Sex is a difficult topic for most of us to discuss. What we like, what we don’t like, where the edges of our boundaries are, what is normal and what isn’t, what our children need to know and when… And yet, it is such an all-encompassing thing in what it means to be human, it has roots and ties in nearly every facet of our existence. Ultimately, what we all secretly want to know is, “Am I normal?” Our fears, discomfort and shame around sex aren’t entirely our faults. Had we all been raised receiv...
Feb 07, 2018•53 min•Season 2Ep. 54
What could you accomplish with your clients in just one weekend? This week’s guest, Adam Smithey, dares us to dream “outside the box” into what is possible: how we can make the most impact, what our clients are really asking us for, and how we can better integrate our work into our everyday lives. For him, that means being a stay-at-home dad during the week and running couples intensives on the weekends. Adam finds that he is able to complete six months of work with his couples in just two days....
Jan 31, 2018•38 min•Season 2Ep. 53
“Our thoughts create our suffering” is not an uncommon idea. But what does that really mean for our relationships, our past traumas, or the present realities? In this episode, Rebecca talks with Tom Murray, a sex and couples therapist in Greensboro, NC, about the significance of the present moment, and what it proves about truth and endurance. Tom tells Rebecca about his “carefrontational” approach with clients and how he helps them to see where they’re creating their own suffering. They discuss...
Jan 24, 2018•53 min•Season 2Ep. 52
When we are working to make a positive impact in a community, who is being left out of the conversation? Who isn’t being seen? Empathy starts with relationships and the mirrors those relationships hold up for us. When we are interested in joining in the conversation of diversity and inclusivity, it can be challenging to know where to start, how to jump in, or who to ask for support. It feels scary. No one wants to do it wrong. But what relational work teaches us is that by looking at ourselves, ...
Jan 17, 2018•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 51
This conversation undulates between the current state and issues within our collective consciousness as Americans living in today’s social and political climate to the individual in how we deal with self-reflection, trauma, and loss--beautifully illustrating the now proverbial rally cry, “The personal is political.” Rebecca and Berkeley-based therapist Molly Merson, MFT cover it all, from our political “parents” to our collective infancy on the internet, to grief and loss and metabolizing trauma...
Jan 11, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 50
In our ever increasingly more technology-driven world, it is becoming even more imperative that we drop down into our physical bodies to understand what we feel and notice how it shows up for us in our bodies. There is so much information to be had in our sensory and intuitive experiences, if we’ll only take the time to notice it. And this information can show us not only how we react or respond to others, but also how we can shift cultural paradigms. So, it is only fitting that this week’s gues...
Jan 03, 2018•55 min•Season 2Ep. 49
The Practice of Being Seen podcast offers a collection of curated discussions to therapists and anyone interested in deep restorative transformation, through relationship. Relationship Therapist and host, Rebecca Wong, believes that when you truly see yourself you create a ripple effect that allows you to be the change you wish to see in the world -- and that invites everyone around you to do the same. This is the basis of her signature method, Connectfulness®. On this special holiday episode, R...
Dec 27, 2017•13 min•Season 2Ep. 48
What would happen if you integrated themes from humanistic, existential, and attachment theory with the flavor of Zen Buddhism? You might have something like this week’s guest Laura Carr’s therapeutic method: Compassion-Based Awareness Therapy. As much as our culture loves a quick fix 12-step program, there are no quick pathways to behavior change. In fact, behavior is typically the last thing to change. But there are many opportunities along the way to dial into what we feel, allow ourselves to...
Dec 20, 2017•46 min•Season 2Ep. 47
If you were to ask a room full of people whether or not they’ve ever cheated on a partner or have been cheated on by a partner, you’d likely get every single person to say “yes” to one or the other, if not both. Affairs are such a common thing in intimate relationships. And, so profoundly painful--certainly for the partner who was betrayed by the affair, but also, according to this week’s guest Beth Luwandi Lofstrom, for the offender. When we cheat, it has a way of really getting at the core of ...
Dec 13, 2017•56 min•Season 2Ep. 46
What if who we are in the bedroom is who we are in life? If we are sensual beings experiencing the world through physical bodies, then what can our inner knowing and intuition tell us about safety and risk--both in sex and in life? How do we create intimacy and can we relocate our innocence? And what does it mean if we spend most of our lives at odds with our bodies, when so much of our inner knowing is wrapped up in our becoming attuned to our bodies and sensual experiences? For writer, perform...
Dec 06, 2017•53 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Sex is a richly complex part of being human and there’s no one way to experience it. It can be a catalyst for spiritual connection or a source of deep trauma. It thrives on play. It emphasizes pleasure for pleasure’s sake. It enacts politics and power plays. It insists on respect and permission. And, in our culture, it is tightly bound to shame. This week’s guest is Cyndi Darnell, one of Australia’s leading sex and relationship therapists, and she asks us to consider what would change if we ackn...
Nov 29, 2017•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 44
In a field where, more often than not, women tend to be the ones more often drawn to our therapy practices, working with male clients in a therapy practice can pose unique challenges. Men generally aren’t equipped to talk about their feelings in the same ways that women are and they can often feel like their sense of self is under attack while under the clinical microscope. Today’s guest, John Harrison, knows quite a bit about this as a certified Relational Life Therapist, a facilitator for men’...
Nov 22, 2017•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Money as a conversation piece is as taboo as sex. It’s as difficult to discuss as racism. We simply just don’t go there very well. And, it’s not really our fault. We generally aren’t taught how to have a healthy relationship with money. We don’t have good (or any) mentorship around it in our careers and we certainly don’t bring money into conversations within the clinical space. There’s something about money that brings up all the shame and fear. And yet, it is as necessary to our modern day sur...
Nov 15, 2017•48 min•Season 2Ep. 42
I've had some realizations about my mentorship program that I wanted to share with you. I may not be doing what is recommended, but I am doing what feels right for me. I hope you will also give yourself permission to also do what feels right for you. Learn more about and join the Connectfulness® Method Mentorship Program here.
Nov 13, 2017•10 min
When we first start out in private practice, when we launch that new offering--anytime we do something new--uncertainty always plays a role. We prepare and plan as much as we can, of course, but the real clarity comes from doing. Still, that doesn’t stop the fears, the risk of failure, the shame feelings from presenting themselves, does it? Laura Long, LMFT wants us all to undo all of those fears by unleashing our inner badass. Today she chats with me about how her coaching business, Your Badass...
Nov 08, 2017•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 41
What is your relationship to self-care? Self-care is quite the buzzword these days, both within our chosen field of work but also in mainstream media and culture. As therapists, we know it is a vital part of our practices to avoid burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization. In other words, it helps us to do the work better, to show up more fully for our clients and for our families outside of work. But, for all we know about self-care, and for all the tips and tricks available to ...
Nov 01, 2017•56 min•Season 2Ep. 40
People of color--black women in particular--have always been an underserved population when it comes to therapy. Though there are many factors, one important one that we therapists can work on changing is a matter of trust and safety. A lot of black women want a black therapist because of fear of being misunderstood by a therapist who can’t relate to (or worse, disbelieves) their experiences. In this present social climate, this is a conversation we all need to have with ourselves and our collea...
Oct 25, 2017•46 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Fraud feelings and overwhelm. Squelched desires and jealousy. How do you differentiate between fears designed to keep you safe and fears beckoning you to toward your potential? The friction of change during growth periods in our lives is never very comfortable, but for all our fears, we rarely meet our utter demise on the other side. So, why is it so hard to break through it? And what can we learn about ourselves from it? Episode 38 of the #POBScast puts Imposter Syndrome under the lens. I’m cha...
Oct 18, 2017•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Something magical happens when people gather together in the same space. Something that can’t happen in online gathering spaces in quite the same way. Gatherings take many forms: Retreats, workshops, conferences. Walk-outs, protests, sit-ins. Tea parties, play groups, picnics. But the one unifier is that buzz, the energy, that each person feels when they’re there. A buzz they’ll each carry with them long after. That’s what I’m talking about with this week’s guest, Lizzy Russinko of The Brave Gat...
Oct 11, 2017•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 37
In Episode 36 of the #POBScast, John Clarke and I thread connections between imposter syndrome, niching down and generating enough income in our practices as therapists, to making the space for reflection on the relationship we have with ourselves and how this informs our marketing message and confidence in the room with our clients. This conversation comes full circle as we talk about our fears of “making it” in our businesses and in seeing ourselves clearly--it forms a dance between beginner’s...
Oct 04, 2017•43 min•Season 2Ep. 36
This week on the #POBScast, Rebecca speaks with Jeffrey Davis, a writer, speaker, consultant and founder of Tracking Wonder, a consultancy and community that helps creative innovators, entrepreneurs, and social psychologists flourish through challenge and change. Jeffrey says that we often defer our sense of wonder to our children and give ourselves other tasks. But, what if wonder is grown-up work? Jeffrey and I both share a common interest in the integration of our creativity, our money-making...
Sep 27, 2017•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 35
This episode is equal parts stream-of-consciousness musing and a call-to-action. Throughout, I am redefining the meaning and intention of the Practice of Being Seen in both micro and macro levels: as a podcast, in branding, as a way of knowing ourselves, as a means of serving others. I want to know what you want from the #POBScast as well. I believe that everything stems from how we see ourselves. In daring to look at my own shadows, I invite you to do the same. As we do this hard work together,...
Sep 20, 2017•23 min•Season 2Ep. 34
As we close out the 1st season of the #POBScast we're reflecting on this journey of being seen. It's a journey full of obstacles and pivots and revisions. And along the way, finding your voice and communicating your vision. And one of the most beautiful aspects of this podcast journey is being able to uncover new ways to communicate with and understand one another. No one knows the power of this beautiful podcast phenomenon better than Elsie Escobar. Elsie is one of the early pioneers of podcast...
Aug 16, 2017•54 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Where does healing begin? Is it in the mind, the spirit, the body….or is it somewhere in between? This week, pause with us as we hold space for healing with Eleanora Amendolara, Marisa’s very own Spiritual Healer and Teacher. As Marisa has been experiencing the transformative power of spiritual healing, she knew she wanted to share those experiences with you as this season of the podcast ends. Eleanora’s work at the Sacred Center Mystery School in New York has had a lasting impact on so many. No...
Aug 13, 2017•52 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Parents, caregivers, and guardians: Have you taken a moment to be present with your kids today? Do you find yourself worn out, or feeling raw and strung out? Truth is that we are all muddling through his messy soup of life together, and as parents ourselves, we wanted to bring to you a guest who can speak kindness and healing to your energy struggles. This week, we sit down with Carla Naumburg, author, social worker, and mother, who has a practice of mindfulness that transformed her parenting. C...
Aug 09, 2017•38 min•Season 1Ep. 31
So much of the work we do on the show is about embracing the hard work of transformation. One of the hardest things we do is ask you to sit in an uncomfortable place. We run and hide from discomfort, but that is the best place to be for some true self-discovery. What makes us uncomfortable faster than anything else? Getting in front of a camera. How can a photograph change your life? It might surprise you. This week, we sat down with Robyn Ivy, Life Coach, Photographer, and Advocate. Robyn has t...
Aug 06, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Everybody has a lens from which they view the world; Janice Levy’s just happens to be a literal lens. Janice is a photographer, art scholar, and world traveler. Her work has won countless awards, and her work as a teacher in the US and across the globe has had a deeply personal impact on those lucky enough to be her students. Janice uses photography as more than a way to capture the present. Instead, she uses the memories she preserves to explore the past. After her father died, Janice discovere...
Aug 02, 2017•45 min•Season 1Ep. 29
This week, we want to give a warm welcome to you, the listeners of the Practice of Being Seen Podcast, and the therapists who have journeyed alongside us in our POBS community. It is a gift to be able to hold this space so dearly as a place to grow and discover truth with all of you. Just as the POBS community has grown, Rebecca and Marisa have also been able to uncover hidden talents and dreams that need their own space to grow. With that realization came the knowledge that this POBS podcast an...
Jul 26, 2017•52 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Are you willing to do hard work? This is the question that therapy clients are ask in one way or another, whether or not they say it in so many words. Compassionate therapists are so ready to answer “Yes!” Even with that willingness to do the hard work of navigating relationships, trauma, attachments, etc. it can take a toll on your confidence. We need to put into practice the skills we learned to help our clients to reflect on our own lives. We need confidence, self-assurance, and hope. This we...
Jul 19, 2017•48 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Are you one of so many people struggling toward work-life balance? How do you walk into your work environment? Does it serve you in more than finances? We spend 40 hours a week at work. The places we work and the people we work with have a tremendous impact on our lives. The old school way of thinking says that we need to check our emotions and other “soft stuff” at the door when we come to work, but studies are showing that does not have to be true. Mineela Chand is a Licensed Marriage and Fami...
Jul 12, 2017•42 min•Season 1Ep. 26
