In this week’s Soapbox, we’re digging into toxic productivity, hustle culture, and how the “what do you produce?” mindset has seeped into mental health care. From community mental health and private practice to neurodivergence, KPIs, and burnout—we’re unpacking all of it.

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The holidays aren’t easy for everyone — and grief doesn’t care what the calendar says.

In this week’s episode of Deciphering Growth, we sit down with Bethany Valenti to talk about what grief really looks like during the holidays, why the “stages” don’t tell the full story, and how to navigate traditions, boundaries, and emotional waves with compassion.

We’re therapists—and humans. In this episode of Deciphering Growth, we drop the polished scripts and share the exact self-care we use when life (and clinical work) gets heavy. From odd little joys (automation video games, planted shrimp tanks) to parasympathetic resets (Epsom-salt baths, stretching, visual grounding, the Serenity Prayer), we show how we downshift our nervous systems without perfection or guilt.

You’ll hear:

• Micro-habits that stick on busy days (no 2-hour routines).

• A “skill points” self-care reframe—level up one point at a time.
• Introvert-friendly strategies for crowds, schedule changes, and “I’m running late” spikes.
• Why therapists need permission to be human—and how we protect against burnout.