Beyond Well with Sheila Hamilton

My guest today works at that threshold between memory and body. Sonnet Daymont is a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in EMDR for people with relational trauma.Today we'll talk about how EMDR works, why it can reach what words alone sometimes can't, and why somatic work matters so much for people healing from trauma. Sonnet, welcome.

Millions of partners, parents, adult children, siblings, and caregivers find themselves overwhelmed by the emotional needs of someone they love. In his new book, Too Close for Comfort, Dr. Tamir Aldad reframes this often-misunderstood relationship dynamic and offers practical strategies for navigating severe emotional dependency while maintaining compassion and healthy boundaries.

Dr. Tamir Aldad is a board-certified clinical psychiatrist. As the Founder and CEO of Mindful Care, Dr. Aldad pioneered the nation’s first same-day mental health and addiction treatment urgent care model, expanding access to care across multiple states including NY, IL, FL, CT, NJ, and MI. Under his leadership, Mindful Care has grown into a multi-state network, serving thousands of patients with integrated psychiatric, addiction, and therapy services.

Dr. Aldad earned his Doctor of Medicine, graduating summa cum laude from the American University of Antigua School of Medicine, with additional visiting student training at Yale University

Scott Sadler is an executive coach who works with teams under pressure. Scott’s primary focus is helping people elevate under pressure using these tools. He is an experienced speaker and facilitator and is currently working with a coach to develop marketing materials, videos, and other assets for the "Elevate Under Pressure" program and the "Pressure Performance System" for groups.

Dr Jennifer Reid is a clinical assistant professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. Hew new book, Guilt Free: Reclaiming Your Life From Unreasonable Expectations, encourages women to look at the myriad of ways we allow guilt to control our lives. In the interview, Dr. Reid discusses how guilt and empathy are linked The interpersonal cost of guilt on relationships and why turning guilt inward to control our own behavior backfires, creating the sense of never doing enough. Dr. Reid has developed a SPEAK framework tool to use the moment guilt hits and she provides practical examples of when to put the tool to use.

My guest today has spent his career building systems that catch people before they fall. Eran Magen holds a PhD in psychology from Stanford, and he's the founder of Early Alert, an organization that works inside universities, public schools, and the VA to identify suicide risk before it becomes a crisis.

In this conversation, we talk about why divorced men have a much higher risk of suicide, what men should do to avoid a mental health crisis, and why “asking for help” is still so difficult for men in our society.

Liz Scott has spent nearly fifty years sitting across from other people's problems, fears and vulnerabilities. But, by her own accounting, Liz’s biggest fear is dying. In fact, she’s not even sure dying applies to her. That’s the diagnosis behind the humorous and insightful You’re Going to Die but not me! A book about Liz’s near acceptance of death.

Liz Scott is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Portland, a New Yorker by origin, an Oregonian since the early nineties, and the author of the memoir This Never Happened and the essay collection Love Life. She turned seventy-nine in March. In this book she goes looking for a truce with mortality through Buddhist detachment, in near-death research, in Tarot decks and psychedelics and death doulas. The book is part humor, part confession, and mostly delight about the ways we all deceive ourselves regarding the inevitability of death.

The Lindsay Clancy case is attracting international attention and illuminating the complex problem of postpartum anxiety, depression, and, more rarely, postpartum psychosis, a psychiatric emergency that affects roughly 1 in every 1000 new mothers.

Pregnant women and new moms are understandably anxious right now. John Puls, a case manager and therapist, joins Beyond Well to talk about the problem of fragmentation in the mental health system and how a case manager can help.

Haley Ashcom Miller is a working mom of four, maternal mental health advocate, and postpartum psychosis survivor with a professional background spanning government and marketing.

After experiencing postpartum psychosis following the birth of her first child, Haley began sharing her story publicly to bring greater awareness to a condition that remains deeply misunderstood and heavily stigmatized.

Through candid conversations about psychosis, motherhood, recovery, and life after postpartum mental illness, Haley is working to challenge the way we talk about mothers experiencing severe mental health crises. Her advocacy is rooted in a simple belief: better awareness, better conversations, and better resources can save lives—and every mother deserves compassion and access to care.

Haley Ashcom Miller is a working mom of four, maternal mental health advocate, and postpartum psychosis survivor with a professional background spanning government and marketing.

After experiencing postpartum psychosis following the birth of her first child, Haley began sharing her story publicly to bring greater awareness to a condition that remains deeply misunderstood and heavily stigmatized.

Through candid conversations about psychosis, motherhood, recovery, and life after postpartum mental illness, Haley is working to challenge the way we talk about mothers experiencing severe mental health crises. Her advocacy is rooted in a simple belief: better awareness, better conversations, and better resources can save lives—and every mother deserves compassion and access to care.

Leslie Dobson on the Lindsay Clancy case and Postpartum depression

Dr. Leslie Dobson is a forensic psychologist who is providing legal expertise and media commentary on the Lindsay Clancy trial. Dr. Dobson talks about the internet conspiracy theories regarding Lindsay’s husband, and how it is connected to an unwillingness to accept the horror of postpartum psychosis.

Part Two.

The Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial is forcing a harrowing national conversation about postpartum anxiety, depression, and psychosis. Lindsay Clancy is accused of the murders of her three children while in the throes of postpartum psychosis. The case has opened a national conversation on the limits of the mental health care system, criminal responsibility while mentally ill, and what sentence suits a person who had lost touch with reality at the time of the crime.

We are bringing back a riveting conversation with Sara Townshend, the author of SETTING THE WIRE, a memoir of postpartum psychosis. She was a psychotherapist and new mother when she experienced the most disturbing experience of her lifetime—postpartum psychosis. Sara was able to get the help she needed to recover, but not before hospitalization.

Part One.

The Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial is forcing a harrowing national conversation about postpartum anxiety, depression, and psychosis. Lindsay Clancy is accused of the murders of her three children while in the throes of postpartum psychosis. The case has opened a national conversation on the limits of the mental health care system, criminal responsibility while mentally ill, and what sentence suits a person who had lost touch with reality at the time of the crime.

We are bringing back a riveting conversation with Sara Townshend, the author of SETTING THE WIRE, a memoir of postpartum psychosis. She was a psychotherapist and new mother when she experienced the most disturbing experience of her lifetime—postpartum psychosis. Sara was able to get the help she needed to recover, but not before hospitalization.

This is a Re-Visit.

A No Stone Unturned episode from 2019."A talk with Doctors, Do I need therapy?"We hire personal trainers to help us get in shape, tutors for difficult subjects, and music instructors to learn to master musical instruments. So, why are people reluctant to hire a therapist, a person trained to help people better manage their minds? In this episode, Jenna, Sheila and Brian talk about how therapy works and what really goes on in therapeutic sessions.

This is a Re-visit.

Doctors Jenna LeJune and Brian Goff.This show aired more than six years ago. We originally titled it “Why Therapy”. But in hindsight we easily could have called it “Why therapy could work for you and what to expect when you get there...Oh, and by the way there are different kinds of therapist approaches so, here’s what you could be looking for” It’s a Doctors only discussion and an interesting insider view from a couple of mental health care professionals. We hope you enjoy the episode.

Part2

Family members of people struggling with mental illness and addiction often ask themselves the same painful questions: What more should I have done? What did I miss? Why couldn’t I save them? Nigel Roberts knows those questions intimately. After losing both his daughter and former wife following their battles with bipolar disorder and addiction, the former World Bank director embarked on a two-month, 450-mile trek through Nepal. His new memoir, The Leopard and the Moon: A Journey in Dolpo, Nepal, chronicles that physical journey while exploring the emotional realities faced by countless caregivers whose efforts could not save the people they loved.

Part 1.

Family members of people struggling with mental illness and addiction often ask themselves the same painful questions: What more should I have done? What did I miss? Why couldn’t I save them? Nigel Roberts knows those questions intimately. After losing both his daughter and former wife following their battles with bipolar disorder and addiction, the former World Bank director embarked on a two-month, 450-mile trek through Nepal. His new memoir, The Leopard and the Moon: A Journey in Dolpo, Nepal, chronicles that physical journey while exploring the emotional realities faced by countless caregivers whose efforts could not save the people they loved.

Part Two.

I'm fascinated by high-functioning mental illness and addiction.
David Shamszad knows that world firsthand.
A Dartmouth graduate, entrepreneur, and founder of a successful real estate company, David appeared to have everything together. Behind the scenes, he was battling untreated bipolar disorder, addiction, and a life-threatening downward spiral that nearly cost him everything.
Today, as conversations around mental health, addiction, loneliness, and recovery continue to intensify across America, David brings a perspective most experts can't:
He lived it.
This conversation goes far beyond awareness:
• The hidden reality of high-functioning addiction
• Why success often masks mental health struggles
• What families miss before a crisis happens
• The truth about bipolar disorder and stigma
• Why recovery starts with honesty—not willpower
• How someone can rebuild a meaningful life after hitting rock bottom
His story is raw, timely, and deeply relatable for anyone who has struggled personally, or watched someone they love struggle in silence.

I'm fascinated by high-functioning mental illness and addiction.
David Shamszad knows that world firsthand.
A Dartmouth graduate, entrepreneur, and founder of a successful real estate company, David appeared to have everything together. Behind the scenes, he was battling untreated bipolar disorder, addiction, and a life-threatening downward spiral that nearly cost him everything.
Today, as conversations around mental health, addiction, loneliness, and recovery continue to intensify across America, David brings a perspective most experts can't:
He lived it.
This conversation goes far beyond awareness:
• The hidden reality of high-functioning addiction
• Why success often masks mental health struggles
• What families miss before a crisis happens
• The truth about bipolar disorder and stigma
• Why recovery starts with honesty—not willpower
• How someone can rebuild a meaningful life after hitting rock bottom
His story is raw, timely, and deeply relatable for anyone who has struggled personally, or watched someone they love struggle in silence.

Part Two.

Brendan Mahan, M.Ed., M.S., is a dynamic ADHD/executive function consultant, coach, and speaker. A veteran educator and former teacher, principal, and mental health clinician, he specializes in helping people affected by ADHD, autism, and anxiety redesign their lives to lessen the impact of their struggles.

An internationally recognized expert and engaging speaker and podcast where he helps individuals, families, and institutions better understand the emotional, productivity, and lifestyle impacts of ADHD and other neurodiversities.

Drawing on well over a decade of experience coaching hundreds of clients, Brendan developed his groundbreaking Wall of Awful™ model, which helps people better understand the emotional barriers behind procrastination, avoidance, and overwhelm so they can solve challenges more effectively.

Brendan works with entrepreneurs, nonprofits, educational institutions, mental health agencies, and businesses across the country and around the world. He has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, ADDitude, Verywell Mind, How to ADHD, and other leading media outlets focused on mental health, parenting, and neurodiversity.

Brendan’s new book, Overcoming the Wall of Awful (Balance/Hachette; September 1, 2026), greatly expands upon his groundbreaking Wall of Awful™ model, helping people understand the challenge they face at a deeper level so they can solve them more effectively.

Part One.

Brendan Mahan, M.Ed., M.S., is a dynamic ADHD/executive function consultant, coach, and speaker. A veteran educator and former teacher, principal, and mental health clinician, he specializes in helping people affected by ADHD, autism, and anxiety redesign their lives to lessen the impact of their struggles.

An internationally recognized expert and engaging speaker and podcast where he helps individuals, families, and institutions better understand the emotional, productivity, and lifestyle impacts of ADHD and other neurodiversities.

Drawing on well over a decade of experience coaching hundreds of clients, Brendan developed his groundbreaking Wall of Awful™ model, which helps people better understand the emotional barriers behind procrastination, avoidance, and overwhelm so they can solve challenges more effectively.

Brendan works with entrepreneurs, nonprofits, educational institutions, mental health agencies, and businesses across the country and around the world. He has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, ADDitude, Verywell Mind, How to ADHD, and other leading media outlets focused on mental health, parenting, and neurodiversity.

Brendan’s new book, Overcoming the Wall of Awful (Balance/Hachette; September 1, 2026), greatly expands upon his groundbreaking Wall of Awful™ model, helping people understand the challenge they face at a deeper level so they can solve them more effectively.