Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads

Podcast for Mental Health Insights, Compassion, and Friendship

This Episode will drop on Tuesday at 3 am Eastern

👋Hey beautiful humans,

It’s almost time to hit play on a new episode that might just change the way you think about anxiety, empathy, and how you spend your energy.

Our guest this week, Ilise Litwin—therapist, podcaster, redhead rebel, and all-around powerhouse—joins us to unpack how social media warps our mental health, why play is sacred, and what it really means to be an empath in an emotionally loud world.

Set your alarms (or better yet, subscribe 😉): Episode goes live Tuesday, 6/24 at 3 AM ET. Trust us, this one’s worth the early click.

🌊 Receiving Back What You Put Into the World

From G-Rex: For years and years, I’ve been putting goodness out into the world—just trying to do what’s right, speak truth, and make things a little less crappy for those of us dealing with mental health stuff. But lately, all that energy has started coming back to me like an avalanche. And wow… it’s overwhelming. 🫣

I sent out the unedited draft of my book to a few folks, just to get their gut reactions, and the feedback brought me to tears. I had no idea I had touched people the way they described. I’ve always just done what felt right. But hearing how my words and my story have landed—it’s humbling in ways I’m still trying to process. It’s a lot, but it’s beautiful. And it reminds me that what we put into the world truly does come back… often louder and more powerful than we expect. 💖

From Dirty Skittles: G-Rex and I were talking recently about how much we’ve learned—not just in therapy, but from the amazing guests we’ve had on this podcast. I shared a story with her about something I was going through, and I realized that I was able to draw on those lessons and actually use them. Even more powerful? I was able to pass that wisdom on to someone else who was struggling.

That moment hit different. It made me feel strong. Like all this work I’ve done on myself has real impact—not just for me, but for others too. That’s growth. And to me, that’s what life’s all about. 🌱

📝 Podcast Reflection Worksheet

Use our Reflection Worksheet to soak in the lessons from this episode. Write your takeaways, action steps, and “aha” moments—because healing isn’t passive. It’s a practice. Download now and make it yours. 🧠🖊️Podcast Worksheet _06_24_25_From Anxiety to Empowerment- Ilise Talks Social Media, Empathy, and Mental Health Truths.pdf

🧠 The Anxiety We Inherit: When Empathy Becomes a Weight We Carry

What happens when your nervous system becomes a mirror for everyone else’s emotions? When the world praises your sensitivity—but it drains you daily? In this eye-opening episode, Ilise Litwin shares how growing up as a redheaded outsider shaped her resilience, how social media distorts our mental baseline, and how being an empath can quietly erode your boundaries. From her early days in psychiatric units to the rise of her podcast and book, Ilise reveals how anxiety, burnout, and people-pleasing aren’t signs of weakness—they’re survival strategies we outgrow.

✨ This one’s for the over-functioners.

The caregivers. The moms, daughters, partners, and friends who feel everything and hold it in anyway. Ilise shows us that healing doesn’t mean “fixing” yourself—it means finally choosing you.

💡 When Being a Helper Hurts

Ilise opens up about how her mental health took a hit—even as a therapist—because she forgot the golden rule: you can’t pour from an empty cup. Between emotional labor, social media chaos, and inherited anxiety from her own mother, she learned how to lovingly say “no” and reclaim her peace.

🌿 Why Play Is Medicine

We talk about how society shames adults for wanting joy. But Ilise urges us to bring back coloring, laughter, and silliness—not as escape, but as essential mental nourishment. Rediscovering our inner child isn’t indulgent. It’s revolutionary.

🫂 A Quote That Hit and Healed “You can be me-centric without being selfish.” It’s not about putting yourself first instead of others—it’s learning you matter too.

🎙️ Real Talk from the Hosts

“I needed to hear that it’s okay to unplug—and that the way we protect our energy isn’t selfish.” – Dirty Skittles

“When Ilise said she reinvented herself in her 40s, it gave me permission to believe it’s never too late to start again.” – G Rex

✍️ Journal Prompts to Sit With

• Where have you confused being needed with being loved?

• What joy did you lose when you became “the strong one”?

• What part of your inner child still needs permission to play?

🌈 Gentle Reminder

Your energy is sacred. Your peace matters. And you don’t have to carry everything just because you can.

🎧 Meet Our Guest: Ilise Litwin

Ilise Litwin isn’t just a therapist—she’s a force of compassion, creativity, and clarity in a world that often tells us to numb out, shrink down, or push through. With fiery red hair and an even fiercer sense of purpose, Ilise brings her whole self to every conversation, blending clinical wisdom with radical vulnerability.

🧠 Therapeutic Trailblazer Ilise holds a degree from the University of Florida as a Therapeutic Recreational Specialist. Her roots run deep in clinical mental health care—she’s spent years working in psychiatric units, supporting patients through acute crises and helping them reintegrate into daily life with tools, joy, and purpose. She’s served communities from pediatrics to geriatrics, chemical dependency to cancer wellness. Her lens is broad, but her touch is deeply personal.

🎙️ Podcaster with No Filter On her podcast, Wide Open Spaces, Ilise takes listeners far beyond surface-level mental health talk. Think of it as part heart-to-heart, part emotional exorcism—with zero sugar-coating. Her episodes are bold, raw, and refreshingly unpolished, mixing storytelling with practical insights that land like truth bombs.

📚 Author of the Soul-Stirring Wanderlust Within: A Journey to Self-Discovery Ilise’s debut book takes the most powerful lessons from her podcast’s first season and transforms them into a written experience that reads like a conversation with your most unfiltered, soul-knowing friend.

🌟 Speaker, Blogger & Advocate Whether she’s on stage, writing, or hosting workshops, Ilise champions one thing above all: you matter. Her work ignites self-acceptance and reminds us that healing is messy, joyful, painful, and worth it.

🎨 Her Approach to Healing? Joy. Play. Presence. For Ilise, healing includes coloring books, late-night laughter, and honest boundaries. It’s about reconnecting with your inner child—not to regress, but to remember who you were before the world told you to be someone else.

🌐 Visit her Website

🎧 Listen to her Podcast

📸 Follow on Instagram

📘 Connect on Facebook

💼 LinkedIn

🧩 Key Takeaways

Empaths often mistake emotional labor for love.
Healing isn’t about perfection—it’s about self-permission.
Play isn’t childish—it’s necessary.

✅ Actionable Takeaways

Set digital boundaries: Try Ilise’s trick of unplugging on Sundays 📵
Journal your “inner child’s” joys and reintroduce them 💫
Reframe “me-centric” as essential, not selfish 🙋‍♀️

🎤 Listener Engagement

Tell us: When’s the last time you played just to play? What’s one childhood joy you’ve reclaimed as an adult? Reply to this email or tag us on socials with #STGOIOH!