The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health

The Symptom Media Podcast - Bonus Episode - Caring for the Caregivers

In this special bonus episode of The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health, host Dr. Lindi van Niekerk, MD, PhD, is joined by J. Corey Feist, JD, MBA, Co-Founder and CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, for a powerful conversation on healthcare worker well-being, grief, and systems change. Drawing from both personal loss and decades of leadership experience, Corey reflects on the death of his sister-in-law, Dr. Lorna Breen, and the cultural, educational, and structural barriers that prevent healthcare professionals from seeking mental health support. Together, Lindi and Corey explore how stigma, fear of professional repercussions, and unsustainable working conditions contribute to burnout, moral injury, and suicide risk among clinicians. This episode moves beyond individual resilience to examine the responsibility of institutions, policymakers, leaders, and the public in creating safer, more humane healthcare environments. From federal policy reform and peer support to leadership training and cultural change, the conversation offers both urgency and hope—inviting listeners to consider how each of us can become an agent of change in the systems we inhabit. This podcast is brought to you by Symptom Media - Mental Health Education & Training For more information about the resources shared in this episode you can visit: Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation https://drlornabreen.org To learn more about Symptom Media [ https://symptommedia.com/] and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/ [https://symptommedia.com/] Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount

From Burnout to Belonging: Creating Flourishing Healthcare Cultures

In this inspiring season finale of The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health, host Dr. Lindi van Niekerk sits down with Dr. Kim Garver, Dr. Jared Christensen, and Dr. Amy Young to explore how healthcare organizations can move beyond burnout toward cultures of genuine flourishing. Drawing from their work at the University of Michigan and the Center for Positive Organizations, the trio shares how small, intentional acts of leadership such as listening with compassion, flattening hierarchies, and cultivating “relational energy”, can transform even the most toxic of workplaces. Together, they unpack what it means to build systems that care for the caregivers, translating research on positive organizational scholarship into real-world change. Through deeply personal stories of loss, renewal, and courage, Kim, Jared, and Amy reveal how connection, transparency, and accountability can rebuild trust and meaning in medicine. This conversation is both a testament and a roadmap: that by starting human and ending human, we can create environments where clinicians don’t just survive the system — they change it. This podcast is brought to you by Symptom Media - Mental Health Education & Training [https://symptommedia.com/] For more information about the resources shared in this episode you can visit: * Dr. Amy Young [http://www.linkedin.com/in/dramymyoung] * Dr. Jared Christensen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-christensen-21a136239/] * Dr. Kim Garver [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-garver-1924ab2a2/] * MPowerD Coaching [https://kagarver.wixsite.com/mpowerdcoaching-1] To learn more about Symptom Media [ https://symptommedia.com/] and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/ [https://symptommedia.com/] Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount

The Many Faces of Grief in Healthcare

In this resonant episode of The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health, host Dr. Lindi van Niekerk is joined by grief clinicians Danielle Glorioso, LCSW, and Amanda VerWys, ACSW, to examine a constant, yet unseen companion in healthcare: grief. Opening up about their own personal bereavement and sharing their clinical experience, Danielle and Amanda take on common myths and help us define the difference between grief and mourning. Through this conversation we’ll explore the myriad ways grief can arise, not only from a loss, but identity shifts, moral distress, and systemic failures. Most importantly, their experience offers tangible practices for clinicians and institutions: psychoeducation, peer support, gentle self-disclosure, and simple embodied routines to help integrate rather than suppress grief. This is a call for all of us to remember that only together can we reduce isolation and stigma, and build cultures where everyone, including the caregiver, can heal. This podcast is brought to you by Symptom Media - Mental Health Education & Training [https://symptommedia.com/] For more information about the resources shared in this episode you can visit: * Danielle Glorioso’s Grief Therapy Site [http://danielleglorioso.com/]   * Columbia University Center for Prolonged Grief [https://prolongedgrief.columbia.edu/] * UC San Diego Stein Institute for Research on Aging [http://aging.ucsd.edu/] * UCSD'S Health & Physician Wellness Infrastructure [https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/2450091/%20https://physicianwellness.ucsd.edu/] To learn more about Symptom Media [ https://symptommedia.com/] and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/ [https://symptommedia.com/] Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount

Nursing on the Edge: Suicide, Stigma, and Systemic Failure

In this deeply human episode of The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health, host Dr. Lindi van Niekerk is joined by Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Christopher Wojnar and Nurse Scientist Dr. Judy E. Davidson to confront the devastating crisis of suicide among nurses. Drawing from personal loss, lived experience, and groundbreaking research, Chris and Judy explore how perfectionism, stigma, workplace discipline, and systemic neglect compound nurses’ vulnerability, and why silence can no longer be an option. Together, they advocate for cultural change, trauma-informed leadership, and the power of honest conversation. This episode is a powerful call to action for institutions and individuals alike: we must care for our caregivers. This podcast is brought to you by Symptom Media - Mental Health Education & Training [https://symptommedia.com/] For more information about the resources shared in this episode you can visit: * UCSD Health’s Physician Wellness Infrastructure [https://physicianwellness.ucsd.edu/] * Empowered Psychiatric Solutions [https://www.empoweredpsychsolutions.com/] * Empowered Stories Podcast [https://www.empoweredstoriespodcast.com/] * Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation ALL IN for Mental Health [https://drlornabreen.org/allinformentalhealth/] * 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline [https://988lifeline.org/] * Workplace Suicide Prevention  [https://workplacesuicideprevention.com/] * United Suicide Survivors International [https://www.unitesurvivors.com/] * H.O.P.E. Certification [https://www.hopecertification.com/] To learn more about Symptom Media [ https://symptommedia.com/] and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/ [https://symptommedia.com/] Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount

The Human Cost of Caring: Navigating Moral Injury

In this powerful episode of The Symptom Media Podcast: Bridging the Divide in Mental Health, host Dr. Lindi van Niekerk is joined by Dr. Sophie Redlin and nurse Andrea Mackay for an intimate conversation about moral injury in healthcare. Originally a term from military psychology, moral injury has become a resonant framework for understanding the inner conflict and lasting harm many health professionals experience when systemic failures or ethical dilemmas violate their sense of what is right. Drawing from their personal stories during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, Sophie and Andrea unpack how these experiences shape caregivers—and how community, storytelling, and compassion can help repair the human cost. For more information about the resources shared in this episode you can visit: The Moral Injury Partnership: www.moralinjurypartnership.com [http://www.moralinjurypartnership.com/] To learn more about Symptom Media [ https://symptommedia.com/] and its mental health resource library visit: https://symptommedia.com/ [https://symptommedia.com/] Sign up for a free trial today!  Listeners, get a special 20% discount on a Symptom Media subscription. Use code: 20discount