The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health

In this special bonus episode of The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health, host Dr. Lindi van Niekerk, MD, PhD, is joined by J. Corey Feist, JD, MBA, Co-Founder and CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, for a powerful conversation on healthcare worker well-being, grief, and systems change.Drawing from both personal loss and decades of leadership experience, Corey reflects on the death of his sister-in-law, Dr. Lorna Breen, and the cultural, educational, and structural barriers that prevent healthcare professionals from seeking mental health support. Together, Lindi and Corey explore how stigma, fear of professional repercussions, and unsustainable working conditions contribute to burnout, moral injury, and suicide risk among clinicians.This episode moves beyond individual resilience to examine the responsibility of institutions, policymakers, leaders, and the public in creating safer, more humane healthcare environments. From federal policy reform and peer support to leadership training and cultural change, the conversation offers both urgency and hope—inviting listeners to consider how each of us can become an agent of change in the systems we inhabit.This podcast is brought to you by Symptom Media - Mental Health Education & TrainingFor more information about the resources shared in this episode you can visit:Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation https://drlornabreen.orgTo learn more about Symptom Media and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount

In this inspiring season finale of The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health, host Dr. Lindi van Niekerk sits down with Dr. Kim Garver, Dr. Jared Christensen, and Dr. Amy Young to explore how healthcare organizations can move beyond burnout toward cultures of genuine flourishing.Drawing from their work at the University of Michigan and the Center for Positive Organizations, the trio shares how small, intentional acts of leadership such as listening with compassion, flattening hierarchies, and cultivating “relational energy”, can transform even the most toxic of workplaces. Together, they unpack what it means to build systems that care for the caregivers, translating research on positive organizational scholarship into real-world change.Through deeply personal stories of loss, renewal, and courage, Kim, Jared, and Amy reveal how connection, transparency, and accountability can rebuild trust and meaning in medicine. This conversation is both a testament and a roadmap: that by starting human and ending human, we can create environments where clinicians don’t just survive the system — they change it.This podcast is brought to you by Symptom Media - Mental Health Education & TrainingFor more information about the resources shared in this episode you can visit:Dr. Amy YoungDr. Jared ChristensenDr. Kim GarverMPowerD CoachingTo learn more about Symptom Media and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount

In this resonant episode of The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health, host Dr. Lindi van Niekerk is joined by grief clinicians Danielle Glorioso, LCSW, and Amanda VerWys, ACSW, to examine a constant, yet unseen companion in healthcare: grief. Opening up about their own personal bereavement and sharing their clinical experience, Danielle and Amanda take on common myths and help us define the difference between grief and mourning. Through this conversation we’ll explore the myriad ways grief can arise, not only from a loss, but identity shifts, moral distress, and systemic failures.Most importantly, their experience offers tangible practices for clinicians and institutions: psychoeducation, peer support, gentle self-disclosure, and simple embodied routines to help integrate rather than suppress grief. This is a call for all of us to remember that only together can we reduce isolation and stigma, and build cultures where everyone, including the caregiver, can heal.This podcast is brought to you by Symptom Media - Mental Health Education & TrainingFor more information about the resources shared in this episode you can visit:Danielle Glorioso’s Grief Therapy Site  Columbia University Center for Prolonged GriefUC San Diego Stein Institute for Research on AgingUCSD'S Health & Physician Wellness InfrastructureTo learn more about Symptom Media and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount

In this deeply human episode of The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health, host Dr. Lindi van Niekerk is joined by Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Christopher Wojnar and Nurse Scientist Dr. Judy E. Davidson to confront the devastating crisis of suicide among nurses.Drawing from personal loss, lived experience, and groundbreaking research, Chris and Judy explore how perfectionism, stigma, workplace discipline, and systemic neglect compound nurses’ vulnerability, and why silence can no longer be an option. Together, they advocate for cultural change, trauma-informed leadership, and the power of honest conversation. This episode is a powerful call to action for institutions and individuals alike: we must care for our caregivers.This podcast is brought to you by Symptom Media - Mental Health Education & TrainingFor more information about the resources shared in this episode you can visit:UCSD Health’s Physician Wellness InfrastructureEmpowered Psychiatric SolutionsEmpowered Stories PodcastDr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation ALL IN for Mental Health988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineWorkplace Suicide Prevention United Suicide Survivors InternationalH.O.P.E. CertificationTo learn more about Symptom Media and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount

In this powerful episode of The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health, host Dr. Lindi van Niekerk is joined by Dr. Sophie Redlin and nurse Andrea Mackay for an intimate conversation about moral injury in healthcare. Originally a term from military psychology, moral injury has become a resonant framework for understanding the inner conflict and lasting harm many health professionals experience when systemic failures or ethical dilemmas violate their sense of what is right. Drawing from their personal stories during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, Sophie and Andrea unpack how these experiences shape caregivers—and how community, storytelling, and compassion can help repair the human cost.For more information about the resources shared in this episode you can visit:The Moral Injury Partnership: www.moralinjurypartnership.comTo learn more about Symptom Media and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount

Host Dr. Lindi van Niekerk is joined by Dr. Sidney Zisook, co-founder of UCSD’s HEAR program, and Dr. Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Drawing from personal experience and decades of clinical expertise, Dr. Moutier and Dr. Zisook delve into the hidden burdens that many doctors carry, including eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and the pervasive stigma that prevents many from seeking help. Their candid discussion examines the historical and cultural challenges within the medical community that discourage vulnerability and perpetuate silence and how innovative programs like UCSD's HEAR program, and the AFSP are breaking down those barriers and providing a path for others to follow. This podcast is brought to you by Symptom Media - Mental Health Education & TrainingFor more information about the resources shared in this episode you can visit:American Foundation for Suicide PreventionOther Important links from AFSP:https://afsp.org/suicide-prevention-interventions-and-treatments/https://afsp.org/healthcare-professionals-mental-health-and-suicide-risk/https://afsp.org/get-help/https://afsp.org/support-after-suicide-loss-for-healthcare-professionals-and-organizations/UCSD'S Health & Physician Wellness InfrastructureDr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ FoundationIf you or anyone you know is in crisis... Call or text 988 or text TALK to 741741To learn more about Symptom Media and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount

Continuing with Part 2 of a special two-part episode of The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health, we confront the deeply personal and systemic issue of substance use among nurses. Our guests, Kristin Waite-Labott and Dr. April Lenzmeier, share their firsthand experiences with addiction, the consequences they faced, and the paths they took toward recovery. Kristin, a seasoned nurse and founder of WisPAN, opens up about her struggles with drug diversion, which led to incarceration, and how she has since dedicated her life to supporting other nurses in recovery. Dr. Lenzmeier, a nurse with nearly three decades of acute care experience, reflects on her battle with alcohol use disorder, its impact on her career, and how she now helps others through peer support and advocacy.Through their candid stories and professional expertise, this episode sheds light on the hidden struggles of nurses with substance use disorders, the stigma that keeps many from seeking help, and the systemic changes needed to create a culture of recovery. Listeners will gain insight into the realities of addiction within the nursing profession, the challenges of seeking treatment, and the power of peer-driven support networks. Whether you are a healthcare professional, educator, student or advocate, this conversation provides a crucial perspective on protecting both nurses and the patients they serve.Learn more about Symptom Media's mental health resource library: https://symptommedia.com/Sign up for a free trial!  Listeners get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discountFor resources shared in this episode, visit:Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ FoundationInTheRoomsHow Nurses Are Helping Nurses At InTheRooms.com With Peer Support MeetingsNurses Peer Support Network of MinnesotaPeer Health Assistance Programs (PAS) of ColoradoWisconsin Peer Alliance for Nurses (WisPAN) [email protected] Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988, 1-800-273-8255 An Unlikely Addict - written by Kristin Waite-LabottWomen for Sobriety Refuge Recovery Celebrate Recovery SMART Recovery Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS)Alcoholic AnonymousUC San Diego Healer Education Assessment and Referral (HEAR) ProgramSecond Victim SupportInternational Nurses Society on Addictions (IntNSA)National Organization of Alternative Programs (NOAP)To learn more about Symptom Media and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount

In the first of a special two-part episode of The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health, we confront the deeply personal and systemic issue of substance use among nurses. Our guests, Kristin Waite-Labott and Dr. April Lenzmeier, share their firsthand experiences with addiction, the consequences they faced, and the paths they took toward recovery. Kristin, a seasoned nurse and founder of WisPAN, opens up about her struggles with drug diversion, which led to incarceration, and how she has since dedicated her life to supporting other nurses in recovery. Dr. Lenzmeier, a nurse with nearly three decades of acute care experience, reflects on her battle with alcohol use disorder, its impact on her career, and how she now helps others through peer support and advocacy.Through their candid stories and professional expertise, this episode sheds light on the hidden struggles of nurses with substance use disorders, the stigma that keeps many from seeking help, and the systemic changes needed to create a culture of recovery. Listeners will gain insight into the realities of addiction within the nursing profession, the challenges of seeking treatment, and the power of peer-driven support networks. Whether you are a healthcare professional, educator, student or advocate, this conversation provides a crucial perspective on protecting both nurses and the patients they serve.For more information about the resources shared in this episode you can visit:Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation - Learn more about the foundation's important work and their new All In For Mental Health Initiative For improving the operational workplace environment, visit the Caring for Caregivers program and; The Impact Wellbeing GuideInTheRooms, a global recovery site offering virtual support meetingsHow Nurses Are Helping Nurses At InTheRooms.com With Peer Support MeetingsNurses Peer Support Network of MinnesotaPeer Health Assistance Programs (PAS) of Colorado: https://peerhealthco.org/Wisconsin Peer Alliance for Nurses (WisPAN)[email protected] Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988, 1-800-273-8255 An Unlikely Addict - written by Kristin Waite-LabottRecovery Programs:Women for Sobriety Refuge Recovery Celebrate Recovery SMART Recovery Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS)Alcoholic AnonymousUC San Diego Healer Education Assessment and Referral (HEAR) ProgramSecond Victim SupportTo learn more about Symptom Media and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount

Burnout in healthcare is more than just exhaustion—it’s a deep disconnect from the purpose that once fueled a career in medicine. Dr. Ami Doshi and Dr. Julie Celebi share their personal experiences with burnout, reflecting on the systemic challenges, personal sacrifices, and early warning signs they overlooked. They discuss the complexities of navigating high-demand roles, the emotional toll of caregiving, and the pivotal moments that led them to reevaluate their professional paths.As healthcare systems continue to grapple with workforce sustainability, Dr. Doshi and Dr. Celebi offer meaningful strategies for recovery and valuable perspectives on how both individuals and institutions can work toward meaningful change. Whether you are experiencing burnout firsthand or seeking to support colleagues in maintaining well-being, this episode offers practical approaches to restoring balance and fulfillment in the field of medicine.This podcast is brought to you by Symptom Media - Mental Health Education & TrainingTo learn more about Symptom Media and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount