Dr. G: Engaging Minds POLITICAL DETOX

Political Detox explores the state of our society, the anxiety we are feeling, and ways we can navigate the chaos. Dr. G and Chad talk about current challenges we all face, and offer coping strategies to maintain sobriety amidst uncertainty. Chad L. Johnson is the host of the Not All There podcast, a raw and darkly funny exploration of addiction, sobriety, and what it means to live an honest life in recovery. With over 10 years of continuous sobriety, Chad blends lived experience, humor, and insight to create real conversations that resonate. He’s also the founder of Sober with Chad co...

Political Detox explores the state of our society, the anxiety we are feeling, and ways we can navigate the chaos. Dr. G and Spencer talk about current challenges we all face, and offer coping strategies to maintain a positive outlook in our daily lives. Spencer Windes is an editor, writer and nonprofit executive based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He's previously worked in development at the ACLU during the first Trump administration, as well as at the Center for Biological Diversity. Currently, he's a contributing editor at Santa Fe Magazine. Learn more about Spencer at https://www.linkedin.com/in...

Special Guest Chris Roland

Chris is a transformational teacher, coach, and sound healing facilitator currently based in South Africa. He has travelled, lived or worked in sixty+ countries, and his unusually full and colorful life and unique toolset enable Chris to relate to clients through first hand real world experience.  Chris is also a multi-talented award winning writer, director, producer, media consultant and coach. He has written, directed, and/or produced 80+ films, TV series, commercials, and videos. He has owned seven companies in the film and TV industry, including production, distribution, equipment rental, and finance. Chris now f...

Special Guest Dr. Palesa Makhale-Mahlangu

Palesa Makhale-Mahlangu is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Johannesburg, South Africa.  She is a consultant in various fields of mental health and for corporate in the Employee Assistant Programme. Her consulting has included running strategic planning workshops for the National Department of Health (Mental Health) on Victim Empowerment Programmes in three regions as well as evaluating the mental health hospitals and clinics in Mpumalanga Province (South Africa). She also worked on the consolidation of the reports from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Women’s Hearings ( Held in South Africa post...

Special Guest Dr. David Schechter

Dr. G welcomes Dr. David Schechter, physician whose career stands on principles. First, treat the whole patient (mind and body) in the context of his family, work, and his environment. Second, provide the highest quality care based upon the most up-to-date medical research. Third, emphasize prevention, a healthy lifestyle, and exercise as the mainstays of a comprehensive program. Dr. Schechter graduated with a degree from Princeton University. While a medical student at NYU in the early 1980's, he was first exposed to a stress related disorder-- his own! After successful treatment as...

Special Guest Dr. Evelyn Higgins

Dr. Evelyn Higgins is a recognized international expert in the epidemiology of substance use disorders, process addictions, and mental health conditions.  She is a graduate of the State University of New York with postgraduate studies at Harvard Medical School in Body, Mind, and Spirit medicine with an emphasis on resiliency.  A Diplomate in Addiction and Compulsive Disorders, she is also a member of the Pharmacogene Variation Consortium, is a Certified Addiction Professional and a Diplomate of the American Board of Disability specializing in pain management. Dr. Higgins’ work with addictions and primary menta...

Special Guest Cary Nelson

Dr. Cary D. Nelson is a board-certified family practitioner, aesthetic and medical concierge and nutraceutical advisor. He earned his undergraduate degree in Psychobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1993. After a postgraduate spent working with Developmentally Disabled adults and as an EMT, he began his medical school journey at the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, graduating in 2000, and then completing a requisite Fifth Pathway Program at New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY in 2001. 

Dr. Nelson began his internship in the heart of Brooklyn at Wycoff Heights Medical Center in a...

Special Guest Versa Manos

Versa Manos is a Los Angeles-based talent manager and owner of Gorgeous Media Group. She brings over 35 years of entertainment and media experience to a roster of clients, which include actors, writers, directors and musicians. She is heavily invested in the industry, serving as a member of Film Independent, as an Executive Member of Women in Film, and is a former President of the Talent Managers Association.

Her talent roster boasts a wonderful blend of established celebrities and developmental talent. Known for her tenacious spirit, sparkling wit, and a genuine concern...

Special Guest Julie A. Werner-Simon

Ms. Julie A. Werner-Simon is often referred to by her colleagues by the acronym “JAWS”– her initials.  In response to the historic overturn of Roe v. Wade, Ms. Werner-Simon leads the Overground Reproductive Law Project (ORLP), aka the “Harriet Project”, with Los Angeles Women Lawyers (WLALA) and the Southwestern Law School Women Law Student group. Their focus is to assist lawyers from Reproductive Access Yes (R.A.Y.) states who wish to provide reproductive assistance to women in “No-choice” states. Ms. Werner-Simon served a federal prosecutor for almost 30 years in Los Angeles and Alaska. She...

Special Guest Tonya McKenzie

Tonya is a Los Angeles County Commissioner of Alcohol and other Drugs, an author, and a master storyteller. You can find her at the intersection of public relations and leadership. Tonya consults civic organizations, nonprofits, authors, and other leaders on the rise to magnify their message and elevate their leadership in their careers, communities, and the media landscape. Mrs. McKenzie is also the co-host of My Morning Coffee Podcast with Lieutenant Gia Neil of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. She is currently serving as the first African American woman elected to the...