Welcome to Insight Mind Body Talk. 

Today, we want to share all of the voices that make Insight tick. We want to give a voice to everyone; therapists, case managers, and support staff. So, we asked them four questions. 

1. What helps you get out of your head and into your body?   

2. What have you learned from your work in mental health that you wish everyone knew?  

3. What or who inspires you? How do you get motivated?  

4. If you had a theme song that played every time you showed up for work, what would it be? 

This has been such an entertaining project. We work as a team, we’re friends and colleagues. We know each other very well, but I was surprised and humbled to learn more about the beautiful humans that make Insight such a special place to be.  

Before we start, Jess would like you to know this episode is being recorded in her car in a park in Madison so you may hear some beautiful rain sprinkling down on the roof.  

Abby Kearns:  

Hi, my name is Abby. I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Parent Coach at Insight. 

1. What helps me get out of my head and into my body is taking off my shoes and socks and feeling the surface underneath my feet. It reminds me that I’m rooted right now.  

2. I wish that everyone knew that intense feelings don’t last forever. Oftentimes big feelings or super intense emotions feel like they’re lasting forever. In reality they only last a few seconds or a few minutes. If you can ride them out and pay attention to the shift in your body, it will change.  

3. Who or whom inspires me or motivates me. I generally keep two people in mind at all times. They’re usually women and people that I know. In the pandemic, I often would think of my grandma who lived in Germany and went through World War II. I look up people in my life, and then I often look to sometimes celebrities or other people. Presently, Glennon Doyle, Michelle Obama, and Sarah Laundry are just a few. 

4. If I had a theme song that I played every time I showed up to work, it would be, This Is Me from The Greatest Showman. I think that every client should listen to the song and pay attention to the lyrics in it. 

Awesome. I love that song. I love it too, so much. 

Victoria Ellington-Deitz: 

Hi, yeah, I’m Victoria and I am a Mental Health Counselor and Body Centered Therapist here at Insight Counseling and Wellness.  

1. First, a body scan. Turning my attention inward and noticing the sensations or what I find in my body. Also, connection with another being or an element like in nature. Listening to the birds. Looking out at a tree. The last thing is asking myself, how am I doing? Asking inward and actually listening to the answer. I think that’s a really important part.  

2. What I’ve learned from my work in mental health that I wish to pass on to everyone is that  mental health counseling actually works. Therapy works. One can actually overcome mental health symptoms. I’ve seen it over and over again. In the meantime, we can live fulfilling lives as we process and heal.  

3. What inspires me and motivates me is the good in all of us. I actually see it every day working with the humans I work with.  

4. If I had a theme song that played every time I showed up for work, it would be Trusty and True by Damien Rice. When I work, when I’m with others, I want to invite the whole of everyone and celebrate what’s working and heal what needs healing and attend to what needs to be attended to. The song is about that.  

Matt Herrmann: 

Hi, I’m Matt. I’m an LPC I T at Insight Counseling and Wellness.  

1. What helps me get out of my head and into my body is really anything that is sports related. Playing basketball. Going for bike rides. I love throwing frisbee. Anything that can help me get into that flow state.  

2. One thing that I’ve learned that I wish everybody in the world knew is that it’s okay to not be okay. I think it’s the most fundamental piece. We’re human beings with human problems. It’s okay to not be okay.  

3. Something that really inspires me and motivates me is my family more than anything. I just have a wonderful family that’s been very supportive throughout my whole life and I just want to do well and be well.  

4. If I had a theme song that showed up every time I came to work, it’d probably be Never Going To Give You Up because it’s fun and it makes me smile and I kind of can’t help but laugh every time I hear it. 

That’s awesome.   

Lynn Hyland: 

Hi, I’m Lynn Hyland. I am a Clinical Psychologist.  

1. What really helps me get out of my head into my body is Body Pump. It’s a class for weightlifting and I just spend time focusing on each muscle group as I lift because the Body Pump does it in different muscle groups. It is my mindfulness break about three times a week, and I found that that’s the best way to get out of my mind. 

2. What I learned from my work in mental health that I wish everybody else in the world knew is that most everyone fears that they are not normal or that they’re crazy, but almost everyone is normal and not crazy. You look at others from outside their brains. You don’t know what they are thinking, but their behavior says they’re okay, nice, happy, whatever. From inside your brain, your thoughts are not okay. Not nice, not happy, not whatever you assume they aren’t having the same thoughts, so you think that you are abnormal or crazy or not nice or whatever. Believe me. Everyone has similar thoughts. You are all normal.  

3. Who inspires me the most are my children. My son Taz is a positive force, so positive with so much care for others. My daughter Will, is prepared to fight for others. They inspire me even when they’re making me crazy.  

4. If I had a theme song that played every time I showed up for work, it would be I’m All Right by Kenny Loggins. When I get to work, it’s all about the clients and not me. So, anything in my life that might be bothering me needs to be set aside. As the song says, don’t nobody worry about me.  

Kelly Kendricks: 

Hi, I’m Kelly Kendricks and I’m an LPC IT.  

1. What helps me get out of my head and into my body is listening to music which will eventually lead to me singing, which will eventually lead to me dancing. People who know me well say, oh, he’s singing. Watch out the Disney show is about to begin. Singing is very regulating because it activates your Vagus Nerve. 

2. What I’ve learned from my work in mental health that I wish everybody else in the world knew is that it’s a good thing for everyone. There’s a stigma about mental health. You go to a doctor for a physical need. You should see someone for a mental need. I wish everybody knew that and knew that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with finding someone to talk to.  

3. Who or what inspires or motivates me? Well, actually I try to keep going and try to make myself a better person, make myself better at the things that I want to do, whether it’s work, whether it’s play. If it’s my writing, if it’s singing and dancing and theater, I actually inspire myself. It’s like, I can do better and that makes me want to keep going. 

Awesome. I love that because for each of us to find a part of ourselves that inspires us is just as important as looking to external sources.  

4. If I had a theme song to play every time I showed up for work, it would be My Shot from the musical Hamilton, because I feel that I am young, scrappy and hungry, and I am not throwing away my shot. There’s an opportunity for something each day and life is just a lot shorter than you think it is. I like to take my shot every single day.  

Very cool. Thank you.  

Joe Lambert: 

Hey, I’m Joe Lambert with Insight Counseling and Wellness. I’m an LPC and a C SAC, which means Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor. 

1. What helps me get out of my head and more into my body? I have discovered pinball in the last year, during the pandemic. It takes me from my worries into something that I have to use my senses for. I have hand-eye coordination and I have to pay attention to different prompts with dings and bells and whistles and sounds and multiple flippers and multiple objectives throughout the board.  

2. What I have learned from my work in mental health that I wish everybody else in the world knew is how important it is to take care of yourself. So many people spend so much time and energy on things for the house or things for the kids or things for the job or things with family. All those things are important, but if you’re not there for yourself, spiritually, emotionally, and physically, then you can’t be as present for those other people in your life. 

3. What inspires me, motivates me? Different kinds of artists in different kinds of fields, people that are purposeful and don’t care about critics. I think of Bob Dylan, as an artist, his words inspire me. I think of Bill Murray’s actions and popping into different places, not listening to those external voices and judgments, but getting the most out of what you want to bring to the world. Those kinds of people. 

4. If I had a theme song that played every time I showed up for work, it would be I’ve Saved The World Today by the Eurythmics. Something about Annie’s lyrics, I really identify with. Look it up. Hey, Hey, I’ve saved the world today.  

Elyse Laing: 

Hi, I’m Elyse and I am an LPC and work with children, adolescents, and families. 

1. What helps get me out of my head is playing and snuggling with my dogs and my son. I’m also really into sensory stimulation, so if I’m really stuck in my head, I’ll mix it up and do something to kind of shock my sensory system.  

2. What I’ve learned from working in the mental health field that I wish other people knew is it’s okay to be selfish with your time and energy. And, if something is bothering you, speak out rather than shoving it down only to burst later  

3. Who inspires me? My son inspires me. He’s been through so much in his short life and through it all, he’s the happiest, most easy-going little human I’ve ever met.  

4. My theme song that would play every time I showed up for work would be Shake It Off by Taylor Swift, because I’m all about empowering clients to be themselves and embracing it regardless of what other people think. 

Kate Lauth: 

Hi, my name is Kate.  

1. What helps me get out of my head and into my body is stretching and breathing. I like to feel the floor, roll my neck, reach my arms up above my head, give my jaw and my neck a little massage and take some deep breaths. 

2. What I’ve learned from my work in mental health that I wish everybody else in the world knew is that people are almost always doing their best. A little empathy goes a long way. Every behavior is an attempt to meet a need and every person possesses the innate capacity for healing.  

3. There are so many people who inspire me. My family, especially my mom. There are so many family members in my immediate and extended family who are passionate, fierce, and bright. They’re lawyers, doctors, social workers, teachers, environmental activists. It’s really amazing. I’m also inspired by many leaders in the field of mental health and wellness and spiritual development like Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Brene Brown, Esther Perel, Terry Walls, Pat Ogden, Cheryl Strayed, and 70 Selassie to name a few.  

4. If I had a theme song that played every time I showed up for work, it would be, This Girl Is On Fire by Alicia Keys. I can’t listen to that song and not feel pumped up.  

Ann Lewis: 

Hi, my name is Ann. I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor.  

1. When I want to get out of my head and into my body, I just stretch. What I love about stretching is that you can do it anywhere and it’s not a special skill. I can reach my hands up to the sky or I can roll my shoulders and bend from side to side. It’s so simple, but there’s nothing like it to quickly get me out of my head and into my body. 

2. I learned so many things in my work in mental health, but one of the big things that I’d love to tell everybody in the world is that you’re responsible for your own feelings. It’s a game changer.  

3. I’m inspired by the people I work with every day in so many ways. But the person who inspires me every single day is my mother. After a head-on collision in her forties, she had to relearn everything from holding your head up to reading a book. This was an exhausting process. She never fully recovered. She couldn’t go back to teaching because of the limitation she had. She had only been a teacher for about five years as she got into teaching later in life. This happened during the Vietnam War and as a military wife, she was in a military hospital with young soldiers who had been injured. She had so much compassion for them. Once she recovered as much as she could, she tutored many students and became a lifeline to these students’ parents. She showed me every day how to lead a good life in spite of what life throws at you. 

4. I couldn’t think of a theme song but my sister asked the question of my nephews and they said that my theme song would be Defying Gravity from Wicked. I’m really not quite sure what they were thinking.  

Have you heard that song before? Oh, that’s beautiful that they picked that for you. That says a lot about how they feel about you. 

Emily Natera: 

Hi, I’m Emily Natera. I’m an LPC at Insight.  

1. Some of the things that help me get out of my head and into my body; if it needs to be kind of quick and dirty I use EFT tapping from Emotional Freedom Technique. The whole purpose is to create some healing and some changing of the energy in your own body. For me, I use two tapping spots. I tap on the inside of my eyebrows, and I tap under my eyes. About six to eight taps with two fingers repeatedly until I kind of feel that release. And that’s the easiest and quickest way for me to get out of my head and get grounded again.  

That is so cool. I’m going to research that when I get home and figure out how to tap. I love it. 

1. It’s a whole thing, there are nine tapping spots. You’re supposed to do it in a specific order. You do a frame. You change your thoughts. For me, honestly, it’s like tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, whoosh.  

2. There are some things that I’ve learned working in mental health, it’s really hard to pick just one, but I think the most important thing is that it’s okay to ask for help. Not only is it okay to ask for help, but it’s connection and relationship. That’s what actually cultivates an environment for growth and change. Isolation is what creates an environment where your struggles get amplified. To ask for help is actually a sign of deep care and compassion for yourself and strength to recognize, I can’t do this alone We’re humans and none of us can do it alone. The other thing that is really important is that people aren’t defined by a moment in time. One action, one choice, one feeling, isn’t the thing that’s going to define your forever. The only thing that’s constant is change. We have the ability to reinvent ourselves, to reinvent our very sense of being, at any time. 

It’s so important to remember that, too. I completely agree. We all need to hear that and be reminded of that. I recognize this is probably a cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason. 

3. My goal every morning is to leave my little corner of the world a little bit better, a little bit brighter, a little bit happier. Anything I can do in my little corner of the world to know that I made a difference, that’s kind of the end goal, right?  

Tara Rollins: 

Hi, I’m Tara Rollins. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and a board-certified Dance Movement Therapist. 

1. My favorite thing to do to get out of my head into my body is to either do some yoga poses or watch a yoga video. Do some stretching, get outside for a walk or, my ultimate favorite, turning on music and dancing.  

2. One of the things that I’ve learned being part of the mental health field that I wish everyone would know is that there isn’t one method or technique that works for everyone. Usually, the best intervention is a creative blend of techniques. Everyone can benefit from having a safe person to listen to them and make them feel heard and understood. Going to therapy or getting other forms of mental health support doesn’t mean that something is wrong with you. It means that you’re taking good care of yourself because you deserve to have a happy and fulfilling life. 

3. I am motivated and inspired every day by my clients who work so hard to work through so many amazing challenges in their lives and keep showing up every week to see me. I’m also really inspired by the people in helping professions who have stepped up to help us all during COVID-19. 

4. If I had to have a theme song playing every time I walked into a room, that would be just awesome. It would probably be Side Pony by Lake Street Dive because they are my favorite band and I listen to them all the time to make me smile. Also, the song is about having fun, being silly and just living your life. 

Hey, it’s Jeanne here. If you have ever met Tara Rollins, you know Side Pony is the perfect song for her. Check it out on the Spotify playlist that accompanies this podcast.  

Full disclosure at this point in our recording, we had some computer issues so from here on out, we had each person record their answers. 

Catherine Wooddell:  

First is Catherine Wooddell. One of our talented Case Managers.  

1. What helps me get out of my head and into my body is listening to music with kitchen dancing and good smells like sniffing my lemon verbena plant. I love the smell of lemon verbena.  

2. What I have learned from my work in mental health that I wish everybody else in the world knew is that people are made of their experiences. When you are honored with even a small piece of someone’s story, if you listen closely, everything about them and where they are will make sense. If you can listen closely enough to really hear where they’ve been. 

3. What or who inspires or motivates me? I’m going to go with something a little bit historical. Sojourner Truth’s story about how she escaped slavery. She was in a county in New York where slavery was legal. It was legal county by county at that time in that state. A couple of counties over it was not legal and she knew that. One day she said that she heard Jesus speak to her. For me, it doesn’t really matter who or what you name it. She felt what some people might think of as intuition that right now was the moment to go. At the time she had a baby girl with her and she went and got her daughter and took off running. She just took off and she kept going until she was in a free county and then she was free with her baby. What she did next was she sued a white man for selling her son across state lines, because that was illegal. Slavery was legal where he was enslaved, was legal to enslave somebody, but selling him across state lines was illegal. So she sued and she became the first black person to sue a white man. When she won and she got her son his freedom and I think that’s amazing.  

4. If I had a theme song that played every time I showed up for work, it would be Nina Simone, Feeling Good. Giving people the justice of being heard as I’m able to do in my work gives me life. 

Maureen Grosse: 

Hi, my name is Maureen Grosse and I’m a Yoga Therapist at Insight Counseling and Wellness.  

1. What helps me to get out of my head and into my body is my morning practice of grounding. I put one hand on my belly and one hand on my chest, and then I just breathe. First, I start off noticing how my body moves. I just imagine my breath filling up my belly, front and back, and my chest, front and back, all the way up and follow it back down. Then I tend to visualize myself as a tree growing roots into the ground and reaching my branches to the sun for light and energy. When I get dysregulated or stressed during the day, I can recall myself as a tree with a few breaths to just ground and connect. Since I do it every morning, it’s pretty easy for me to access it in times of distress.  

2. One of the many things I’ve learned from my work in mental health that I wish everybody else in the world knew, honestly, it seems so simple, but it’s just to breathe. If we could all learn how to use our breath as a tool. It’s so powerful. I had an experience with my son when he was two that took me from sheer panic to a grounded sense of ease and peace and it was all because of my breath. I’ve seen this work with clients time and time again. Once people experience it or get it, it’s like a light bulb that goes on and they have their own superpower. 

3. The thing that inspires me or motivates me the most is to see people who are living on purpose, who are living intentionally. It doesn’t have to be an activity that I’m passionate about, but to see other people living intentionally in ways that feed their passions, when I see someone in tune with their passion and living it, it inspires me to do the same with my own passions. 

4. I don’t really have a theme song, but I do, honestly, have what I call a morning mix and a happy bomb playlist. I have Spotify and I made a morning mix playlist that I play every morning. I kind of dance and move and get my vibe right. It kind of shifts and moves any stagnant energy and kind of helps me just focus on positive things. Then I’m able to put myself in a better place for others. I always listened to that on my way to work.  

Kylie Taylor: 

My name is Kylie.  

1. What helps me get out of my head and into my body is yoga. I had no idea how disconnected from my body I was until I started and I’ll feel forever grateful for yoga in my life. 

2. What I’ve learned from my work in mental health, that I wish everybody else in the world knew is that we’re all a lot more alike than we are different. So many of us struggle with the same things. I think if we all tried to be more understanding and listened, so other people felt heard, we would realize this and could avoid a lot of strife 

3. In terms of what inspires or motivates me, that would be music. It has the ability to make me cry, gives me goosebumps and makes me feel alive.  

4. If I had a theme song that played every time I showed up for work, it would be a tie between Foo Fighters, Times Like These, because it reminds me that there are times of renewal and growth and also, JJ Grey and Mofro, The Sun is Shining Down because it reminds me to be eternally grateful for all the wonderful things in my life. 

Nikki Cook: 

My name is Nikki Cook. 

1. Something that helps me to get out of my head and into my body is being outside, especially when the sun is out and just feeling the warmth of the sun on my body. It immediately takes me into that body space where I’m starting to notice what my body feels like. Another thing that is helpful to me, that I can do at any time is a breathing technique where I focus on lengthening my exhale. When we lengthen our exhale, we engage the part of our nervous system that helps to invite more calm and ease in. Then by connecting with that movement of the breath, you can really feel it in the body. So again, that’s inhale through the nose and then a slow gentle exhale out through the mouth, helps to lengthen that exhale. 

2. Something that I’ve learned from my work in mental health that I wish everyone else would be aware of is that mental and physical health are not separate. They are intertwined and it’s equally important for us to attend to both. We can have improvement in our wellbeing and in our lives that we wish for so much. We might schedule our yearly physicals and our check-in with our doctors and our dentists. It’s also important to take time to check in with a mental health professional so that you are getting that support that you need as well.  

3. Someone, or a group of people, that inspire me, motivate me, are my three teenage daughters, especially over this past year+ in the pandemic. I have seen them navigate so many difficult situations, loss of so many important milestones, graduations, proms, homecoming, that really important time with friends at this time on your life. They’ve continued to move through these challenges with grace while also creating some space to really grieve and feel that disappointment. It’s been so helpful for me to see them do that. It’s given me permission to do that as well. 

Janet Cassidy: 

Hi, my name is Janet. I am the Office Manager at Insight.  

1. What helps me get out of my head and into my body is anything to do with nature. I spend a lot of time outside; winter, summer, spring, fall. I find laying on the ground and connecting to the earth always brings me back to where I need to be.  

2. One of the things that I’ve learned from my work in mental health is when I started this job, I really thought that trauma was something that only could be defined by the police being called or something really horrific. By starting this, I realized that being bullied in school is trauma or being bullied by a parent. It was really eye opening for me because my background is not educationally in mental health. That was actually quite amazing for me to discover for myself. It’s like, wow, I really can say I did not like being bullied and it affected me my whole life and that’s okay. 

3. Who inspires me or motivates me. There’s just so many people that I see out in the world now that can inspire and motivate me. I really enjoy the generation I like to call them the Tiktok generation. They just have done some incredible things through the pandemic and just been so clever. It gives me hope for the future. I get motivated by just knowing that the world is out there for me to see. I like to go out and travel, see the world. Every culture motivates me. Every country. And, of course, nature does all the time. It keeps me going because it keeps me curious and exploring. 

4. If I had a theme song that would play every time I showed up for work, what I thought originally was God Save The Queen, but I don’t know. Under Pressure keeps coming to mind. I don’t totally feel huge pressure, but it’s just something that came to mind. And there you have it.  

Julie Ann Orenstein:  

Julie Ann Orenstein, another one of our super fabulous Case Managers.  

1. Something that really helps me get out of my head and into my body is box breathing. When I box breathe, I like to close my eyes, I breathe in through my nose while counting to four slowly, then hold my breath inside while counting, again slowly, to four, then I began to slowly exhale for four seconds. I repeat this about three times. I love box breathing because it is a powerful, yet simple technique that really helps to clear my mind and relax my body.  

2. Something I’ve learned from my work in mental health that I wish everybody else in the world knew is the most important relationship is the one we have with ourselves.  

3. I am motivated and inspired by the folks that I work with, their strength, resiliency, and dedication to accomplishing their goals.  

4. If I had a theme song that played every time I showed up for work, it would be You’ve Got A Friend by Carol King because well, friendships and Carol King are everything.  

Jason Klein: 

Hi, I’m Jason, the VP here at Insight. 

1. What helps me get out of my head and into my body is being out in nature, especially fly fishing. We’re lucky enough here in Southern Wisconsin to have some great streams for trout and it’s a sport that combines both your mind and your body, and you have to be in the moment. It can be tremendously frustrating at times, but it can also be really rewarding. Even in the worst-case scenario, you can’t catch anything that day, you’re out in nature, you’re got to bubbling stream, you’ve got birds, you’ve got deer. It’s almost always a win.  

2. What I’ve learned from working in mental health is just how much energy and empathy and skill goes into the mental health business. All of our therapists here at Insight are just so invested in their clients. It’s probably not just us, it’s everyone in the mental health industry. It’s something you don’t fake.  

3. What inspires me is anyone who is creative, especially when it comes to the visual arts. My background is in graphic design and art so whenever I see printmakers or woodworkers, the things out there that people are doing are just incredible. It doesn’t have to be a grandiose project; just little things can be quite outstanding.  

4. As far as a song I’m going to go with Billy Braggs, “Handyman Blues” mostly because when I’m not doing the payroll or the website, I’m the one who gets the phone call that the fax machine is broken or the doors are stuck. So, a little bit of irony there.  

Ariyanna Toth: 

Hi, this is Ariyanna.  

1. Whatever helps me get out of my head and into my body is heat. Especially living here in Wisconsin. Anything that is a hot temperature, whether it’s a hot shower or hot bath, even just running my hands under hot water during the day. A heating pad, a heated blanket, you name it, I have it. It’s just one of those ways that really gets me back in my body and grounded.  

2. What I have learned from my work in mental health is that everything is temporary. It’s easy to get stuck in a moment and think that that moment is going to be forever, that emotion is going to be forever. What I’ve learned in this field is that emotions never stay. Things are so temporary. Just let the moment pass because anything could be possible for that next month.  

3. The person that inspires me the most is my grandma. She was raised in India in the early 1930s, 1940s and wasn’t allowed to have an education as a woman. She fought to study on her own and fought to get an education for herself and ended up getting her master’s and working as a chemist. It’s a reminder to myself as a grad student, of how we take a lot of things for granted and how much privilege there is in just these little things.  

Angela Schueffner: 

Next step is Angela Schueffner, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and the leader of Insights, A Team.  

1. What helps you get out of your head and into your body? I use the five senses, grounding a lot. Pushing my heels into the ground feeling any sensations on my skin or the body. What do I taste? What do I smell? What do I hear? What do I see? As well as any sensory input, strong sensory input like ice, to really bring attention to the body.  

2. What have you learned from your work in mental health that you wish everyone else in the world knew? There’s a lot of getting stuck in, why am I doing this, what is wrong with me or the frustration with ourselves, as well as others, rather than understanding that we, and everyone, are behaving in ways that we’ve learned, that we’ve needed to, that has served us in some way, or that we just had to based on the people around us at the time. Other than getting stuck in the frustration, thinking about where we learned that and focusing on how we want to respond now. Meeting ourselves with compassion and then shifting into, now I am safe. How do I want to respond? Focusing on the now presencing self and the now.  

3. What or whom inspires motivates you? I would definitely say my kids. Seeing the obvious impact day-to-day that I have, in that my own behaviors, language, interactions, are reflected in them. That causes me to continually reflect on what I want for them as well as the world and their impact on it and their relationships. Then, seeing how the shifts that I make show up in them and change their interactions. How I interact with other people, I see them interacting with other people in similar ways and thinking about what I want for them and the world. Knowing that each person has a vast impact, unknown how each interaction, not knowing what the impact will be. So really motivating me to do my own work and my own healing and being really intentional in my interactions. 

4. My theme song. I guess I will just have to go with the random song that seems to just always pop up in my head whenever I’m trying to get things done and not knowing where it came from or exactly why. It is the A-Team. I do not understand why, but I’m going to go with that. 

Tammi Zine: 

Next step is Tammi Zine, a Licensed Professional Counselor here at Insight.  

1. What I like to do when I’m in my head and not in my body is what’s called 5, 5, 5. That is five things that I see in the room or the environment around me, then five things that I hear, whether it’s in the room or outside of the room, and then five neutral sensations that are in my body, such as the temperature of my hands or the top of my head or my heartbeat. That really can help bring me back. The other thing that I like to do is a grounding technique where I feel my feet on the Earth, really focus on them, and then I lift my toes and I anchor those heels into the ground and feel that connection. Then, I slowly move to where my toes are on the ground and my heels are up. Then, I place my foot flat on the ground. That can also really help me focus and be more in my body. 

2. What I’ve learned in the mental health field that I wish everybody else in the world knew…that is a difficult question for me to answer because I think the mental health field is always changing. I’ve been in the field now for 20 years and it has changed. It continues to evolve. There’s still so much that we don’t know. In fact, the more I’m in this field, the more I want to learn and discover. I do think that we all have a unique healing inside of us and we can learn to access this in lots of different ways. We can learn to validate our own pain story. We can heal. Recovery is possible.  

3. When I think about who inspires me or motivates me, honestly, it’s my clients. I know how much courage it can take to walk through that clinic door and then to open up potentially other scary or painful doors. I get to work in a field where I get to witness all the ways that people are amazing and I truly am honored when someone chooses me as a guide to walk with them on a part of that healing journey.  

Finally, it’s time for Jess and I to weigh in, take it away 

Jessica Warpula Schultz: 

Hi, my name is Jessica. I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Sensory Motor Psychotherapy, and I’m also the co-host of Insight Mind Body Talk.  

1. When I went to get out of my head and into my body, I lift weights. I feel really strong. I feel powerful. Not only that, but when I’m lifting, I have to be really mindful because of previous injuries. Also, because of breath, what it does is really shift me out of my thoughts. I don’t have room for worry. I don’t have room for self-judgment. I just have to notice my rib cage expanding to ensure that I’m getting a great diaphragmatic breath. I have to ground my feet and push through the floor. I have to watch to make sure my shoulder and my arms are moving in a way that supports my body. I feel really strong and amazing. I think that anything that helps you feel that amazing is something you should practice as often as possible.  

2. When I think about what I’ve learned from being a therapist and that they wish everyone else in the world knew is our nervous system is so powerful. We have something called the autonomic nervous system. It uses neuroception to continually scan our internal experience, our external environment, as well as the nervous systems of people around us. Always scanning for threat. What happens is anytime there is a danger or even something that feels like a life threat, or is a life threat, our nervous system and brain respond so fast, faster than we could ever even think to come up with a response. Our bodies have this amazing system that protects us. We either flee. We have a fight response, attachment cry, we’ll befriend the threat. Maybe we’ll freeze, maybe we’ll shut down or collapse. While those responses have a negative stigma to them, they’re actually beautiful way to ensure our survival and often has nothing to do with us. When I learned about the autonomic nervous system and how it was shaped throughout my lifetime. When I learned I could shape it to respond in a new way and I could shape that system to feel safe more often, it was a real game changer for me. In the work I’ve done, it’s been a game changer for some of my clients. 

3. What inspires me and motivates me. That’s a really hard one. I think I have the type of brain that finds inspiration wherever I go. I have always felt like there’s something more and that I’ve got to find it. I have a hungry mind. People though, people that inspire me. There’s professional inspirations, such as my colleagues. I love working at Insight. Especially the clients that I work with, the vulnerability and courage displayed on a daily basis. I often end my day feeling so grateful to even have been witness, let alone a guide, on the journeys of the people that I’ve worked with. I feel very privileged to be a therapist, very honored. Personally, what inspires me? I think the rule breakers. The people who break intergenerational patterns, the people who create a voice for themselves. The people who stand up for others, the ones who believe that it’s their responsibility to help change the world. That can look different on every person. I think about the musician on the Ani DiFranco, one of the loves of my life and how much her music has changed who I am. My partner who grows and challenges himself and checks his implicit bias and wants more for himself and for us and for the world. Lastly, the women in my life, I often go to them for support and for guidance. I don’t know what I would do without them.  

4. If I had a theme song that played every time I entered a room, it would depend on my mood and what I’m doing. Of course, got to have some Lizzo “Feeling Good” “Soulmate”. When I’m moving my body, Carrie Underwood’s song Champion makes me feel like I’m kick ass and so strong. Lastly, Meghan Trainer has this really fun song called “Bad-Ass Woman” that for me, epitomizes I’m more than a body. I am a voice and a heart and a soul and a mind.  

Jeanne Kolker:  

It’s Jeannie again.  

1. When I need to get out of my head and into my body, I go upside down. Just getting my head below my heart shifts my system. It could be something as simple as reaching down to touch my toes in a forward fold. Maybe I go into a downward facing dog or a child’s pose wherever I am, or even a headstand if I’m feeling saucy. Some physical change of perspective is usually all I need to reset myself.  

2. Something that I wish everyone knew. Something that I’ve learned in therapy, is that we are so resilient. Humans are so strong, and we need to be reminded daily of how epically awesome we are. I’ve seen people endure so much pain and transform that pain into growth. I’m constantly inspired every day by my clients, my team, and my friends and family.  

3. Speaking of my family, I am so motivated and energized by them. My parents worked so hard every day to give me this amazing gift, this life that I’m living intentionally to try to help as many people as I can in my little corner of the world. So, I thank my family for continuing to serve as motivation for me every day. 

4. If I had a theme song for every day that I show up at work, I’m going to reach back into the archives back to my days of karaoke dive bars in downtown Dubuque, Iowa. My favorite song to sing was “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor. When I show up for work with my clients and my team, I want everyone to hear the message that they will survive. As Gloria sings, I’ve got all my life to live, and I’ve got all my love to give, and I’ll survive. It’s necessary to be reminded of our power and our resilience plus its disco and I just dare you not to dance. 

And that’s all folks. I hope you enjoyed hearing all of our voices.  

If you want to find that Spotify playlist of all of our theme songs, head over to Insightmadison.com/podcast.  

Thank you again for joining us on insight, mind, body talk, a body centered mental health podcast. We hope today’s episode was empowering and supported you in strengthening your mind, body connection. 

We’re your hosts, Jeanne and Jess, please join us again as we continue to explore integrative approaches to wellbeing.