In this episode of Meghan’s Place: Conversations on Healing, Meghan sits down with Daniel, an MFT Trainee whose journey into the mental health field has been shaped by meaningful clinical and spiritual care experiences.

Daniel is EFT-informed and interested in family dynamics, addiction recovery, and men’s mental health. As a Korean-speaking clinician, he is also passionate about building bridges across cultures and supporting diverse communities.

In this conversation, Meghan and Daniel explore an unexpected topic in the mental health space: video games. They talk about how gaming can shape the way people think about connection, teamwork, and problem solving, and how it can open the door to conversations about mental health in ways that feel more natural and less intimidating.

Together, they reflect on how gaming communities can foster belonging, create connection across cultures, and provide meaningful spaces for people to share their experiences.

Whether you are a gamer or simply curious about new ways people connect and communicate, this episode offers a thoughtful look at how play, culture, and empathy can intersect in powerful ways.

In this second episode of Meghan’s Place: Conversations on Healing, host Meghan Fouad, Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, sits down with Joanne to share a story rooted in resilience, identity, and transformation.

Born in 1959 in San Jose, California, Joanne was raised by a determined Mexican American mother who worked tirelessly to provide for her family despite limited education and financial hardship. Growing up during a time of political upheaval and civil rights movements, Joanne witnessed both powerful activism and painful discrimination. She carried the weight of racism and self-doubt while watching her family serve a country that did not always honor them in return.

In this heartfelt conversation, Joanne reflects on the turning points in her mental health journey, the beliefs that changed through lived experience, and the people and practices that helped her through her hardest seasons.

This episode is a moving reminder that pain can be transformed into strength, and that healing can ripple across generations.

In this episode of Meghan’s Place: Conversations on Healing, brought to you by Advent Group Ministries, I had the privilege of sitting down with therapist Brianna Mauntz for a meaningful and down to earth conversation about mental health and what it really looks like to heal.

Brianna’s path into counseling was shaped by her own experiences with anxiety and grief counseling. Those seasons not only deepened her empathy, but also inspired her to become the kind of support she once needed. Before becoming a therapist, she worked as a preschool teacher, and that background continues to shape the way she connects with children, teens, and young adults. She brings a steady, thoughtful presence to the therapy space and has a heart for walking with people through life transitions, anxiety, grief, and the everyday challenges that come with being human.

In our conversation, we talk about what first drew her to this work and what helps her stay grounded and care for her own mental health. Brianna shares what she wishes more people understood about therapy, especially the misconceptions that can keep someone from reaching out. We also explore the idea that you do not have to be in crisis to benefit from counseling. She offers insight into some of the quieter signs that extra support could be helpful, even when life does not look overwhelming from the outside.

This episode is honest, compassionate, and full of practical encouragement. If you have ever wondered whether therapy is “for you,” or if you simply want to better understand your own mental and emotional health, I hope this conversation meets you right where you are.

Music Credit: Fresh Lift © 2016 by Shane Ivers