Inside Mental Health

Do you often feel exhausted, resentful, or underappreciated in your relationships? In this episode, Gabe Howard and licensed psychotherapist Terri Cole explore the complexities of codependency, including its less-talked-about form: “high functioning codependency.” Terri shares practical tools like the “resentment inventory” to identify unhealthy relational patterns and explains how overgiving can be an unconscious attempt to control chaos.
You’ll also learn how societal pressures, especially on women, play a role in this dynamic and how setting boundaries can lead to healthier, more fulfilling connections. Whether you're managing relationships with friends, family, or colleagues, this episode will help you understand the line between healthy care and codependent behaviors. If you’re tired of saying yes when you want to say no or struggling to let others help you, this is a must-listen conversation.
“I coined the phrase high functioning codependency because my clients were these highly capable women, in particular, who did not identify with sort of the old school, Melody Beattie, “Codependent No More,” it's enabling an addict. That's all it is, basically. They're like dependent? I'm not dependent on squat. Everyone's dependent on me. I'm making all the money. I'm making all the decisions. I'm kind of the boss around here, so I can't be codependent, which is not true.” ~Terri Cole

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- visit the official episode page.

Our guest, Terri Cole, is a licensed psychotherapist and global relationship and empowerment expert and the author of “Boundary Boss” and “Too Much.”
For over two decades, Terri has worked with a diverse group of clients that includes everyone from stay-at-home moms to celebrities and Fortune 500 CEOs. She has a gift for making complex psychological concepts accessible and actionable so that clients and students achieve sustainable change.
She inspires over a million people weekly through her blog, social media platform, signature courses, and her popular podcast, The Terri Cole Show. For more, see terricole.com.

Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. Gabe is also the host of the "Inside Bipolar" podcast with Dr. Nicole Washington.
Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can’t imagine life without. To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com.
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Is your child moody — or is it something more serious? Dr. Christine Crawford, associate medical director at NAMI, joins Gabe Howard to break down the subtle signs of mental health struggles in kids and teens. Learn how to spot red flags, approach tough conversations, and take action without overreacting.
From understanding brain development to navigating crises, this episode offers expert tips and practical tools to help parents feel confident supporting their child’s mental health. Tune in for insights that could make all the difference.
“It's important that we kind of see past some of the worries about what a mental health diagnosis could do for a kid in terms of a label, because we're really thinking about the kid and hoping that they can be on a trajectory in which they can live out their best lives. But we have to provide them with the tools in order to get there, and we can't deny them that and deny them access to it, because we're worried that having a label of depression is going to ruin their lives. What will ruin their lives is not getting the help and treatment that they actually need.” ~Christine Crawford, MD, MPH

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the official episode page.

Today's Guest, Christine M. Crawford, MD, MPH, is the associate medical director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), which is the country’s largest grassroots mental health organization, and the author of “You Are Not Alone for Parents and Caregivers: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Your Child’s Mental Health. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Vice Chair of Education at the Boston University School of Medicine and also provides outpatient psychiatric care to children and adolescents at Boston Medical Center. Additionally, she’s the Medical Director for the Boston Public Health Commission’s School Based Clinician Program, in which she provides direct guidance on how best to support the socioemotional well-being of children within the Boston Public School System.

Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. Gabe is also the host of the "Inside Bipolar" podcast with Dr. Nicole Washington.
Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can’t imagine life without. To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does trauma-informed mental health care save lives and improve long-term recovery? Dr. Jasleen Chhatwal, psychiatrist and suicide prevention advocate, joins Gabe Howard to explain this vital yet often overlooked approach. With compassion and clarity, Dr. Chhatwal shares her personal story of losing her father to suicide, highlighting the ripple effects of trauma and the urgent need for systemic change. 
She reveals how healthcare systems — often unintentionally — can retraumatize vulnerable individuals and emphasizes the importance of safety, empowerment, and understanding in mental health treatment. Plus, learn actionable steps anyone can take to support loved ones, reduce stigma, and help lower the suicide rate. This candid, insightful conversation sheds light on how we can all become part of the solution. Whether you're a caregiver, someone in need, or a supporter, this conversation will inspire you to think differently about mental health and suicide prevention.
“Oftentimes folks who are struggling with thoughts of death or thoughts of suicide may feel that even though you're asking them how they're doing, you're not really up for truly hearing how awful they are feeling. So, in some ways, they might couch their words or under report something to you because they're trying to protect you, and they're worried that you will overreact and not be able to sort of handle it.” ~Jasleen Chhatwal, MBBS, MD

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the official episode page.

Jasleen Chhatwal, MBBS, MD, serves as Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Mood Disorders Program at Sierra Tucson. She is a board-certified psychiatrist, integrative medicine, and addiction medicine physician with experience treating complex mental health disorders in inpatient, residential, and outpatient settings. She is intentional in treating the whole person, using psychotherapy, allopathic, neuro-therapeutic, integrative, evidence-based, and evidence-informed treatments. She believes each individual has a unique, authentic story and is grateful to all those who have entrusted her with their stories.
As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Chhatwal is responsible for managing the medical department, which includes psychiatrists, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, as well as overseeing the teams that provide integrative care, pharmacy, experiential therapy, nutrition services, applied neuroscience services, psychology services and treatment outcomes. She strives to ensure consistent, high-quality patient care through the optimization of internal processes that help increase provider face time with patients. She also serves on the facility’s executive leadership team with an identified mission to expand access to high quality mental health care across the continuum of care.
She is active in the medical community, advocating for her patients’, colleagues, and profession through elected and appointed positions in state, regional and national organizations. Amongst her service roles, she is Past President of the Arizona Psychiatric Society (APS), the Arizona Representative to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Assembly, Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and sits on various state government and non-profit boards.

Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.
Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can’t imagine life without.
To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do kids freak out, and how can adults guide them through it without just saying, "Stop it?” Dr. Carla Naumburg, clinical social worker and author of How to Stop Losing Your Shit with Your Kids, joins Gabe Howard to unpack the science of emotional outbursts. Learn the surprising reasons behind freak-outs, how to manage them with humor (learn about acronyms FART and BuRP), and why telling kids to calm down often backfires. This episode is packed with practical advice for parents, teachers, and anyone who works with kids, helping them navigate tough moments with empathy and skill.
“Let's say you are a kid and you have a parent who stays 100% perfect and calm and smiley and always gives you what you want. When you go out in the real world, you're not going to be able to deal with life at all because that's never going to be recreated, right? And so, when your parent loses their temper with you from time to time, packs you a lunch you don't like, forgets to pick you up at school and you're left there for half an hour. When your parent does X, Y, and Z that are considered less than perfect parenting, what you learn is that people aren't perfect, and that's okay. That you can handle things not going the way you want, and you'll be okay. It actually makes kids more resilient.” ~Carla Naumburg, PhD

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the episode webpage.

Our guest, Carla Naumburg, PhD, LICSW, is a clinical social worker and the author of five books, including the bestselling How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids and its middle-grade companion How to Stop Freaking Out. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, CNN, and Mindful Magazine, among other places. Carla lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two daughters.

Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.
Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can’t imagine life without.
To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if trauma didn’t just break us but could also shape us in powerful ways? In this thought-provoking episode, Krista St-Germain and Gabe Howard dive into the complex world of post-traumatic growth — exploring how some people emerge from life’s darkest moments with deeper purpose, stronger connections, and realigned values.
This concept, however, isn’t about being “grateful” for suffering. It’s about rejecting toxic positivity, confronting internal conflicts, and embracing intentional choices. Discover how curiosity, authenticity, and self-reflection can guide you from surviving to thriving — without minimizing pain. If you’ve ever wondered whether growth after trauma is possible (or how it really works), this episode will change the way you think about resilience.
“My husband died when I was 40. He was killed by a drunk driver. And that was the most awful thing I ever experienced, right? Bar none. I didn't want it to happen. I'm not grateful that it happened. I used to think that in order to experience post-traumatic growth, when I first learned about it, that would mean I would have to be happy that it happened, 100%, no! Right? No, not at all.” ~Krista St-Germain

To learn more -- or read the transcript -- please visit the official episode page.

Our guest, Krista St-Germain, is a Master Certified Life Coach, Post-Traumatic Growth and grief expert, widow, mom and host of The Widowed Mom Podcast. When her husband was killed by a drunk driver in 2016, Krista’s life was completely and unexpectedly flipped upside down. After therapy helped her uncurl from the fetal position, Krista discovered Life Coaching, Post-Traumatic Growth and learned the tools she needed to move forward and create a future she could get excited about. Now she coaches and teaches other widows so they can love life again, too. Krista has been featured online and in print in Psychology Today, Medium, Thrive Global, Bustle, Psych Central, and Parents Magazine and on select podcasts such as The SelfWork Podcast, Seek The Joy, Life Check Yourself, and You Need A Budget to name a few.

Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author.
Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can’t imagine life without.
To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices