Creative Healing Podcast

Episode Forty Nine: Creative Healing Through Mindfulness with Amy Zoe Schonhoff

Amy Zoe Schonhoff is a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher, speaker, and founder of Mindfulness in the Heartland. She works with individuals, communities, and workplaces to cultivate embodied wisdom through secular, trauma-sensitive mindfulness practices. With more than 30 years of contemplative practice and a life shaped by early adversity, Amy brings both professional depth and grounded humanity to her work. Rooted in a distinctly Midwestern sensibility—practical, relational, and down-to-earth—she invites a deeper connection to ourselves, to each other, and to the living world, honoring both life's challenges and its ongoing cycles of renewal. In this conversation, we explore what mindfulness really looks like in everyday life—moving beyond concept and into lived experience. We reflect on how the way we relate to ourselves creates a ripple effect, touching our families, our communities, and the wider world. Mindfulness becomes more than something we practice; it becomes a way of being that supports healing on every level. As Amy shares, a personal practice travels with us—steady, accessible, and deeply our own—offering a path back to presence, compassion, and resilience amid daily life. Connect with Amy here: https://mindfulheartland.com/ [https://mindfulheartland.com/] Guided Meditations: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsE5tI0okfgbd22bDj1xdkQ [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsE5tI0okfgbd22bDj1xdkQ]

Episode Forty Eight: Healing Through Boxing with Josh Fingerhut

This podcast features a conversation with therapist, breathwork practitioner, and boxing coach Josh Fingerhut, whose approach to healing goes far beyond the traditional therapy office. After a near-death experience changed the course of his life, Josh began to rethink what healing really looks like. His work now combines therapy, boxing, breathwork, movement, and nervous system regulation to help people reconnect with themselves — not just through talking, but through action and experience. In this interview, we explore why movement can be such a powerful tool for healing trauma, anxiety, burnout, and emotional pain. We talk about the connection between the body and the mind, the role of anger and emotional release, and why creative approaches like boxing and breathwork, can help people break through when traditional therapy alone isn't enough. Sometimes healing doesn't happen on a couch, it starts with putting on a pair of gloves. Connect with Josh here: https://www.joshfingerhuttherapy.com/blog [https://www.joshfingerhuttherapy.com/blog]

Episode Forty Seven: Creative Healing Through Connection & Reflection

In this episode Darcy sits down with Michelle to welcome her back after a 7-day journey on the Camino de Santiago. We explore how to access magic in unexpected places, the challenge and power of saying yes to yourself, the depth of intentional connection in new places, and the role of reflection in creating meaningful change whether in the midst of a busy life or on retreat. Michelle shares what the experience revealed, the gratitude she's carrying forward, and how she's allowing its ripple effect to shape her daily life. This is an intimate look into creative healing and an invitation to connect & reflect with yourself. Does something inside you know you need a sacred place to realign? Is the noise of daily life guiding you to pause & reflect? There is an opportunity for you to answer this call with Michelle and Walking Mentorship in April 2027. Information here: https://hirschmanclinicalservices.com/nurturing-retreat-2027/ [https://hirschmanclinicalservices.com/nurturing-retreat-2027/] HCS is designing new programs & circles to cultivate nurturing community for you! Stay connected with us through our weekly newsletter: https://hirschmanclinicalservices.com/contact/ [https://hirschmanclinicalservices.com/contact/]

Episode Forty Six: Creative Healing in the Shadow of Death with Darcy Meehan

In this episode, we explore a creative and compassionate expansion of mental health care through the lens of death doula work with Darcy Meehan—Coach and Director of Outreach for Hirschman Clinical Services. Darcy shares how integrating end-of-life support into therapeutic spaces offers a powerful opportunity for clinicians to meet clients at some of life's most tender and transformative thresholds. Darcy offers a unique blend of traditional approached with modern strategies to meet people where they are. With a customized blend of practical planning with emotional and spiritual care, she helps individuals and families navigate not only the realities of death, but the quiet anxieties that often surround it. This conversation invites mental health professionals to consider how gently introducing structure, language, and presence around the unknown can shift clients from avoidance into empowerment. We dive into the value in holding space for conversations about mortality in a way that feels grounding rather than overwhelming. These discussions don't just prepare people for the end of life, but profoundly impact how they live right now—enhancing clarity, connection, and intention. Whether working with aging parents, supporting families with complex dependencies, or guiding clients through existential anxiety, this episode offers a refreshing and deeply human approach to care. We also share about expanded services within HCS and our vision for supporting clients and their families now and long term. In This Episode, We Explore: * Why conversations about death belong in mental health spaces * The value of intentional planning now for what comes later * How death doula work complements and expands traditional clinical care * The role of structure and guidance in reducing anxiety around the unknown and the future * Moving clients from avoidance or overwhelm to empowered and organized * Supporting families navigating aging, caregiving and legacy * How engaging with mortality can deepen presence and purpose in everyday life Connect with us here: www.hirschmanclinicalservices.com [http://www.hirschmanclinicalservices.com]

Episode Forty Five: Creative Healing Through Writing with Wendy Adamson

In this deeply human and expansive conversation, Wendy invites us into the transformative power of writing as a pathway to healing. Together, we explore how meeting ourselves honestly on the page can uncover buried truths, soften the grip of grief, and create space for deeper self-understanding and growth. Wendy Adamson is a mental health advocate, author, and woman in long-term recovery. She brings lived experience and grounded insight to her work, supporting individuals navigating addiction, grief, growth, and healing. She is also the author of multiple books, including her most recent, Mother Load, which is available on her website and on Amazon. In this episode, we explore: * Why healing begins with an honest relationship with ourselves * Writing as a tool to process grief, addiction, and identity * The difference between writing to perform and writing to heal * How storytelling can help shift generational patterns * The role of vulnerability in true personal transformation * Creating a safe inner space to tell the truth without judgment * How creative expression supports both growth and integration Wendy shares how writing became a lifeline in her own recovery journey—helping her process addiction, reclaim her voice, and reconnect with parts of herself that had long been silenced. Through life's many stages and significant losses, writing has remained a steady companion, offering a way to find meaning and stay present. This conversation reframes writing not as performance, but as presence. Not as perfection, but as permission. Whether you're navigating grief, moving through a transition, or simply craving a deeper connection with yourself, this episode offers a grounded and creative approach to healing from the inside