Trust & Thrive

Dr. Kai Qiu, MD is an inner child healing guide who traded the path to psychiatry for something he believes the mental health space is missing. He’s the author of Emotionally Immature Parents: A Recovery Workbook and combines psychology, Buddhist practice, and his own lived experience as a second-generation Chinese-Canadian to help successful people heal the patterns they inherited but didn’t choose. His content reaches millions worldwide, and he works closely with high-achievers who look like they have it all together but still feel something quietly unresolved underneath. Dr. Kai helps them see those patterns were never personal failures. They were inherited programs. And they can be rewired.In this episode, Kai shares his story, opening up about medical school and the internal conflict and growth that came with honoring what felt more aligned. We share a conversation on the topics of emotionally immature parents, childhood wounds, and the impact these experiences can have on our sense of self. We explore inner child work as a main theme, including common misconceptions, why this work can feel uncomfortable, and how reconnecting with younger parts of ourselves can support healing, self-trust, and authenticity. We also discuss the pressure many people feel to follow certain paths, how childhood experiences can shape our relationships and self-perception, and how inner child work can support us in moving toward a more authentic way of living.Whether you’re navigating family dynamics, questioning expectations placed on you, or wanting to better understand your emotional patterns, we hope this conversation can offer a grounding and compassionate perspective.FOLLOW DR. KAI:INSTA: @hellodoctorkaiBOOK: Emotionally Immature ParentsWORKSHOPS AND MORESTAY CONNECTED:INSTA: @trustandthriveTIKOK: @trustandthriveTHREADS: @trustandthriveFACEBOOK: bit.ly/FBtaramontEMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com

In this episode, I reflect on my identity as a child of immigrants during the week of Nowruz (Persian New Year). I share the range of emotions that have been coming up during this time, both personally and collectively. I also discuss the pressure that can exist to express or explain every single feeling one may be having, especially on social media.This episode focuses on holding space for nuance, making space for mixed emotions, and trusting your own experience without needing to define it for others. I also explore the guilt that can show up, whether you're a child of immigrants or just being a part of this generation, and how to recognize it without feeling defined by it. This episode is hopefully a reminder that multiple things can be true at once and that we can staying informed, while also taking care of ourselves...and validating the heaviness we feel without needing to always pathologize our human experience.I'm thinking of my fellow Iranians, those affected and hurt, the lives lost, and anyone who is experiencing the heaviness of the world. Wishing a comforting Nowruz and sending big hugs to all.STAY CONNECTED:INSTA: @trustandthriveTIKOK: @trustandthriveEMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com

Lily was a school psychologist for 12 years and served as the lead school psychologist in her district in Los Angeles. During that time, she also struggled deeply with anxiety, panic, and OCD.In 2018, Lily had a life-changing realization: she wasn’t broken and nothing needed to be fixed. She had been innocently overcomplicating her experience. She discovered it was safe to think less, that thoughts don’t need to be believed, and that feelings naturally settle on their own.In 2020, Lily began coaching and now helps people reconnect with the peace that already exists beneath anxious thinking. She works with individuals and groups and shares simple, lighthearted, and transformative teachings on mental wellbeing.In this episode, Lily shares about her mental health journey, her experience as a a school psychologist, and how anxiety impacted different areas of her life. We talk about experiences with driving anxiety, as well as examples of what derealization and depersonalization can look/feel like. We normalize how scary, isolating, and confusing it can feel when there's no understanding. In addition, we explore the role of patience, self-compassion, and learning to accept anxiety instead of constantly resisting or fighting it. If you’ve ever experienced driving anxiety, feelings of unreality, or the pressure to “fix” or "solve" anxiety quickly, we hope this conversation may help you feel less alone and offer a different perspective on moving forward.FOLLOW LILY:INSTA: @_peacefromwithinTIKOK: @peacefromwithinWEBSITE: www.peace-from-within.comSTAY CONNECTED:INSTA: @trustandthriveTIKOK: @trustandthriveTHREADS: @trustandthriveFACEBOOK: bit.ly/FBtaramontEMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com

Katie Pankonin is a mental health therapist out of Phoenix, Arizona specializing in grief and relationships. Katie is passionate about normalizing the grief experience and finding relatable ways to humanize the "grief club" we all inevitably join one day. Katie can be found on social media at @enkindle_mentalhealth where she enjoys creating community for those grieving and posting daily mental health content.In this episode, we explore how grief can be more complex, personal, and nuanced than we're taught. We talk about the journey into grief therapy and importance of normalizing conversations around death and loss. We discuss what it can look like to grieve people who are still alive, mourning relationships that were complicated or harmful, exploring parasocial grief, and feeling unexpected emotions of confusion or relief around loss.In the episode, we reflect on how to support someone who is grieving without unintentionally minimizing their experience, what helpful grief communication can look like, and how meaning can slowly emerge with grief (while not putting pressure for it to).Whether you're navigating your own grief, supporting someone else through their experience, or simply wanting to understand the many forms grief can take, we hope this conversation can offer a compassionate and nuanced perspective.FOLLOW KATIE:INSTA: @enkindle_mentalhealthTIKOK: @enkindle_mentalhealthWEBSITE: www.enkindlementalhealth.orgSTAY CONNECTED:INSTA: @trustandthriveTIKOK: @trustandthriveTHREADS: @trustandthriveFACEBOOK: bit.ly/FBtaramontEMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com

To wrap up this month's focus on relationships and OCD, I dive deep into how OCD and anxiety can show up in platonic relationships.In this solo episode, I talk about common friendship-based compulsions (including reassurance seeking, mental reviewing, confessing, avoidance), the fear of being seen as "too much," recognizing patterns of rumination, and practicing self-compassion instead of self-shame.As a reminder (as with every episode this month), you are deserving of friendship, connection, and community. STAY CONNECTED:INSTA: @trustandthriveTIKOK: @trustandthriveEMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com

Whether it's a partner, family member, or close friend, loving someone with OCD can feel confusing at times, especially when you want to be supportive but aren't sure how to respond to intrusive thoughts, anxiety, or repeated reassurance-seeking. In this solo episode, I talk more about how OCD can show up in relationships, the difference between validating feelings and reinforcing compulsions, why reassurance can keep the cycle going, what supportive language can look like, and how to stay compassionate without becoming a part of the OCD loop. Also, I touch on the importance of self-care for those supporting loved ones with OCD. Your mental wellbeing and your needs matter too. STAY CONNECTED:INSTA: @trustandthriveTIKOK: @trustandthriveEMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com

To continue the theme of ROCD this month...in this episode, I talk generally about anxiety and OCD-related thoughts and behaviors in relationships. I lean into the importance of integrating self-compassion for yourself as you may experience these thoughts. I also share your responses from Instagram stories (anonymously, of course) to remind you that you're not alone.I also share some personal examples and experiences related to ROCD and how real these thoughts can feel, and how our bodies can respond as if it's a real threat, even when it's a false alarm. In addition, I discuss the stress that comes with doubt and not having a set answer...and hope to remind you that you are deserving of love and connection, even with these thoughts. Especially with Valentine's Day coming up, this is your reminder that it's okay if it feels like any other day, whether you're single or in a relationship. There's no "one right way" to spend the day, even when others on social media say differently. Take extra care of yourself <3 STAY CONNECTED:INSTA: @trustandthriveTIKOK: @trustandthriveEMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com

Valentine's Day is like the Super Bowl for Relationship OCD. It's the perfect opportunity for thoughts to creep in. There's pressure, comparison, thoughts that may feel louder.In this solo episode, I talk about how Valentine's Day, especially social media posts, can amplify ROCD thoughts, even if you're not in a relationship. I dive deep into the importance of slowing down, self-compassion, and noticing thoughts without needing to assign meaning or turn them into answers. If this time of year and "big" days (birthdays, anniversaries, engagement, moving in together) make your thoughts feel louder, you're not alone. STAY CONNECTED:INSTA: @trustandthriveTIKOK: @trustandthriveEMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com

In this solo episode, I acknowledge how oppression and the systems we live in inherently impact mental health and one's sense of safety (if not directly), from what's happening in the US to the experiences of those living under oppression. I hold space for all the emotions that come from witnessing harm caused by systems of power, including ICE and the US government, to those fighting for freedom in Iran, for those trying to simply survive in Gaza, and more.I get into what it can look like to experience OCD thoughts around morality, and the black-and-white thinking that can keep us stuck in our thoughts, rather than taking action and showing up with community.Throughout the episode, I identify moral OCD-related thoughts that show up in real time, and what it looks like to simply notice and name them without proving, engaging, or trying to analyze them. OCD thrives on extremes and our thoughts can convince us we're not doing "enough." I share how showing up, in incremental ways, can make a difference rather than feeling stuck in the thoughts and loneliness. I also share how my recent birthday and celebrating brought us similar feelings, including guilt, confusion, and all-or-nothing.While I share my personal process in this episode, this episode is hopefully a reminder that you are allowed to feel guilt, confusion, anxiety, joy, all the feelings without shame or judgment. We can continue to show up, lean into this work, take action AND check in with our nervous system and honor what our bodies need. *As always, relating to this episode does not necessarily mean you live with OCD. I'm simply sharing how OCD shows up in this experience for me.STAY CONNECTED:INSTA: @trustandthriveTIKOK: @trustandthriveEMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com 

Alex Thomson (APC) is a therapist in Atlanta, Georgia. He specializes in OCD and anxiety. In his free time, he enjoys birding, cooking, and contributing to the @talktherapywithalex Instagram page, where he enjoys blending levity and humor with educational content. In this episode, we both share our personal experiences toward becoming therapists, and normalize that there's no one path when it comes to entering the field or showing up online. We discuss the pressures of showing up as a therapist in "one" way - confident, "healed," put-together, etc. We also explore what it can look like to show up authentically (and how that looks different for everyone), how showing up imperfectly can create deeper connection, and the complexity of holding space for vulnerability while being ethical and thoughtful of the client's experience.FOLLOW ALEX:INSTA: @talktherapywithalexWEBSITE: www.talktherapywithalex.comSTAY CONNECTED:INSTA: @trustandthriveTIKOK: @trustandthriveTHREADS: @trustandthriveFACEBOOK: bit.ly/FBtaramontEMAIL: trustandthrive@gmail.com