In this episode of High on Healthy, host Richard Zwicky sits down with Myriam Barthes, co-founder and CEO of Journey Clinical, to explore how integrating psychedelic medicine with structured psychotherapy creates scalable, meaningful mental health treatment.

Barthes discusses the critical role of medical oversight, preparation, and integration windows in fostering neuroplasticity, helping patients sit with discomfort, and guiding them back to their authentic, creative lives.

Richard Zwicky speaks with Dr. Amy Bucher, the Chief Behavioral Officer at Lirio. They explore how the psychological mechanisms often utilized by social media to capture attention can instead be applied to improve healthcare outcomes, such as encouraging medication adherence, vaccinations, and cancer screenings.

Dr. Bucher outlines how Lirio leverages behavioral science and multi-agent AI systems to deliver personalized communication (or "nudges") via text messages and emails that address individual barriers to care, such as fear or forgetfulness. 

In this episode of High on Healthy, host Richard Zwicky interviews Dr. Theresa B. Skaar, a social psychologist and mindfulness-based stress reduction instructor, to explore the psychological toll of relentless accomplishment. The conversation focuses on how high achievers often tie their identity entirely to milestones, leading to burnout, imposter syndrome, and a deep disconnect from their true selves.

Dr. Skaar discusses the "power of the pause" and using mindfulness to transition from a performance-evaluated life to one focused on inner experience. To break cycles of perfectionism and prepare for major life shifts like retirement, she advocates for cultivating "organic gratitude" and building a curious, non-judgmental relationship with oneself.

In this episode of High and Healthy, host Richard Zwicky joins licensed professional counselors Beth Valdez and Helene Zupanc—co-authors of Sticky Note Mantras—to explore why high-achievers often struggle to enjoy their successes and feel trapped in a cycle of constant striving.

They delve into the neuroscience behind our "predictive" brains, which are wired for survival rather than fulfillment, leading many to believe satisfaction is always just one more milestone away.

Valdez and Zupanc offer actionable strategies for cultivating psychological flexibility, such as using mindfulness, grounding techniques, and "sticky note mantras" to rewire negative neural pathways and shift from a pattern of achievement-driven anxiety to a life defined by authentic values and present-moment appreciation.

Richard Zwicky interviews Dr. Joshua Pritikin, a quantitative psychologist and talk therapy practitioner, to discuss finding meaning in life through spiritual experiences.

Dr. Pritikin introduces a progressive framework utilizing Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, which allows individuals to understand their inner "subpersonalities" and practice "unblending" from reactive emotions to achieve inner harmony.

He details a modified meditation technique designed to build internal trust and prevent spiritual bypassing by addressing distracting thoughts directly. 

High on Healthy host Richard Zwicky speaks with podcast host and mental health advocate Emily LoMenzo Washcovick about navigating attention, technology, and neurodiversity.

Drawing from her personal experience with a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis and her background working at tech companies like Yelp, LoMenzo Washcovick discusses how modern platforms are intentionally engineered to exploit human attention.

Rather than viewing distraction as a personal failure of discipline, she emphasizes the need to actively manage technology by customizing settings, establishing structured routines, and relying on external accountability to mitigate time blindness.

In this episode of High on Healthy, host Richard Zwicky sits down with retired infantry officer Aaron Baty to explore a profound journey of healing from trauma, PTSD, and the invisible scars of military service.

After years of struggling with conventional treatments, alcohol reliance, and a sense of detachment from his family, Aaron shares how psychedelic-assisted therapy—specifically ibogaine—served as a catalyst for deep introspection and nervous system regulation. 

Dr. Saravanan Thangarajan joins High and Healthy to challenge the reactive nature of current mental healthcare systems, which often wait for catastrophic burnout or crisis before intervening.

He outlines a proactive model where AI analyzes subtle vocal biomarkers—such as tone, pauses, and speech patterns—during routine, everyday conversations to detect early shifts in emotional well-being. Unlike standard wellness apps that rely on self-reporting during a crisis,

Dr. Thangarajan’s approach aims to provide an "early warning" signal for clinical teams. He emphasizes that technology must never replace human judgment or empathy; instead, he advocates for a rigorous governance framework where AI alerts trigger a mandatory, human-led clinical pathway, arguing that prediction without a clear, accountable intervention strategy creates only an "illusion of safety."

In this episode of High and Healthy, host Richard Zwicky and guest Nick Jonsson—psychotherapist and author of Executive Loneliness—deconstruct the misconception that loneliness is simply an absence of people.

Drawing on his own experiences with corporate burnout and addiction recovery, Jonsson argues that the "lonely at the top" phenomenon is actually a crisis of authenticity, driven by a corporate culture that rewards masking weaknesses and relentless self-sufficiency. 

In this interview, licensed therapist and founder of Cannectd Wellness, Shari Kaplan, challenges the polarized "pro- vs. anti-AI" debate in mental health care, advocating instead for a "collaborative tool" approach.

Kaplan explains that rather than replacing the therapist, her AI system functions as a supportive bridge between sessions, helping patients practice self-regulation, breath work, and groundedness exactly when they need it most.

By integrating strict ethical guardrails and prioritizing human connection, Kaplan argues that AI can handle administrative burdens like note-taking and bio-psychosocial synthesis, allowing clinicians to focus on the nuanced, non-verbal, and empathetic healing that defines effective therapy. 

In this episode of High and Healthy, host Richard Zwicky interviews holistic health coach Rebecca de Lia about the profound impact of early childhood experiences on adult relationships, nervous system regulation, and overall well-being.

They challenge the misconception that trauma is limited to extreme abuse, discussing how subtle forms of emotional neglect often shape our attachment styles and subconscious behaviors well into adulthood.

Richard Zwicky talks with psychologist Dr. Krista Jordan to explore the powerful role of the subconscious in our daily lives and relationships.

Dr. Jordan explains that a significant portion of our behavior—including perceptions, judgments, and reactions—operates outside conscious awareness, often driven by evolutionary adaptations and childhood experiences.

They discuss the necessity of "depth-oriented" therapy to uncover these deep-seated patterns, arguing that true healing requires the relational connection between two nervous systems rather than a DIY approach. 

In this episode of High and Healthy, host Richard Zwicky speaks with therapist Wendi Dumbroff to explore why individuals frequently fall into repetitive, unhealthy relationship cycles.

Rather than focusing on "fixing" a partner, the discussion highlights the power of self-confrontation and examining one’s own history to understand how childhood experiences unconsciously drive current triggers and relationship dynamics.

By unpacking the "circular" nature of conflict, the importance of maintaining clear boundaries, and the reality behind why we often mistake familiarity for chemistry,

In this episode of "High and Healthy," host Richard Zwicky sits down with neuroscientist and Neurable founder Dr. Ramses Alcaide to discuss the revolutionary potential of brain-computer interfaces to measure mental wellness and performance.

While traditional wearables track physical metrics like heart rate and steps, Dr. Alcaide highlights the critical gap in tracking our most vital, yet "invisible" organ: the brain.

They also explore how monitoring cognitive strain and recovery can empower individuals to make healthier daily decisions, potentially preventing burnout and identifying early markers for neurodegeneration.

Richard Zwicky speaks with Laura Ramos, founder of Redefine Wellness and Treatment, to explore the often-overlooked mental health struggles of high-achieving individuals.

Ramos discusses how many successful professionals use productivity as a coping mechanism, trading emotional and spiritual connection for external validation and wealth—a state she identifies as being "emotionally bankrupt."

The conversation delves into how this hyper-focused, achievement-oriented lifestyle is frequently a trauma response that leads to severe emotional suppression, irritability, and disconnection from loved ones. 

Therapist and practice owner William Schroeder of Just Mind Counseling, Austin, TX joins host Richard Zwicky to explore the transformative yet complex role of AI in mental health. While AI shows promise in streamlining practice infrastructure—such as handling insurance compliance and claims—Schroeder warns against the "robo-apocalypse" of replacing human therapists with chatbots.

They highlight the critical importance of trust, non-verbal cues, and genuine human connection in therapeutic success, elements that AI currently lacks and may undermine through validation-focused, "psychopantry" responses.

Richard Zwicky talks with Dr. Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), explore the overlap between AI chatbots and mental health crisis intervention. As more people in distress turn to AI for immediate help,

Dr. Moutier distinguishes between purpose-built mental health LLMs and broad-use platforms, where AFSP is focusing its energy on risk detection and upstream prevention. A key concern is the risk of AI hallucinating, providing inappropriate advice, or creating a dangerous dependency through "synthetic emotional intimacy". 

Richard Zwicky and licensed professional counselor Eileen Borski discuss the critical question of whether the brain can learn safety again after experiencing trauma, such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and intergenerational trauma.

Borski explains that many symptoms, like anxiety or a racing heart, are "flashing yellow lights" indicating a chronically disregulated nervous system, not a flaw in personality. 

Richard Zwicky welcomes practicing therapist Phil Macleod, founder of Thought Reader, discuss the risks of over-relying on generic AI for mental health and decision-making, which Macleod calls "chat AI confusion syndrome".

The central concern is that AI, which is fallible and often confirms a user's existing biases with "false confidence," encourages people to outsource their identity and rational thinking, thereby preventing emotional growth that is naturally formed through friction and mistakes.

The speakers identify the danger point as when individuals stop trusting their own knowledge for basic daily questions and instead seek certainty from AI, which diminishes their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Richard Zwicky and licensed therapist Erin Pash discuss the responsible integration of AI into mental health care, exploring how this emerging technology can enhance—but not replace—human connection in therapy. 

Pash advocates for therapists to embrace AI and establish personalized "guard rails" for clients using tools between sessions. When used correctly, AI can be a powerful tool to aid clients in clarifying their thoughts, reframing communication (e.g., changing "you statements" to "I statements"), and managing their feelings, allowing therapists to focus on core work rather than "pre-work".