The Mojo, Motivation & Mental Health podcast shares real stories of resilience and transformation. Raw Stories, Real Emotion.
increasing mental health awareness isn't about being perfect —
it's about being honest.
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What Money Can't Solve for High Achievers | Mark Holden | #35 | Mojo, Motivation & Mental Health
You can look like you have it all figured out and still be losing contact with yourself. (Guilty.) 🎙️
This week I sat down with Mark Holden, CFP®, a Chicago-based wealth advisor who has spent his career seeing what really sits underneath money decisions: fear, identity, and the need to prove something. Mark's core insight: financial strength and emotional health are not substitutes for one another.
Mark moved to Chicago to pursue stage performance, landed in the world of trading, and found his way into financial advice. Along the way he learned that a survival mindset can build a career and then quietly start working against you.
CONNECT WITH MARK HOLDEN
https://www.linkedin.com/in/markholdencfp/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/markholdencfp/)
https://www.vestorcapital.com (https://www.vestorcapital.com)
Book, Men, Money, and Mental Health: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJRK8PFM?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HJRK8PFM?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback)
CONNECT WITH MIKE ORLOWSKI
https://www.mojomotivates.com (https://www.mojomotivates.com)
https://www.mojoww.com (https://www.mojoww.com)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/)
https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski (https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski)
https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates (https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates)
https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide (https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide)
In this conversation, we talk about:
• How a scarcity mindset keeps you stuck in survival mode and costs you opportunity
• Why high-functioning men burn so much energy maintaining the "I've got this" avatar
• Why "time heals all wounds" is false, and why forgiveness may be the greatest superpower
• How success keeps moving the goalposts when it's anchored to someone else's definition
• The "assumption machine" and why being needed can feel safer than being known
• Impression management vs. relationship management when you sell a business or retire
• Why asking for help is a strength, and what "environmental building" looks like when you're ready to move from survival to stewardship
Mark also shares about the Outlier Project community, the Headspace event he co-hosts with Josh Perry, and his chapter in the book Men, Money, and Mental Health.
Mark, thank you for showing up so honestly. Your willingness to say "I may not have all the answers after all" gives other men permission to do the same. You are helping people move from armor to authenticity.
If you're successful on the outside but struggling on the inside, please know that help is available. Call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Call 911 in an emergency. You matter beyond your performance.
If this conversation moved you, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Get your MOJO back! 💪
This episode is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice.
13 Oct 2026
The Breakthrough the VA Couldn't Give Him | Chris Eaton | #34 | Mojo, Motivation & Mental Health
Chris Eaton is a military veteran who spent five years and saw 24 different VA therapists trying to deal with childhood and combat trauma. In 2023, psychedelic-assisted therapy (psilocybin) changed everything for him. He's now finishing a PhD in spirituality and consciousness, works as a death doula, and practices shamanic energy healing and breathwork. He's also finishing a book, "Don't Wait for Death to Wake You Up," expected around November.
Connect with Chris Eaton
https://www.withchriseaton.com (https://www.withchriseaton.com)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriseaton10x/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriseaton10x/)
https://www.trinity-yoga.com (https://www.trinity-yoga.com)
Connect with Mike Orlowski
https://www.mojomotivates.com (https://www.mojomotivates.com)
https://www.mojoww.com (https://www.mojoww.com)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/)
https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski (https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski)
https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates (https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates)
https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide (https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide)
Episode summary:
Chris opens up about childhood bullying, military trauma, a 2018 suicide attempt, and years of drinking to numb it all. He explains why 24 VA therapists only chipped away at "10-15% of the mountain," and how two psilocybin sessions in 2023 gave him what he calls a "reset button" — including the science-ish explanation of how it breaks the brain's trigger loops (why a car backfiring stops meaning "incoming fire"). He and Mike also get into what a death doula does, breathwork and nervous system regulation, forgiveness (of others and yourself), and why hiding pain in silence is what does the real damage.
Key moments (timestamps):
0:00 — Intro and who Chris is
2:09 — Childhood trauma and bullying
9:04 — Rock bottom: 2018 suicide attempt
9:32 — The VA and 24 therapists
10:31 — Finding psychedelic-assisted therapy (via the Sean Ryan/VETS podcast)
13:45 — How psilocybin works on trauma triggers
16:03 — What a psilocybin session is really like
23:28 — The switch flipping — life after his first session
25:16 — Would he go back? "Peeling back an onion"
30:04 — What a death doula does
34:04 — Breathwork and calming the nervous system
41:48 — Central theme: hiding pain destroys from within
46:34 — His upcoming book, "Don't Wait for Death to Wake You Up"
50:15 — Forgiveness — of others, and of yourself
53:03 — Mike's own turning point at 45
59:55 — Where to find Chris
6 Oct 2026
You Don't Have to Be Healed to Live Fully | Rita Garnto | #33 | Mojo, Motivation & Mental Health
Rita Garnto has been diagnosed with dysthymia — chronic low-grade depression. She's not waiting for it to go away. In this conversation, she shares what it actually feels like to live with ongoing depression while building a full life, and the uncomplicated self-care framework that's kept her going for over 15 years.
Connect with Mike Orlowski
• https://www.mojomotivates.com (https://www.mojomotivates.com)
• https://www.mojoww.com (https://www.mojoww.com)
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeorlowski/)
• https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski (https://x.com/MichaelOrlowski)
• https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates (https://www.facebook.com/MOJOMotivates)
• https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide (https://www.tiktok.com/@mojoworldwide)
Connect with Rita:
· www.simpleselfcare.net (http://www.simpleselfcare.net)
· https://www.linkedin.com/in/simpleselfcare/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/simpleselfcare/)
· Rita@simpleselfcare.net (mailto:Rita@simpleselfcare.net) | Free Simple Self-Care Text Club (Tuesday morning missions) | 6-week workshop series launching October 15 in Charlotte
In this episode:
· What dysthymia actually feels like — the shadows, the mood swings, the misunderstanding
· The 2009 turning point: sobbing on the back deck after adopting two toddlers at 45
· A doctor's question that changed everything: "What changes are you going to make?"
· How she started with one tiny practice — stretching while brushing her teeth
· Why she says "I've been diagnosed" instead of "I have" — don't own your diagnosis
· Caveman software in a smartphone world: why our stress response can't tell the difference between a tiger and a Tuesday
· Weightlifting at 63 with a titanium plate in her neck and arthritis for 20 years
· Why saying it out loud is where healing begins
Uncomplicated Self-Care
Rita's framework — simple, consistent practices that fit your daily life and compound over time. Three categories:
· Movement — walking, stretching, weightlifting, punching a bag, gardening
· Mindfulness — pausing, breathing, awareness of what triggered you
· Brain-Dumping — journaling, writing down what's rattling around
Science-based, no cost, 30 seconds is enough to start resetting your nervous system.
If you or someone you love is struggling:
· Call or text 988 — Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
· Call 911 for emergencies
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
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