When Jessica Ekhoff gave birth to her son, the last thing she planned for was a mental health crisis. The signs were there within days of delivering, but with no history of mania, it was easy to overlook the obsessive, grandiose thinking, the hyperfixation and impulsivity. Eventually, a terrifying delusion landed Jessica in a psychiatric ward where she was able to get a diagnosis and receive treatment. Post-recovery, Jessica is sharing her story through her book: Super Sad Unicorn: A Memoir of M...
Jan 11, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 5Ep. 76
Christy interviews Kimi about her favorite moments and memories from Season 4 in this week's mini-episode. We dig into finding guests, key ingredients for a successful episode, and Kimi's dream for All The Wiser in 2023. Additionally, she shares how the stories on her show have changed her, helping her surrender what she can't control and take control of what she can. Follow the show at @allthewiserpodcast on Instagram. Keep the conversation going! Join our new Facebook group and connect with ot...
Dec 21, 2022•30 min
Austin Hatch is one in a million. Scratch that. One in 3.4 million. Those were odds that an MIT statistician gave of him surviving the plane crash that killed his mom and two siblings. But then, just days after being accepted to play basketball for his dream school, the University of Michigan, Austin was in a second plane crash – this one claiming the lives of his dad Steve and his step-mom Julie. Yet with all this loss, Austin has found a way to keep living by finding ways to honor the family h...
Dec 14, 2022•41 min•Season 4Ep. 75
Kimi and Christy talk about Yusuf Dahl's radical transformation from prison inmate to Ivy League scholar. They discuss what attributed to Yususf's ability to adapt and ultimately thrive - a clear internal vision, a sense of purpose, patience and the knowledge that he was loved. As a public defender in juvenile dependency court, Christy shared an emotional story about representing a father who also underwent a radical life transformation. A dad who overcame decades of addiction to keep custody of...
Dec 07, 2022•34 min
He knew he was loved by his mother, and because she loved him, Yusuf Dahl knew he was worth something. Growing up in a food insecure and financially unstable household in Milwaukee taught Yusuf what not to do in order to be a successful adult. Those lessons made him a profitable drug dealer. After landing in prison, however, Yusuf began applying himself in a new way. The investment in himself set him up for a future he never could have imagined, including a degree at Princeton, a real estate car...
Nov 30, 2022•58 min•Season 4Ep. 74
I’m really excited to share with you a special episode from another podcast I love and think you will too. It’s called a Family Secrets hosted by Dani Shapiro. In this episode, "Somebody's Daughter", Ashley’s father is imprisoned when she’s eight months old. She has no real context for him until she visits him for the first time, when she’s seven. They forge as best a relationship they can, writing letters, and talking on the phone. It’s not until she’s fourteen when she discovers why he’s in ja...
Nov 25, 2022•50 min
Kimi shares a message of love, gratitude, and permission to prioritize self-care as the holiday season begins. Follow the show at @allthewiserpodcast on Instagram. Keep the conversation going! Join our new Facebook group and connect with other listeners like you! Stay in the know with all things All The Wiser! Sign up for our newsletter for personal reflections from Kimi, new episodes, and recommendations from our team! Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: h...
Nov 23, 2022•6 min
In part two of this series, Ken Coll recounts his experience raising Matthew and surviving the stabbing that nearly took his life. A few years after adopting baby Matthew, it became clear to Tom Boulet and his husband Ken Coll that something wasn’t right. Matthew had severe behavioral issues and an oppositional, defiant nature that had him bouncing from school to school. Still, Tom and Ken left no stone unturned to get Matthew the care and treatment he needed. After finishing high school and att...
Nov 16, 2022•52 min•Season 4Ep. 73
*Rebroadcast* (originally aired 5/14/19) In honor of National Family Caregivers Month, we celebrate caregivers around the world including Kimi’s friend, and All The Wiser guest, Michel Varisco Gleason. Today we are re-airing their intimate conversation from 2019. #teamgleason #nationalfamilycaregivermonth Mom, wife, artist and one of my all time favorite people, Michel Varisco, cozies up with All The Wiser on a couch in her native New Orleans. Michel walks us through the day of her husbands term...
Nov 09, 2022•41 min
A few years after adopting baby Matthew, it became clear to Tom Boulet and his husband Ken Coll that something wasn’t right. Matthew had severe behavioral issues and an oppositional, defiant nature that had him bouncing from school to school. Still, Tom and Ken left no stone unturned to get Matthew the care and treatment he needed. After finishing high school and attending a few years of college, Matthew returned home one summer and attempted to kill both Tom and Ken, stabbing them a combined 31...
Nov 02, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 4Ep. 72
Kimi is joined by Christy and her new puppy, Holly June Miller Peterson, to discuss vulnerability, how powerful it is, and how hard it can be to find courage. Christy opens up about her desire to share more vulnerably as well as her hesitation to do so. Inspired by Paul Gilmartin's episode last week, Kimi shares her experience with hypomania and discusses whether some symptoms can be viewed as strengths or even gifts. In closing, we are reminded that every episode on the pod is ultimately about ...
Oct 26, 2022•30 min
Most people don’t change unless they have to. For Paul Gilmartin, it was facing a life without experiencing the intimacy he saw other people had. First he needed to know how to deal with his feelings and then find healthy ways to express them, which he does very openly on his popular podcast, The Mental Illness Happy Hour. But the biggest piece of the puzzle for Paul was facing the childhood trauma he spent 20 years avoiding through therapy, support groups and sobriety. Article referenced: Dr. A...
Oct 19, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 4Ep. 71
Kimi is smitten with Meyli Chapin, “Terrorist Attack Girl”, and after listening to the interview from last week, Christy is too. Both appreciate Meyli’s authenticity and the raw emotion she brings to her story of terror and healing. It is a rare gift to share pain and hope in equal measure. Kimi and Christy discuss trauma, both the big and small hardships that impact our health and wellbeing. They wonder whether small-scale, more personal events qualify as trauma, and conclude that trauma is tra...
Oct 12, 2022•30 min
Meyli Chapin was trapped in a hotel room for 17 hours in Nairobi while Al-Shabaab terrorists attacked the property. She was alone and certain she was going to die. But through the incredible efforts of brave men who fought to recover Meyli and extract her to safety, she survived. However, after the attack, PTSD left her mind shattered. She felt like a fraction of the strong, confident, capable woman she used to be. She thought she was uniquely traumatized and couldn't understand why she was unab...
Oct 05, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 70
I’m really excited to share with you a special preview from another podcast I love and think you will too. It’s called a Slight Change of Plans from Pushkin Industries. In this special preview, civil rights icon Ruby Bridges shares what it was like to be the first African-American student to attend an all-white elementary school in Louisiana in 1960. Ruby was just six years old at the time, and it would be years before she fully appreciated her role in advancing civil rights in America. Hear the...
Oct 03, 2022•13 min
Christy gets a fancy microphone, and Kimi looks like she's working at a call center. They go behind the scenes of Pastor Jose Hernandez's interview and explain how he went from being a gang member in Watts to be a beacon of peace and hope. Kimi and Christy discuss incremental change, or "baby steps," which ultimately lead to personal growth. Kimi shares how she transformed from a workaholic to a "semi-balanced" person. Christy talks about living with postpartum anxiety and how she regained her m...
Sep 28, 2022•29 min
Somewhere after gang life, incarceration and a stint with a Mexican Cartel, Jose Hernandez felt a stirring in his heart, which would eventually lead him towards ministry and a legacy of leadership and healing in Watts, California. But in order to move forward, Jose first had to make peace with his past, including the suffering and pain he caused others. Today, Pastor Jose Hernandez is a role model and father figure to many young boys in Watts, setting a strong example of hope, dedication and the...
Sep 21, 2022•58 min•Season 4Ep. 69
In "A Little Wiser", Kimi and Positive Psychology coach Christy Peterson take you behind the scenes of each previous All The Wiser interview and explore how to apply the lessons from our guests to our own lives. In our first mini-episode of the new season, Kimi talks about why she was nervous interviewing Amanda Knox and how their conversation about ethical storytelling made her rethink dinner party gossip. Christy examines how stories add entertainment to our often mundane lives and that we oft...
Sep 14, 2022•28 min
It never occurred to Amanda Knox that she would be looked at as a suspect for the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher. The police told her she was their star witness. But once the story made international headlines, the investigation quickly turned into a calculated and violent interrogation that left Amanda without a voice and with a wrongful conviction that would change the course of her life forever. Who do our stories belong to? And how can we avoid objectifying the real people at the ce...
Sep 07, 2022•56 min•Season 4Ep. 68
All The Wiser returns next week with inspiring guests sharing stories of hope and possibility on the other side of pain. Here's a sneak peek of the upcoming season. You can follow the show @allthewiserpodcast on Instagram. If you'd like to keep up with the most recent news from the show be sure to sign up for our email list. Don't forget to join our new Facebook group to continue the conversation and meet others in our community. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & ...
Aug 31, 2022•3 min
*Rebroadcast* (originally aired 9/3/21) After the mass murder at Robb Elementary school in Texas yesterday, we're re-airing our Sue Klebold episode. In All The Wiser, we use human stories to challenge us to think differently about the world, and to learn about different perspectives, voices, and messages. In order to prevent mass shootings, it is imperative to understand all the factors that lead to them. This fall, I had the privilege of talking to two moms who lost their sons in very different...
May 26, 2022•1 hr 10 min
For our last episode of the season, we opened the floor to YOU guys and asked you to submit all of your burning questions to Kimi about mental health. Kimi along with producer Erica share thoughts on topics like medication, therapy, burnout, routines, and finding hope after diagnosis. We'll be back with an exciting new season of All The Wiser this fall! In the meantime, take good care of yourselves and increase the fun and joy this summer....your brain will thank you! Subscribe to All The Wiser ...
May 18, 2022•47 min
*Rebroadcast* (originally aired 7/10/19) As part of Mental Health Awareness month, we are re-airing the episode when Kimi revealed to the world that she has bipolar disorder and that she had kept her diagnosis a secret for two decades. Kimi's life was changed when this episode first aired. She let go of shame and secrecy and allowed herself to be fully seen. Kimi has helped dozens of families navigate their own mental health journeys over the past three years. Finding the courage to discuss the ...
May 11, 2022•59 min
In today’s episode of A Little Wiser, Christy and Kimi talk about high performance, excellence and asking the question when your teen, or someone you love, uses drugs or alcohol. The friends also reflect on Christy’s experience as podcast co-host this season and her shift toward celebrating growth over perfection. Last, get your questions in!! Today is the last day to ask Kimi about her experience with bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder. Christy asked her a good one during this episode and Ki...
May 04, 2022•22 min
NBA player Chris Herren was spending $20,000 a month on Oxycontin, which then turned to heroin. Overdoses, car crashes and hospitalizations couldn’t keep him from destroying his career, his family, his entire life. Now fourteen years sober, Chris travels the country speaking to middle school and high school students about the dangers of drug addiction, and parents about what actually works to keep their kids from falling prey to the lure of substance abuse. P.S. May is Mental Health Awareness Mo...
Apr 27, 2022•56 min•Season 3Ep. 67
Our brains are wired to make judgments about others so we can make sense of the world, and the vast amounts of information we are confronted with each day. But there is a cost to our assumptions. In today’s mini-episode, Kimi and Christy talk about their new favorite person Martin Lockett, who spent 17 years in prison for drunk driving and manslaughter. Martin’s story is a reminder of the power of redemption and the benefits of setting aside the judgmental mind: More connection, creativity, frie...
Apr 20, 2022•21 min
After serving 17 ½ years in prison for drunk driving and manslaughter, 42 year-old Martin Lockett is now a free man, stepping into a very different world than the one he left (what’s a macbook?). He emerged from prison with a graduate degree, two published books, and a certification as a substance abuse counselor…ready to continue sharing his story and keeping his promise to his victims to do whatever it takes to prevent others from following in his footsteps. Don't forget to VOTE WEBBY'S! In th...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 66
We're having a WEBBY AWARDS dance party today at All The Wiser! We've been nominated for a 2022 best Podcast Interview Individual Episode for our episode with Rebecca Bender. You (yes, YOU) now have the power to vote for the show and we humbly ask that you do so by clicking here . The topic of today's mini-episode is PURPOSE, and by purpose, we mean knowing your "why." We explore how we can discover our purpose in many ways, and in the case of Alex Lewis, simply by chance. Christy reminds us tha...
Apr 06, 2022•27 min
He was given a 3% chance of survival. His partner was told to come in and say goodbye. But Alex Lewis wasn’t ready to go down without a flight. In this harrowing episode, Alex shares why he says “quadruple amputation is the best thing that has ever happened to him,“ plus the one piece of advice you must not forget no matter how bad you feel things are in your life. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to recognize signs of escapism and depression Identifying Strep A in the body Navigating his deci...
Mar 30, 2022•1 hr 11 min
Kimi and Christy discuss the idea that maybe, just maybe, these mini-episodes should simply be a podcast club. Why? Every time they listen to an episode separately and then talk about it, they have the best conversations. They get to see the story and wisdom from a whole new perspective. And it gets better. More meaningful. More learning. Today, they try on the “podcast club” idea and talk about Jason Schechterle and their shared favorite moment of the interview. Jason described how some people ...
Mar 23, 2022•13 min
