Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes

Most self-care efforts fail for the same reason: we skip the inner work first.
In this episode, we talk about what you actually need to know about yourself before self-care can stick.

In this episode, Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis continue the self-care series by going beneath the surface to two things that have to come before any practice can last: self-awareness and self-compassion.
Topics include how to identify your own values and needs rather than borrowing someone else's version, understanding the difference between stressors in the world and stress in your body...

Self-care is everywhere, but most of what passes for it online is surface-level at best. Today, let's go deeper on what self-care actually is, why it has to be personal, and how to know if yours is working.

In this episode, Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis open a new series on self-care, wealth, and investing in yourself. They challenge the popular shorthand around self-care and offer a more useful, individualized framework for understanding what it really means.

Topics include how to define self-care for yourself rather than borrowing someone else's version, the difference...

Feeling overwhelmed, scattered, or behind? In this executive functioning Q&A, we answer real questions about focus, flexibility, time, and follow through. 

In this episode, Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis respond to listener questions about executive functioning in everyday life. Topics include chronic overwhelm, difficulty talking on the phone, struggling with paperwork, being late, rigidity, helping children build executive skills, hiring for executive functioning strengths, and how executive functioning overlaps with ADHD. 

The conversation explores practical strategies such as breaking the day into smaller chunks, prioritizing sleep, using short structured work blocks, adjusting ex...

Worried about retirement, job loss, or getting stuck in your career? In this work-focused Q&A, we answer real questions about growth, purpose, and navigating change.

In this episode, Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis respond to listener questions about work and career transitions. Topics include preparing for retirement without losing purpose, coping with job loss, rebuilding confidence during the hiring process, finding mentors, improving workplace communication, handling psychologically unsafe environments, and figuring out why you may not be moving up.

The conversation explores practical steps such as building structure during unemployment, treating job...

How do you give difficult feedback without sounding harsh? What do you do when someone interrupts, shuts down, or refuses to change?

In this listener Q&A episode, Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis answer practical questions about communication in real life. Topics include delivering underperformance feedback at work, dealing with someone who refuses to change, balancing assertiveness with respect, handling interruptions, and ending conversations without feeling rude.

The conversation also explores communication in virtual meetings, how therapy can help improve communication skills, mediating conflict between colleagues or children, and managing stress during difficult...

You asked, and we answered. In this episode, we respond to real questions about sex, desire, intimacy, and communication.

In this listener Q&A episode, Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis respond to questions that often come up in therapy offices but are rarely talked about openly. Topics include sex after 60, changes in desire across the lifespan, communicating sexual needs, feeling too busy or disconnected for intimacy, and navigating shame, embarrassment, or mismatched desire in relationships.

The conversation also explores practical and emotional questions around sexual health, including menopause, erectile changes, safety and testing...

Why do planning, time management, and productivity feel so hard even when you know what needs to be done? In this episode, we break down practical executive functioning skills that support follow through.

In this episode, Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis explore advanced executive functioning skills related to prioritizing, planning, organization, time management, and monitoring progress. The conversation focuses on why productivity often breaks down and how small, practical adjustments can make goals easier to reach.

Topics include how to set priorities based on values, realistic planning strategies, common thinking traps like the...

Why is it so hard to get started, stay regulated, or slow yourself down in the moment?

In this episode, Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis focus on three executive functioning skills that shape everyday behavior: activation, emotional regulation, and behavioral self control. Together, they explore why starting tasks can feel so difficult, how emotions can take up more space than we expect, and what happens when reactions move faster than intention.

The conversation looks at common patterns like procrastination, urgency driven motivation, overwhelm, impulsive responses, and difficulty pausing before acting. You will hear...

Episode 2 of our four part series on executive functioning. Why is it so hard to remember things, stay focused, or follow through even when you care?

In this episode, Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis take a closer look at three core executive functioning skills: memory, focus, and mental effort. Together, they explore how working memory actually functions, why multitasking strains the brain, and what really affects our ability to stay alert and engaged.

The conversation covers common frustrations like forgetfulness, distraction, and difficulty finishing tasks, and explains why shame and self criticism tend...

What if the reason you struggle with focus, follow-through, or motivation isn’t laziness or lack of willpower?

In this foundational episode, Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis break down what executive functioning actually is: the mental skills that help you plan, focus, regulate emotions, and follow through in daily life.

You’ll learn why shame, grit, and “just try harder” don’t work, how executive functioning is influenced by your brain and development, and what does help instead: responsibility without shame, customization, sleep, and realistic supports.

This episode lays the groundwork for the en...

We're wrapping up our series on Work Wealth by focusing in on how you can develop (and maintain!) resilience in the workplace.

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis coach you on the path to mental wealth by helping you find security, freedom, and luxury in every area of your life.

Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes, is brought to you by Compass Coaching. At Compass Coaching, we specialize in executive coaching by collaborating with you on your goals, giving you reliable information, skills development practice opportunities...

It's a classic podcast team-up episode! And by that we mean: "go back and make sure you've listened to the communication series, because it's the perfect pairing for this laser focused lesson on communicating at work". Let's talk about boundaries, listening, self-awareness, and so much more.

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis coach you on the path to mental wealth by helping you find security, freedom, and luxury in every area of your life.

Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes, is brought to you by Compass...

Overwhelm and burnout. We all know them, we've all experienced them. But how do they happen? And, just as important, how do we address them? Let's dig into not just what change would look like, but what SUSTAINABLE change could look like in our lives.

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis coach you on the path to mental wealth by helping you find security, freedom, and luxury in every area of your life.

Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes, is brought to you by Compass Coaching...

The average American spends a quarter of their year at work, but oftentimes our work life is the LAST place we think about making changes to improve all other aspects of our life. In our new series, we dig into practical ways we can unlock "work wealth" and live fuller, more secure lives as a result.

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis coach you on the path to mental wealth by helping you find security, freedom, and luxury in every area of your life.

...

Good communication is just like anything else in life: practice makes perfect. Today, we're digging into five crucial types of practical conversations you can have to help level up your communication skills.

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis coach you on the path to mental wealth by helping you find security, freedom, and luxury in every area of your life.

Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes, is brought to you by Compass Coaching. At Compass Coaching, we specialize in executive coaching by collaborating with you on...

It's time to learn how to how to speak with authority, confidence, and authenticity. This episode, Drs. Riefkohl-Cook and Ellis dig deep into practical strategies to help you level up your communication skills and ensure that you are HEARD.

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis coach you on the path to mental wealth by helping you find security, freedom, and luxury in every area of your life.

Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes, is brought to you by Compass Coaching. At Compass Coaching, we specialize in...

You'd think that, with a name like "Common Sense", sense would be, well, more common. But when it comes to communication with others, common sense is anything but. 

Join us as we figure out how to identify and bridge communication gaps, examine "intention" vs "impact", and help identify how poor communication can cost you and what you can do to overcome it.

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis coach you on the path to mental wealth by helping you find security, freedom, and luxury i...

What in the world is "communication wealth"? How do I even know if I'm a good communicator? Wait, what do you mean that good communication means that I have to listen too??

Those area probably all questions that you've had at some point, so let's get into it with the first episode of our Communication series: "Listeners Win".

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis coach you on the path to mental wealth by helping you find security, freedom, and luxury in every area of...

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis coach you on the path to mental wealth by helping you find security, freedom, and luxury in every area of your life.

Sexual passion and intimacy can't happen if the environment to foster it hasn't been created. How can we be attentive to what lights the fire (and what smothers it!) to ensure an environment that creates the most fertile ground is present in our lives?

Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes, is brought to you by Compass Coaching. At...

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis coach you on the path to mental wealth by helping you find security, freedom, and luxury in every area of your life.

How in the world are we supposed to be able to even find time for sex, let alone prioritize it, when our lives are so busy with other commitments? Is it even possible? We dig into all of that and more in this week's episode.

Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes, is brought to you by Compass Coaching...

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis coach you on the path to mental wealth by helping you find security, freedom, and luxury in every area of your life.

With all the questions we constantly ask about sex, one of the most important is often left out: when is sex worth it? Join us this episode to learn the path to self-reflection, self-knowledge, and how to answer this very important question.

Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes, is brought to you by Compass Coaching. At Compass Coaching...

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl-Cook and Dr. Stephanie Ellis coach you on the path to mental wealth by helping you find security, freedom, and luxury in every area of your life.

This episode kicks off our series on "Sexual Wealth"; what is it? How do we get it? Is it something that is even possible for me in my current situation?

Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes, is brought to you by Compass Coaching. At Compass Coaching, we specialize in executive coaching by collaborating with you on your goals...

Welcome to Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes. A mostly-serious podcast where Dr. Roxy Riefkohl and Dr. Stephanie Ellis work together to help you find security, freedom, and luxury in every area of your life.

Rich Thoughts, Poor Jokes, is brought to you by Compass Coaching. At Compass Coaching, we collaborate with you on your goals, giving you reliable information, skills development practice opportunities, goal-oriented behavioral strategies, and help in tailoring these skills to your specific situation. We offer both topic-specific, empirically-based programs as well as individualized coaching, all built on cognitive-behavioral and solution-focused principles.

Learn more...