According to Web MD, “Chakra is a Sanskrit word that means wheel or cycle. There are seven main chakras situated along the spine, from the base of your spine to the crown of your head. Chakras are thought to provide subtle energy that helps your organs, mind, and intellect work at their best level.” Listen in on this episode as Sarah shares her expertise of all seven chakras. Learn about each of the chakras, the part of the body they correspond to, and how to unblock them. Even if you aren’t sure you believe in the chakras and the way energy moves through our bodies, it is still worth checking out. You might just find another tool to add to your mental health toolbox. Xo, Amy & Sarah   Find all things UTI here. Have a story to share? Contact us here. Help us out with a short survey for what you want to hear next on the pod. Starting your own podcast and want an easy and affordable platform? Get your first month FREE by using this link. *The Unqualified Therapists Podcast is not giving medical advice as they are not actual doctors (Hence the name: Unqualified 😉). This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and all medical advice should be taken from a Qualified Doctor. UT shares stories and resources, not medical advice.

Amanda C. Riley lied about having cancer for years and took money from many of her blog followers, family, friends, and acquaintances. Her lying started way before her cancer journey, in fact it seems her whole life was one big lie.  We do our best to summarize this wild ride, but you can Listen to the full episode of the Scamanda podcast here. Why did she live this massive lie? What caused her to create this fake world? We don’t know because, well, we are Unqualified, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take some guesses. Listen in as Sarah and I pull out the trusty DSM to see if we can figure it out.  As always, we want to know what you think. Why did she do this? Leave us a voicemail here. Or send an email: [email protected] Xo, Amy & Sarah Read more about what was discussed in this episode: http://poppielady.com/blog/2023/7/15/how-i-think-scamanda-faked-cancer-for-8-years https://www.munchausen.com/malingering/ https://www.theravive.com/therapedia/factitious-disorder-dsm--5-300.19-(f68.10)#:~:text=Diagnostic%20criteria%20for%20factitious%20disorder&text=The%20individual%20presents%20themselves%20as,not%20better%20explain%20the%20behavior https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-does-someone-fake-cancer_l_5c91322ce4b05d2b09550d7f Amanda’s blog posts   Find all things UTI here. Have a story to share? Contact us here. Help us out with a short survey for what you want to hear next on the pod. Starting your own podcast and want an easy and affordable platform? Get your first month FREE by using this link. *The Unqualified Therapists Podcast is not giving medical advice as they are not actual doctors (Hence the name: Unqualified 😉). This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and all medical advice should be taken from a Qualified Doctor. UT shares stories and resources, not medical advice.

Sometimes we meet people once and we immediately know they are “our people.” That is how Sarah and I both felt after our first time on “Talk Pittsburgh” with Heather Abraham. We connected with her in a real way during a quick six minute segment. Heather is as kind, as real, and as intelligent in real life as she comes across on TV. She interviews multiple guests on both “Pittsburgh Today Live” AND “Talk Pittsburgh” every single day. We had to know just how she does it.  How does she stay present for all of those chats each day?  How does she not feel overwhelmed by all that goes on in our world? Heather shares with us the answer to those questions and so much more!  This conversation ebbs and flows from deep mental health discussions to the lighter topics of shopping for all of the different outfits she wears on television. Just like the best conversations with your friends, this one covers ALL the topics and is filled with laughter and honesty. We had a hard time ending our chat so you can listen to the full two hours, unedited, on our Patreon Channel.  Xo, Amy & Sarah   Check out or Sponsor, Magic Mind. We are loving Magic Mind as we move into 2023 planning to finish ALL the projects and be as efficient as possible with our time. This little shot, “contains a magical combination of 13 active ingredients designed to boost focus, creativity, energy, and motivation while decreasing stress, oxidation, and post exercise inflammation in the body.” We are loving it! You can check it out for an extra 20% off of their already discounted subscription. If you don’t like it or it isn’t providing the results you expected, you can cancel easily at any time. Use THERAPISTS20 for the discount.   Find all things UTI here. Have a story to share? Contact us here. Help us out with a short survey for what you want to hear next on the pod. Starting your own podcast and want an easy and affordable platform? Get your first month FREE by using this link. *The Unqualified Therapists Podcast is not giving medical advice as they are not actual doctors (Hence the name: Unqualified 😉). This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and all medical advice should be taken from a Qualified Doctor. UT shares stories and resources, not medical advice.

When big things happen to us, we beat cancer or we lose our husband, we BECOME a “Cancer Survivor” and a “Widow.” How long do we carry that name tag around? Is it always going to be at the top of the list when describing ourselves?  Sometimes when tragedy occurs we become it because it is the biggest thing in our lives for the time being. It changes us in ways nothing else can. It affects the way others treat and view us. It affects the way we see ourselves.  Sarah and I talk about it openly in this episode because we asked the question recently while talking off air, “Are we our Trauma?” It made us pause for a moment and then led to,  if we aren’t, who are we?  We know many of our listeners have had just as big and just as life altering events happen in their lives so we hope this conversation helps with the processing of who you are “after.” Xo, Amy & Sarah Check out or Sponsor, Magic Mind. We are loving Magic Mind as we move into 2023 planning to finish ALL the projects and be as efficient as possible with our time. This little shot, “contains a magical combination of 13 active ingredients designed to boost focus, creativity, energy, and motivation while decreasing stress, oxidation, and post exercise inflammation in the body.” We are loving it! You can check it out for an extra 20% off of their already discounted subscription. If you don’t like it or it isn’t providing the results you expected, you can cancel easily at any time. Use THERAPISTS20 for the discount.   We want to keep on keeping on with our mental health awareness mission and to do that, we need to grow our Patreon community so that we can continue to put out the Unqualified Therapists podcast. YOU can help us keep the mics on and join our community for as little as $5. Your support means the world to us as we continue to stop the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness. Find all things UTI here. Have a story to share? Contact us here. Help us out with a short survey for what you want to hear next on the pod. Starting your own podcast and want an easy and affordable platform? Get your first month FREE by using this link. *The Unqualified Therapists Podcast is not giving medical advice as they are not actual doctors (Hence the name: Unqualified 😉). This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and all medical advice should be taken from a Qualified Doctor. UT shares stories and resources, not medical advice.

“Hi Barbie!”   Have you seen the Barbie movie yet? We did and wow, there is a lot to say about it. Dr. Katie joins us to discuss all things “Barbie” Movie. The patriarchy, how we viewed Barbie as young girls, and the emotions we felt seeing our lives as women on the big screen. We all shed tears, laughed out loud and we are all changed women for seeing this movie.  We would love to know what you thought? You know the drill, leave a voicemail here, send a DM @unqualifiedtherapists or an email [email protected]  For real…tell us.  We missed you SO MUCH! Thank you for giving us grace for our unplanned time off. It was necessary, but we are thrilled to be back. xo, Amy & Sarah We will leave you with the quote of the year, the decade, and the century by America Ferrera:    “It is literally impossible to be a woman. You are so beautiful and so smart, and it kills me that you think you’re not good enough. Like we always have to be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong. We have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money, because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can’t squash other people’s ideas. You’re supposed to love being a mother, but don’t talk about your kids all the damn time. You have to be a career woman, but also always be looking out for other people. You have to answer for men’s bad behavior, which is insane, but if you point that out, you’re accused of complaining. You’re supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you’re supposed to be a part of the sisterhood. But always stand out and always be grateful.  You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail, never show fear, never get out of line. It’s too hard! It’s too contradictory and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you! And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault. I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don’t even know.”      Check out or Sponsor, Magic Mind. We are loving Magic Mind as we move into 2023 planning to finish ALL the projects and be as efficient as possible with our time. This little shot, “contains a magical combination of 13 active ingredients designed to boost focus, creativity, energy, and motivation while decreasing stress, oxidation, and post exercise inflammation in the body.” We are loving it! You can check it out for an extra 20% off of their already discounted subscription. If you don’t like it or it isn’t providing the results you expected, you can cancel easily at any time. Use THERAPISTS20 for the discount.   We want to keep on keeping on with our mental health awareness mission and to do that, we need to grow our Patreon community so that we can continue to put out the Unqualified Therapists podcast. YOU can help us keep the mics on and join our community for as little as $5. Your support means the world to us as we continue to stop the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness. Find all things UTI here. Have a story to share? Contact us here. Help us out with a short survey for what you want to hear next on the pod. Starting your own podcast and want an easy and affordable platform? Get your first month FREE by using this link. *The Unqualified Therapists Podcast is not giving medical advice as they are not actual doctors (Hence the name: Unqualified 😉). This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and all medical advice should be taken from a Qualified Doctor. UT shares stories and resources, not medical advice.

We are SO EXCITED to share our conversation with you about the Enneagram. Jessi loves a good personality test and shares with us her knowledge on a personal favorite. According to Truity, “The Enneagram is a system of personality typing that describes patterns in how people interpret the world and manage their emotions. The Enneagram describes nine personality types and maps each of these types on a nine-pointed diagram which helps to illustrate how the types relate to one another”. If you have never heard of the Enneagram or perhaps want a refresher, Jessi breaks down all 9 personality types in this Enneagram 101 discussion. Along with a short description of each,  you get to hear from each of us about our own number on the Enneagram.  Are you curious about your type? You can take the test that Jessi suggests here. Learning about our own personality helps us to grow and evolve.  Learning about the personality of our family, friends, partners, co-workers etc. can help us to manage conflict more effectively. That conversation will be in Part 2!   Xo, Amy & Sarah Check out or Sponsor, Magic Mind. We are loving Magic Mind as we move into 2023 planning to finish ALL the projects and be as efficient as possible with our time. This little shot, “contains a magical combination of 13 active ingredients designed to boost focus, creativity, energy, and motivation while decreasing stress, oxidation, and post exercise inflammation in the body.” We are loving it! You can check it out for an extra 20% off of their already discounted subscription. If you don’t like it or it isn’t providing the results you expected, you can cancel easily at any time. Use THERAPISTS20 for the discount.   We want to keep on keeping on with our mental health awareness mission and to do that, we need to grow our Patreon community so that we can continue to put out the Unqualified Therapists podcast. YOU can help us keep the mics on and join our community for as little as $5. Your support means the world to us as we continue to stop the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness. Find all things UTI here. Have a story to share? Contact us here. Help us out with a short survey for what you want to hear next on the pod. Starting your own podcast and want an easy and affordable platform? Get your first month FREE by using this link. *The Unqualified Therapists Podcast is not recommending medical advice as they are not actual doctors (Hence the name: Unqualified 😉). This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and all medical advice should be taken from a Qualified Doctor. UT shares stories and resources, not medical advice.

Do you constantly feel on edge?  Do you have digestive issues? Do you have difficulty sleeping? Do you have difficulty concentrating? These are just a few of the symptoms of a dysregulated nervous system. When we have unresolved stress or trauma weird things can happen with our body that can be quite scary. A dysregulated nervous system can cause either under-reacting or overreacting but either way it means that there is an imbalance of the  two branches of our autonomic nervous system (the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems). What about our vagus nerve? How does that fit in? The vagus nerve is an integral part of your autonomic nervous system, that’s the part of your body where we do those things automatically without thinking…heart rate and digestion. Sarah shares some more details and tips on how to heal this part of your nervous system We barely scratch the surface in this episode on the topic and encourage you to do your own research and talk to your doctor if you have specific concerns.  As a reminder we are NOT Doctors, just your friendly Unqualified Therapists with access to Google (see disclaimer below).   Xo, Amy & Sarah   Check out or Sponsor, Magic Mind. We are loving Magic Mind as we move into 2023 planning to finish ALL the projects and be as efficient as possible with our time. This little shot, “contains a magical combination of 13 active ingredients designed to boost focus, creativity, energy, and motivation while decreasing stress, oxidation, and post exercise inflammation in the body.” We are loving it! You can check it out for an extra 20% off of their already discounted subscription. If you don’t like it or it isn’t providing the results you expected, you can cancel easily at any time. Use THERAPISTS20 for the discount.   We want to keep on keeping on with our mental health awareness mission and to do that, we need to grow our Patreon community so that we can continue to put out the Unqualified Therapists podcast. YOU can help us keep the mics on and join our community for as little as $5. Your support means the world to us as we continue to stop the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness. Find all things UTI here. Have a story to share? Contact us here. Help us out with a short survey for what you want to hear next on the pod. Starting your own podcast and want an easy and affordable platform? Get your first month FREE by using this link. *The Unqualified Therapists Podcast is not recommending medical advice as they are not actual doctors (Hence the name: Unqualified 😉). This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and all medical advice should be taken from a Qualified Doctor. UT shares stories and resources, not medical advice

We are finishing up Mental Health Awareness month with an episode on what it means to be a mental health advocate. It is more simple than you might think. A mental health advocate is a person who provides support to those with mental illness. There are many ways to do this and we discuss quite a few in the episode this week. Listen in to hear how you can very easily become a mental health advocate. Stay Wild and Weird Warriors! Xo, Amy & Sarah   Check out or Sponsor, Magic Mind. We are loving Magic Mind as we move into 2023 planning to finish ALL the projects and be as efficient as possible with our time. This little shot, “contains a magical combination of 13 active ingredients designed to boost focus, creativity, energy, and motivation while decreasing stress, oxidation, and post exercise inflammation in the body.” We are loving it! You can check it out for an extra 20% off of their already discounted subscription. If you don’t like it or it isn’t providing the results you expected, you can cancel easily at any time. Use THERAPISTS20 for the discount.   We want to keep on keeping on with our mental health awareness mission and to do that, we need to grow our Patreon community so that we can continue to put out the Unqualified Therapists podcast. YOU can help us keep the mics on and join our community for as little as $5. Your support means the world to us as we continue to stop the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness. Find all things UTI here. Have a story to share? Contact us here. Help us out with a short survey for what you want to hear next on the pod. Starting your own podcast and want an easy and affordable platform? Get your first month FREE by using this link. *The Unqualified Therapists Podcast is not recommending medical advice as they are not actual doctors (Hence the name: Unqualified 😉). This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and all medical advice should be taken from a Qualified Doctor. UT shares stories and resources, not medical advice.

What would  Mental Health Awareness Month be without hearing from a Qualified Therapist?  This week, we talked with Heather, a therapist who specializes in healing trauma. Heather shares with us her insights on so many important topics surrounding mental health, therapy, and specifically trauma therapy.  We get answers to these questions and more! What does a first therapy session look like? How to pick a therapist that is a good  fit for you? What are the different approaches to therapy? What exactly is EMDR? How does it work? How do I make my first therapy appointment? What can I do right now to begin the healing journey? This episode is jam packed with helpful tips for your healing journey.  Xo, Amy & Sarah   Check out or Sponsor, Magic Mind. We are loving Magic Mind as we move into 2023 planning to finish ALL the projects and be as efficient as possible with our time. This little shot, “contains a magical combination of 13 active ingredients designed to boost focus, creativity, energy, and motivation while decreasing stress, oxidation, and post exercise inflammation in the body.” We are loving it! You can check it out for an extra 20% off of their already discounted subscription. If you don’t like it or it isn’t providing the results you expected, you can cancel easily at any time. Use THERAPISTS20 for the discount.   We want to keep on keeping on with our mental health awareness mission and to do that, we need to grow our Patreon community so that we can continue to put out the Unqualified Therapists podcast. YOU can help us keep the mics on and join our community for as little as $5. Your support means the world to us as we continue to stop the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness. Find all things UTI here. Have a story to share? Contact us here. Help us out with a short survey for what you want to hear next on the pod. Starting your own podcast and want an easy and affordable platform? Get your first month FREE by using this link. *The Unqualified Therapists Podcast is not recommending medical advice as they are not actual doctors (Hence the name: Unqualified 😉). This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and all medical advice should be taken from a Qualified Doctor. UT shares stories and resources, not medical advice.

The pandemic changed things for workplaces in so many ways, the way mental health is treated is just one of them. Often, in the workplace today,  people talk more about how they are actually doing, sharing about their mental health, and possibly their mental illnesses. This isn’t always a good thing though. An article in the Wall Street Journal last month, discussing the downside of bringing your whole self to the workplace had us thinking, how much should we really share about ourselves in the workplace?   Mental health in the workplace carries a lot of emotion for many people, it can be a really scary topic to discuss because it seems incredibly taboo even in a time where there seems to be less stigma surrounding mental health. We tackle this topic this week because that is what we do, talk about the things no one wants to talk about. We talk about best practices as an employee and as a leader to maintain a positive mental health environment.   As we continue moving through mental health awareness month, we continue to bring awareness even on the toughest corners of the topic.  We hope you enjoy! Don’t worry there is quite a bit of levity as I talk about my massive Linkedin presence with 31 connections and my purchase of the entire Wall Street Journal. Sarah also has BEST news to share with everyone!   Xo, Amy & Sarah We want to keep on keeping on with our mental health awareness mission and to do that, we need to grow our Patreon community so that we can continue to put out the Unqualified Therapists podcast. YOU can help us keep the mics on and join our community for as little as $5. Your support means the world to us as we continue to stop the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness. Find all things UTI here. Have a story to share? Contact us here. Help us out with a short survey for what you want to hear next on the pod. Starting your own podcast and want an easy and affordable platform? Get your first month FREE by using this link. *The Unqualified Therapists Podcast is not recommending medical advice as they are not actual doctors (Hence the name: Unqualified 😉). This podcast is for entertainment purposes only and all medical advice should be taken from a Qualified Doctor. UT shares stories and resources, not medical advice.