My Therapist is Out! Podcast

In this episode, Renae Johnson speaks with Naima Merella. They explore how true consent forms the foundation of healing work, discussing how identity and trauma awareness shape therapeutic relationships.

Hear from Human Rights Campaign, local activists, insurance & financial experts, Open Space Therapy Collective founder, and more as they discuss disaster recovery through a queer lens, the role of chosen family in crisis, financial and housing resources, and the urgent need for environmental justice.

Tune in with hosts Renae Johnson (they/them) and Kristen Crowe (she/they) for an empowering conversation filled with insights and tools to navigate the intersection of mental health and social change

We’ll dive into what it means to advocate for change in a broken system, how the strike reflects larger trends in U.S. healthcare, and the personal resilience that fuels their activism.

In this episode, Renae and therapist Jenny Nigro discuss the emotional aftermath of the holiday season, particularly focusing on the queer community.

In this episode, host Renae Johnson and therapist Ernesto Martinez discuss the complexities of navigating emotions during the holiday season, particularly for LGBTQ+ individuals.

The holidays can be tough when family gatherings make you feel the pressure to hide your true self. In this episode of My Therapist is Out!, we explore how queer individuals can navigate the season with authenticity, resilience, and joy.

The holidays can be a minefield of emotions for LGBTQ+ individuals. Between family dynamics, societal pressures, and the potential for isolation, staying mentally healthy can feel like a challenge. In this heartfelt and practical episode of My Therapist is Out!, host Renae Johnson and therapist Terra Friedman unpack the unique stressors the season brings and share actionable strategies to help you not just survive—but thrive.

We are taking a short break to do some self-care and regroup after this week’s election results. But we’ll be back in less than a month!

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and OSTC therapist Debbie Whyte (she/her) explore if rage can be healthy. Feeling overwhelmed by rage? You’re not alone. For many of us in the LGBTQ+ community, anger is tied to lived experiences of discrimination.

We’re meeting with Dr. Liz Lasky and celebrating LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who are doing more than just building businesses—they’re creating change. From breaking barriers to leading with purpose, we’ll explore what it means to be mission-driven in the world of LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship.

Ever feel like your relationship blueprint is straight out of a toxic family playbook? In this episode of My Therapist is Out!, host Renae Johnson (they/them) and therapist Kristen Crowe (they/she) ask the big question: "Can you actually have healthy relationships if all you’ve seen are the messy, dysfunctional ones growing up?"

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and OSTC therapist Debbie Whyte (she/her) explore how to be open and discerning when searching for chosen family. Finding your chosen family takes time. It’s all about surrounding yourself with those who really see and support you. But how do you actually do that?

This week, host Renae Johnson (they/them) is joined by ACEs awareness advocates Dr. John Blosnich (he/him) and Juniper Brown (he/they) to explore the importance of understanding and healing from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the long-lasting adverse effects of this toxic stress.

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Kristen Crowe (they/she) explore how pain during sex can be more (or not) than just physical symptoms. Our somatic experience, even during pleasure is uniquely tied to our subconscious, personal history, and relationship dynamics.

This week, host Renae Johnson (they/them) and OSTC therapist Sierra Gruca (she/her) delve into the various ways individuals can experience religious trauma and the complex relationship with spirituality and community that often results.

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Guest Dr. Kindra Woo (they/them) explore why having a LGBTQ+ informed Chiropractor can improve your treatment outcomes.

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Open Space Therapy Collective therapist Terra Friedman AMFT (she/her) explore the nuts and bolts of how to create healthy open relationships.

This week, host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Open Space Therapy Collective therapist Sierra Gruca (she/her/ella) explore why you might be stuck in the 'mom friend' role—taking care of everyone else except yourself.

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and LA Queer Community Builder Erin Detroit-Vesey (they/she) dig into what it really means to build and be in community with your LGBTQ+ peers.

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Open Space Therapy Collective therapist Kristen Crowe (they/she) explore how to understand your kink/BDSM desires and explore them in therapy.

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Open Space Therapy Collective therapist Jenny Nigro (they/them) explore the different tactics to protect your mental health when you are being misgendered.

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Open Space Therapy therapist Terra Friedman (she/her) discuss the reality of what it feels like to be burned out and ways to cope.

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Open Space Therapy Collective Clinical Director Kristen Crowe (they/she) discuss the importance of having a therapist who is knowledgeable about polyamory, ethical non-monogamy, and open relationships.

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Open Space Therapy Collective therapist Jenny Nigro (they/them) discuss what intergenerational trauma is and how it shows up in our lives.

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Guy Macpherson (he/him) from The Trauma Therapist Podcast explore what it truly means to be a queer-informed therapist and why it’s so important.

This week the My Therapist is Out! and Open Space Therapy Collective teams are taking a break to celebrate our 1 Year Podcasting Anniversary!

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Artist & LGBTQ+ Community Leader Kia Sisowath (he/him) unpack the complex process of being a dedicated artist and when you’ve sacrificed too much.

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Psych NP Mikey Whited (they/he) real talk about what “mood stabilizer” medications really do (and don’t do).

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Artist, Dancer, and Creative Leader Kane Kongppien (he/him) explore the depth of what it truly means to build trust and emotional safety with your creative colleagues.

This week’s episode is a swapcast with the Mental Illness Happy Hour. Host Paul Gilmartin (he/him) interviews Open Space Therapy Collective founder Renae Johnson (they/them) about their personal story and how it led them to founding OSTC as a hub for queer and trans mental health care.

It’s holiday time, are you stuffing your feelings or are you ready to do something different and feel through them!?

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Open Space Therapy Collective therapist Terra Friedman explore what is actually means to feel your feelings.

Host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Open Space Therapy Collective therapist Debbie Whyte (she/her) explore the healing process from being rejected by your biological family.

This week host Renae Johnson (they/them) and Open Space Therapy Collective therapist Kristen Crowe (they/she) explore why your queer relationship can end up behaving in heteronormative ways.

This week for the second time we dive into the questions that you sent in for us!

Building a community and chosen family who gets you is one of the most important endeavors of our lifetime. Join us this week as we talk with Bryan Kosarek, founder of The Unite App.

If you were lazy you would be having more fun! Being unmotivated sucks, no ifs, ands, or buts. Being unmotivated can feel like worthlessness, depression, and anger.

We hear medication terms and names thrown around all of the time. By our friends, social media, even doctors will just suggest something but won’t really take the time to explain. My Therapist is Out and Mikey Whited, Pscyh NP (he/they) are here to help make all that medical jargon really clear for you as we dive into SSRI medication today.

Even if you’re just getting clues that you may have a stalker, things can escalate and get very scary. Unwanted phone calls or hang-ups, surprise run-ins, or lots of texts and DMs, and it can quickly turn threatening. If you’re feeling uncomfortable, pay attention! Debbie and Renae dive into what stalking is and how to protect yourself.

Are all the doctor’s telling you that the labs don’t show anything so the pain is in your head? Guest and Head Witch of Crystal Case Apothecary, Lynsi Stevens (she/her) joins Renae to discuss Lynsi’s five year journey of decolonizing her health, chronic health stigmas, and her drive to help others balance their medical needs with their spiritual and creative life.

On this episode of My Therapist Is Out! we welcome our newest therapist to the podcast, Jenny Nigro! Jenny and Renae dive into asexuality, what it means, the stigmas around it, and more. You won't want to miss this one!

On this episode of My Therapist Is Out! Renae Johnson and Kristen Crowe hop on a call to discuss neurodiversity. As two neurodivergent people themselves, they cover a variety of topics ranging from cues that there may be some neurodivergence happening within you to what it’s like to live as a neurodivergent person in a “neurotypical” world. Have questions about this topic? Send us a message!

If you’re a Millennial or Gen Z you might be asking yourself, “what the hell does it mean to not have the spoons??” 🥄 🥄🥄 Welllll, this episode we’re diving into the “spoon theory” with therapists Kristen Crowe and Renae Johnson. What takes up our spoons mentally, emotionally and physically? Listen along and find out. (P.S. Listening to this episode requires no spoons at all) 😉

This week we sat down with therapists Renae Johnson and Debbie Whyte to discuss what it’s like when your identity is deemed unprofessional in your workplace. In todays conditioned society, something as simple as someone’s natural hair style could be deemed unprofessional. This is definitely a sensitive topic with a lot to cover! Follow along as Debbie gives advice for what to do if you are in this situation.

This week therapists Kristen Crowe and Renae Johnson dive into scripts on how to respond to invasive Q's about your body. This is a huge topic to cover, and we aren't holding back! Key takeaway from this episode? MIND YA BUSINESS! ✨

Now listen, nobody can create the perfect guidebook for dating. However, there are some serious red flags that can come up within relationships that we're here to call out. Don't worry though this episode isn't all about the red flags- we're talking about the green ones too! Having a hard time recognizing signs and patterns of abuse? This is an episode you don't want to miss.

Alright folks! Welcome to our very first listener/viewer Q & A! OSTC founder Renae Johnson, collected a handful of questions from ya’ll via our Instagram and TikTok- and we’re answering all of ‘em with the help of therapists Kristen Crowe and Debbie Whyte.✨ We’d love to do more of these in the future so please drop a question in the comments or send it to us via DM!

We’re sitting down with OSTC therapist Kristen Crowe to discuss self-care for coming out as poly. Why is it so important? How do you break the stigma around being poly? Listen along to hear what Kristen has to say.

New character unlocked! 🕺⭐️ This week we introduce Psych NP Michael (Mikey) Whited to the OSTC team. Mikey works with queer and trans folks 16+. He will officially be joining us in the summer as a medication consultant, so we're thrilled to have him on to discuss medication management, and the importance of having a queer-trans informed psych provider.

It's swapcast time! CEO and Founder of OSTC, Renae Johnson, sat down with Isa Gautschi, Marketing Confidence Cheerleader, to chat about how you can incorporate inclusiveness into your marketing. At OSTC, we primarily work with the LGBTQ+ community which means inclusivity matters. Listen along to hear how you can walk the walk and not just talk the talk!

Alright ya’ll, this week we’re talking trauma responses. What do they mean? How do you know if you’re in one? What does it look like? How do you get out of it? It’s a heavy one but OSTC Art Therapist Debbie Whyte does her best to keep it light for ya. ✨

Asking for help < literally anything else. We get it, asking for help is hard AF! Being called resilient and strong can become exhausting. This week we sat down with OSTC lead therapist Kristen Crowe to discuss how being the “strong one” in your relationships effects your mental health, and the consequences of never asking for help.

It’s a new week and we’re sitting down with OSTC Art Therapist Debbie Whyte to ask a burning question on everyone’s mind— When the heck do you know when it’s time to go to therapy?! If you’re considering therapy but need that extra boost to do so, this episode is for you!

This week we welcomed back therapist Kristen Crowe. Kristen shared insight on the need to stay busy and how that links to mental health. If we're constantly doing things, is it possible that we don't want to feel any of the things that might be stored in our bodies or our psyche? Have a listen to find out.

Andddddddd we’re back! This week we sat down with OSTC Art Therapist, Debbie Whyte, to ask, what in the world is art therapy? Listen along as Debbie shares the magic behind the power of art and how she transitioned from a 20 year long career in Corporate America to the fulfilling world of art & psychology.

In our second episode we sit down with Kristen Crowe— Sex Therapist, Dance Movement Therapist & founder of Soul on Fire Dance (a queer, POC and body diversity celeb to ask— What IS Dance Movement Therapy? Turns out it’s not intended just for dancers, and sessions with a Dance Movement Therapist doesn’t necessarily look like throwing on a leotard and performing pirouettes! Though we fully support that, too. ✌️

In our very first episode we sit down with Open Space Therapy Collective member Jenny Nigro and chat about the differences between traditional psychotherapy and community care based psychotherapy. What does that even mean? Listen as we break down the two and hear from Jenny some examples of community care based psychotherapy in action!