The Heart of the Matter
The Heart of the Matter is a podcast that promotes self-care, healing and wellness through exploring internal well-being, relationships and connection to others, and social issues.
- Update frequency
- every 13 days
- Average duration
- 92 minutes
- Episodes
- 61
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2021
#61 Critical Race Theory and The Derek Chauvin Sentencing
For episode 61 of THOTM, we discuss the sentencing of former police officer Derek Chauvin, teaching critical race theory in public schools, and the benefits of rest and self-care.
#60 Managing Stress, Gun Control, and The Pandemic
Thanks for joining us for THOTM episode #60. Michael and Jermaine discuss gun control, managing work stress, and the current phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
#59 Mental Health Awareness Month
Michael and Jermaine honor Mental Health Awareness Month by answering questions such as:
How is therapy helpful?
What is most rewarding about being a therapist?
Why it’s important that therapists att…
#58 Life Of A Black Military Wife
For episode 58, we talked to Jamilah Stanfield, creator of blackmilitarywives.com and author of “When Daddy’s Gone”. Jamilah talked about the unique challenges faced by black women married to service…
#57 Parenting, Spirituality, and Decolonizing Education
Our guest on this episode of THOTM is Luisa Ortega. Luisa is a mother, counselor and doctoral student in Organizational Change and Leadership at USC. She is a passionate activist for Indigenous commu…
#56 Ernie McCray
We had the pleasure of talking with Ernie McCray, a man who has worn many hats and is loved and admired by many. He’s a former college basketball star, an educator for over 3 decades, writer, poet, a…
#55 Healing Childhood Trauma & The Power of Relationships
Ansley Curtis is a licensed marriage and family therapist, who specializes in working with children, adolescents and families, and in the treatment of trauma. Ansley talked about her inspiration for …
#54 Immigration Law, Filmmaking and Activism
Alex Amar Kannan is an attorney and independent filmmaker. He operates a practice (Kannan Law Firm, Inc.) in Spring Valley, Ca that focuses on immigration, criminal and personal injury cases. However…
#53 Exploring Healing through Yoga with Ashton Szabo
For episode 53, we chat with Ashton Szabo, an authentic tantric yoga teacher and educator. We discuss the many applications of yoga for the healing journey. We explore topics such as the embodiment…
#52 Grief, Mental Health and Hip-Hop
For episode 52, we have returning guests, licensed psychologist, Dr. Ricky Pope and mental health counselor, Nathan Klein. We have an in-depth discussion about grief, how men deal with loss, and ment…
#51 Black Men In The Helping Professions
On episode 51, we are joined by Michael Love and Nathan Klein. Michael is a counselor at Irvine City College. Nathan is a counselor at San Diego City College and a private practice clinician. We disc…
#50 Living with Estrangement
On our 50th episode, we were joined by Seth Johnson to talk about estrangement and her organization Together Estranged. She shared about her story and difficult life events which resulted in her own…
#49 Dr. Ricky Pope - Reaching Back To Help Others
Dr. Ricky Pope is a psychologist at San Diego State University’s Counseling & Psychological Services.
Dr. Pope is an engaging speaker, with a calming voice, and joined THOTM to share his journey from…
#48 Grief is the Price We Pay for Loving
In this episode, we speak with returning guest LMFT Tracy Gilmour-Nimoy. We discuss her pregnancy and infant loss, her grieving and healing process, and how that is shaping her therapeutic work. We…
#47 - Rewind and Relax
For episode 47, we “rewind and relax” with some fun and introspective questions...also reflect on current events.
#46 Surviving Hurricane Katrina...15 Years Later
This August marked the 15 year anniversary since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, leaving New Orleans in devastation. For episode 46, we talked with Willie Harris, who survived hurricane Katr…
#45 Healing With Food and Culinary Therapy
In this episode we speak with Merceds Tiggs and Otesha Bremond about the intersection of cooking and mental health. We explore their business model of integrating therapy and healing through food an…
#44 Healing Trauma...Mind, Body & Soul
Lisa McJunkin is a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in working with trauma. She’s also an adjunct professor at Point Loma Nazarene University and co-founder of Enlightened Vibra…
#43 Authentic Branding and Social Change
Dr. Mitch Hamilton is a business marketing professor at Loyola Marymount University and founder/CEO of Rethink Creative Agency. He talks about finding his niche in marketing, how companies can effec…
#42 - Teaching Our Children To Survive
On this episode of THOTM, Jermaine Simpson and Michael Ceccon are joined by Laila Aziz...a community activist, law student and parent of twin boys. This conversation is about having “the talk” with o…