There's a difference between doing something nice for someone as a nice gesture of love or friendship and doing it hoping to influence the recipient. In the first situation, your reward is in the doing; in the second, the reward you hope for may not happen leading to anger, sadness or depression. That's called People Pleasing Behaviour and it often backfires spectacularly. Liana takes us through her own journey from PPB, what she learned along the way about herself and why she is happier without...
Jun 27, 2025•48 min•Ep. 134
Lots of people, especially these days, have experienced ghosting - when someone in your social or business circle just vanishes without explanation, ending all communication. And that can be more scary than a literal haunting. Using her own experiences, past and recent, Liana talks about why people may ghost you, why it can hurt so much and how to move on.
Jun 13, 2025•48 min•Ep. 133
'Adulting' is the idea that being an adult is something you do, not something you are, and some younger people are having trouble handling the requirements. Liana talks about facing the challenges, real and imagined, for grown-ups who haven't grown-up.
Jun 06, 2025•48 min•Ep. 132
"Let me explain...and explain...and explain" Everyone wants to be understood - or maybe more importantly, not be misunderstood. But there are times when explaining actually gets in the way of being understood. Liana talks about 'over-explaining', why it happens, how it clouds your message and how to take control of your words.
May 30, 2025•48 min•Ep. 131
Introverts Unite (but not necessarily in-person)! Liana has been a television and radio host, a model, does public speaking, weekday YouTube videos and It's Not Therapy, so you may find it hard to believe that she's very much an introvert. At least, if you don't really understand introverts, and most extroverts don't! Liana breaks down the barriers to understanding with 10 Things Extroverts Do That Really Bug Introverts!
May 23, 2025•48 min•Ep. 130
It's an unfortunate fact that the heated rhetoric of modern politics has had a negative effect on our mental health. The level of anger, hostility and division in the air has damaged or ended relationships and fractured families. It makes many of us want to curl up into a ball. Liana walks us through the motivations behind the rancor and how we can process it and get past it. And it all starts with an angry Kenny Rogers lookalike.
May 16, 2025•48 min•Ep. 129
Money makes the world go 'round - and many heads to spin. Fears and traumas related to money are commonplace and may lead us to make poor decisions - or indecision - which negatively affect our lives. Liana talks to financial planner Natasha Janssens about finding the root of your money trauma and tips to control and overcome your financial fears. Check out Natasha's book Wonder Woman's Guide To Money...
May 09, 2025•48 min•Ep. 128
You've probably heard this over and over - "Don't be negative." What you won't hear is how to accomplish that. Liana talks with life coach Janet Ettele , author of "How Joyous Effort Works" about how a slight shift of focus in how we approach our relationships, our jobs, our families and ourselves can uncover sources of happiness that have always been there.
Apr 18, 2025•48 min•Ep. 127
Why Immigrants? You'd think we'd learn from history that blaming Immigrants for society's problems is never warranted and never solves any problems - just makes them worse. Yet too many haven't learned...but why? Liana lays it out in simple terms and why and how we can question our illogical urges.
Apr 11, 2025•48 min•Ep. 126
"Suck it up, be a Man!" That's the message boys have received for generations, meant to crush their more sensitive natures. And it worked, at the cost of the spirits of these boys who became men. But when author and journalist Amy Molloy's toddler son started exhibiting troubling sensitivities, she didn't impose stern discipline, instead finding solutions from what are considered 'new age' sources. And despite the 'out-there' origins, the solutions Amy discovered have a surprisingly solid basis ...
Apr 04, 2025•48 min•Ep. 125
Seems as though cruelty and meanness have become greatly valued currency in how people are treated (and maybe how you're treating people). Are we living in meaner times? Is our only path retaliating or just taking it? Liana tackles these questions and more with Jennifer Keluskar , Ph.D. a professor of Biobehavioral Health at Pennsylvania State University.
Mar 28, 2025•48 min•Ep. 124
We talk about the pursuit of happiness as if it's something that will be achieved at some later date, if we just keep chasing it. But what if happiness is already here but we've been blinded to it? Dr. Gillian Mandich , a PhD in health science, believes that happiness is not a destination, it’s a practice; not something we earn, but something we learn. Liana talks with Dr. Mandich, founder of The International Happiness Institute of Health Science Research , about how to access the science of ac...
Mar 14, 2025•48 min•Ep. 123
For the majority of patients, their primary care physician is the one who will address their mental health issues...even though they aren't trained for it. But shouldn't they be? The medical profession has separated mental health from physical health, creating two separate streams of care and separate medical practitioners for mind and body - leaving patients without access to proper care. Dr. Robert C. Smith, author of the new book Has Medicine Lost Its Mind? talks to Liana about how to fix the...
Mar 07, 2025•48 min•Ep. 122
As she explains in her new book The Unlocking - An Autism Story, Porscia Lam and her husband had a problem - their toddler, Harry, would not do anything he was asked to do. Yes, that's typical for some children, but Harry's reactions were extreme, with troubling behaviour escalating to the point it endangered Harry and his younger sibling. The Lams discovered Harry has Pathological Demand Avoidance, a little-understood condition in the Autism spectrum. Through much love, frustration, fear and sa...
Feb 28, 2025•48 min•Ep. 121
That's the title of trauma therapist Amanda Ann Gregory's new book, and her book's synopsis, "(f)eeling pressured to forgive their offenders is a common reason trauma survivors avoid mental health services and support. Those who force, pressure, or encourage trauma survivors to forgive can unknowingly cause harm and sabotage their recovery" gives Amanda and Liana a lot to unpack as they discuss a re-thinking of the 'divine virtue'.
Feb 21, 2025•48 min•Ep. 120
They aren't cosmically-powered superheroes, but understanding them can give us greater power over ourselves and lead to happier lives. Values, Needs, Boundaries and Manipulations - understanding these four building blocks is key to achieving better mental health, and Liana shares personal experiences to show you how you can do it.
Feb 14, 2025•48 min•Ep. 119
The TV show "Seinfeld" popularized the line, "It's not you, it's me." And while George Costanza wasn't being sincere, the truth is that for a lot of people, it is them! Liana takes us through the top 10 things people do that drives others away from them in romantic relationships, friendships and work situations.
Feb 07, 2025•48 min•Ep. 118
No, probably not. True narcissists - those with Narcissistic Personality Disorder - are rare. But you don't need to be a narcissist to behave like one; personality traits can be absorbed from others without our realizing it. Liana guides us to understand what true narcissism is and, importantly, what it isn't...and how to effectively deal with one.
Jan 31, 2025•48 min•Ep. 117
Real talk: society trains girls and women to use feminine stereotypes to bully other women - and to use the same stereotypes to get away with it. Liana shines a light on the tactics female bullies use and the cultural attitudes that enable and excuse the behaviour.
Jan 24, 2025•48 min•Ep. 116
Social anxiety is a real and growing phenomenon that deters folks from meeting new people, or being successful when meeting new people, or from even going out to places where there will be new people! Liana offers her personal first-hand experience with social anxiety and offers some tools that helped her and may also help you.
Jan 10, 2025•48 min•Ep. 116
Losing it leading up to the holidays? You're not alone. Economic uncertainty, politics turning relationships with friends and family into a pressure cooker, the loneliness this time of year can bring on...it's not surprising if you feel like you're losing it! From her own personal experiences, Liana offers some suggestions on how to calm turbulent waters or just swim to shore!
Dec 20, 2024•48 min•Ep. 115
We're Better Than This...Aren't We? Maybe not right now, but we still can be. The reaction to the murder of an American health care executive spurs Liana to examine how our current societal distress has led us away from our better angels, using deeply personal revelations as a guide.
Dec 13, 2024•48 min•Ep. 114
The unedited version of episode 112 with Aquila and Jerry. If you're experiencing thoughts of suicide call the national crisis line in North America at 988.
Dec 06, 2024•56 min•Ep. 113
Discussions of suicide are usually heavy on statistics; this episode focuses on people affected by suicidal thoughts and actions. Liana talks to show regular Aquila and her friend Jerry, who talked her through a harrowing personal crisis a few months ago. What prompts suicidal ideation and what helps - and does not - when speaking with someone considering ending their life? A personal approach to a situation many may find themselves in during the upcoming winter holidays.
Dec 06, 2024•48 min•Ep. 112
We have nothing to fear but fear itself...but that's still frightening! The truth is that the fear of facing our fears is a double-whammy that contributes to depression, anxiety and making bad choices that keep us from realizing our goals. Liana is joined by hypnotist Sainoor Premji ( 2BHypnosis.com ), whose specialty is teaching how to turn fear from a foe to a friend.
Nov 28, 2024•48 min•Ep. 111
Trust is a very precious thing, and a fragile one - once it is broken, regaining it is a delicate process. How can you regain the trust you've violated, and what can someone do to re-earn your trust? Liana has some answers based in her own experiences that may help you with your own trust matters of trust.
Nov 15, 2024•48 min•Ep. 110
Humans became the dominant species on Earth by working together - which is likely a surprise for anyone who's had to work on a group project. Rather than pooling everyone's strengths, group efforts often falter due to individual weaknesses. Rob Lion, Ph.D. of Training & Performance Improvement, professor at Idaho State University and co-founder of Black River Performance Management joins Liana to discuss how we can improve group dynamics and our contributions to it.
Nov 08, 2024•48 min•Ep. 109
Boundaries are limits you set for the kind of behaviour you will accept from others and what others will accept from your behaviours. In theory. But the fact is that many of us were raised with poor boundaries or none at all, which impacts how we are treated and how we treat others - and never in a good way. Liana takes us through the Top 10 Boundary-Busting Behaviours and how we can course-correct for better outcomes in life
Nov 01, 2024•48 min•Ep. 108
I'm Sorry, That's Not an Apology. (Neither was that sentence.) Ever wonder why an apology doesn't deliver the results you thought it would? Even when you're sincere, sometimes an apology misses the mark and Liana presents the Top 10 Reasons that happens - and the steps you can take to get better results! Seg Times 1) 10:10:10 2) 17:29:02 3) 32:10:18
Oct 25, 2024•48 min•Ep. 107
We've probably all heard the saying "Life is not about how many times you fall down - it's about how many times you get back up." Sure, sounds good. But how do we get back up? Resilience is an essential life skill we can learn and Liana is joined by Angie Lion, Chief Soul Officer of Black River Performance Management ( blackriverpm.com ) to talk about how to do just that!
Oct 18, 2024•48 min•Ep. 106
