Unconventional Dyad Podcast

On episode 44 of the Unconventional Dyad Podcast, Laura speaks with Dr. Nafissa Ismail, Associate Professor and researcher. Topics of discussion include… - Stress-induced mental illnesses - The gut-brain axis and its role in mental health - The effects of stressors on puberty and adolescent mental health - How probiotic consumption during puberty might protect against depression and anxiety - The physiological and neurological effects of the COVID-19 virus and pandemic on children and teens - Sex differences in mental health - Open Science and the power of collaboration, and - Integrating the body into the study of the mind Dr. Ismail is an Associate Professor at the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa and the holder of a University Research Chair in Stress and Mental Health. She obtained her PhD from Concordia University in 2009. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Massachusetts and joined the University of Ottawa in 2012. Her research expertise is in Neuroimmunology and Neuroendocrinology. She was awarded Young Researcher of Year by the University of Ottawa and Early Researcher Award by the province of Ontario. She was also awarded the prize for activity in the media and in the community 2021 by the Faculty of Social Sciences. She is also a member of the Global Young Academy. Follow Dr. Ismail on Twitter: @ismail_nafissa (twitter.com/ismail_nafissa) Connect with Dr. Ismail on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nafissa-ismail-890aa899/ Find out more at uniweb.uottawa.ca/members/964

Today on the podcast, Carli and Laura speak with Reverend Kelsey Beebe (MFA Dance, MDiv [Pronouns: she/her]), a trained dancer, yoga instructor, and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Pastor Kelsey believes firmly in an all-loving God, embodied Christ, and ever-moving Holy Spirit that connects us all. She serves as a solo pastor at two churches just south of Milwaukee, WI, and is the Executive Minister and President of Dancing Pastor Ministries and host of the Lady Preacher Podcast.  With a love for movement and ministry, and a passion for embodied prayer practices, Pastor Kelsey has been called the 'Dancing Pastor' since her early teenage years. She earned the title lady preacher while serving two churches in rural Missouri where she became known around the town as “the lady preacher.” As the Dancing Pastor and Lady Preacher, Pastor Kelsey works with folks from all walks of life, helping them find safe, embodied ways to connect more deeply to themselves, to others, and to God. Her life's work is based on 1 Corinthians 16:14: “Let all that you do be done in love,” and her favorite part of ministry is helping people experience the transforming love of God that moves around, among, and within us all. Outside of movement and ministry, Pastor Kelsey loves donuts, being by the water, and nothing gets her laughing harder than a good dad-joke. She also believes pints of ice cream are meant to be finished in one sitting. She lives in Kenosha, WI, with her husband Rev. Kevin Beebe and their cat Velcro. Some topics of discussion on today’s episode include… The joys and challenges of leading a faith community as a woman The Divine Feminine, embodied prayer practices, and the healing power of movement Why the broader Christian Church is in need of female voices, leadership, and ordination; and what the Church misses out on when it prevents women from serving as clergy You can find out more about Pastor Kelsey at our website or at dancingpastor.org If you like our show, please subscribe, rate, review, and share the Unconventional Dyad Podcast. As always, thank you so much for listening, and we hope you enjoy this episode!

Today on the podcast, Laura speaks with Rev. Jonathan Barker about racial justice, climate justice, and his book, “Jesus Would Demand a Green New Deal: The Story of Why One Christian Pastor Went on a 12 Day Fast for a Green New Deal.” Some topics of discussion on today’s episode include… The call for Christians to be involved in social, racial, and climate justice efforts/advocacy Rev. Jonathan’s involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement and the intentional strategic non-violent direct action he has engaged in to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI last year White, Evangelical Christians’ silence around racial and climate issues Why Jesus would demand a Green New Deal The disproportionate impact of climate change on people who are already oppressed, vulnerable, and marginalized What it means to truly love your neighbor Some of the ways that we can address climate change while also addressing poverty, under-employment and unemployment Rev. Jonathan Barker serves as the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Kenosha, Wisconsin and is the co-founder of Grace Welcome Center. You can email him at [email protected] You can find him on instagram at @barker.jonathan and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.barker.714 You can find out more about his church at https://www.facebook.com/graceelcakenosha If you like our show, please subscribe, rate, review, or share it. This helps get our work out to others. Thank you!

New Blog Post - 3 Ways You Can Support Those in Need in Afghanistan: https://bit.ly/3gd2SYa Today on the podcast, Laura speaks with Dr. Evelyn Schaefer about sports and performance psychology as well as training and education. Dr. Schaefer is a clinical and sport/performance psychologist living and working in Fond du Lac, WI.  She is a clinical supervisor for Outpatient Behavioral Health at Agnesian Healthcare/SSM and the Training Director for their APA accredited predoctoral internship. Some topics of discussion on today’s episode include… The intersection of sports psychology and trauma Allowing athletes to be human The importance of engaging with and cultivating one’s passions The mental health advocacy of some prominent Olympians The process of starting an APA accredited predoctoral internship from the ground up Dr. Schaefer is involved in systems level work in the areas of provider wellness and diversity, equity and inclusion.  After many years of working primarily in the field of trauma, Dr. Schaefer followed the road not taken and respecialized in sport/performance psychology.  She currently works both at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac and as a consultant to atheletes, performers, coaches and teams throughout the United States.  She works with the United States Figure Skating Association providing education in the areas of peak performance and athlete mental health.  Dr. Schaefer is a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s Mental Health Registry and hopes to one day to reach her lifelong goal of finally making it to the Olympics!  A particular delight for Dr. Schaefer is encouraging young psychologists to bring their passions into their work and find their unique path.  Mom of 2 active teenagers, her happy place is found onboard a SUP watching the sun set over a lake or making a big pot of soup on a snowy day. To reach out to Dr. Schaefer about sport/performance psychology email her at: [email protected] To reach out to Dr. Schaefer about training and education email her at: [email protected]

Welcome to Season 3 of the Unconventional Dyad Podcast! On this brand-new episode, Carli and Laura speak with Nathalie Rieder, Psy.D. about the field of geropsychology, the rapidly growing aging population, and the unique challenges faced by older adults. Dr. Rieder is a postdoctoral psychology fellow at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center, working primarily in outpatient and inpatient geriatric care settings. She received her doctorate in psychology from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (APA-Accredited) and completed her internship at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center (APA-Accredited). She was awarded IUP’s Graduate Research Grant Award for her dissertation investigating the relationship between family caregivers’ well-being and the quantity and quality of received social support. Throughout her training, Dr. Rieder has come to appreciate the unique role of geropsychologists while working in interdisciplinary teams. Older adults often face a variety of biopsychosocial problems—which makes the job of a geropsychologist ever-evolving! They must hone a diverse set of skills to address concerns faced by many older adults and their families. Dr. Rieder is excited to be a part of the rapidly expanding geropsychology field and hopes that many future psychologists consider this specialization. Helpful Links:  The Society of Clinical Geropsychology - https://geropsychology.org/ Other Aging Organizations - https://www.apa.org/pi/aging/resources/organizations

Rachel Newcombe is a psychoanalyst, supervisor and teacher on Orcas Island and Seattle, Washington. As a teacher she practices a radical pedagogy and thrives in a room of the disobedient who refuse indoctrination.  She learns with and from students who dare to question and make learning their own. One of her favorite classes to teach is, The Unconscious Goes to School. In 2018 Rachel received the Distinguished Educator Award from the International Forum for Psychoanalytic Education. Rachel co-leads a writing collective of fellow therapists/analysts who share an interest in writing from the margins and exploring ways creative non-fiction, poetry and art can be an aspect of professional writing. Rachel’s writing has appeared in Contemporary Psychoanalysis, The Psychoanalytic Review, Fort/Da, The Rumpus, 7X7LA, Anti-Heroin Chic, Ellipsis Zine and elsewhere. She can be found on Twitter @rachelnewcombe8 where she enjoys writing daily micro-fiction with the group #vss365. You can find us on our website, Instagram, and Twitter. Featured Song: Unquiet Mind by Laurence (@laurencemusic992)

Dr. Monica Rico (PhD) is a Professor of History at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. She is also affiliated with Lawrence’s Environmental Studies Program (director 2016-2020). Her teaching and research explore American cultural, intellectual, and environmental history in the early American period and the nineteenth century. She has a particular interest in the connections between gender studies and environmental studies, as well as public history and community-based teaching and learning.  She is the author of Nature’s Noblemen: Transatlantic Masculinities and the Nineteenth-Century American West (Yale, 2013) and multiple articles and book reviews, including “Don’t Forget This: Annie Oakley and the ‘New Girl’ in Anglo-American Culture,” in The Popular Frontier: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Transnational Mass Culture, edited by Frank Christanson (Oklahoma, 2017). My current research focuses on the connections between visual culture and natural history in the eighteenth-century Atlantic World.  Her research has been funded by fellowships from the Smith Library at Mount Vernon, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming. She is an inaugural fellow of the Bright Institute in American History at Knox College.  Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, she was educated at the University of California, Berkeley and moved to the Midwest in 2001. She is active in the Fox Cities as a member of the Northeastern Wisconsin Land Trust, the Outagamie County Democratic Party, and various other local initiatives. In 2014 she was recognized for her community work by being named one of the region’s “Future 15” emerging leaders. In 2018, the Outagamie County Historical Society presented the Lillian Mackesy Award for Local History to her in recognition of my nine years of service on the society’s board, including several terms as president. You can find Dr. Rico on her website.  You can find us on our website, Instagram, and Twitter. The music you hear is by the amazing laurence.

Tracy Sidesinger, PsyD is a psychoanalytic psychologist, currently practicing virtually from Brooklyn and upstate New York with a focus on gender and sexuality, maternal mental health, spirituality, and the arts. Her writing can be found in Studies in Gender and Sexuality, Public Seminar, and Routledge. She is currently working on a collection of essays bridging psychoanalytic insight, interviews, and memoir to bear on the topic of feminine knowing. She serves on the board of directors for the Museum of Motherhood as artist residency coordinator, and is currently engaged in research on support structures outside of the nuclear family. She is passionately involved in the community psychoanalysis movement which makes psychological care accessible to all as a matter of social justice and equity. Today, we start with a beautiful discussion about motherhood and femininity. We also explore several topics, including the use of the analyst's subjectivity and self as an instrument in the therapy, community psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, the importance of process in the work we do and how process can be illuminated in consultation, supervision, and peer groups. Lastly, we discuss Dr. Sidesinger’s creation of a community clinic and she provides a beautiful frame for what she hopes the clinic will look like and whom the clinic will serve.  You can find us on our website, Instagram, and Twitter. Featured Song: Unquiet Mind by Laurence (@laurencemusic992)

Candice Czubernat, LMHC, has been a therapist for 15 years and is the founder of the LGBTQ affirming counseling, coaching and spiritual direction practice, The Christian Closet.  She’s also the founder of Progressive Christian Counseling, an online therapeutic resource for Christians who come from a progressively minded faith. She works with people from all over the world undoing limiting beliefs about God and the self in order to find beauty, freedom and wholeness.  Candice is a graduate of The Moody Bible Institute and The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. She identifies as a lesbian and a Christian.  She lives in a small mountain town in southern California with her wife, the love of her life, Crystal, and their 6-year-old boy/girl twins Deacon and Dylan.  If she's not working you can find her testing science projects with her kids, playing family board games and wrestling with their puppy Charlie Bonz.  Today on the podcast we discuss…  Candice’s work with the LGBTQ+ community  Spiritual Trauma and abuse  How queerness can be used to encapsulate identities that are not black and white boxes  Teletherapy and its ability to reach marginalized communities  Her evolving views on God and spirituality  The Christian Closet on the Web: https://www.thechristiancloset.com/  The Christian Closet on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChristianCloset  The Christian Closet on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lgbtq_therapyonline/  Candice on the Web: https://candiceczubernat.com/  Candice on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesbiantherapist/  Candice on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheChristianCL

Kimby Shult Hughes is a highly sensitive empath who has her Master of Science in Marriage and Family therapy and currently specializes in the treatment of children and youth impacted by trauma.  She is deeply immersed in her doctorate work in Education where she researches the teachers who teach students impacted by trauma. Additionally, she is an assistant college coach for volleyball and loves being around the athletes who, oxymoronically, cause her to feel young and quite old at the same time. Kimby is also the author of three children’s books (which can be found on Amazon): Love Transcends, Love Wins, and Where Peace Lives. After thoroughly enjoying the process of working on Where Peace Lives with her children, Kimby and her two kids have another book in progress, so stay tuned! Despite the many hats she wears, being a mama of two highly sensitive kids is, undoubtedly, the biggest blessing and privilege of Kimby’s life.  The child in her is deeply healed by them and she sits in daily awe of their insight, authenticity, kindness, compassion, bravery, and general amazingness. Kimby loves to be active and outdoors (especially with her husband and kids) and feels like life is more sustainable when she approaches it with joy, humor, gratitude, and authenticity. On today’s episode... We discuss Kimby’s work with the CBITS program and her work in schools The unique impact of racial trauma and discrimination on students and children of color Her faith journey and its influence on her work and her life in general Kimby’s process of writing her three books and how they might help open and facilitate discussions about race