In this thought-provoking conversation with psychiatrist Dr. Xiaojue Hu, we explore how integrating spirituality with conventional psychiatry creates powerful new possibilities for healing.

Dr. Hu shares the remarkable story of her own unexpected spiritual awakening that occurred during her fourth year of psychiatry residency at NYU. Raised by atheist parents from communist China, she experienced a profound shift in consciousness that opened her to both spiritual exploration and psychedelic research simultaneously. This personal transformation fundamentally changed how she approaches mental health treatment.

The heart of our discussion centers around viewing psychological challenges through metaphors that honor their transformative potential. Dr. Hu introduces the concept of the "descent journey" where we descend into emotional darkness, are stripped of familiar identities, and eventually emerge transformed. She compares psychological suffering to childbirth: painful and intense, but ultimately creating something new and meaningful from the experience.

Whether you're navigating your own mental health journey, supporting loved ones through theirs, or simply curious about new paradigms for understanding psychological suffering, this conversation offers valuable insights for Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond. Join us in exploring how viewing suffering through a sacred lens creates space for more comprehensive healing.

Guest Bio:
Dr. Xiaojue Hu is a psychiatrist based in New York City. She’s an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the New York University Center for Psychedelic Medicine, where she's worked as the lead study therapist and co-investigator on multiple psilocybin clinical trials. Xiaojue has also worked with the pioneering nutritional psychiatrist Drew Ramsey as part of his group private practice Brain Food Clinic, where she has a holistic, integrative approach to mental health. She is trained in psychedelic integration and such mind-body therapeutic approaches as Internal Family Systems (IFS, Level 1) and Focusing. Xiaojue is especially interested in spirituality, women’s mental health, and cultural psychiatry (including issues around belonging, migration, race, and identity), and has previously worked as the leading psychiatrist at the Asian Bicultural Clinic at Gouverneur Health, a community mental health clinic providing care to the underserved.

Connect with Xiaojue:
PsychologyToday.com

Connect with Theresa and Ivana:

Theresa, True Strategy Consultants: tsc-consultants.com
LinkedIn @treeconti, Insta @tscconsultants

Ivana, Courageous Being: courageousbeing.com
LinkedIn @ivipol, Insta @courbeing

SITP team, Step Into The Pivot: stepintothepivot.com
LinkedIn @step-into-the-pivot, YouTube @StepIntoThePivot

Bill Harmon, seasoned retirement industry executive, broke through the polished corporate veneer to share a deeply personal story.

Bill takes us through the life-changing moment when his son William was born with Down syndrome, and the emotional rollercoaster that followed. After initially struggling with clinical, limitation-focused medical resources, Bill discovered a beautiful metaphor that changed his perspective forever: "Welcome to Holland." This poem frames having a child with special needs as boarding a plane for Italy but unexpectedly landing in Holland, a different destination with its own unique beauty.

Through William, Bill learned to embrace authenticity in an industry often defined by careful personas. "If I had a superpower it would be to make everyone feel comfortable in their own skin," he shares, crediting his son with teaching him this invaluable lesson. The impact reached far beyond his family life, transforming Bill's leadership style from competitively driven to purpose-focused. His willingness to bring his whole self to work, emotions and all, made him stand out in financial services leadership.

Have you experienced a "Welcome to Holland" moment in your life? We'd love to hear how you navigated your own unexpected destination. Share your story in the comments or reach out, because as Bill reminds us, finding a community for support makes all the difference.

Guest Bio:
Bill Harmon has spent his career in the retirement industry. Starting his career with Great-West and leading them forward as they became Empower Retirement to lead their core market growth. Bill then continued with Voya Financial as he led their 401(k) Markets with an end result of improving client retention.

Currently Bill serves as President of Thrive Flexible Matching. With debt being a key inhibitor toward saving for retirement, Thrive helps employers meet their employees where they are. There is over $1.7 trillion in student loan debt from 44 million Americans, so the need to address this is great, and Thrive can help.

Bill’s career highlights his communicative and open-minded working culture with a passion for fostering professional development. An insightful influencer and thought leader, he has served on many industry and nonprofit boards and pursued various innovative business applications for industry-wide advancement.

Connect with Bill:
LinkedIn

Connect with Theresa and Ivana:

Theresa, True Strategy Consultants: tsc-consultants.com
LinkedIn @treeconti, Insta @tscconsultants

Ivana, Courageous Being: courageousbeing.com
LinkedIn @ivipol, Insta @courbeing

SITP team, Step Into The Pivot: stepintothepivot.com
LinkedIn @step-into-the-pivot, YouTube @StepIntoThePivot

What would happen if you woke up tomorrow fundamentally believing in your worthiness, regardless of your accomplishments? This question lies at the heart of our conversation with transformational leadership coach Toya Gavin, whose journey from burnt-out prosecutor to authentic coach reveals profound lessons about reclaiming our true selves.

Toya shares the vulnerable moment when she publicly admitted her burnout and depression to thousands of fellow attorneys, expecting little response. Instead, she received an outpour from others suffering silently with similar struggles. This act of courage not only launched her coaching practice but demonstrated the transformative power of vulnerability.

At the core of Toya's philosophy is "Woke Up Worthy", the revolutionary idea that our worth isn't tied to achievements or others' approval. This perspective offers liberation especially for women and people of color who often feel they must be perfect and never falter. As Toya explains, "We're expected to be these perfect things where nothing goes wrong and we never make mistakes...but for women and people of color, we don't get the room to try and see what we can create."

Guest Bio:
Toya Gavin is an attorney, coach, and founder of Woke Up Worthy. At Woke Up Worthy, Toya helps women of color stop chasing degrees so they can start going after the life they want.

Toya is an ICF-certified coach and holds a Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Rutgers University. She also is licensed to practice law in New York and New Jersey. Toya's work as a coach is informed by numerous teachers, authors, artists, and practitioners, both personal and professional, including her sisters, aunts, husband, and mother.

Connect with Toya:
Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, Substack

Connect with Theresa and Ivana:

Theresa, True Strategy Consultants: tsc-consultants.com
LinkedIn @treeconti, Insta @tscconsultants

Ivana, Courageous Being: courageousbeing.com
LinkedIn @ivipol, Insta @courbeing

SITP team, Step Into The Pivot: stepintothepivot.com
LinkedIn @step-into-the-pivot, YouTube @StepIntoThePivot