In this episode of Fear Less, Zack sits down with Keeleigh Mahler, a licensed clinical social worker who previously worked at Mountain Valley and currently works at the Anxiety Institute in Washington D.C. In this discussion, Keeleigh shares candid reflections from her first few years of practice, highlighting the parallel process and internal anxiety that many new clinicians experience as they learn and grow alongside their clients.

Despite being in the first few years of her career, Keeleigh is incredibly talented, insightful, and wise. In this conversation she highlights the common insecurities that arise for new clinicians, and the transformative power of leaning into discomfort, embracing vulnerability, and fostering authentic connections with the youth she serves. Her story serves as a reminder that fearlessness is not about erasing doubts or insecurities, but rather about acknowledging them, feeling them, and leveraging them as opportunities for growth. Keeleigh embodies what is means to a “fearless” clinician and the insights she shares in this conversation will help inspire a new generation of therapist to embrace the journey of becoming their best selves in service of others.

Zack’s Hack- In this week’s anxiety hack Zack shares how being curious can help you fear less!

Fear Less is sponsored by Mountain Valley Treatment Center.

In this week’s episode of Fear Less, Zack welcomes Ivy Wydler, a young adult with OCD who graduated from Mountain Valley in the summer of 2023. Ivy shares vulnerability about her journey with OCD, what led her to Mountain Valley, and insight she has gained over her past year of intensive mental health treatment. In this conversation, Ivy discusses her battles with perfectionism, her complicated relationship with OCD, and the profound impact that therapy and a sense of community had on her recovery.

Ivy’s story extends beyond struggle, and is one of transformation, growth, and triumph. Through her time at Mountain Valley, Ivy learned how to redefine beyond herself her mental health issues and move towards a place of self-acceptance. This episode and the candid anecdotes that Ivy shares from her personal journey serve as an inspiration for all those living with OCD and provides practical advice for anyone navigating the challenges the mental health recovery.

Zack's Hack: In this week's anxiety hack Zack talks about the power of being alone.

Fear Less is sponsored by Mountain Valley Treatment Center.

In this week’s episode of Fear Less, Zack welcomes Meg Paul, a licensed clinical social worker with over a decade of experience working with youth and families in adventure-based programs, therapeutic boarding schools, and now through her new outpatient practice, Crosswinds Counseling.

In this conversation, Meg recounts her journey from direct care staff at an adventure therapy residential treatment program to her current role as a community-based clinician, running her own private practice. She dives deep into the benefits of experiential therapy, emphasizing the importance of a hands-on “practical” approach to therapy that brings therapy into the everyday life of her clients. Through this discussion, Meg and Zack explore the overlap between experiential therapy and Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, the importance individualizing anxiety treatment, the nuance of creating a strength-based approach to “stretching our comfort zones”, and the value of involving families in the therapeutic process to maximize therapeutic outcomes for entire family system. This episode with Meg will be both inspiring and informative for practitioners in the mental health field and consumers in need of mental health support.

Zack’s Hack: In this week’s anxiety hack Zack talks about comfort zones and how to stretch your comfort zone to grow!

Fear Less is sponsored by Mountain Valley Treatment Center.