In this powerful episode of the Fear Less Podcast, host Zack welcomes Danielle, a former resident of Mountain Valley Treatment Center, who courageously shares her personal journey of battling anxiety, self-harm, and other mental health challenges. Danielle opens up about the pivotal moments that led her to seek treatment, including how her anxiety-driven self-harm became a coping mechanism. She offers valuable insights into how exposure therapy and other treatment modalities at Mountain Valley helped her develop healthier coping strategies. Danielle discusses the challenges she faced in transitioning out of treatment, the role of self-acceptance in her healing, and how she now manages anxiety with tools like mindfulness and progressive muscle relaxation.

The conversation also highlights Danielle's inspiring resilience as she navigates her return to academic life and social interactions. Through a mix of vulnerability and wisdom, Danielle’s story sheds light on the complexities of anxiety, self-harm, and the importance of finding the right support system. She provides hope for listeners struggling with similar issues, emphasizing the role of mindset and perseverance in overcoming mental health challenges.

Zack’s Anxiety Hack: In this episode Zack explains how diary cards can help you to fear less!

Fear Less is sponsored by Mountain Valley Treatment Center.

In this episode of the Fear Less Podcast, host Zack interviews Professor Mary Beth Gallagher from Duke University. With over 25 years of experience in occupational therapy across the U.S. and abroad, Mary Beth shares her insights on how fear shapes and impacts mental health care systems. The conversation highlights the risk-averse nature of mental health care environments and how fear of litigation often leads to conservative treatment decisions, which can hinder patient progress. Mary Beth discusses her perspective on occupational therapy’s role in promoting well-being and how practitioners can balance safety with evidence-based interventions.

The episode also delves into the systemic challenges faced by mental health professionals, particularly in hospital settings, where fear can limit innovation and personalized care. Mary Beth shares examples of how risk aversion affects therapeutic interventions and emphasizes the need for more dialogue and flexibility in the mental health care system. She also introduces a community-focused nonprofit which she helped co-found, the Center for Community Connection (C4CC), which aims to provide holistic, occupation-based interventions to foster well-being and connection at individual, family, and community levels.

Zack’s Hacks: In this week’s anxiety hack Zack shares a tool called, Seven Column Thought Record which can help you to Fear Less!

Fear Less is sponsored by Mountain Valley Treatment Center.

In this episode Zack is joined by Joanna Lilley, a therapeutic consultant and podcaster who specializes in helping young adults and their families navigate the complex transitions of young adulthood. As a therapeutic consultant, Joanna offers proactive support that helps young adults “launch” into a college, gap year program, vocational opportunity, etc. Joanna also offers reactive support, helping young adults and their families pivot from their current plan to find opportunities best suited to help them launch.

In this conversation, Zack and Joanna discuss how anxiety and fear impact this transitional period for young adults. Joanna shares the common fears she sees in the young adults and families she works with and offers her expert advice and wisdom on how to best navigate a time that is riddled with uncertainty. Joanna’s discusses her recent article, "Cold Feet," where she explores why it's common for students to experience last-minute doubts about their college plans and how to approach these feelings constructively. Whether you're a student, parent, or educator, this episode provides valuable strategies for how to manage the inevitable stress, anxiety, and fear that uncertainty that comes with such significant life changes and is an essential listen for anyone involved in guiding young adults through these critical developmental years.

Zack Hack: In this week’s anxiety hack Zack dives into the “5-4-3-2-1-“ sensory strategy that you can use to ground yourself in a moment of anxiety or panic.

Check out Joanna’s Success is Subjective Podcast.

Here is a link to the Cold Feet article on Joanna’s website.

Fear Less is sponsored by Mountain Valley Treatment Center.