Baking Away the Stigma: Valerie Van Galder's Journey with the Depressed Cake Shop

from Cake Therapy · host Altreisha Foster

What if baking could help break the stigma surrounding mental health? Join us for an eye-opening conversation with Valerie Van Galder, CEO of Depressed Cake Shop, as she shares her transformative journey from a high-powered marketing executive to a passionate mental health advocate. Hear Valerie's deeply personal story of leaving her corporate career to care for her father, who struggled with bipolar disorder, and how this experience ignited her mission to promote mental health awareness through innovative baking projects.Discover how Valerie's pop-up baking shops and keynote speaking engagements at events like the Mental Health Marketing Festival have brought therapeutic baking to the forefront of mental health advocacy. Together, we discuss the challenges of caregiving, the importance of early mental health support, and the power of storytelling in creating cultural change. Valerie's insights into the therapeutic benefits of baking and the pressing need for accessible mental health care offer practical advice and inspiration for anyone looking to engage in mental health support initiatives.Lastly, we take a closer look at the Depressed Cake Shop's creative journey, from its inception with gray cakes symbolizing untreated depression to its evolution incorporating colorful elements of hope. Valerie highlights the project's inclusive and collaborative spirit, encouraging participation from the community and spotlighting unique events like Angie Fitzpatrick's pop-ups in Portland and Karen Renis's collaborations in Austin. Join us for heartfelt stories, actionable insights, and a fresh perspective on using baking as a powerful tool for mental health advocacy.Remember to subscribe wherever you get your podcast. Share the episodes and let's chat in the comments.Support the Cake Therapy Foundation:1. Cake Therapy - Cake Therapy (thecaketherapyfoundation.org) 2. Buy Me A Coffee : The Cake Therapy Foundation (buymeacoffee.com)3. Buy The Book: Cake Therapy: How Baking Changed My Life https://a.co/d/76dZ5T0 4. Buy The Book: Lessons I Never Learned from My Father: Things We Missed Out On and How They Still Impact Me https://a.co/d/9wLOguc Follow Sugarspoon Desserts on all social media platforms @sugarspoondesserts

What this episode covers

NOW PLAYING

0:00 47:04

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

Detoxing Our World is an Inside Job

Feb 8, 2026 ·26m

Similar Podcasts

Chosn Conversations: Beyond the Journal Chosn AI Journal Welcome to Chosn Conversations: Beyond the Journal, where your AI hosts explore the transformative power of conversational journaling and emotional intelligence. Each episode takes you beyond traditional journaling methods, diving deep into voice journaling techniques, mental wellness strategies, and the science behind AI-supported emotional health. We share inspiring user stories, analyze the latest research in digital mental wellness, and provide practical guidance for incorporating journaling into your self-care routine. Whether you're curious about AI therapy alternatives, looking for mental health support tools, or wanting to optimize your journaling practice, our conversations extend beyond the written page into meaningful audio experiences that offer evidence-based insights in an accessible, compassionate format. Join us as we navigate the intersection of technology and mental well-being, helping you track your emotional journey and build lasting resilience through the power of Lynne's Podcast Lynne August MD Dr. A offers her interpretations and applications of Dr. Revici’s profound research at DrRevici.com and the Revici Journal. Dr. Revici was arguably fifty to one hundred years ahead of his time in his application of quantum physics to medical sciences. As a once-aspiring physicist, this alone propelled Dr. A to Dr. Revici. As a physician, she felt compelled, and in some palpable way responsible, to understand Dr. Revici’s ability to control pain and achieve remissions in terminal cancer patients with his non-toxic “guided chemotherapy”, even many cancers that conventional therapy failed to control. Most of the time his questions and solutions were as unprecedented as they were effective. While Dr. Revici was primarily focused on cancer, Dr. A’s research and therapeutics to prevent and treat all chronic and degenerative disease can transform 21st century medicine. Above & Beyond: Group Therapy Above & Beyond Group Therapy is the weekly radio show from Above & Beyond also known as ABGT Gems with Miles and Julian Julian Shapiro-Barnum and Miles Gems with Miles and Julian is an irresistibly charming, insightful, and delightful podcast that pairs the brilliant, always-surprising 7-year-old Miles with Julian Shapiro-Barnum, the comedian and creator of the hit show Recess Therapy and Celebrity Substitute. Miles leads in-depth conversations inspired by all the sweet and wacky questions his 7-year-old brain conjures up. Each guest adds a heartfelt “gem” to Miles’ time capsule that he will open when he turns 18.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Cake Therapy?

This episode is 47 minutes long.

When was this Cake Therapy episode published?

This episode was published on August 16, 2024.

What is this episode about?

Is there a transcript available for this episode?

Yes, a full transcript is available for this episode. You can read the complete transcript on the episode page.

Can I download this Cake Therapy episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.

URL copied to clipboard!