OnTopic with Empathia

Conversations with Experts on Subjects That Matter

Welcome to OnTopic by Empathia, a podcast dedicated to overcoming challenges in times of uncertainty. We’ll be talking to industry experts from a wide variety of fields to explore the issues of the day and steps individuals and organizations can take to become more resilient.

Whether it is delivering a high-value employee assistance program or responding to a crisis in your organization or community, Empathia brings competence, compassion and commitment to those who need it most.

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Episode 26: Diagnosing Seasonal Affective Disorder with Therese Sorrentino, Part One

Have you ever found yourself feeling down in the winter? The days are shorter, the temperatures lower, and without some sunshine, things may start to look a little bleak. Seasonal Affective Disorder, or S.A.D. as it’s more commonly known is a real condition, and millions of Americans are affected by it every single year. Rick…

Episode 25: Healing Through Forgiveness with The LOVE > hate Project Founder Buck Blodgett, Part Two

For a lot of us, Forgiveness can often feel impossible. Some trespasses may feel too great; some decisions too large to ignore when it comes to truly letting go. For Dr. Buck Blodgett, it’s not so much an obligation, but a choice – you either choose to forgive, or you choose not to, and then…

Episode 24: Healing Through Forgiveness with The LOVE > hate Project Founder Buck Blodgett, Part One

Content/Trigger Warnings: This episode contains content including the death, violence, and sexual crimes from 2min30sec to 7min30sec and from 20min30sec to 22min. Listener Discretion is advised. It’s easy to forgive the smaller trespasses in life – the occasional slip-up or minor accident often pale in comparison to some of life’s greater challenges. Some of us…

Episode 23: The Unheard Benefits of Music Therapy with Nancy Dexter-Schabow, Part Two

How much of our brains are dedicated to remembering old jingles and theme songs? WHy do certain songs make us so emotional? And most importantly – can Music Therapy work for just about anybody? Following up from Episode 22, Rick Hoaglund returns to the studio with Nancy Dexter-Schabow to talk about just how valuable Music…

Episode 22: The Unheard Benefits of Music Therapy with Nancy Dexter-Schabow, Part One

Have you ever heard the expression, “Music is good for the soul? “Turns out, it’s good for your mental health too! Whether you can carry a tune or not, Music Therapist Nancy Dexter-Schabow says that every one of us has a song in their heart and that everybody, even the hard of hearing, can learn…

Episode 21: The Effects of Sleep on Mental Health with Dr. Rajesh Balagani, Part Two

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise – or at least it would, if so many of us weren’t suffering from sleeping disorders. In their follow-up from last week’s conversation on the effects of sleep on mental health, host Rick Hoaglund and Dr. Rajesh Balagani dig into sleeping…

Episode 20: The Effects of Sleep on Mental Health with Dr. Rajesh Balagani, Part One

When you go to bed, are you one of the lucky people can simply turn off the lights and drift into dreamland? Or are you, like millions of other Americans, struggling to fall asleep? In Part One of this Two-Part exploration into Sleep and it’s effects on Mental Health, Dr. Rajesh Balagani explains why sleep…

Episode 19: Active Shooter Awareness with Dr. Mary Schoenfeldt, Part Two

Is it better to run, hide, or fight? When it comes to responding to an active shooter, there’s drills, strategies, and even testimonials that you can train on, but Dr. Schoenfeldt says teaching’s the real secret. Following up from last week, Kelly dives back into active shooter response management with Dr. Mary Schoenfeldt, an emergency…

Episode 18: Active Shooter Awareness with Dr. Mary Schoenfeldt, Part 1

Active Shooter. It’s a phrase that strikes an immediate sense of warning in all of us; a notion so terrible that many of us can only hope we’ll never be forced to face it in our own communities. But for some, tragedy may have already struck, and gaining a greater understanding of the problem may…