Why does representation in mental health matter — especially for young athletes?

In Part 2 of this conversation, Mateus expands on the deeper layers behind performance, identity, and emotional safety. We explore how visibility, cultural understanding, and lived experience impact whether someone feels safe enough to open up.

This episode dives into:

• Why representation in therapy changes outcomes

• Understanding internal and external saboteurs

• How self-protection can look like resistance

• Vulnerability as a strength — not a weakness

• The importance of support systems in high-pressure environments

• How young athletes (and adults) learn who they’re “allowed” to be

When people don’t see themselves reflected in spaces of care, they may learn to stay silent. Representation creates safety. Safety creates honesty. Honesty creates healing.

This conversation challenges outdated narratives about toughness and invites a more connected, culturally aware approach to mental health.

If you care about youth sports, identity development, or breaking generational patterns — this episode is for you.

🎙️ Now Serving Therapy

Grief doesn’t follow a timeline.It doesn’t move in stages.And there is no “right” way to experience it.In Part 2 of this conversation, Dalton Huckaby continues his discussion with associate marriage and family therapist Lindsey Smith of Izzo Therapy, diving deeper into what it means to live with grief rather than trying to fix or outrun it.This episode focuses on how grief shows up over time — through memories, triggers, relationships, and moments of unexpected emotion — and how support systems play a critical role in helping people feel less alone in their experience. Lindsey reframes grief as something that can be befriended instead of resisted, offering a compassionate perspective that allows space for grief to evolve without judgment.Listeners are guided through practical and grounding concepts, including how to process triggers and memories when they arise, how to identify who can safely hold your grief, and how to build a personalized “grief kit” or emotional first-aid plan for moments when grief feels overwhelming. Rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach, this episode emphasizes choice, self-awareness, and emotional regulation rooted in compassion.Part 2 reinforces a powerful truth: grief does not need to be rushed, minimized, or solved. It needs space, support, and tools that meet people where they are.This episode is for anyone navigating loss, supporting someone who is grieving, or wanting to better understand how grief can be carried with care over time.Why there is no “correct” way to grieveThe importance of support systems during griefProcessing triggers, memories, and remindersBefriending grief instead of fighting itCreating your own grief or emotional regulation kitAllowing grief to evolve over timeReducing shame and self-judgment around grief🎧 Now Serving TherapyHosted by Dalton Huckaby📅 Episode 027 — Recorded February 4Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.🧠 Topics Covered

What happens when young athletes are told to “tough it out”?In this episode, Mateus joins us to unpack the cultural pressure placed on athletic minors to suppress emotion, push through pain, and prioritize performance over mental health.We explore:The hidden emotional cost of “mental toughness”Supporting athletic minors in high-pressure environmentsHow family and coaching values shape behaviorThe difference between resilience and emotional suppressionHow identity gets tied to performanceWhat parents and coaches can do differentlyHow therapy can support young athletesSports can build discipline, confidence, and community — but when achievement becomes identity, young athletes can struggle silently.This episode challenges the “suck it up” mentality and invites a more balanced, emotionally informed approach to youth sports.If you’re a parent, coach, clinician, or former athlete — this conversation is for you.🎙️ Now Serving Therapy🔎 SEO Keywords (YouTube Description Add-On)youth sports mental healthsupporting athletic minorsteen athlete anxietysports performance pressuremental toughness vs emotional healththerapy for athletesparenting young athletesidentity and performance📱 Instagram CaptionEp028: Suck It Up and Move On?How many young athletes are taught to ignore their feelings in the name of performance?In this episode, Mateus talks about:⚽ Supporting athletic minors💭 How values shape behavior🏆 When performance becomes identity🧠 The mental health cost of “toughing it out”There’s a difference between resilience and emotional suppression — and that difference matters.If you’re raising, coaching, or working with young athletes, this one is important.🎧 Link in bio.#NowServingTherapy #YouthSports #TeenMentalHealth #ParentingAthletes #SportsPsychology #TherapyPodcast

Defining Grief: Why Healing Is Non-Linear

Grief is not something we “get over.” It is something we learn how to live with.

In the Season 2 premiere of Now Serving Therapy, host Dalton Huckaby is joined by associate marriage and family therapist Lindsey Smith of Izzo Therapy for a thoughtful and compassionate conversation about grief, loss, and healing.

This episode explores why grief is deeply personal and non-linear, and why the pressure to “move on” or follow a set timeline can make healing more difficult. Lindsey and Dalton challenge common misconceptions about grief stages, explain where those ideas came from, and clarify why grief does not unfold in a predictable order.

Together, they discuss how grief lives not only in our emotions, but also in the body, relationships, identity, and sense of meaning. Lindsey emphasizes the importance of grounding and somatic practices to create safety before attempting to process grief, while Dalton reflects on how cultural expectations around productivity and performance often discourage people from slowing down and tending to emotional pain.

The conversation also covers practical tools for coping with grief as it comes in waves. Lindsey shares supportive practices such as journaling, writing letters to loved ones who have passed, creating personal or family grief rituals, and building an individualized emotional regulation “first aid kit” to use during overwhelming moments. Listeners are encouraged to identify their own grief triggers and to practice self-compassion when grief resurfaces unexpectedly.

Rather than viewing grief as something to overcome, this episode reframes grief as an experience that evolves over time — one that can be carried differently with support, awareness, and care. Lindsey also highlights the importance of seeking professional help sooner rather than later, noting that emotional pain deserves the same attention and care as physical injury.

This episode is for anyone navigating loss, supporting someone who is grieving, or wanting to better understand the realities of grief before a loss occurs.

• What grief really is and how it shows up

• Why grief is non-linear and unpredictable

• Debunking myths about grief stages and timelines

• How grief lives in the body (somatic responses)

• Grounding practices for emotional safety

• Journaling, letter-writing, and grief rituals

• Understanding grief as waves and identifying triggers

• Emotional regulation tools for overwhelming moments

• Setting boundaries while grieving

• When and why to seek professional support

🎧 Now Serving Therapy
Hosted by Dalton Huckaby
📅 Season 2 Premiere — December 19, 2025

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

🧠 Topics Covered

In Part 2 of our conversation with Elliana from CORA, we focus on what support can actually look like after abuse — centering choice, strengths, and resilience.

This episode explores:
• Resources and services available to survivors
• Affirming and inclusive support for LGBTQ+ individuals
• Strengths-based approaches to healing
• The role of psychoeducation in recovery and empowerment

This conversation is for survivors, clinicians, loved ones, and anyone wanting to better understand how survivor-centered care shows up in real life.

🎧 Listen now — link in bio
▶️ Full episode + trailer available

#NowServingTherapy #CORA #DomesticViolenceAwareness #SurvivorSupport #TraumaInformedCare #LGBTQAffirming #MentalHealthPodcast #HealingJourney #TherapyEducation #CommunityCare

In this episode of Now Serving: A Side of Therapy, we’re joined by Elliana from CORA, an organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families impacted by domestic abuse.

This conversation focuses on building understanding — not only of what domestic abuse looks like, but also how it affects people emotionally, relationally, and psychologically. We explore how abuse can show up in many forms, why it’s often misunderstood, and what meaningful support actually looks like for those experiencing it.

Topics covered in this episode include:
• Who CORA is and the services they provide
• How domestic abuse is defined and recognized
• Common myths and misconceptions about abuse
• Why abuse is not always physical
• The grief and loss that often accompany abusive experiences
• How communities and support systems can respond with care and accountability

This episode is designed for clinicians, caregivers, loved ones, and anyone seeking to better understand domestic abuse and how to support those impacted by it with compassion and clarity.

⚠️ Content note: This episode includes discussion of domestic abuse, grief, and loss. Listener discretion is advised.

🎙️ Now Serving: A Side of Therapy is a mental health podcast focused on real conversations about therapy, healing, and human experience — created to help listeners feel informed, supported, and less alone.

▶️ Part 2 of this conversation continues next episode.

In Part 2 of our conversation on Child’s Play Therapy, Dalton sits down again with Shivvy to explore how humor, play, and creativity help kids make sense of big emotions.

Shivvy breaks down practical tools like the Urn of Emotions, explains why misbehavior is often a symptom (not a choice), and introduces memorable concepts like the brain highway, catastrophizing cycles, and emotional personification. Through silliness, personas, and intentional play, he shows how therapists—and parents—can lower emotional walls and create safety, even during tough moments.

This episode is a grounded, honest look at how play therapy works beneath the surface—and how adults can model vulnerability, flexibility, and connection to support kids’ emotional growth.

🎙 Featuring Shivvy

In this episode of Now Serving: A Side of Therapy, we sit down with Izzo clinician Shivvy to explore the power of play therapy and how children express emotions through art, creativity, and play.

Children don’t always communicate their experiences with words — instead, they show us through movement, drawing, storytelling, and imaginative play. Shivvy shares what it’s like to witness that process in real time, guiding children from tentative beginnings to moments of confidence, insight, and growth.

This conversation dives into:
• Child-focused, multi-modality therapeutic approaches
• Adapting play principles within a clinical setting
• How art and play help children process trauma and big emotions
• What therapists notice when healing starts to show up through creativity
• Why play therapy creates safety, connection, and emotional growth

Whether you’re a parent, clinician, or someone curious about how therapy looks for kids, this episode offers a meaningful look into how healing unfolds beyond traditional talk therapy.

🎧 Episode 22, Part 1 is available now.