UTHealth Houston Well Connected Podcast

Listen as Dr. Hughes describes neurodivergence in adults, including autism, and co-occurring conditions such as ADHD, depression, PTSD, bipolar, and others. Dr. Hughes also shares information on: challenges related to neurodivergenceinsights on the unique perspective those with neurodivergence offermythsmore!Guest: Killian R. Hughes, PhD, LP Assistant Professor Faillace Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School

Listen as Dr. Mahadaven describes what Culinary Medicine is and shares why it is important-not just for patients-but for healthcare professionals and employees themselves.   Also, hear about the influence of culture, traditions, & identity on food choicebarriers & stress related to foodfavorite kitchen gadgets/applicancesfrozen vegetables, yes or no?GUEST: Rupa Mahadevan, MD Assistant Professor Non-Tenure Clinical Pediatrics, McGovern Medical School UT Physicians Pediatric Primary Care UTHealth Houston

Learn about the new voluntary insurance plans: Pet insurance through Met LifeLegal insurance through Legal EaseSupplement health coverage through Securian Financial

Burnout has become the silent epidemic of modern work. High performers, leaders,caregivers — no one is immune. We invite you to use this episode to slow down,understand what burnout really is, reflect, and rediscover the resilience youalready carry. Through real stories, practical tools, and honest conversation,we’ll explore how to recover, rise, and rebuild your energy, your boundaries,and your sense of purpose.Guest: Jennifer Bahrman, PhD Assistant Professor in the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

While technology brings convenience and connection, many of us are noticing a quieter cost: feeling mentally drained, distracted, and less present than we’d like to be. Our discussion with Dr. Bobby Nix is an invitation to slow down, explore digital fatigue, and discover small, realistic ways to bring more presence, intention, and ease into our digital lives.  Guest: Bobby Nix, MD Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Sciences at UTHealth Houston

Listen as Dr. Horn and Dr. Hoang share how they help patients lose weight and keep it off by utilizing the latest technology and medical support to optimize their body's composition for weight maintenance. This information-packed episode will answer questions listeners have about GLP-1 medications and provide answers to questions listeners may not have considered. Guests: Deborah B. Horn, DO, MPH Director, UT Physicians Center for Obesity Medicine and Metabolic Performance Professor, Department of Surgery McGovern Medical School of UTHealth Houston Thuyvan Hoang, MD  UT Physicians Center for Obesity Medicine and Metabolic Performance Associate Professor, Department of Surgery McGovern Medical School of UTHealth Houston

In this episode we dive into one of the biggest health and nutrition updates of the current and coming years: The 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. From the return of the inverted food pyramid to a stronger push for “real food” and a sharper warning against highly processed food. Caitlin breaks it all down and translates the science, the changes, and the practical takeaways into everyday guidance we can use. Guest: Caitlin McAfee, MSW, MS, RDN, LD Assistant Director of Wellbeing Programs for UTHealth Student Affairs

Listen as Dr. Fenton helps us understand: what AI is in basic terms the potential of AI at workwhy we may hesitate about AIwhat to be cautious of and what to get excited aboutmuch more! Guest: Susan Fenton, PhD Vice Dean for Education, Professor D. Bradley McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics

Listen as Jacob Thomas shares insights on: how traveling can help us reset mentallyhow to travel at different budget levelshow traveling can change our perspectivetraveling with others vs. solo traveling Guest: Jacob Thomas Web Developer III UTHealth Houston, Employee Assistance & Wellbeing Programs Cisco

Listen as Annisia shares insights on: what Emotional Intelligence (EI) is and what it is notthe value of EI at workhow we can tell if we have EIthe role of EI in change managementthe future of EI in the workplace Guest: Annisia Shynett, SPHR, MJ-LEL Senior Director of Human Resources for UT Physicians

Listen as Ed Fink shares insights on: the deeper purpose of meditation beyond relaxationhow meditation can help us re-engage at workhow we can shape our own meditation practiceways meditation can help us relate better with othersthe "no rules" approach to meditation practice Guest: Ed Fink Executive Leadership Team Director, Management Operations Dept of Anesthesiology, McGovern Medical School

Listen as Dr. Bhojani shares tips for: Beginners & elite athletes for the Houston Half Marathon & 10KInjury preventionRest & recoveryCross-training & strength training Guest:Dr. Rehal Bhojani, MD Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedic Surgery  McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Learn the well-being value of having a: Last Will & TestamentMedical Power of AttorneyTrustDo Not Resuscitate Order Resources: https://inside.uth.edu/eap/employee-assistance/resources/financial-legal Guest: Christine Betters, MA Licensed Professional Counselor Senior EAP Account Representative

Learn about: the connection between clutter and productivitydigital clutter and physical clutteremotional detachmenthow to start decluttering and organizing work and home space Guest: Janice Simon, MA Certified Professional Organizer Senior Leadership Practitioner, Leadership Institute The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Learn how self-assessment tools can: Unlock human potentialIdentify the strengths of team membersPromote better teamworkFoster mutual respect in the workplaceEnhance individual self-awarenessand more! Guest: Jocelyn Jackson Assistant Director of Leadership Development Programs

Listen as Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, José David, helps us understand and learn to work together when facing household challenges over roles and responsibilities. Learn about: Sources of contentionContributing factorsCommunication pitfallsMental loadEmotional laborTips and tools for successand more! Guest: José David, LPC, LMFT, CEAP Director of Employee Assistance & Well-being Programs

Listen as benefits expert, Jennifer Figueroa, helps us learn how to prepare and navigate the UT retirement system. Guest: Jennifer FIgueroa, Asst. Director of Benefits

Listen as cardiologist, Dr. Brittany Owen, shares insights on: role of lifestyle and DNA on heart risk factors building a healthy heart types of heart plaque signs/symptoms of a heart attack what you can stop immediately to improve heart health Guest: Brittany Owen, MD, Interventional and Structural Cardiologist Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Cardiology McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Listen as Antoneshia Stewart helps us understand: How we learned to love How our love can evolve The five languages How we can learn our love language How our brain chemistry responds to feelings of love Guest: Antoneshia Stewart, LPC, CART UTEAP Account Representative

Listen as Colin shares his thoughts, as a Human Resources Professional, on how to enhance your career in your current job and navigating job change. This robust discussion includes: Professional growth Setting & achieving goals Enhancing professional visibility for introverts & extroverts Vision boards & personal mission statements Personal branding Guest: Colin Dunham Manager, Talent Acquisition & Employee Business Operations

Listen as Misha Granado shares her best practices for creating a team that works well together. Discussion includes: Promoting an atmosphere of well-being A "bespoke" approach Leadership style Leadership misconceptions Guest: Misha Granado, MPH, MS Sr. Program Manager

Listen as Anna and Julie discuss their experiences working from the perspective of different generations. Discussion includes: Strengths vs. roles Intergenerational clashes Intergenerational stereotypes Familial roles

Listen as Deana and Robin share how to navigate conflict in the workplace and understand the informal and formal processes available. Guests: Deana Moylan, MS Assoc. Vice President of University Relations & Equal Opportunity Robin Dickey, PhD Manager, Faculty Assistance Program & Office of University Ombuds 

“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” – Eleanor Brown Listen as Carla Lopez shares insights on how to replenish your physical and mental energy when work & life are draining you. Guest: Carla Lopez, MBA Manager, UT System Wellness Programs

Listen as Dr. Scott Patlovich shares insights on weather events - before, during, & after the storm. We discuss lessons learned from Hurricane Beryl and how to better prepare for future weather related events. Guest: Scott Patlovich, PhD Assistant Vice President of Environmental Health & Safety

Listen as Dr. Perkison shares insights on the healthcare specific to men. We hope this episode serves as a reminder for men to prioritize their health and well-being. Topics: Important healthcare screenings Barriers to seeking care Male specific health issues Guest: William Brett Perkison, MD Assistant Professor, School of Public Health UTHealth Houston Department of Family Medicine

Listen as Monica Guidry shares insights on the benefits of coaching for achieving professional development goals. Topics: Emotional Intelligence Influencing others respectfully Collaboration Empathy Guest: Monica Guidry, LCSW, ACSW Associate Vice President Employee Assistance and Well-being Programs

Listen as Dr. Elaheh Ashtari shares insights on psychological trauma. Topics: What is psychological trauma? Are there levels of trauma? Are triggers a real thing? Are trauma and PTSD the same? What is trauma-informed care? ...and more! Guest: Elaheh Ashtari, PsyD Chief, Psychology Services, UTHealth Houston Dunn Campus

Listen as Dr. Chaoul shares insights into the pathways to our life's purpose. Topics: Does everyone have a purpose? Do we seek purpose or does it find us? How do we manifest our purpose? Where does our purpose live? Can our purpose change or evolve? Guest: Alejandro Chaoul, PhD Huffington Foundation Endowed Director The Jung Center's Mind Body Spirit Institute  Adjunct Faculty, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and MD Anderson Cancer Center

Listen as Dr. Majid shares her insights as a sleep expert regarding: Naps Insomnia Sleep debt Restorative sleep Circadian Rhythm Sleep and weight gain Optimal sleep environments How many hours do I really need? ...and more! Guest: Dr. Ruckshanda Majid Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston

Listen as Dr. Jason Yu, shares his insights about how speaking with a therapist can help provide self-understanding and direction to dealing with everyday life situations. Guest: Jason Yu, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor of the McGovern Medical School, Louis A. Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Listen as Patricia and Jennifer share their insights about how our Benefits are affected by certain life events. They offer tips on how to avoid pitfalls with our Benefits. Topics: Who needs Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Insurance? What is the Family Leave Pool? What happens to my Benefits if I need to take Leave Without Pay? Guests: Patricia Hinojosa, Executive Director, Payroll & Benefits Jennifer Figueroa, Assistance Director, Benefits

Listen as Jasmine Holmes, licensed professional counselor and UTHealth Faculty Assistance Specialist, shares her insights about the value of social connections on well-being. Jasmine also talks about the role flexibility and expectations play in positive outcomes during holiday gatherings.

Listen as Dolores Woods shares her insights on putting our relationships with people first, as a way to manage our nutrition during the holiday season. The podcast also includes a discussion about comfort food, tips for recipe substitutions, and choices related to desserts and beverages. Dolores is a Nutritionist Supervisor for the Nourish Program at the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at UTHealth Houston's School of Public Health.

Listen as Claire Goss shares insights on the unprecedented challenges facing professional parents today as they manage the interface between work and life. Claire offers tangible tools for dealing with the stress and guilt associated with being a working parent. She discusses concepts such as "bringing the weather" to your household and "firing yourself" by delegating, redirecting, and deploying resources. Claire is the Senior Manager for Parenting Education and Resources at Bright Horizons, a service that provides family caregiver solutions for families of UTHealth Houston. This benefit includes 10 days of emergency/backup child or adult-dependent care provided by Bright Horizons and the employee pays a nominal copay, while UTHealth Houston subsidizes part of the cost of those 10 days. Our contract with Bright Horizons also offers a network of family solutions on a self-pay basis and the subscription to this network is already paid on behalf of employees through the UTHealth Houston contract with Bright Horizons.

Listen as Dr. Higgins shares his insights on ways to work aerobic activity into everyday life. He also shares tips and cautions for training for the Houston Half Marathon/10K race, sponsored by UTHealth Houston on Oct 29. Dr. Higgins is Professor of Medicine at The McGovern Medical School and the Senior Cardiologist at Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital, among many other accomplishments.

We welcome Delphi Medina as she helps us dissect concepts surrounding chemical addiction, family dynamics, healing and hope.

What is recession and what do we need to know? How do interest rates affect my daily living? In what way does the economy impact job security? Listen as Peter Dunn a.k.a. Pete the Planner® helps us connect-the-dots between what's going on in the economy and how it affects our lives.

We welcome Dr. Alejandro Chaoul as he demystifies the practice of meditation and offers practical and relatable ways to use meditation in health, healing, calm and peace.

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Robin Dickey as she explains, “Work-life priorities vary from person to person. Priorities and needs may shift from day-to-day, even moment-to-moment”, furthering the case that balance, per se, may not be the most helpful goal and it certainly is not a one-size-fits-all remedy.

Rev. Dr. Gale Francine Kennebrew joins us in this episode as we explore personal definitions of spirituality and update them to include aspects of our lives when we experience spectacular displays of nature, the awe of wonder, our divine purpose, a relationship with God, or even the driving forces that help us get up each day to live life.

In this episode, Jennifer Cofer, MPH, CHES, and Alex Hurst, MHA from MD Anderson's End Tobacco Program, discusses the ever evolving landscape of tobacco products and how tobacco cessation efforts are adapting to these changes. We take a closer look into the social and cultural influence of tobacco use and the effectiveness of tailored intervention programs.

In this episode, Dr. Nguyen shares about his life as a surgeon and also living out his creative nature as a singer, song-writer and guitarist. We cover a lot of ground in this episode as the conversation moves from medicine and music, into purpose and measuring ourselves through internal metrics rather than external ones.  Listen at the end to an original acoustic song written and played by our guest Dr. Phuong Nguyen.

Newton Cheng shares his successful journey to mental well-being after suffering from burnout and taking mental health leave from his leadership position at Google. Newton is a husband and father, competitive powerlifter, and is Director of Health + Performance at Google. He takes a special interest in the intersections of human performance and spirituality, and is an advocate for speaking vulnerably about mental health.

Dr. Stephanie Emhoff, a licensed psychologist, joins the podcast to help us navigate through family conflicts during the holiday. Let us find peace despite our differences and move beyond just tolerance for one another.

Meal delivery, grocery delivery, subscriptions and more! Listen as we explore the the rise and evolution of convenience spending with Peter Dunn a.k.a. Pete the Planner®. He shares his financial wisdom and expertise on our podcast to help us answer the question: Is trading time to save money always the right trade off?

Dr. Ann Friedman, Director of Curriculum for the Mind Body Spirit Institute of The Jung Center of Houston joins us for a discussion on how to live a joy-filled life. Hear the distinction between joy and happiness and learn the value of bringing your joy to work with you!

We welcome Jackson Calderon, Video Production Assistant from the School of Biomedical Informatics, to help us understand the Generation Z well-being perspective and learn what strategies to use when aiming to engage the newest member of our workforce. 

In this episode, we welcome Patricia Hinojosa, Director of Payroll & Benefits at UTHealth Houston to share her wisdom and experience to help us find ways to prioritize our work/life resources so we can manage unexpected life events.

Caregivers spend most of their time thinking of and acting for others. In this episode, we make a shift to bring the focus back on caregivers. Listen as mental health practitioner Sharlene Johnson discusses how to avoid the loss of personal identity when providing long term care for others.

The Well Connected Podcast welcomes Wayne Tormala, MSW to discuss how we are "wired" for social connection. Listeners will gain insights about isolation, hear real stories and receive tools for regaining hopefulness during times of loneliness and despair.

We welcome Robin Dickey, PhD, MA, LPC, ACC, NBC-HWC to discussthe difference between compassion fatigue and burnout, including signs, symptoms and self-care related to compassion fatigue. Learn how we can help each other and how to access resources at nominal or no cost at UTHealth.

Our relationship with money is complex. Understanding the factors that contribute to our spending habits is an important step in creating a healthy financial well-being. In this episode, Peter Dunn, an award-winning financial mind, and CEO and founder of Your Money Line, joins us as we examine our personal values and how it affects our relationship with money.

Asking for help can be a challenge for most of us. In this episode, we explore the reasons why it can be difficult to ask for help, as well as ways to seek out help. EAP Executive Director, Monica Guidry speaks with Dr. Elaheh Ashtari, a clinical and forensic psychologist, to expand more on this topic.

As we begin the new year, we invite you to explore setting a New Year's Resolution for your mental wellbeing. Sharlene Johnson MA, LPC-S, LBSW, LCDC, CGCS shares her wisdom on how to shift the focus and create a plan to successfully achieve your mental wellbeing goals.

In this first episode, we welcome Monica Guidry LCSW, ACSW, Executive Director of Employee Assistance and Well-being Programs to join the conversation on the 8 dimensions of wellness. We challenge you to look within and answer the question, Which dimension of well-being thrives in your life?