We spent this whole series naming what is toxic and building tools for what’s health. Now let's talk about what we are actually building toward.

In the second Q&A closing out Queer Hearts Healthy Starts, Renae Johnson LPCC, ATR-BC (they/them) and Allison Smith LCSW (she/they) get into the question listeners kept asking in different forms: okay, but what does healthy actually feel like?

They talk about why healthy relationships can feel boring at first and why that is actually the sign you have been waiting for, how to tell the difference between anxiety and excitement in your body, what repair looks like when it is real, how to get curious about what you actually want in your sex life without making it a whole production, why laughter is an underrated part of intimacy, and how to build community when the world around you is not giving you a lot to work with.

They also get personal. Allison talks about learning to ask for help while injured and what that opened up. Renae talks about knowing what each person in their life is actually good at and leaning into that instead of expecting everyone to do everything.

Warm, honest, and a genuinely good place to land at the end of a series.

Queer Moment of Joy Guest 1: Kira Kull They/Them @kkmiracle

Queer Moment of Joy Guest 2: Mardee Milburn She/Her @thefoiledmuse

Host Bios:

Allison Smith LCSW (she/they) is a Licensed Therapist at Open Space Therapy Collective. Allison specializes in integrating trauma-informed, abolitionist frameworks to support clients in exploring identity, relationships, and cultural connections.

Renae Johnson, LPCC, ATR-BC (they/them) is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Board-Certified Art Therapist, and the Founder of Open Space Therapy Collective, a group practice offering affirming, social justice-driven mental health care for the LGBTQ+ & QTPOC community. With clinical expertise in complex trauma, identity development, and creative expression, Renae blends therapeutic depth with a commitment to equity and inclusion.

In addition to their clinical work, Renae produces community wellness events like Queerly Connected and is a founding board member of the LA Queer Coalition, creating spaces where queer and trans people can gather, heal, organize, and celebrate.

As a speaker, consultant, and activist, Renae is passionate about building systems of care that honor the full humanity of queer and trans individuals—and equipping healthcare and wellness providers with the tools to do the same.

To find more from us visit:

Website: https://www.openspacetherapycollective.com

Instagram: @openspacetherapycollective

TikTok: @openspacetherapy

Spotify: @MyTherapistisOut

Apple Podcasts: @mytherapistisout

YouTube: @openspacetherapycollective

It showed up in every single episode. In the conversations about toxic relationships, money, sex, community, and chosen family. Under all of it, the same thing: shame.

In this Q&A episode closing out the Queer Hearts Healthy Starts series, Renae Johnson LPCC, ATR-BC (they/them) and Allison Smith LCSW (she/they) sit down to pull it all together. They get into what shame actually is clinically and how it is different from guilt, how to start noticing when shame is running the show versus when you are actually making a choice, and the unexpected places it shows up, including your bank account, your sex life, and your inability to let anyone pick up the tab.

They also talk about generosity as a shame response, resentment coming from envy more than anger, and what it actually means to expand your emotional bandwidth instead of just shrinking your world down to what feels safe.

Honest, warm, and genuinely useful. This one earns its place as the series closer.

Queer Moment of Joy Guest 1: Aja Kai Rowley They/Them @ajakai

Queer Moment of Joy Guest 2: Emmie Yk She/Her @emmie.yk

Host Bios:

Allison Smith LCSW (she/they) is a Licensed Therapist at Open Space Therapy Collective. Allison specializes in integrating trauma-informed, abolitionist frameworks to support clients in exploring identity, relationships, and cultural connections.

Renae Johnson, LPCC, ATR-BC (they/them) is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Board-Certified Art Therapist, and the Founder of Open Space Therapy Collective, a group practice offering affirming, social justice-driven mental health care for the LGBTQ+ & QTPOC community. With clinical expertise in complex trauma, identity development, and creative expression, Renae blends therapeutic depth with a commitment to equity and inclusion.

In addition to their clinical work, Renae produces community wellness events like Queerly Connected and is a founding board member of the LA Queer Coalition, creating spaces where queer and trans people can gather, heal, organize, and celebrate.

As a speaker, consultant, and activist, Renae is passionate about building systems of care that honor the full humanity of queer and trans individuals—and equipping healthcare and wellness providers with the tools to do the same.

To find more from us visit:

Website: https://www.openspacetherapycollective.com

Instagram: @openspacetherapycollective

TikTok: @openspacetherapy

Spotify: @MyTherapistisOut

Apple Podcasts: @mytherapistisout

YouTube: @openspacetherapycollective

We have talked about relationships to ourselves, our families, community, sex, and romance. And we saved the most loaded topic for last: money.

In this final full episode of Queer Hearts Healthy Starts: Breaking Toxic Relationship Patterns, Renae sits down with Patrick Armano-Amato, CRPC, AWMA, Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch, for a conversation that is equal parts practical and deeply personal. Because for LGBTQ+ folks, money has never been just about money.

They get into the history that explains why so many queer people never learned to plan for a future, how internalized shame shows up in spending, saving, and avoidance, the very real financial cost of being queer when it comes to family building and legal protection, what couples can do right now to safeguard their financial rights as marriage equality faces new threats, and what a healthy, values-aligned relationship with your money can actually look like.

This one is grounded, honest, and genuinely useful. Whether you are partnered, single, building a family, or just trying to figure out where to start, this conversation is for you.

Queer Moment of Joy Guest 1: Gabriella Layne Her/Hers @strutsocialwithgabby

Queer Moment of Joy Guest 2: Casi Schwisow She/They

Guest Bio :

Patrick Armano-Amato, CRPC™, AWMA™, is a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch in Los Angeles who is dedicated to helping LGBTQ+ individuals, couples, families, and community leaders navigate life’s financial decisions with confidence. His practice focuses on creating personalized financial investment strategies that reflect each client’s unique goals, relationships, and definition of family.

Beyond his advisory work, Patrick is deeply involved in the LGBTQ+ community. He serves as Vice President and Board Member of the Los Angeles LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, is a member of the Board of Advisors for APAIT, and serves as Vice Chair of the LA Pride Business Council at Bank of America. Through his professional and volunteer work, he is passionate about expanding financial education and helping people build lasting financial security while supporting the communities they care about.

IG: oliveb0y

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-armano-amato/

Email: patrick.armano-amato@ml.com

Website: https://advisor.ml.com/sites/ca/century-city-ca/patrick.armano-amato

Host Bio:

Renae Johnson, LPCC, ATR-BC (they/them) is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Board-Certified Art Therapist, and the Founder of Open Space Therapy Collective, a group practice offering affirming, social justice-driven mental health care for the LGBTQ+ & QTPOC community. With clinical expertise in complex trauma, identity development, and creative expression, Renae blends therapeutic depth with a commitment to equity and inclusion.

In addition to their clinical work, Renae produces community wellness events like Queerly Connected and is a founding board member of the LA Queer Coalition, creating spaces where queer and trans people can gather, heal, organize, and celebrate.

As a speaker, consultant, and activist, Renae is passionate about building systems of care that honor the full humanity of queer and trans individuals—and equipping healthcare and wellness providers with the tools to do the same.

To find more from us visit:

Website: https://www.openspacetherapycollective.com

Instagram: @openspacetherapycollective

TikTok: @openspacetherapy

Spotify: @MyTherapistisOut

Apple Podcasts: @mytherapistisout

YouTube: @openspacetherapycollective