Trust and Thrive

In this solo episode, I reflect on a topic that’s been on my mind and explore the complexity and nuance of mental health, especially in online spaces.
As someone who shares both personal and professional experiences with OCD and anxiety, I’ve noticed the pressure to reflect so many different experiences within just a few of my posts. I talk about why social media does not capture the complexity of living with OCD and/or anxiety, the limitations of online content and my own personal boundaries I've been exploring, and the importance of holding space for one person’s experience without invalidating someone else’s.
I also discuss my own journey with showing up online, reasons behind making these darker and often isolating experiences feel more digestible, and how humor can support us in feeling less alone.
I share some of my own doubts around showing up online and my desire to continue showing up despite internal and external judgment. I hope this episode is a reminder to stay curious, hold space for nuance, and support one another in experiences that can already feel so isolating. We don’t have to fully understand someone’s experience in order to hold space for it.
STAY CONNECTED:

INSTA: @trustandthrive
TIKOK: @trustandthrive
EMAIL: [email protected]

Mary Feldman, A-LPC/MHSP, is an OCD & anxiety therapist, educator, and speaker with lived experience. Mary first encountered OCD in middle school, which became the catalyst for a deep commitment to psychology, leadership, and systemic change in how anxiety and related disorders are understood and treated. While earning her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Mary worked full-time as a behavioral specialist within Rogers Behavioral Health’s Partial Hospitalization Program. There, she received extensive, specialized training in the treatment of severely debilitating OCD, anxiety, and related conditions. 
This immersive clinical experience sharpened her expertise and solidified her dedication to advancing evidence-based, compassionate, and effective treatment models. Now an outpatient therapist, educator, and content creator, Mary integrates clinical rigor with lived experience to help individuals reclaim agency over their lives. She is also deeply invested in increasing access to education and uses her training and firsthand experience to create practical, empowering tools for those who struggle to find effective support. Through both clinical work and public engagement, Mary aims to foster confidence, compassion, resilience, and lasting freedom in those she serves.
In this episode, we deep dive into mental compulsions and discuss the often misunderstood and invisible side of OCD.
We talk about common misconceptions around OCD, what mental compulsions can actually sound and look like, and why these experiences can feel isolating, confusing, and lonely. We also emphasize how OCD is not one-size-fits-all and how many people struggle for years without realizing what they're experiencing. 
In addition, we discuss how OCD can sometimes be overlooked or misdiagnosed, the importance of increasing clinician awareness and training, and what OCD treatment can look like when compulsions happen internally, rather than externally.
Whether you struggle with rumination, mental checking, reassurance seeking, self-doubt, or are simply curious, we hope this episode can help you feel less alone while offering a nuanced conversation around OCD and anxiety.
FOLLOW MARY:
INSTA: @ocdrebeltherapist
CONTACT: Linktree
STAY CONNECTED:
INSTA: @trustandthrive
TIKOK: @trustandthrive
THREADS: @trustandthrive
FACEBOOK: bit.ly/FBtaramont
EMAIL: [email protected]

And we're back! I'm excited to share that I've passed my state licensing exam and am now officially a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist! 
In this catch-up solo episode, I share some professional and personal updates (including some exciting news!!). I reflect on the journey toward licensure, from grad school and practicum to the associate years. I also share my real-time experience navigating OCD-related thoughts while recording this episode and what it looks like to move through doubt when it shows up. 
I'm leaning into embracing the unknowns and allowing this next chapter to feel new, exciting, confusing, overwhelming, relieving - all at the same time.
As always, I want to express gratitude to each and every one of you for being here along the ride. I can't wait for what's to come and to share with you all :) 
STAY CONNECTED:

INSTA: @trustandthrive
TIKOK: @trustandthrive
EMAIL: [email protected]

Shahem McLaurin is a licensed therapist, founder of an independent mental health agency, and public mental health educator whose work bridges clinical expertise with large-scale public engagement. They have led and participated in national mental health awareness campaigns in collaboration with institutions such as Harvard University and the National Ad Agency, and have partnered with brands and organizations to develop ethical, evidence-informed mental health messaging. 

As the founder of their own agency, Shahem provides clinical leadership, strategic direction, and oversight of mental health programming rooted in trauma-informed and culturally responsive care. They are a sought-after speaker and keynote presenter, having delivered talks and trainings at universities including NYU and SUNY. Their work centers on making mental health education accessible, reducing stigma, and expanding equitable access to care through media, storytelling, and community-based dialogue. 
In this episode, we explore what it looks like to show up authentically as a therapist, different career paths (including community mental health), and how these experiences can shape the way we understand care, access, and equity. 
We also talk about the importance of advocating for clients not just within the therapy room, but outside of it as well. Shahem shares more about the importance of working toward more accessible and inclusive mental health care, and how there is no one-size-fits-all way to show up as a therapist.
FOLLOW SHAHEM:
INSTA: @5hahem; @freedomcollectivepod
TIKTOK: @5hahem
PODCAST: Freedom Collective Podcast

STAY CONNECTED:
INSTA: @trustandthrive
TIKOK: @trustandthrive
THREADS: @trustandthrive
FACEBOOK: bit.ly/FBtaramont
EMAIL: [email protected]

In this solo episode, I talk about Moral OCD (also known as scrupulosity), a subtype of OCD that can make everyday decisions feel heavy and high-stakes. I discuss how thoughts related to this subtype can show up as intense guilt, fear of being a "bad" person, perfectionism, people pleasing tendencies, and feeling responsible for doing the "right" thing at all times.
In addition, I explore examples of compulsions that can show up, including mental reviewing, reassurance seeking, confessing, or trying to achieve certainty about what is morally “correct.” I share how social media, activism spaces, and being constantly exposed to information can intensify feelings of urgency and responsibility, and why this can feel so distressing. 
As always, this episode is not one-size-fits-all and simply reflects a few ways OCD-thoughts related to morality can show up. I hope to bring language to an experience that can feel incredibly isolating, and to remind you that you are not alone if your mind makes morality feel urgent, overwhelming, or impossible to "get right."
STAY CONNECTED:

INSTA: @trustandthrive
TIKOK: @trustandthrive
EMAIL: [email protected]