Behavioral Health Today

Wellness is more than weight, and health is more than numbers. In this episode of BHT Bytes, host Sharlee Dixon is joined by Peter Fenger to unpack the complex intersections of diet culture, body image, and mental health. From the rise of weight-loss fads in the ’80s and ’90s to the emergence of body positivity and fat visibility movements, we trace how cultural messages about size and health have shaped generations. The conversation dives into the psychological toll of diet culture—covering disordered eating, negative self-image, and the mental health struggles tied to societal ideals. We also explore the new wave of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound—hailed by some as groundbreaking, but raising critical questions about identity, stigma, and long-term impact. Together, Sharlee and Peter break down the science, the stigma, and the shifting narratives of weight and wellness in today’s world.   Follow Behavioral Health Today on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/behavioralhealthtoday/ Follow us on TikTok at: https://www.tiktok.com/@behavioralhealthtoday Follow us on Threads at: https://www.threads.net/@behavioralhealthtoday Or watch us live on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvOeCMGsF7B2gNBHuWxt-fQ

How much influence does your body really have on your happiness? More than you might think. Small, science-backed shifts in the way we move, sit, or shape our environment can unlock profound changes in mood, creativity, and wellbeing. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon sits down with Janice Kaplan, New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and former Editor-in-Chief of Parade. Janice has devoted her career to exploring what makes us happier and more fulfilled. Her book “The Gratitude Diaries” became a national sensation, and her newest work, What Your Body Knows About Happiness, offers a groundbreaking look at the mind–body connection. With a career spanning bestselling books, award-winning journalism, and more than 30 primetime TV specials, Janice has interviewed world leaders, Hollywood icons, and leading researchers—all in pursuit of deeper insights into human happiness. Together, we explore how the body shapes the mind just as much as the mind shapes the body, and how simple daily choices can open the door to greater joy and creativity. For more information about “What Your Body Knows About Happiness,” by Janice Kaplan, please visit: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-your-body-knows-about-happiness-janice-kaplan/1146176802 Discover more about Janice Kaplan: https://www.janicekaplan.com Explore her other bestselling books: https://www.janicekaplan.com/books-2/

Most people have experienced what Mallary Tenore Tarpley calls “the middle place,” even if they never had a name for it. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon talks with Mallary, author of “SLIP: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery”. In her deeply personal and powerfully researched debut, Mallary blends her own story of anorexia and grief, beginning with the loss of her mother, with interviews from experts and survivors. Together, these narratives reveal the often-overlooked realities of recovery. Her concept of the middle place reframes recovery as a living, evolving journey rather than a fixed destination. In addition to her work as an author, Mallary is a journalism and writing professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other major publications. In our conversation, she shares how recovery can be shaped by grief, personal growth, and the courage to live between sickness and full healing.   For more information about “SLIP: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery,” by Mallary Tenore Tarply, please visit: https://bookshop.org/p/books/slip-life-in-the-middle-of-eating-disorder-recovery-mallary-tenore-tarpley/21872676?ean=9781668035016 For more information about Mallary, please visit: https://www.mallarytenoretarpley.com For more articles and writing by Mallary, please visit: https://mallary.substack.com Connect with Mallary on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/mallarytenoretarpley/ Connect with Mallary on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallary-tenore-6719484/ Connect with Mallary on X at: https://x.com/mallarytenore

When mental health is integrated into primary care, patients are less likely to fall through the cracks. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon speaks with Erik Osland, co-founder and CEO of evolvedMD, a company redefining how behavioral health is delivered. With a background as a corporate leader turned serial entrepreneur, Erik has built and led multiple successful healthcare ventures, including a clinical lab that was acquired by a major diagnostic company in 2020. At evolvedMD, Erik is focused on bringing mental health care directly into primary care settings, making services more accessible, collaborative, and effective. He and Sharlee discuss the personal story that inspired the company, the challenges of our fragmented healthcare system, and how evolvedMD’s integrated model is improving outcomes for patients with both simple and complex needs. This episode offers valuable insights for anyone interested in healthcare innovation, behavioral health, and the future of whole-person care.   For more information about evolvedMD, please visit: https://www.evolvedmd.com If you would like to contact Erik Osland, please email at: erik@evolvedmd.com If you would like to connect with Erik on Linkedin, please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-osland-0a41b7133 Connect with evolvedMD on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/evolved_md Connect with evolvedMD on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/evolvedmd Connect with evolvedMD on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/evolvedMD  

When we treat minds, bodies, and communities together, we don’t just reduce harm, we build hope. In this episode, Peter Fenger sits down with Dr. Traci Sweet, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Holon Health. With more than 30 years of experience driving innovation in behavioral health and substance use treatment, Traci has been a leading force behind integrated care models that truly serve underserved populations. From launching the first integrated SUD treatment program at Catasys, to developing evidence-based curricula for incarcerated individuals and DUI programs, Traci has spent her career breaking down barriers to care. Her work has consistently focused on meeting people where they are—with respect, with science, and with systems that work. At Holon Health, she’s helping lead a systemic shift, one that seamlessly combines primary care, substance use treatment, and harm reduction into a collaborative, forward-thinking model. Holon is challenging outdated norms, bridging the divide between healthcare and the criminal justice system, and using technology to expand access and build trust. We're thrilled to have Traci on the show to explore how Holon is transforming what care looks like, and what recovery can truly mean.   For more information about Holon Health, please visit: https://www.holonhealth.com If you would like to refer a client, please visit: https://www.holonhealth.com/client-referrals/ For more information about partnering with Holon Health, please visit: https://www.holonhealth.com/courts/ Connect with Holon Health on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/holonhealth/ Connect with Holon Health on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holonhealthcare Connect with Holon Health on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HolonHealth Connect with Holon Health on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holonhealth/

Belonging, feedback, and trust aren’t soft skills. They’re the foundation of strong, high-performing teams. In this episode, Peter Fenger talks with Vanessa Druskat, associate professor of Organizational Behavior and Management at the University of New Hampshire and a leading expert on team performance and leadership. Vanessa is the author of The Emotionally Intelligent Team: Building Collaborative Groups that Outperform the Rest, a practical guide to creating team cultures that foster motivation, collaboration, and results. Her best-selling article in Harvard Business Review, coauthored with Steven Wolff, has been featured in five of HBR’s most valued collections. Vanessa has advised leaders at more than a dozen Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies, and her award-winning research continues to shape how organizations build emotionally intelligent teams. Together, Peter and Vanessa explore what makes a team emotionally intelligent—from the norms that create belonging and trust to the habits and feedback systems that help teams thrive in today’s evolving workplace.   For more information about “The Emotionally Intelligent Team: Building Collaborative Groups that Outperform the Rest” by Vanessa Druskat, please visit: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-emotionally-intelligent-team-building-collaborative-groups-that-outperform-the-rest-vanessa-urch-druskat/20207200?ean=9781647824877&next=t For more information about Vanessa Druskat, please visit: https://www.vanessadruskat.com For more information about other books and publications written by Vanessa, please visit: https://www.vanessadruskat.com/books For resources for fostering emotionally intelligent teams, please visit: https://www.vanessadruskat.com/resources Watch Vanessa speak on Team El for TEDx Portsmouth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wcdXXgG2rQ

Mental wellness is no longer just a plot twist—it’s the story itself. In this episode of BHT Bytes, hosts Peter Fenger and Sharlee Dixon explore how our work overlaps with the films, TV shows, and music we consume, especially when it comes to mental health. We’ve both seen it move from punchline or surprise reveal to something central, human, even heroic. Think back to horror-movie “madness” in the 1970s and ’80s, then fast-forward to recent, more nuanced portrayals in Silver Linings Playbook, 13 Reasons Why, or even The Thunderbolts. Media is changing quickly, and while greater visibility has brought many benefits, there are unintended downsides: everyday emotions get over-pathologized, diagnoses become identities, and awareness doesn’t always mean accuracy. Today we ask: when mental wellness goes mainstream, what improves, what blurs, and what should we watch closely?   Follow Behavioral Health Today on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/behavioralhealthtoday/ Follow us on TikTok at: https://www.tiktok.com/@behavioralhealthtoday Follow us on Threads at: https://www.threads.net/@behavioralhealthtoday Or watch us live on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvOeCMGsF7B2gNBHuWxt-fQ

Technology should serve the mission rather than take the lead. When guided by compassion, strategy, and inclusion, AI becomes a teammate instead of a threat. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon welcomes Sheetal Shah, founder and CEO of MettaHealth Partners, a consulting firm dedicated to helping public health and social service organizations navigate digital transformation with both compassion and efficiency. Sheetal’s career spans from the frontlines of a dengue epidemic in Brazil to leading digital health initiatives in Ethiopia, and even shaping national policy during the Obama Administration. With over two decades of experience supporting value-based care, Medicaid transformation, and health equity initiatives, she brings a global perspective grounded in deep expertise. Sheetal holds a Master’s in Public Health from George Washington University, is pursuing an Executive MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and centers loving-kindness, or metta, in all aspects of her work. We are excited to have Sheetal on the show to explore how MettaHealth Partners is using AI and digital innovation to drive value-based, equitable transformation in public health by blending global insight, ethical technology, and compassionate strategy to help mission-driven organizations create meaningful and lasting impact.   For more information about MettaHealth Partners, please visit: https://mettahealthpartners.com For more information about their AI Digital Learning Series, please visit: https://mettahealthpartners.com/training-ai-25 For more information about MetttaHealth Partners and their services, please visit: https://mettahealthpartners.com/services If you are interested in contacting MettaHealth Parterns, please visit: https://mettahealthpartners.com/contact Connect with Sheetal Shah on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheetalshahmph

Ketamine creates the space to see your truth, but its integration that transforms that truth into lasting change. In this episode, host Peter Fenger is joined by Christi Myers, Founder and CEO of Flow Integrative®, a pioneering Ketamine Infusion center focused on expanding access to psychedelic-assisted therapy. With nearly 20 years of experience as a paramedic, Christi has served in high-impact roles, from working with the Department of Defense to educating the next generation of EMS professionals as a faculty member and assistant director of Emergency Medical Services at Victor Valley College. Her personal journey through PTSD and the emotional toll of frontline work inspired her to build Flow Integrative®, a center dedicated to destigmatizing psychedelic medicine and reimagining mental healthcare. Under her leadership, Flow has become a national model for employer-driven ketamine treatment, offering a trauma-informed, dual-modality approach that integrates both medical and mental health care. In today’s conversation, we explore how Ketamine Infusion Therapy offers a unique, action-oriented path to healing. We’ll dive into what makes Flow’s model different, the critical role of integration, and how this work is reshaping how we think about emotional well-being, trauma, and treatment access.   For more information about Flow Integrative and their ketamine clinic, please visit: https://flowintegrativeketamine.com For more information about ketamine protocol, physician training, and practice integration, please visit: https://flowintegrative.org/services For more information about ketamine infusion process and FAQs, please visit: https://flowintegrativeketamine.com/faq/ For more information on what to expect, please visit the Flow Integrative Blog: https://flowintegrativeketamine.com/blog/ Connect with Flow Integrative on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/getfikd/ Connect with Flow Integrative on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flow-integrative-psychedelic-wellness/?viewAsMember=true Connect with Flow Integrative on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/GetFIKd/

Float therapy isn’t an escape—it’s a return: to your body, your breath, and your baseline. In this episode, Sharlee Dixon speaks with Dr. Katelyn Lehman, a pioneering psychologist and founder of Quantum Clinic, a Los Angeles-based wellness center at the forefront of heart-brain coherence and nervous system healing. Recognized by Goop, the LA Times, NBC, and Beverly Hills Times, Dr. Lehman is leading a movement of radical reconnection—bridging science and spirituality to transform how we heal. Her clinic blends floatation therapy, biofeedback, and coherence training to offer powerful, preventative mental health care. Together, we explore her journey from political and cultural psychology to founding Quantum Clinic, the therapeutic power of deep rest, how this model supports trauma recovery and psychedelic integration, and why she believes the future of mental health lies in stillness, safety, and self-awareness.   For more information about Quantum Clinic, please visit: https://www.quantumclinic.com/ For more information about Quantum Clinic services, please visit: https://www.quantumclinic.com/wellness-services-los-angeles Connect with Quantum Clinics on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@quantumclinic Connect with Quantum Clinics on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/quantumclinicusa/ Connect with Quantum Clinics on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/quantumclinicusa Connect with Quantum Clinics on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/quantumclinicusa For articles and thought leadership by Dr. Katelyn Lehman, please visit: https://drklehman.medium.com Connect with Dr. Katelyn Lehman on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelynlehman/