Pieces To Wellness

On this month's tune-up episode, we take a look back at the past few months of community-based events we've attended, either as a group, or individually. We've tabled at events put on by AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) including Out of the Darkness Walks, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), even a Punk Rock Flea Market! Bringing the podcast to local community events first and foremost helps us continue to break the stigma against talking about mental health challenges openly and vulnerably. It also gives us the opportunity to connect with listeners face-to-face, building a more personal connection. Additionally, attending events like these has broadened our reach and allowed us to bring the podcast to people who have never even heard of podcasts!
There's a lot to look back on, and taking time to reflect, connect, and build community are all important parts of our wellness. Be well folks! Stay tuned for more opportunities to see us out and about the Capital Region!
We are very grateful to all our listeners.
We'd love to hear your feedback or ideas for future episode topics.
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Reminder - The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness...
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This week, we're talking with guest Tom Fryxell. Tom is VP of the Board of NAMI Capital Region. NAMI Capital Region is the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness for the Capital Region of NY. Getting to know Tom through this conversation reminded us that lived experience with mental health and mental illness can be a valuable tool for others. Tom openly shares his personal struggles as well as the intense experiences of his son.
Taking action, Tom got to work, learning more about how best to equip himself with the necessary tools to overcome mental illness and to help others do the same. Tom speaks of the importance of socialization, an important point that we've talked about before. No doctor can prescribe fresh air, exercise, and authentic connections. That's our job. As a community of people who prioritize wellness, who value the contributions of those with lived experience with mental illness, we take every opportunity to emphasize the positive impact of movement, breath, and connection. Tom calls this mindful exertion. Getting active, despite the resistance, can begin to break us free from the darkness.
People like Tom are few and far between. HIs passion for helping others is so needed in the mental health world. This Saturday, October 5th at Washington Park in Albany, NY, NAMI Capital Region will be hosting NAMIWalks to raise both funds and awareness. We'll have a table, and hope to see you there!
Here are some other helpful links:
AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) - Find a mental health professional
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) - Crisis Intervention
IASP (International Association for Suicide Prevention) - Suicidal Crisis Support

We are very grateful to all our listeners.
We'd love to hear your feedback or ideas for future episode topics.
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Reminder - The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness...
Like, Follow, Share 🧩
Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You
by clicking the link below:

https://a.co/d/h7AQf91

This week, we're excited to welcome special guest, Lauren Toolin to the podcast. Lauren shares with us some ancient practices that can dramatically enhance holistic wellness today.
Lauren is a seasoned yogi who has garnered multiple advanced yoga instruction certifications and is a professional Ayurvedic Practitioner. She is also a recognized and professional Yoga Therapist and Miracle Minded Master Life Coach, having studied directly and intensively with Marianne Williamson. Her Yoga Vidya School has graduated hundreds of qualified teachers over the past 20 years (including Karen!) and her most recent project, Flourish, is a holistic wellness support and solutions community for women in perimenopause and menopause.
Today, Lauren talks with us about ayurveda. Ayurveda is a centuries old, practice-based approach to wellness that originated in India. Ayurveda is often referred to as yoga's sister science, and its practices intentionally support and enhance wellness, as opposed to the Western model of treating disease. Ayurveda comes from the Sanskrit ayur - meaning life, and veda - meaning knowledge or science; it is literally the science of life, and living well. Lauren demystifies this ancient practice, debunking myths (like turmeric isn't automatically ayurvedic, though it does have many health benefits!). She also gives us a brief overview of doshas and describes how knowing your constitution can help you achieve balance in many aspects of life. To learn more about your dosha - ayurvedic body type - take this quiz.
To learn more about all of Lauren's offerings, visit her website: laurentoolin.com. She has two special workshops coming up at Maitri Yoga (also available online): Harmony - A Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra Experience on Sat Dec 21 from 4-6 pm and Resolve: Start Your New Year Right! on Jan 4th from 1-3:30 pm.
We are very grateful to all our listeners.
We'd love to hear your feedback or ideas for future episode topics.
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Reminder - The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness...
Like, Follow, Share 🧩
Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You
by clicking the link below:

https://a.co/d/h7AQf91

This week's guest is author, professor, and clinical psychologist Dr. Mary Lamia. Dr. Mary shares her deep roots in the mental health field, both through lived experience as well as her formal education and career as a mental health professional.
Our conversation focuses on the emotions grief and shame. Despite being prevalent topics of mental health conversations, both emotions are often misunderstood. Grief comes in many forms and manifests along a spectrum of severity. Dr. Mary describes an especially severe form of grief which she calls, "psychotic grief". Broadly speaking, grief comes from the mind trying to find space for a live event that doesn't fit into our perceived worldview or as a response to an event that forces us to drastically shift our worldview, sometimes very quickly.
Shame, on the other hand, as Dr. Mary describes it, often originates in our early childhood. She explains that there is much to learn from shame as well as grief. After all, most of our feelings are trying to teach us something. "There's not an emotion that doesn't help us learn," says Dr. Mary. The perspectives offered by these emotions have the potential to turn pain into wisdom. By exposing and expressing shame and grief instead of disowning them, we can better connect and relate to others.
To purchase Dr. Mary's books, including The Upside of Shame: Therapeutic Interventions Using the Positive Aspects of a "Negative" Emotion and Grief Isn't Something To Get Over: Finding a Home for Memories and Emotions after Losing a Loved One, visit https://marylamia.com/.
We are very grateful to all our listeners.
We'd love to hear your feedback or ideas for future episode topics.
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Reminder - The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness...
Like, Follow, Share 🧩
Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You
by clicking the link below:

https://a.co/d/h7AQf91

Does slow and steady win the race? Pull up a chair and let's talk about it!
When it comes to making progress on our mental health goals, we have determined that slow progress is better than rushing toward our goals. Rushing makes us more likely to miss steps, make mistakes, and lose our way. Slowing down gives us a chance to pause and respond instead of reacting abruptly. It gives us a chance to enjoy the road we're on rather than fixating on an imagined destination.
We all move through life at different speeds. Some people appear to have everything figured out; it's like they're playing life on easy mode. Others have a hard time even knowing where to start. The quality of your life is not determined by the rate at which you check off your to-do list. If you're struggling to gain momentum, try keeping track of all the little victories along the way. All the little wins in life. These can be simple things, like your morning coffee, getting to work early, a good hair day. Finding a sense of gratitude for waking up in the morning can be a great way to start the day with a win.
Little victories add up over time. They can feel like a big deal when you look back at them. Keeping a journal of your victories is a great way to celebrate yourself and track your progress. Most importantly, it's not about how fast you get there. Slow and steady does in fact win the race. In the wise words of Lao Tzu, "Nature does not hurry. Yet everything is accomplished."
Come on out and see us this Sunday 10/27 from 10 am - 4 pm at the Stronger Than Stigma Fair put on by NAMI Capital Region at UAlbany. Tim is one of the speakers!
We are very grateful to all our listeners.
We'd love to hear your feedback or ideas for future episode topics.
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Reminder - The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness...
Like, Follow, Share 🧩
Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You
by clicking the link below:

https://a.co/d/h7AQf91