Personalize Your Coaching LLC

11/03/2026

In this episode, Paula explores how workplace dynamics can erode professional confidence and self-worth. She discusses the emotional toll of self-doubt, hypervigilance, overwork, exhaustion, and why financial realities, loyalty, and attachment can make it difficult to leave an unhealthy job. Paula encourages listeners to separate their professional identity from their workplace and distinguish constructive feedback from disrespect. She also recommends setting boundaries and thoughtfully exploring all available options to support a sustainable shift.

In this episode, you will hear:
+ professional confidence
+ workplace dynamics
+ barriers to leaving
+ ways to protect well-being

Why Don’t We Talk About This? centers around the themes and experiences that people talk about in pockets or completely avoid. Things that may be controversial or uncomfortable but benefit our mental health and wellness to get off our chest. Themes that help us break the stigma, silence shame, and grow community. I speak with folks whose lived experiences and professions give way to a diverse knowledge of topics that we just aren't talking about...but should be! If you have a topic or want to collaborate, send a message so we can explore ways to connect.

Listen here: https://bit.ly/wdwtatpodcast and subscribe on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere you get podcasts!

11/02/2026

Go behind the scenes with co-founders Paula McMillan-Perez, LCSW, and Emily George, MS.Ed., LCSW, as they share why they created Retreat, Remix, Revive. It’s a weekend retreat that combines professional development, self-care, and community for school social workers, school counselors, and youth mental health providers.

This year’s theme is Reclaiming Well-Being for Ourselves, Our Clients, and Our Communities.

📅 When: March 19–21, 2027
📍 Where: Stony Point Center, Stony Point, NY (about an hour from NYC)
🎓 Earn 10 CE hours for NYS LMSWs, LCSWs, and LMHCs
🍽️ Included: Workshops, meals, accommodations, yoga, meditation, and time in nature

If you’re the only social worker in your building, this weekend is your chance to recharge, learn practical tools for supporting youth, and connect with colleagues who understand your work.

🎟️ Info & Registration: https://retreatremixrevive.com
🐦 Early bird special: Use code EARLYBIRD50 for $50 off through 11/15/2026!

Many schools and agencies cover professional development, so ask us for our funding request letter template.

10/27/2026

Check out the latest episode of “Why Don’t We Talk About This Podcast?! with my amazing guest, Natasha D'Arcangelo, QS, LMHC, LPC

In this episode, licensed therapist Natasha D'Arcangelo shares how her work with nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic led her to specialize in compassion fatigue. She and Paula explore why compassion fatigue differs from burnout and why caregivers may feel depleted after supporting others. Natasha discusses common signs and shares practical, evidence-informed approaches to address them. She also reminds us that struggling doesn’t mean we are broken, and workplaces have a responsibility to support the people who care for others.

In this episode, you will hear:
+ compassion fatigue vs. burnout
+ signs and impact
+ workplace and systemic factors
+ tools and approaches for exploration
+ assessment and resilience

Why Don’t We Talk About This? centers around the themes and experiences that people talk about in pockets or completely avoid. Things that may be controversial or uncomfortable but benefit our mental health and wellness to get off our chest. Themes that help us break the stigma, silence shame, and grow community. I speak with folks whose lived experiences and professions give way to a diverse knowledge of topics that we just aren't talking about...but should be! If you have a topic or want to collaborate, send a message so we can explore ways to connect.

Listen here ➡️ https://bit.ly/wdwtatpodcast and subscribe on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere you get podcasts!

10/14/2026

In this episode, Paula explores how perfectionism, procrastination, and avoidance contribute to self-sabotage by offering temporary relief while keeping us from what we want. With warmth, humor, and honest personal reflections, she invites you to get curious about what’s underneath the pattern by exploring the themes that contribute to the negative self-talk associated with this frame of self-protection. Paula shares how to identify, reflect, and move in a direction that supports compassion and curiosity.

In this episode, you will hear:
+ defining how self-sabotage shows up
+ protective functions
+ core reframing
+ self-sabotage cycle
+ curiosity and change

Why Don’t We Talk About This? centers around the themes and experiences that people talk about in pockets or completely avoid. Things that may be controversial or uncomfortable but benefit our mental health and wellness to get off our chest. Themes that help us break the stigma, silence shame, and grow community. I speak with folks whose lived experiences and professions give way to a diverse knowledge of topics that we just aren't talking about...but should be! If you have a topic or want to collaborate, send a message so we can explore ways to connect.

Listen here➡️ https://bit.ly/wdwtatpodcast and subscribe on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere you get podcasts!

10/06/2026

Check out the latest episode of “Why Don’t We Talk About This Podcast?! with the awesome Sarah Amadeo!

In this episode, Sarah shares how her personal experience with depression and anxiety led her on a journey to study neuroscience, psychology, and human behavior. This led her to imagine a more practical way to teach children about being human. She discusses with Paula how becoming a parent motivated her to speak up and develop a 13-lesson curriculum that revisits core ideas while connecting them to students’ changing lives. Paula and Sarah explore why emotional learning is often overlooked and how a productivity-focused culture can leave families responding to problems rather than preparing for them. The conversation makes the case for parents to advocate for stronger emotional education and for communities to work together toward healthier, safer environments for children.

In this episode, you will hear:
+ Sarah’s journey with mental health
+ parenthood as a catalyst
+ need for emotional and human behavior education
+ curriculum that grows with students
+ parents advocating for change
+ collective action and life-long learning

Why Don’t We Talk About This? centers around the themes and experiences that people talk about in pockets or completely avoid. Things that may be controversial or uncomfortable but benefit our mental health and wellness to get off our chest. Themes that help us break the stigma, silence shame, and grow community. I speak with folks whose lived experiences and professions give way to a diverse knowledge of topics that we just aren't talking about...but should be! If you have a topic or want to collaborate, send a message so we can explore ways to connect.

Listen here ➡️ https://bit.ly/wdwtatpodcast and subscribe on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere you get podcasts!

09/22/2026

Paula explores how ordinary changes and functions in the body, or “body betrayals,” become sources of shame due to cultural stigmas, social expectations, and medical dismissal. She shares sources of deep-rooted connectedness to negative perceptions that have pushed inaccurate information forward. Paula speaks about the benefits of more accessible language and social spaces to normalize bodily functions across the lifespan and what we can do in our own circles to start this conversation.

In this episode, you will hear:
+ bodily experiences
+ sources of shame
+ cultural and societal influences
+ reframing and reflecting

Why Don’t We Talk About This? centers around the themes and experiences that people talk about in pockets or completely avoid. Things that may be controversial or uncomfortable but benefit our mental health and wellness to get off our chest. Themes that help us break the stigma, silence shame, and grow community. I speak with folks whose lived experiences and professions give way to a diverse knowledge of topics that we just aren't talking about...but should be! If you have a topic or want to collaborate, send a message so we can explore ways to connect.

Listen here ➡️ https://bit.ly/wdwtatpodcast and subscribe on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere you get podcasts!

09/15/2026

Check out the latest episode of “Why Don’t We Talk About This Podcast?! with a fabulous returning guest, Justin Gillespie, LMSW-C!

Justin “ADHD Therapist Jay” Gillespie returns to share how his practice evolved from a 14-clinician operation to a tight-knit “training ground” for ADHD-focused care—and why smaller has actually meant better. He and Paula dig into why so many ADHD and neurodiversity trainings miss the mark, and Justin’s bold plan to build a more rigorous, lived-experience-informed ADHD certification for clinicians. Justin also opens up about parenting with ADHD and autism, from sensory surprises to alligator-roll diaper changes, and how that work has reshaped his clinical focus on supporting neurodivergent parents. They get candid about running family businesses with their spouses, navigating communication, trust, and executive functioning in love and work. Justin and Paula also highlight a necessary conversation about alcohol and substance use in social work and the ADHD community, inviting listeners to reflect on their own coping habits and what “getting your $h!t together” really looks like...

In this episode, you will hear:
+ shifting practice direction
+ professional themes in ADHD care
+ parenthood and partnership
+ books and future work
+ insurance and business
+ well-being

Why Don’t We Talk About This? centers around the themes and experiences that people talk about in pockets or completely avoid. Things that may be controversial or uncomfortable but benefit our mental health and wellness to get off our chest. Themes that help us break the stigma, silence shame, and grow community. I speak with folks whose lived experiences and professions give way to a diverse knowledge of topics that we just aren't talking about...but should be! If you have a topic or want to collaborate, send a message so we can explore ways to connect.

Listen here ➡️ https://bit.ly/wdwtatpodcast and subscribe on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere you get podcasts!

09/08/2026

In this episode, Paula explores brain dumping, an accessible practice that helps us get thoughts, worries, ideas, and mental clutter out of our heads and create space in our brains. She identifies some daily root causes that contribute to our mental overload and ways that it impacts our mental health and wellness. Paula also provides examples of how societal and cultural contexts contribute to why things can pile up in our minds, as well as why conversations about using brain dumping as a tool aren't readily explored.

In this episode, you will hear:
+ mental overload and definition
+ why brain dumping can help
+ cultural context in real time
+ practice boundaries

Why Don’t We Talk About This? centers around the themes and experiences that people talk about in pockets or completely avoid. Things that may be controversial or uncomfortable but benefit our mental health and wellness to get off our chest. Themes that help us break the stigma, silence shame, and grow community. I speak with folks whose lived experiences and professions give way to a diverse knowledge of topics that we just aren't talking about...but should be! If you have a topic or want to collaborate, send a message so we can explore ways to connect.

Listen here ➡️ https://bit.ly/wdwtatpodcast and subscribe on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere you get podcasts!

09/03/2026

Check out our newest edition: Retreat Remix Revive Testimonials

Participants of our professional development retreat weekend for sc...