State Of Mind Mental Health Podcast

About State Of Mind Mental Health Podcast

Welcome to the State of Mind Podcast. Tools, stories, and truth on being human. My name is Mike Stroh a Psychotherapist with a Masters in Counselling Psychology. This is a podcast for living with courage, clarity, and compassion. Through these conversations, I hope we don't just learn what people do, I hope we learn how they became the kind of person who can do what they do.

Publisher

Michael Stroh

Category

health & fitness · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Feb 2019

Latest episode

7 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

3 of 173 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   7 Nov 2026

   #127 - Don't Fix It, Witness It: Grief, Trauma & Dark Fantasy | Justin Anderson

   Sometimes people don't need you to fix it. They need you to witness it. In this episode of the State of Mind Mental Health Podcast, I sit down with Justin Anderson, who writes dark fantasy under the pen name J. Vaelorin and created VaelorinVerse, a story world where mental health is the magic system. Justin shares how the grief he buried as a teenager after losing his grandmother, along with the "be tough, don't cry" messages he absorbed as the man of the house, came pouring out 18 years later when he sat down to write a simple side-hustle fantasy novel. His characters started carrying abandonment, PTSD and depression, and one of them looked a lot like him. We get into why dark fantasy can hold grief and trauma without forcing a happy ending, why mental health isn't a rubber band that snaps back, and what Justin calls the "sanitized room": the way clients clean up their pain before bringing it into therapy and end up working on the wrong problem. He explains externalization through his "I door and E door" idea, talks honestly about the early warning signs of his own depression, and walks me through how he steps back out of his characters' darkness. We also talk about intrusive thoughts and why thoughts are just thoughts, journaling without needing to publish your pain, the Threaded Journal tool he built, and why finding the right therapist can take more than one try. If you've ever wanted someone to just say "I see you," this one's for you. Content note: Justin speaks openly about depression, including passive and active suicidal thoughts (around 35:47). If you're struggling, in Canada or the US you can call or text 9-8-8 any time. Connect with Justin (J. Vaelorin) VaelorinVerse - https://vaelorinverse.com Chapters [00:00:00] Cold open: don't fix it, witness it [00:00:43] Grief buried as a teen comes back 18 years later [00:05:35] Building VaelorinVerse: mental health as the magic system [00:11:05] Therapy's language barrier and the sanitized room [00:17:30] Why dark fantasy can hold grief without a happy ending [00:22:58] The thread, the Hollowborn and keeping your balance [00:27:39] How a toxic writing group led him back to therapy [00:32:36] Early warning signs of a depressive slide [00:37:42] Externalizing pain and why thoughts are just thoughts [00:45:29] Finding the right therapist and the Threaded Journal [00:49:45] Being witnessed and bridging the gap to therapy Apple Podcasts - https://bit.ly/4eVTKoq Spotify - https://bit.ly/44Nadqd Amazon - https://bit.ly/3Rj7PVb Free 1-month of the Meditation App - Waking Up https://dynamic.wakingup.com/guestpass/SC58BD912 Questions - hello@startswithme.ca DISCLAIMER: Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Disclaimer Professional medical care and psychotherapeutic services are not offered on this Youtube channel. It is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such condition. Seeking professional support is encouraged if you think you have an issue and that you want help.

2. 

   29 Oct 2026

   #126 - How We Can Build Deeper Connections In A Lonely World with Relationship Coach Andre Paradis

   Your relationships shape the quality of your life more than your career, your money or your house. That's where relationship coach Andre Paradis starts, and his own story makes the case. Andre grew up in Quebec City believing he wasn't supposed to be here. A high school ballroom class gave him his first real smile, and dance eventually took him to Los Angeles, where he performed with Michael Jackson, Prince and Paula Abdul. Then he stepped away from touring to be present for his kids. He opened an auto body shop and sat through a workshop called Understanding Women, which showed him how little he knew about his own wife. That moment started his path to Project Equinox, where he now coaches singles and couples. In this episode of the State of Mind Mental Health Podcast, I ask Andre about the Mankind Project and men's work, why information doesn't create transformation without practice, and what ballroom dancing teaches about leading with sensitivity. We get into his framework on masculine and feminine energy, which comes from his coaching work rather than clinical research. I push back where nuance matters: a woman with masculine traits isn't doing anything wrong, and not ending up in a traditional partnership isn't failure. The most practical part for me is why correcting someone's feelings with logic lands as an insult, and the simple practice my wife and I use instead. Try this week: the next time someone you love is upset, skip the fix. Say "that sounds really difficult" and let it land. Andre's free resources https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectEquinoxwithAndreParadis Email andrecoaching1@gmail.com with the subject line "irresistible book" for a digital copy of his workbook, The Five Feminine Qualities High Value Men Find Absolutely Irresistible. Use the subject line "talk now" to book a call with him. Chapters [00:00:00] "I wasn't supposed to be here" [00:05:48] How dancing saved his life (Michael Jackson, Prince) [00:10:59] Choosing his kids and realizing he knew nothing about his wife [00:16:40] The Mankind Project and men supporting men [00:22:17] Information isn't transformation: leading with sensitivity [00:28:10] Masculine, feminine, and why he says 50/50 fails [00:34:44] Logic vs. feelings: why correcting her backfires [00:41:10] Gender intelligence, practice, and officiating weddings [00:49:04] Free resources from Andre Apple Podcasts - https://bit.ly/4eVTKoq Spotify - https://bit.ly/44Nadqd Amazon - https://bit.ly/3Rj7PVb Free 1-month of the Meditation App - Waking Up https://dynamic.wakingup.com/guestpass/SC58BD912 Questions - hello@startswithme.ca DISCLAIMER: Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Disclaimer Professional medical care and psychotherapeutic services are not offered on this Youtube channel. It is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such condition. Seeking professional support is encouraged if you think you have an issue and that you want help.

3. 

   21 Oct 2026

   #125 - Are Your Emotions 'Wrong'? Why You Need To Rethink How You Feel with Dr. Jenn Veilleux

   Emotions aren't right or wrong. They're messages, and learning to read them can change how you handle anxiety, shame, and everyday stress. In this episode of the State of Mind Mental Health Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Jenn Veilleux, clinical psychologist, professor of psychological science at the University of Arkansas, and author of Open to Emotion: How Acknowledging, Understanding, and Regulating Your Feelings Can Improve Your Mental Health. Jenn walks me through the idea at the centre of her book: every emotion is a letter. Open the envelope and read it. Don't sleep with it under your pillow (rumination), and don't toss it out as junk mail (avoidance). We talk about why anxiety has climbed so sharply, why treating anxiety as if it's always right makes life narrower, and whether shame ever actually helps us change. Her answer on guilt versus shame, and why shame usually fuels self-criticism instead of growth, is worth the listen on its own. Then we turn to therapy itself: what makes a good therapist, when therapist self-disclosure helps and when it doesn't, how to tell whether therapy is working, and why it can feel worse before it gets better. Try this this week: when a feeling shows up, open the envelope. Notice where it sits in your body, what it's urging you to do, and give it a more specific name than "stressed" or "bad." Learn more about Jenn's work: https://www.jenncveilleux.com/ Mike Stroh: https://mikestroh.com | https://startswithme.ca [00:00:00] Emotions Aren't Right or Wrong: They're Messages [00:05:03] Modern Threats, Rising Anxiety and a Narrower Life [00:10:52] Guilt vs. Shame: Does Shame Ever Help? [00:16:01] Rules, Values and Why We Feel What We Feel [00:24:04] Too Numb or Too Much? Mindfulness for Both [00:29:48] What Makes a Good Therapist? [00:36:11] Should Therapists Share About Themselves? [00:41:51] How Do You Know If Therapy Is Working? [00:47:33] Worse Before Better, and Why It's Hard to Be Human Free 1-month of the Meditation App - Waking Up https://dynamic.wakingup.com/guestpass/SC58BD912 Please Subscribe to my YouTube - YouTube Subscription Link Disclaimer Professional medical care and psychotherapeutic services are not offered on this Youtube channel. It is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such condition. Seeking professional support is encouraged if you think you have an issue and that you want help.

Inside a recent episode

#106 - Iran Used Children as Minesweepers - The Story of Iranian Resistance to Authoritarian Theocracy

Published 30 Apr 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So not only your generation, but your parents generation have probably only seen this. And what is interesting is that you see that despite all of that, the people of Iran are still defined and they still come to the streets. I mean, and just then the past nine years we've had four major uprisings in Iran. […]

Who has been a guest on State Of Mind Mental Health Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• AJ Murillo
• Sadhvi Bhavya
• Mike Thibodeau
• Rebecca Bitton
• Dr Julia Sen

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 56 / 100

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

Quality

80

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

81

Contact State Of Mind Mental Health Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about State Of Mind Mental Health Podcast