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Episode Shownotes:
In this transformative episode, we sit down with Austin Davis, Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and founder/CEO of Clearfork Academy, to explore how core values can empower teens to overcome mental health challenges and find lasting healing. Austin shares his journey, the mission of Clearfork Academy, and the strategies they use to help teens create meaningful change in their lives.

Episode Highlights:
🌟 Austin’s Journey: The experiences that led him to focus on helping teens with mental health and emotional challenges and how he founded Clearfork Academy.
🌟 Core Values: How and why the program developed its core values and the life-changing impact these principles have on teens.
🌟 Therapeutic Tools and Resources: A look at the interventions, tools, and resources used in Clearfork Academy’s program and why they work.
🌟 Family Systems: The importance of understanding the “family system” in identifying pain and dysfunction that lead to unhealthy behaviors.
🌟 Stress Management Plans: The role of actionable plans in helping teens handle stressors and make healthier choices.
🌟 Personal Responsibility: Skills and strategies Clearfork Academy teaches to encourage accountability and self-growth.
🌟 Building Core Values: Steps for anyone to begin establishing and living by their core values.

Website: www.clearforkacademy.com

Instagram: @clearforkacademy

Facebook: Clearfork Academy

LinkedIn: Austin Davis, LPC-S

Bio:

Austin is a visionary leader in teenage behavioral health and addiction treatment, spending the past 15+ years committed to transforming the lives of teens & their families. He uses the power of faith in the recovery process to help his clients grow into healthy and happy members of their community. He is the founder and CEO of Clearfork Academy, the go-to treatment center in Texas for troubled teens.

His dedication to teen mental health makes him a driving thought leader in the industry. He has spoken to parents, community health professionals, educators and teens nationwide—sharing insights on effective treatment methodologies, the importance of mental health awareness and the power of faith in the recovery process.

Austin earned a Bachelor of Science in Pastoral Ministry from Lee University in Cleveland, TN, and furthered his education with a Master of Arts in Counseling from The Church of God Theological Seminary. This education laid the foundation for his professional journey in clinical counseling and church ministry.

When he's not helping teens or serving his community, he is found spending time with his wife & three kids, playing guitar, and being outdoors.

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Episode Highlights:
In this powerful and enlightening conversation, Dr. Tonya Cunningham shares her personal and professional insights into navigating and processing grief. Her candid storytelling and expert advice provide a roadmap for understanding grief’s impact and embracing healing.

What to expect in this episode:

• Dr. Cunningham’s personal story and transformative realizations about grief
• The impact of spiritual bypassing on emotional health
• What grief is, how it manifests, and its effects on mental health
• Differences between type A and type B trauma
• The iceberg analogy of grief’s hidden layers
• Strategies for processing grief and setting healthy boundaries
• How to find the right grief counselor
• The connection between grief and physical health
• Practical tools and exercises for healing
• The importance of embracing, rather than avoiding, grief

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating grief or supporting others on their journey.

Website: www.drtonyacunningham.com

Facebook: Tonya Cunningham and Dr. Tonya Cunningham

Instagram: @drtonyacunningham

TikTok: @drtonyacunningham

Bio:

Dr. Tonya Cunningham stands as the driving force behind Dr. Tonya Enterprises LLC and the visionary founder of Let’s Talk Healing Inc., both dedicated entities offering coaching, counseling, and transformative training in Grief, Mental Health, and Self-Care. Internationally recognized as a sought-after Speaker, Author, and Master Grief Coach, Dr. Tonya specializes in navigating the complexities of loss, life transitions, and inner healing.

With an impressive 35-year professional journey, Dr. Tonya is a revered expert in the grief and death care industry, regularly invited to share her profound insights as a speaker. A true trendsetter and truthsayer, she is reshaping the narrative around how we approach grief, hurt, and loss. Her methodology combines education, experience, enthusiasm, humor, and even dance to offer a range of services, including consulting, seminars, and workshops.

In addition to her professional endeavors, Dr. Tonya is a proud Dog Mom of her fur babies Mister Cunningham and Bentley Sebastian Cunningham, the mother to her adopted son, D’Anthony, and her beloved late daughter Chelsea, who graced the world for 2 hours and 12 minutes.

She is also an accomplished author. Dr. Tonya has penned impactful works such as "I Got My Marbles Back: There IS Life After Loss", "Griefwork Is Essential Not Optional: A Memoir of Overcoming Grief, Depression & Rejection" and her children’s book, "Chelsea Cares: A Bereavement Bear's Heartfelt Journey Through Grief" along with a companion coloring book . She is gearing up for the launch of her latest creations set to debut in 2025.

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Episode Highlights:
In this insightful episode, boundaries coach and recovery advocate Barb Nangle shares her expertise and personal experiences with 12-step programs, offering valuable guidance for anyone on a healing journey.

What you’ll discover:

• Barb’s powerful story of transformation through 12-step programs
• A clear explanation of ACA (Adult Children of Alcoholics) and CoDA (Codependents Anonymous)
• How 12-step programs have evolved and why they remain impactful
• The concept of “info, not ammo” and its role in facilitating recovery
• What it truly means to “work the steps” in a 12-step program
• The importance of breaking through denial to foster growth and healing
• A comprehensive overview of the 12 steps and how they create lasting change

Whether you’re exploring recovery tools or seeking inspiration for personal growth, this episode is full of meaningful insights and practical wisdom.

Boundaries Starter Kit: www.boundariesstarterkit.com/

Coaching Program: Boundaries by Design

Instagram: www.instagram.com/higherpowercoaching/

Podcast: www.higherpowercc.com/podcast/

Previous episode: Episode 52

Bio:

Barb Nangle is a boundaries coach, speaker and the Founder and CEO of Higher Power Coaching and Consulting, LLC and host of the podcast, "Fragmented to Whole: Life Lessons from 12 Step Recovery."

In 2015 at the age of 52, after decades of therapy and tons of self-help work in a variety of areas, Barb found herself in 12-step recovery. She’s been in two such fellowships since then and has changed deeply and profoundly as a result. As a former addict and people-pleasing rescuer, she empowers people to thrive and take more control over their personal and professional lives by coaching them to build healthy boundaries.

She works with organizations in the helping professions, as well as women entrepreneurs to avoid burnout and reduce turnover. Her specialty is working with professional women who say yes when they really want to say no, and neglect themselves because they're focused on others.

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In this eye-opening episode, Claudie Gordon-Pomares, M.S.Ed, and Kim Pomares share groundbreaking insights on:

• The inspiration behind Claudie’s development of Sensory Enrichment Therapy
• How Sensory Enrichment Therapy activates the brain’s natural self-healing abilities
• The remarkable impact of simple Sensory Enrichment Therapy exercises
• The process behind creating the Sensory Enrichment Therapy activities
• How these straightforward activities cultivate an environment that promotes brain growth

Website: www.mendability.com

YouTube: @mendability

Bios:

Claudie Pomares is the creator of Sensory Enrichment Therapy, a unique approach based on the neuroscience of Environmental Enrichment that stimulates brain plasticity to improve cognitive and emotional health. Driven by childhood experiences with close friends and family who suffered debilitating brain-related symptoms, Claudie has dedicated her career to helping vulnerable individuals with neurological conditions feel happy and confident. Her work empowers families with simple, family-centered, sensory-based activities that foster resilience and long-term cognitive growth.

Kim Pomares is the CEO of Mendability and a pioneering force in bringing Sensory Enrichment Therapy to families worldwide. Joining early on to support his mother, Claudie Pomares, in managing her private clinic, Kim has been instrumental in validating the therapy’s effectiveness through randomized controlled trials and in making the program accessible by training a computer system to deliver personalized sensory enrichment plans. Kim’s journey with Mendability is driven by the deep satisfaction of helping vulnerable children unlock their natural abilities, overcoming anxiety and other challenges to feel happier and more confident.

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In this thought-provoking episode, DNMS specialist Karen Gardner, LCSW, unveils:

• How she became a Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS) practitioner,
• Why DNMS is such an effective treatment modality for childhood neglect and trauma,
• What attachment wounds are and how they are addressed through DNMS,
• How many diagnosed with bipolar and schizophrenia are actually suffering from untreated trauma,
• The importance of establishing “resourcing” prior to beginning trauma therapy of any kind,
• How it is possible to resolve trauma that has been “forgotten” through dissociation,
• Why working on surface level coping mechanisms without addressing the underlying issues is ineffective,
• The difference between Internal Family Systems (IFS) and DNMS,
• How powerful it is to develop resources within yourself, and
• Where to start to learn more about DNMS and find out if it is right for you.

Website: www.emdr-utah.com

Bio:

Karen Gardner did her graduate training after her children were grown and has found her life experience to be as valuable as her academic training. Her undergraduate degree is in Psychology, and her graduate degree is in Social Work, both from Arizona State University. She has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Utah for 14 years, and has owned her own private practice for 10 years in Provo, UT.

She enjoys helping individuals and families heal. Karen has been successful working with people who struggle with rage reactions, abrupt mood swings, an inability to regulate their emotions, excessive and uncontrollable worry, hyperactivity, and an inability to bond with others. She has been an EMDRIA Approved Consultant for the past 7 years and a trainer for DNMS for the past 5 years, teaching other therapists this great modality.

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In this engaging conversation boundaries coach Barb Nangle reveals:

• Her journey through recovery,
• What led her to become a boundaries coach,
• Why boundaries are so difficult for trauma survivors,
• Why codependency frequently develops out of trauma,
• Understanding the concept of 'info not ammo' and its significance in the recovery process,
• The concept of “reparenting”—what it is, how it functions, and its role in healing,
• What “boundaries of self-containment” are and their value in healing,
• The importance of seeking support as you start establishing healthy boundaries in your life,
• That learning to set boundaries takes practice, persistence and a willingness to make mistakes, and
• How to begin the process of setting healthy boundaries in your life.

Boundaries Starter Kit: www.boundariesstarterkit.com/

Coaching Program: Boundaries by Design

Instagram: www.instagram.com/higherpowercoaching/

Podcast: www.higherpowercc.com/podcast/

Bio:

Barb Nangle is a boundaries coach, speaker and the Founder and CEO of Higher Power Coaching and Consulting, LLC and host of the podcast, "Fragmented to Whole: Life Lessons from 12 Step Recovery."

In 2015 at the age of 52, after decades of therapy and tons of self-help work in a variety of areas, Barb found herself in 12-step recovery. She’s been in two such fellowships since then and has changed deeply and profoundly as a result. As a former addict and people-pleasing rescuer, she empowers people to thrive and take more control over their personal and professional lives by coaching them to build healthy boundaries.

She works with organizations in the helping professions, as well as women entrepreneurs to avoid burnout and reduce turnover. Her specialty is working with professional women who say yes when they really want to say no, and neglect themselves because they're focused on others.

FREE Mood Cycle Survival Guide: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/free/

FREE Facebook Group for Moms with Bipolar: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bipolarmomslivingwell

website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theupsideofbipolar/
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In this engaging episode author and comic Dave Mowry shares:

• His story of beginning to use humor to help him deal with his trauma and bipolar symptoms,
• How he began writing for bphope.com which led to his first book OMG That’s Me!,
• What helped him grieve his “lost fourteen years”,
• The daily activities that have helped him to “get out of his head”,
• Why humor is so powerful in helping to overcome trauma and the suffering of mental illness,
• How he discovered it’s possible to teach anyone to do standup comedy,
• The healing he witnessed in others who learned to use comedy to deal with their mental illness,
• How he found purpose in his struggle in helping others through peer support,
• The value in his books OMG That’s Me! and OMG That’s Me 3!, and
• How important it is to not get stuck in your struggle, things do get better!

LinkedIn: Dave Mowry

Books: OMG That’s Me!

OMG That’s Me 3!

Facebook: Dave Mowry

Bio:

Dave Mowry was a successful businessman until he had a breakdown due to his undiagnosed bipolar disorder and lost everything. He slid into deep depression and anxiety and began his 14 lost years and dark days.

In 2010, Dave took a stand-up comedy class for folks with a mental illness and began healing with humor. Looking for humor in his worst experiences and PTSD changed everything. Dave was soon teaching classes to other folks with a mental illness and seeing the same transformation in them.

Dave is the author of the award winning OMG That’s Me! mental health books, a comic, and runs a mental health nonprofit in Portland. Dave’s blog posts for bphope.com have been read by over a million people.

Dave lives in Happy Valley, Oregon with his wife Heather and is currently working on a new OMG book about his recovery.

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I’m so excited to share that I conquered my final trigger for mood swings: moving! In this reflective episode I share:

• My previous experiences with moves triggering mood swings,
• How my Mood Cycle Survival Guide enabled me to anticipate and proactively manage mood swings caused by moving,
• A breakdown of how applying my Mood Cycle Survival Guide in my most recent move helped me avoid symptoms,
• How writing my book helped to solidify my healing and recovery,
• The importance of viewing symptoms with curiosity instead of judgment, and
• What your next steps should be on your path to healing your own triggers.

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FREE Facebook Group for Moms with Bipolar: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bipolarmomslivingwell

website: https://theupsideofbipolar.com/
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