Mental Health: Hope and Recovery

About Mental Health: Hope and Recovery

Helen Sneed and Valerie Milburn have both fought and overcome severe, chronic mental illnesses, and offer an insider’s approach to mental health. They share inspirational true stories and a host of recovery skills. Episodes examine conditions such as depression, anxiety, substance use and eating disorders, self-harm, suicide, and other major illnesses. You’ll learn about treatment options, coping skills, goal setting, relationships, and mindfulness. Helen and Valerie are your peers. They are not a substitute for qualified counseling or other mental health resources. They are not professionals, but they are experts through their own lived experience with multiple mental health conditions. Please join them on their journey.

Publisher

Mind Body Spirit.fm

Category

education · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Feb 2021

Latest episode

21 May 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 66 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   21 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Gratitude and Celebration: Helen and Valerie Take Their Own Advice

   Hosts Helen and Valerie reflect on their podcast's five-year anniversary, sharing insights on gratitude and celebrating their journey of educating and inspiring those in recovery.

2. 

   27 Feb 2026

   Cornerstones of Recovery: Individual and Community Relationships

   This is an indispensable look at why individual and community relationships are the cornerstone for healing and recovery. As old as humankind, the great necessity for human connection is nowhere more critical than in the battle for mental health. The flip side is the dangerous, sometimes lethal, impact of isolation on mental and physical health. The episode examines why human relationships are critical for survival; where to find people and cultivate connections; how to grow and maintain relationships over time. The hosts explore potential connections to be found in treatment, family, friends, work, interests. Valerie and Helen give intimate examples of the people and communities that became their means of achieving health, recovery and a life worth living. Find Valerie and Helen at mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3. 

   30 Jan 2026

   How Valerie and Helen (Mostly) Outsmart Negativity

   Mental Health: Hope and Recovery Episode Title: How Helen and Valerie (Mostly) Outsmart Negativity Episode 63 | Duration 47:45 Hosts: Helen Sneed & Valerie Milburn EPISODE OVERVIEW On the brink of the new year, Valerie and Helen do a deep search into the reasons why new year’s resolutions so often end in failure and negativity. From their exploration, the ways to outsmart negativity and to pursue something better with a positive outcome become clear and doable. They discover that the strongest course for outsmarting negativity is to replace resolutions with goals. As they bring their insights and examples to the table, the path forward with strategic goal-setting becomes clear. The objective of the episode is to educate and equip the listener with a large body of information that informs and inspires the creation of a manageable path to achieving a heartfelt goal. Included are strategies, skills, methods, and examples from their own lived experiences. Particular focus is on the mechanics of goal-setting: how to build and sustain a feasible plan with manageable steps. How to overcome procrastination, self-doubt, and setbacks. Mindfulness, acceptance, flexibility, and relationships are critical building blocks to outwitting the negativity and doubt that can stop all forward action. For our hosts, the single greatest way to outsmart negativity is to develop a brain that can create optimistic thoughts, nurture the positive, and develop new techniques to dismiss negative expectation. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ·      Why resolutions often fail and goals often lead to real progress ·      How SMART goals can be a conduit to commitment and success ·      How skills such as mindfulness and acceptance keep you on track and engaged in the positive ·      How to navigate setbacks without abandoning your goals or the capacity to fight negativity TOOLS AND TAKEAWAYS ·      Resolutions vs. Goals:  Resolutions are strict decisions without structure; goals require action, planning, and flexibility ·      SMART Goals provide a framework for effective goal setting with the following criteria. The goal should be: o   Specific o   Measurable o   Achievable o   Relevant o   Time-bound ·      Dialectical Behavior Therapy: DBT provides a wide range of goal-seeking skills ·      Mindfulness and Acceptance: They offer many options and activities for overcoming negativity and the positive pursuit of goals. ·      Relationships: Support through individuals and community provides accountability, encouragement, and improved self-image. MEMORABLE QUOTES “Big ambition without an achievable plan is a setup for failure.” – Helen “Acceptance is not endorsement—it’s simply recognizing reality as it is.” –Valerie “Goals bring values from theory into practice.” – Helen RESOUCES AND LINKS MENTIONED Mental Health: Hope and Recovery Podcast, Episode 9: Goal Setting: A Necessity for Recovery https://mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com/episode/goal-setting-a-necessity-for-recovery Mindfulness exercise adapted from https://MindfulnessExercises.com Website: https://MentalHealthHopeAndRecovery.com CONNECT WITH US Website: https://MentalHealthHopeAndRecovery.com Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major platforms RELATED EPISODES Mental Health: Hope and Recovery Podcast, Episode 9: Goal Setting: A Necessity for Recovery https://mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com/episode/goal-setting-a-necessity-for-recovery Mental Health: Hope and Recovery Podcast, Episode 60: Dialectical Behavior Therapy—The Journey from Pain to Purpose https://mentalhealthhopeandrecovery.com/episode/dialectical-behavior-therapy-the-journey-from-pain-to-purpose DISCLAIMER This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any health-related questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inside a recent episode

Gratitude and Celebration: Helen and Valerie Take Their Own Advice

Published 21 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] This is no secret. So here are some of my favorite quotes from 65 Episodes. Nelson Mandela said, don't judge me by my successes. Judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again. And here's one I love from Eleanor Roosevelt. You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do. I love that. I know. And, you know, it's something to remember for me at any rate. And here's from Edith Wharton. I love this one. There are two ways of spreading light to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. Beautiful. And finally, from Bob Marley, you never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

2,013

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

24 ratings

Spotify

4.8 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 55 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

49

Social presence

0

YouTube

74

Engagement

77

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