COMING HOME TO YOURSELF | AMBER MARTIN SMITH, THE LONG JOURNEY HOME

What if the choices you make today could shape how sharp your mind is decades from now?In this episode, we sit down with neuroscientist Dr. Robert Melillo to talk about Alzheimer's, dementia, and why brain health isn't something to think about only in old age. It's a lifelong commitment that starts long before symptoms ever appear.Dr. Melillo explains how the mind and body are deeply connected, and how caring for one means caring for the other. We reflect on how far our understanding of brain health has come, and look forward to what prevention can look like for you and your family at every stage of life.In this conversation, we cover:    •    Why Alzheimer's and dementia are not just "old age" diseases    •    How lifelong habits affect your brain's long-term health    •    The connection between physical health and cognitive health    •    How what we've learned over the years is opening new doors for prevention    •    Practical, forward-looking steps to protect your mindWhether you're caring for a loved one, worried about your own memory, or simply want to stay sharp for years to come, this episode will change the way you think about your brain.🎧 Listen, share, and start investing in your brain health today.This episode is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider about your individual health.

I had the immense honor of interviewing Melissa R. Collings, PA-C, a spine surgery physician assistant turned award-winning novelist. Writing as Melissa R., she explores relationships, representation, and identity in The False Flat and The Love Operation, a new release from Amazon Publishing's Mindy Kaling's Book Studio. This October, she lit up a Times Square billboard with The Love Operation. Melissa is genuinely humble, speaking about her journey with gratitude and generously cheering on other writers. As M. R. Collings, she writes psychological thrillers, including Kill The Thing You Love, out January 2027. Melissa lives in Nashville with her two kids and loves studying preventive health and painting.

I have had the incredible pleasure to speak with Amber Martin Smith, a psychotherapist, author, and powerful voice of resilience whose wisdom comes from lived experience, not just a textbook. Amber knows inherited wounds, the "good girl" conditioning that teaches women to disappear, and relationships that cost us ourselves, because she has walked through them personally and now guides others through them professionally. Having sat on both sides of the therapy room, she blends her own story with a clinician's insight and a deep tenderness for anyone still finding their way back to themselves. Her upcoming book, The Long Journey Home, will be available soon on Amazon.

My goal in this episode is to destigmatize Alzheimer's and dementia and ask all of us to lead with kindness. These are diseases of the brain, not mental illnesses, and those living with them deserve dignity, not shame. Patients and caregivers also need real mental health support.I'm joined by Eleonora Tornatore-Mikesh, President and CEO o @ CaringKind, who has dedicated nearly 25 years to families facing this disease. We discuss what caregivers carry, the community behind them, ways to lower your risk, and why early intervention matters.Walk with us Saturday, October 17th 2026, at the CaringKind Alzheimer's Walk and Brain Health Day in Central Park. Sign up at wearecaringkind.org or call the free Helpline at (646) 744-2900. And be kind to someone caring for a loved one. It matters more than you know.

Meet Kathy DiMario** Award-winning author, speaker & educator passionate about kids' mental health.She co-authored What Kind of Dog Am I? with her daughter Kelly - praised by Lin-Manuel Miranda! Inspired by her rescue dog Posha, the book teaches kids self-worth and has reached 20,000+ students in 200+ schools.Kathy even turned Posha into a custom Tonie for screen-free storytelling.#ChildrensBooks #SelfWorth#ScreenFreeLearning #RescueDog #WhatKindOfDogAmI

Julia Haart is back! I’m thrilled to catch up with her for round two — Netflix star of My Unorthodox Life, former CEO of La Perla and Elite World, author of Brazen, and now founder of Body By Julia. She doesn’t hold back. We talk about what freedom actually costs, the panic attacks she used to live with, and how she’s building a life — and a brand — where comfort doesn’t require pain. As she puts it: “I’ve spent ONE THIRD of my new life fighting for my freedom.” “Support shouldn’t come with pain.” “Just because you’ve accepted pain as normal doesn’t make it normal.” “I create my own reality.

On this week episode of the Coming from the hard podcast, Host, Helene Beck, is joined by Devin Denofa.

 I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Ellen Vora to the podcast! Her holistic approach to healing deeply resonates with my own journey through vertigo. As a psychiatrist with a B.A. from Yale and an M.D. from Columbia, Dr. Vora passionately navigates the complexities of mental health treatment. She highlights how conventional methods can often lead to a cycle of multiple prescriptions, stressing the importance of addressing root causes rather than merely managing symptoms. As the author of The Anatomy of Anxiety and Season of the Witch, she shares her personal experiences, including transformative moments in Bali that inspired her advocacy for a functional medicine approach that considers the whole person. Specializing in depression, anxiety, insomnia, and women’s mental health, Dr. Vora combines her board-certified psychiatric training with insights from integrative and functional medicine, along with her unique backgrounds as an acupuncturist and yoga teacher. Tune in for enlightening discussions designed to empower you on your mental health journey!

In this episode, I sit down with my friend and mentor—**Dr. Robert Melillo**, PhD Cognitive Neuroscience, Professor, Researcher, 8x Best Selling Author, and Co-Founder of @BrainBalanceCenters and the #MelilloMethod. We explore my personal six-year journey with vertigo and what it taught me about the brain's remarkable ability to heal. We dive deep into how the cerebellum works to restore balance and why understanding neuroplasticity changes everything about recovery. But here's the harder truth: **Your brain isn't fixed—it's constantly changing.** Even when symptoms improve, it doesn't always mean the journey is over. Dr. Melillo breaks down why "better" doesn't always mean "fully fixed," and how to navigate the complex reality of neurological recovery. Through neuroplasticity, we discover that the brain can adapt, recalibrate, and recover—but also that balance can still shift over time. If you've struggled with vertigo, dizziness, or any condition that left you doubting your own stability, this conversation offers both scientific insight and real hope about what recovery can actually look like. **In this episode:** - How the cerebellum controls balance and what goes wrong with vertigo - The science of neuroplasticity and brain recovery - Why "symptom improvement" isn't the full story - Living with long-term recovery and accepting change - Dr. Melillo's approach to restoring neurological function **A personal thank you to Dr. Melillo for being the beacon of light I was longing to find in my six-year journey with vertigo. There are moments you can—and will—gain back your life. I did it twice. So can you.* HB 

On this week’s episode of the Coming From The Heart podcast, host Helene Beck interviews Haley Moss.