/2026

Some boats save us.
Some boats slow us down.

The problem isn’t the boat.
The problem is dragging it long after the river has changed.

In teams and organisations, this looks like:
– Old ways of onboarding that no longer fit
– Sales habits that once worked, now feel forced
– Values that shaped the foundation, but limit the next chapter

Those boats weren’t mistakes.
They were necessary.
They got you here.

But growth asks a different question:
What do we carry forward — and what do we respectfully put down?

This is the heart of the work we do at Noggin Notes.
Helping leaders and teams recognise when it’s time to evolve — not by rejecting the past, but by releasing what no longer serves.

If your organisation feels tired, heavy, or stuck…
Maybe it’s not broken.
Maybe it’s just still dragging a boat from a river that’s long gone.

🌱 Ready to explore what growth looks like now?
Let’s have the conversation.

01/31/2026

🧠 What does it mean for therapy to be grounded in truth, curiosity, and choice?

In our latest episode, we sit down with Soad Tabrizi, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and founder of Conservative Counselors, to explore why some clinicians and clients are asking for more intellectual diversity and balance in mental health spaces.

This conversation isn’t about labels or politics — it’s about:
✨ Preserving open inquiry in therapy
✨ Creating space for clients to speak freely without fear or filtering
✨ Supporting ethical, reality-based care rooted in professional integrity

At a time when many people feel hesitant to fully express themselves, this episode asks an important question: How do we protect therapy as a place for honest exploration and healing?

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation — thoughtfully, respectfully, and human to human.

11/24/2025

🧠🤲 If we want calmer teams and clearer decisions, we have to start with the body.

We’re thrilled to welcome .depassos back on Noggin Notes! This time, we dive into the nervous system, Polyvagal Theory, and the somatic practices leaders can use to transform how they show up under pressure.

Ann’s work—including her platform Good, where she helps people reconnect with resilience, clarity, and nervous system awareness—brings a fresh, grounded approach to leadership that actually feels human.

This episode is packed with practical tools to reduce burnout, steady your system, and build more connected, values-led teams.

🎧 Listen now — and follow Noggin Notes for more insights that help you lead with heart, presence, and steadiness.

11/20/2025

It’s an honor to share that the Noggin Notes Podcast is featured on the CredibleMind platform—an evidence-based mental wellbeing resource trusted by individuals, employers, hospitals, and communities across the country.

CredibleMind is known for its rigorous process: every podcast, article, video, and tool is vetted by mental-health professionals to ensure it’s grounded, responsible, and genuinely supportive. Their mission is to make high-quality mental wellbeing resources accessible for everyone—securely and privately.

Having Noggin Notes selected means our conversations, stories, and interviews meet their standard for accuracy, depth, and meaningful impact. We don’t take that lightly. We show up because mental health deserves honesty, curiosity, and heart—and we’re committed to bringing conversations that support real growth in everyday life.

Explore our episodes on the platform:
👉 wellscreenmonterey.crediblemind.com/podcasts/noggin-notes-podcast

Thank you for walking this journey with us.

Noggin Notes aims to educate and enrich your noggin about mental illness and wellness. Conversations range from factual and data-based to theoretical and idea-based. We welcome your input at [email protected] or [email protected]. Noggin Notes is not intended as a substitute for profession

11/12/2025

✨ It’s that time again — our favourite yearly ritual.

Before you rush into 2026, pause. Breathe. Reflect.

Every year, we gift you something powerful — YearReflection, a free guided reflection booklet that helps you look back on the year that was and design the one ahead with intention and purpose.

It’s not just another “New Year planner.” It’s a mirror.
A reminder that growth doesn’t happen by chance — it happens by reflection.

Grab your free copy, find a quiet corner, and let the questions guide you.
🖋️ Uncover your patterns.
💭 Celebrate your wins.
🌿 Design the life and year you actually want.

✨ It’s free. It’s powerful. It’s yours.
👉 Link in bio to download and start your reflection journey.

11/03/2025

🌀 Groups follow stories. When we don’t know the story, we become the story.

On this episode, we talk with Brant Elwood — author, social-organizational psychologist, and myth-maker — about how archetypes and the group unconscious shape our workplaces, communities, and relationships.

✨ How gods, heroes, and tricksters show up in teams
✨ Rites of passage work with young men and what it taught us about leadership and belonging
✨ How to notice the roles you’re unconsciously playing — and choose a different path

Tune in if you want to understand the hidden forces running your group life and learn tools for more conscious, healthier organizational culture. 🎧