Created from conversations among friends during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are proud to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of our Ends With Z podcast! In this milestone episode, Cecile, Juan, and Shawn reflect on their podcast journey, the evolution and impact of the show, the community it's built, and guests we've hosted and introduced. As the journey proceeds, we will continue to explore how we thrive as individuals, professionals, and members of a community through the lens of relationships, culture, and personal growth. We are so grateful for all of our listeners, at home and abroad, for being part of our Ends With Z community and for listening. Cheers to you and us!

We had to keep this conversation going and go deeper, because your response was so overwhelming! Cecile, Juan, and Shawn continue the discussion on toxic positivity, opening up into their own personal and professional experiences, to find the nuanced nature and at times, hard to find places, it lives in personal relationships, corporate culture, American society, and family dynamics. The reality is that we all have experienced and have displayed toxic positivity at one time or another. Being conscious of how we show up and being authentic in our intentions, interactions, and responses to the people in our lives is the best way to provide what is truly needed and be supportive in difficult situations, rather than over-used, meaningless platitudes and phrases.

Nobody wants to be, or be around, a “Negative Nancy” or “Davy Downer.” The benefits of having an optimistic outlook improve our overall well-being as they boost longevity, help us bounce back from stress, and help regulate emotions. We are often instructed by society to be optimistic and stay positive, especially in American culture. But there’s a fine line between having positive attitude and toxic positivity. It becomes toxic when we ignore reality, suppress negative emotions, and try to be overly positive in every situation, regardless of what is really happening. In this podcast, LA Psychotherapist, John Tsilimparis, joins Cecile, Juan, and Shawn for a deep dive into this topic. We discuss what toxic positivity is, how to recognize it, and why we display it to others, and even to ourselves. John gives us tools we can use to give ourselves the space we need to feel our emotions and acknowledge reality, and have a watchful awareness to build resilience and be supportive.