The Present Moment Project

Friendship that holds through the worst moments is hard to put into words, but this conversation tries. Jill sits down with Andrew Reese, a retired pediatrician and long-time family friend, to talk about what it actually looks like to rebuild a life after something shatters it. For Andrew, that was a massive stroke in November 2019 that left his left side paralyzed, though he had no awareness of it in the moment. For Jill, it was losing her husband Adam. Both of them have been figuring out, in real time, how to keep going.Andrew talks honestly about the early days of recovery, going from full speed to complete stillness, and how he developed what he calls minimum daily fitness, a small, non-negotiable commitment to his body that had as much to do with quieting his inner critic as it did with getting stronger. He also reflects on a recent climb up Pico Duarte, the tallest mountain in the Caribbean, and what came into focus afterward about identity, letting go of the role he had held for decades, and what he is building now in its place.The conversation moves into what Andrew watched work with his patients and his own kids over the years, specifically around emotional validation and resilience. His point is simple but easy to skip over: you have to validate the feeling before you try to change the behavior. And the modeling of resilience, he says, starts with parents actually taking care of themselves, not just their children.There is also a quieter thread running through all of it, about connection, vulnerability, and what happens when people stop waiting to feel better before they take the next step. Andrew describes it as acting your way into better feeling, and Jill recognizes it immediately from her own work with clients walking through grief and depression.This one covers a lot of ground, stroke recovery, grief, parenting, identity after retirement, service work abroad, and two people who have stayed close through all of it.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

Liver transplant survivor and ICU nurse Melissa met host Jill Bershad at a spa just six days before this conversation. The connection was immediate, and the conversation that followed feels just as natural.Melissa’s life has asked a lot of her from a young age. After losing her father at eight, she stepped into a caregiving role for her mother and younger brother by nine. Since then, her path has been shaped by responsibility, resilience, and a series of life-altering health challenges that would stop most people in their tracks.What runs underneath all of it is not performance or positivity. It is something quieter. Melissa talks about her Christian faith the way she talks about everything else, plainly and without pressure. She references the book of Job not as a metaphor but as a framework she actually lives by. She also talks about what she has never done well, grieving, slowing down, letting people see the fragile parts, and she says it without apology.Jill does not turn this into a session. She just listens, asks the questions most people would be afraid to ask, and lets Melissa be exactly who she is. The result is a conversation about survival that does not feel like a survival story. It feels like two people talking honestly about what it costs to keep going, and why most of us do anyway.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

Jill sits down with longtime friend and psychotherapist Rachel Blogg for a conversation that moves between real life, real loss, and the quiet ways people keep going.They talk about what it looks like to live through hard things without stopping long enough to process them, and what happens when you finally do. There’s a thread of high performance running through it all. The pressure to hold it together. The habit of putting one foot in front of the other. And the shift that comes when that’s no longer enough.Rachel shares pieces of her story that she hasn’t spoken about publicly before, including her history with disordered eating, how perfectionism shows up, and the ongoing work of staying aware without letting the past define her. They also talk about fear, safety, relationships, and the difference between living as a victim and making intentional choices that feel more empowering.There’s no neat takeaway here. Just two people sitting in it, making sense of what they’ve lived through, and what it means to keep moving forward with more honesty and intention.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

Jill Bershad sits with Oteil Burbridge for a wide-ranging conversation about grief, music, death, family, faith, and the strange ways light keeps finding its way in. What starts with memories of Oteil’s brother Kofi opens into something bigger: how loss changes your priorities, how music carries people through what words cannot, and why staying close to your own mortality can make life feel more honest and more alive.They talk about what it means to lose someone who shaped you, the healing force inside song and community, raising children without crushing their light, and the difference between identity and essence. Oteil also shares the story behind Kofi Day of Service, the grief woven into his music, and the deeper reason some songs hit so hard when life breaks open.It is thoughtful, emotional, funny in unexpected places, and deeply human. A conversation about sorrow, magic, service, and what remains when everything extra falls away.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

Some people make you feel calmer just by the way they talk. Dido Balla is one of those people and the conversation goes straight to what actually helps when life is loud, fast, and constantly activating your nervous system.Dido shares his story growing up in Cameroon, how curiosity shaped him, and why asking “why” can be the kindest starting point when you don’t love how you reacted. Jill and Dido talk about emotional regulation as a real life skill, what it means to feel “okay,” and why feeling safe in your body matters more than controlling the outside world.They also get practical with a simple framework Dido uses, awareness, regulation, and fitness, along with tools that are free and accessible like breath, sound, touch, and reframing. There’s honesty about trauma, boundaries, and the difference between being nice and being truly kind.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

Jill Bershad sits down with Danica Bajaj, a 23-year-old Duke graduate and Robertson Scholar whose life changed after losing her brother to terminal brain cancer. That loss sent her searching for meaning, and gratitude became the thread she followed through science, spirituality, and the land itself.Danica shares what it was like to spend days in silence at a Buddhist temple in Japan, to live and work in a tiny town in New Zealand where community and sustainability are inseparable, and to keep asking strangers around the world one simple question: what are you grateful for?Together, Jill and Danica talk about the kind of gratitude that does not bypass pain, the difference between forcing positivity and building a real practice, and the quiet shift from why was he only given 30 years to he was given 30 years and that was the gift. They also reflect on grief, time, connection, and why slowing down with others around a table can make people feel safe enough to tell the truth.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

Jill sits with Mary Eckstein, a Holocaust survivor who has lived through war, displacement, the loss of nearly her entire family, the death of her husband after 63 years of marriage, and the loss of her son. Mary speaks plainly about fear, hunger, survival, grief, and what it has meant to keep going without turning away from life.This is not a conversation about inspiration or silver linings. It is a quiet, honest reflection on resilience as something practical and lived. Mary shares what it was like to be eight years old during the Holocaust, how she rebuilt a life from nothing, why she chose to keep working after loss, and how focusing on the good moments helped her move forward without denying the pain.They talk about memory, responsibility, grief, aging, and the choice to stay present even when days are hard. A steady, thoughtful conversation about what it means to live fully, one day at a time, after experiencing unimaginable loss.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

Jill sits down with longtime friend Laura Reiss to talk about what it looks like to stay human in a world that feels intense and noisy. They share the real story of Kindness Matters Foundation, from an after-school club to something that’s growing into a wider movement, and why people are reaching for kindness and community right now.They keep coming back to the present moment and the nervous system: noticing when you’re not regulated, having tools that actually work, and practicing them before life gets messy. Laura opens up about grief, purpose, and her upcoming TEDx talk, including how dyslexia became a superpower instead of a secret. The conversation lands on service, responsibility, and that simple truth about being shown the light if you look at it right.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

Jill Bershad sits down with John Puls, a longtime clinician in the mental health and substance use field who also carries his own lived experience of addiction and long-term sobriety. John shares what it looked like when things were spiraling early on, what finally helped him stay sober, and why he believes community and purpose matter as much as any program.They also get real about the tricky line between staying busy and avoiding feelings. Jill reflects on grief, work, and what it means to listen to your body when you need rest, while still honoring your need for connection and forward momentum. John talks about how he’s built a life that fits his wiring through private practice, crisis work, teaching social work students, and forensic cases, all while staying grounded in what keeps him well.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

In this powerful and deeply grounding conversation, host Jill Bershad sits down with divorce coach, speaker, and author Jennifer Warren Medwin to explore how resilience is built one intentional choice at a time. Jennifer shares the philosophy behind her work and her lived experience of navigating divorce, grief, and major life transitions by learning to stay rooted in the present moment.Together, they unpack how language shapes our energy, why small brave steps matter more than perfection, and how awareness of our inner dialogue can completely change the way we move through pain, fear, and uncertainty. Jennifer introduces practical tools including the GLAD technique, the “and mindset”, and the concept of brave bites forward to help listeners reconnect with their power and create momentum even when life feels overwhelming.This episode is a compassionate reminder that growth is not linear, emotions can coexist, and you are always at a choice point. Whether you are navigating divorce, loss, career uncertainty, or simply feeling stuck, this conversation offers tangible strategies to help you listen to your inner whispers, speak your truth, and move forward with courage.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

In this powerful episode of The Present Moment Project, Jill Bershad sits down with her friend Brianna Greenspan, an author, speaker, and wellness pioneer who has transformed a lifetime of complex chronic illness into a mission of healing and hope.Brianna shares what it was like growing up with confusing and painful symptoms, bullying, learning challenges, and feeling like everything was wrong with her. She opens up about a pivotal moment when she questioned whether she even wanted to keep living, and how one life changing question shifted everything“Is there anything else out there that can help me with the way that I am suffering and if so where can I find it”From that moment of curiosity, Brianna began exploring neuroscience based tools, mindset work, and self supportive practices that helped her walk again, release limiting beliefs, and build what she calls her resilience toolbox.Together, Jill and Brianna talk about:The Book of Questions Living With Chronic Illness and how self reflective questions can change the trajectory of a dayThe core question Brianna asks herself in every hard moment“Despite how I am feeling in this exact moment what can I do to best support myself starting now”Moving from shame and hiding symptoms to self advocacy and self compassionWhy many people with chronic illness feel like a burden and how to practice asking for and receiving helpThe spoon theory and how to protect and manage limited energyHow small daily choices water, clothing, rest, tiny check ins can prevent symptoms from becoming “the whole day”Gratitude in the hardest moments and learning to see symptoms as teachers rather than punishmentsHow Brianna now coaches schools and the education system on wellbeing and resilience for children and teensThis conversation is a deeply honest look at invisible illness, anxiety, grief, and the very real work of choosing empowerment over victimhood. If you live with chronic illness or love someone who does, this episode will help you feel less alone, more resourced, and more hopeful about what is possible in your present moment.You can find The Book of Questions Living With Chronic Illness on Amazon and https://thebookofquestions.com/ for bulk and support group use, along with Brianna’s other resilience focused books for kids and teens.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

In this powerful episode of The Present Moment Project, host Jill Bershad sits down with her dear friend and psychotherapist Tricia Youngs to explore her book Rescued Hope for the Shattered Heart and Soul. Tricia shares her journey from childhood sexual abuse, spiritual wounding, and growing up in an alcoholic home to becoming a therapist, author, and healer of hearts.Jill and Tricia talk honestly about trauma, generational patterns, and what it really takes to move from barely surviving to truly thriving. They discuss how flashbacks work in the brain and body, why understanding the science of trauma is so validating, and how tools like EMDR, brainspotting, somatic work, and a strong support circle can help people reclaim their lives.You will hear why healthy boundaries are the cornerstone of mental health, how to release shame that was never yours to carry, and why living in the present moment is essential for resilience after loss and grief. Tricia also shares details about her free downloadable trauma healing workbook and how she uses every part of her story to be of service to others.If you have lived through trauma, love someone who has, or are simply seeking a deeper, more authentic relationship with yourself and with life, this conversation will offer hope, clarity, and courage.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected]: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershadContact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

In this heartfelt first episode of The Present Moment Project, host Jill Bershad sits down with her dear friend and fellow therapist Eric Bricker to explore the profound connections between grief, transformation, and legacy. Together, they revisit the origins of this podcast—an idea born from Jill’s late husband, Adam—and reflect on how honoring his vision became a living act of healing.Eric opens up about his own experiences with loss, complex trauma, and the evolving definition of grief, shedding light on the concept of prolonged grief disorder and what it means to move from suffering to integration. With honesty, humor, and insight, Jill and Eric also discuss resilience, the power of reframing victimhood into personal strength, and the importance of living with integrity.This episode is more than a conversation—it’s a full-circle moment of love, legacy, and hope.Contact Eric Bricker: ericbrickerlmhc.comContact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

In this deeply personal and heartfelt first episode of The Present Moment Project, host Jill Bershad opens up about her journey from unimaginable loss to healing. After losing her husband Adam to suicide, Jill chooses to honor his legacy by continuing the podcast he began—carrying forward his vision of helping others live fully in the now. With honesty, vulnerability, and grace, she shares what it means to find light after darkness, to rediscover joy through grief, and to hold space for both pain and presence. This episode is a tribute to love, resilience, and the healing power of living each moment as a gift.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad

Hey friends, I am Jill Bershad — a psychotherapist, EMDR therapist, and hypnotherapist who also loves helping people as a Reiki master and sound healer. I’m a music-loving, tree-hugging, free spirit finding my way to my most authentic self while raising three amazing kids and two fur babies.You can laugh again, experience joy and connection, and have the opportunity to grow into who you are truly meant to be. On this podcast, we will have real conversations. We will laugh, we will cry, we will learn, and we will grow together.You’ll hear stories of resilience, healing, and self-discovery from people who have faced trauma, addiction, and loss. The greater the adversity, the greater the opportunity. And as I always say, we can all grow through what we go through. Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.This is not just a podcast — this is a community. Every episode is an invitation to be part of something better, something bigger: a community that sees you, hears you, and grows with you. So come join me. Let’s do this together, one present moment at a time.Contact Jill K. Bershad, LMHC, CAPEmail: [email protected] Website: jillbershad.comInstagram: @jillkbershad.lmhcFacebook: jillkbershad