Hope Pieced Together

All of us have to deal with varying degrees of trauma from the day we are born but few are forced to sit with such unthinkable horrors as the women and men who are called to protect this country. Luckily, there is hope for veterans who are looking for ways to cope with their internal wounds and that hope is yoga. We are joined today by Yoga Alliance RYT-200 certified yoga teacher, Morgan Daugherty, who is here to spill the beans on the magic of using yoga to work through trauma. Morgan explains how she began working with veterans...

Most of us have preconceived ideas of what addiction looks like. In reality, it is a nuanced and powerful disease. Not everyone has the same experience regarding addiction and the subsequent road to recovery. In today’s episode, CarrieRae Munson opens up about her own experiences with addiction and how she found the road to recovery. CarrieRae is the visionary behind Undersummers, a revolutionary women’s clothing brand. She is also the chairman of FOB Rasor, an organization providing support services to veterans suffering from PTSD, addiction, and mental health issues. Due to her own experiences, CarrieRae is a deep...

We are all aware that life comes with its highs and lows, which can take a toll on our bodies. Substance abuse disorder can hinder us from fully realizing ourselves, potentially leading us away from our true selves and life's purpose. Joining us today is Dustin Weaver, the CEO of The 365 Concept and Co-owner of Restoration Recovery Group, here to share with us his story of recovery from substance abuse disorder and what his road to sobriety has looked like. He shares insights into The 365 Concept, what is daily program looks like, and more about The Texas 1000. To hear...

Today on Hope Pieced Together, we are joined by Jason Rocha, founder and CEO of The
Woodlands Pride to discuss his incredible organization, his journey as a gay man, struggles within the LGBTQ+ community and so much more! Tuning in, you’ll hear about Jason’s upbringing, his difficulties with coming out and opening himself up to love, and why he decided to create The Woodlands Pride. We delve into how each person’s coming out experience differs before discussing the importance of open allyship. Finally, Jason tells us about The Woodlands Pride, what it has achieved, and where...

Knowing how to show up for a loved one when they share their coming out journey with us can be challenging. Today’s guest is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in community mental health and offering mental health support to the LGBTQ+ community in the Woodlands. During this episode, she shares her expertise for those in the process of sharing their true identity with friends and family and their loved ones seeking to offer support. To kick off our conversation, Nicole distinguishes between clinical social work and psychotherapy and speaks to the social justice aspect of the former th...

Welcome to another episode of The Hope Pieced Together podcast, with today’s host, Stephanie Skipworth, the Operations Development Manager at Mosaics of Mercy. Today, Stephanie sits down with three of the Mosaics Summer Interns of 2023 as they wrap up their time at Mosaics. Tune in to hear about their experience over the summer as they share insider information about how they heard about Mosaics, where they’ve experienced the most growth, and their favorite moments or projects throughout the internship. They also talk about their future goals and dreams, give advice to other college students thinking about internships, and...

The mind-body connection is becoming more widely understood and accepted in modern society and joining us today to discuss the importance of integrating mental and physical health is interventional cardiologist, Dr. Paulraj Samuel of Samuel Family Cardiology. Dr. Samuel reveals the importance of offering patients access to mental health support alongside medical treatment, emphasizing that addressing both aspects is vital for maximizing overall health and quality of life. In this episode, we find out how Dr. Samuel's collaboration with Mosaics of Mercy aims to break down healthcare barriers, empowering providers to discuss mental health openly and bridge the gap...

In this day and age, it’s almost impossible to keep our children away from the online world. But what we can do is help them navigate it and put measures in place to protect them from its darker side. Today’s guest, Titania Jordan, is the Chief Parenting Officer at Bark Technologies, a company that uses AI to analyze children’s activity online and alert parents or caregivers of any red flags (e.g. a predator sending them inappropriate messages). In this episode, Titania highlights the potential dangers of online spaces and explains the importance of having honest conver...

Today’s story of hope encourages us to be content and faithful as we wait on God because his timing is perfect! In this episode, we welcome to the Hope Pieced Together podcast, Brooke Martin. She is a wife of 35 years and mother to five Snowflake babies and shares with us her truly amazing story of hope. Brook talks about her journey with infertility and IVF and what it was like navigating through several adjacent processes including what to do with leftover embryos and what happens to those embryos if they are donated. Her story brings about many beautiful mo...

The information given at 12-step meetings may vary from person to person, but you can almost always count on them mentioning the date that they decided to embark on their journey to sobriety. This “clean date” is an important marker of recovery, and in today’s episode of Hope Pieced Together, Beau shares his with us and speaks candidly about how he overcame addiction to find hope. We discuss the importance of finding your anchor, the strength and humility it takes to reach out for help, and the value of surrounding yourself with people who love you and support you in...

Today we sit down with marriage and family therapist and Assistant Director of Connections Child and Family Center, Shannan Blum, to talk about some of the powerful benefits of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Shannan takes us through some of the basics of what she does and what is offered at the center before unpacking how DBT fits into this. She explains the unique starting points for DBT, the central idea of the dialectic approach, as well as a bit of history about its founder, Marsha Linehan. We also get to explore the softening of resistance to change through validation...

Guest host Bridget Caletka LPC welcomes Dr. Noor Ferrell as the first psychiatrist on our show! After graduating from Emory University and completing her medical training at the Ohio University of Osteopathic Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Ferrell opened her own practice where she sees a broad range of clients including those who are experiencing reproductive issues. After defining what a psychiatrist is and explaining why she chose the profession, Dr. Ferrell breaks down the differences between psychology and psychiatry as we debunk some major myths about the latter. We learn that therapy and medicine work well...

Nobody plans to become an anorexic or an alcoholic but as Jennifer Bruse knows, just one fad diet or one drink too many can lead to a quick downhill spiral. She also knows that getting out of that spiral is possible, one day at a time! During this episode, Jennifer shares how God and the people in her life have supported her unconditionally and given her strength through her darkest hours, allowing her to find the light. Today, Jennifer is the President and CEO of Hello Woodlands, 6 years sober, and in recovery for anorexia. She believes there is immense...

Defining who we are versus how our family, friends, and others define us is a common experience; and striking a balance between the two is an especially prevalent struggle for adolescents and young adults. Identity development is the process of aligning how we feel inside with what we project to the outside world and, when there are internal and external influences that interfere with that process, many might find that their mental health is impacted. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Sherry’s 18-year-old daughter, Ali Burkhard, as she shares her own journey of claiming her identity and ho...

Today, we are joined by a new, valuable member of our community. Danny Looney is celebrating 14 years of sobriety and is here today to redefine rock bottom and fill us in on his own non-profit, Rock Bottom Hope. Danny shares his story with us, and we find out what led him to fall into substance abuse at such a young age, what rock bottom looked like for him, and what gave him hope at his lowest point. Danny advocates for assisting addicts in reaching their rock bottom, rather than continuously providing them with a soft place to land, and...

Tri County Behavioral Health Care is the government mental health authority for Montgomery, Liberty, and Walker Counties, offering a wide range of services for both children and adults. Joining us in conversation today is Evan Roberson, who directs the program. Join us to hear how Tri County works to serve those from all sorts of backgrounds, how they are equipped to support the most complex children and adults, and what their treatment looks like. Evan talks about mental health management beyond treatment, and you’ll learn why the implications of long term drug use are often confused for a di...

Between the extremes of Clinical Substance Abuse and Teetotaler is the much larger category of Gray Area Drinking. Here today to discuss the topic is therapist, gray area drinking coach, and board member at Mosaics of Mercy, Carolyn Robistow. Join us today to hear Carolyn’s hard-earned perspective on what she calls ‘Groundhog Day Drinking’ and what to do about it. You’ll hear what Carolyn does when she realizes that someone needs support for Clinical Substance Abuse, and why she believes that people’s response to your changed relationship with drinking says absolutely nothing about you. We talk about reso...

Your job as a parent is to advocate for your child, particularly when there is a mental health concern because we want our children to know that, if they’re going through something emotionally, it impacts the whole family. Therapy or treatment is not ‘fix my kid’, it’s ‘help my family’. Once a child realizes this, they’ll find it easier to see their value in the family and that is immensely helpful! Joining us in conversation today is Denise Cipolla, Administrative Coordinator of Guidance and Counseling for Conroe ISD. She shares with us why mental health is such a focus f...

There are many options for adults to address mental health issues, but what about children? Children also suffer from mental health issues but unlike adults, they do not have the cognitive and mental capacity to use the same techniques as adults. Therefore, a different approach is needed to address the mental health concerns of children. This is where child therapy can be immensely beneficial. In these sessions, the type of play and toys the children choose to play which gives the therapist a better understanding of underlying issues and emotional trauma. To tell us more about child therapy and...

If you have ever spent time around children, you’ll know that they have a tendency to get cranky, test boundaries, and act uncooperatively. Today, we’re going to talk about when these behaviors should warrant a diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Regardless of whether or not your child has this issue, today’s conversation contains a wealth of wisdom that is relevant to everyone who lives or works with children. Sharing this knowledge with us today is Kellie Cole, with Compassion Child and Family Counseling. Tune in to hear about what ODD is, how Kellie goes about observ...

Today’s conversation is all about navigating autism and mental health, and joining me to share her knowledge on the topic is Jennifer Morgan; Licensed Professional Counselor, Animal Assisted Counselor, Advanced Certified Autism Specialist, and owner of Morgan’s Helping Hands LLC. Jennifer is post-modern trained, and her approach is one that combines narrative, collaborative, and cognitive-behavioral forms of therapy. In this episode, we discuss examples of what her therapy sessions can look like, some of the key indicators of ASD, how ASD generally presents itself differently in men and women, and the ways in which sensory processing difficulties can...

According to a NAMI 2020 study, 73% of students reported to have had a mental health crisis while at college. Today, we are joined by the Executive Director of Integrated Enrollment Services at the University of Houston, to discuss the pressing topic of mental health on college campuses. Dr. Patrick Lukingbeal fills us in on the positive generational changes he’s observed, with the normalization of mental health conversations among young people. The stigma around mental health issues is steadily disintegrating and more and more people are able to recognize and seek support for their struggles. We discuss the ways in wh...

In the State of Texas, there is still no licensure for sober living homes and, as a result, there are no set guidelines for how they should be run. This makes it extra important, when choosing a sober living home, to do the relevant research to ensure that it’s the right program for you. Joining us today to talk about all things sober living, are two inspiring individuals who have not only come through their own personal recovery journeys, but have dedicated their lives to helping others do the same. Kim Livesay, LCDC is a program counselor and Bu...

In the State of Texas, there is still no licensure for sober living homes and, as a result, there are no set guidelines for how they should be run. This makes it extra important, when choosing a sober living home, to do the relevant research to ensure that it’s the right program for you. Joining us today to talk about all things sober living, are two inspiring individuals who have not only come through their own personal recovery journeys, but have dedicated their lives to helping others do the same. Kim Livesay, LCDC is a program counselor and Bu...

When you are fostering, and perhaps even adopting a child, it’s important to be aware of how previous life experiences and trauma could shape their behavior and interactions. Today on the show we’re delighted to welcome Tara Hutton, host of the Mama’s Well podcast, and dear friend of the show. Tara describes her family as consisting of two rounds of parenting, the first being her three boys, who are currently in their late teens and early twenties, and the second being her two young adopted girls. In my conversation with Tara, we discuss her journey with mental...

Today on the show we speak to Constable Philip Cash about how the Montgomery County mental health constables are serving their community through a dedicated program designed to get mental health consumers the help they need.  We hear about Constable Cash’s journey in law enforcement and what led to his passion for creating a program to address mental health in our community. Constable Cash speaks about the typical process the mental health constables follow to assist mental health consumers in moments of crisis. We also address how Montgomery County is tackling the drug crisis, the need for more men...

Today’s conversation centers around a personal story about a big life event that requires you to navigate a host of emotions within every member of the family. That life event is adoption, and our hope is that as Kristen Minor shares her story, you will find comfort and wisdom for your own journey. You’ll hear how she and her husband, Matt, came to the decision to adopt through prayer on a trip to Costa Rica, what fears they experienced along the way, and how they found a sense of peace through the realization that God is in cont...

There is often so much shame around substance abuse relapse. We have framed it as a failure, but what if we looked at it as an experience that those who have slipped back into addiction can use when beginning their journey of sobriety again? This is just one of the valuable lessons that today’s guest, Robert Hilliker, LCSW-S, LCDC, shares with us. Robert has 17 years of experience in the field of addiction and mental health. His work spans private practice, clinical supervision, and the creation and management of clinical programming. Additionally, he also co-founded The Lovett Center in 2014 an...