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We open with a simple image: sometimes you really do have to set things on fire. Not to destroy for fun, but to make room for a cleaner rebirth, the kind that doesn’t pretend the old “phoenix” left no ash behind. From there, we get practical fast, talking with Waldo, a clinician in southern New Mexico known for his trainings in EMDR and sand tray work, about what it actually means to help children heal inside the systems they live in.

We keep coming back to one uncomfortable question: why do we place the biggest burden of change on the most vulnerable person in the room? Kids rarely ask to start therapy, yet we often treat them like they volunteered, pushing goals and timelines that make adult life easier. We dig into child consent in therapy, how power and hierarchy show up in schools and families, and why expecting a child to “use words” for the worst thing that ever happened to them can become another form of pressure. Waldo also shares how he thinks about readiness in trauma treatment and what it looks like to advocate when a teen is not prepared for deeper processing.

Then we zoom into the “how.” Waldo breaks down his approach to dyadic therapy and attachment-based family play therapy: mixing joint sessions with parent-only sessions, focusing on adult triggers, and teaching skills through play rather than PowerPoints. We also widen the lens to systems theory in the real world, including clinician burnout, uneven access to training, and why agencies, licensing boards, and associations must be held accountable for lasting change for families.

If you’re a therapist, supervisor, or caregiver who’s tired of “fix the child” thinking, this conversation offers a different map. Subscribe, share this with someone who works with kids, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Contact Waldo at waldo@winbornwc.com

A Hero's Welcome Podcast © Maria Laquerre-Diego & Liliana Baylon

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If you’ve ever watched a room light up with phone screens the moment a slide gets good, you already know the problem we’re naming today. We’re Maria and Liliana, and we’re done pretending that screenshotting trainings, recording workshops, and passing around paid handouts is harmless. In a field that talks nonstop about ethics, consent, and respect, it’s wild how normalized “just grabbing the slide” has become.

We break down what listeners don’t always see: the unpaid labor behind a high-quality, evidence-based presentation, the hours of research and updates, and the extra layers required to teach responsibly through a multicultural lens. We also talk about why many conference speakers and continuing education presenters are underpaid or not paid at all, how the “pay your dues” mindset devalues expertise, and why boundaries aren’t rudeness, they’re professionalism. Along the way, we name the real-world risks when outdated training content gets copied and repeated, especially by people who never check new research or cite original sources.

We also get practical. We share better alternatives to taking photos of slides, including thoughtful handouts, note-taking that helps integration, and the simplest move of all: ask permission. We talk disability accommodations, the gender double standard around saying no, and how attendees can support speakers in ways that matter more than any screenshot.

If you care about ethical therapist training, intellectual property, evidence-based practice, and creating a healthier professional culture, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a colleague who leads trainings, and leave a review so more clinicians find the conversation.

A Hero's Welcome Podcast © Maria Laquerre-Diego & Liliana Baylon

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What if the heart of OCD isn’t just compulsion and control, but grief steady, daily, and often unnamed? We sit down with our returning guest, Bryn Murphy, a clinician who lives with OCD, to map the hidden losses that shape this diagnosis: time swallowed by rituals, spontaneity crushed by rigidity, identity tugged by relentless doubt, and relationships frayed by reassurance cycles. From there, we build a gentler, fuller way forward, one that pairs evidence-based therapy with grief literacy, community care, and practices that restore presence in the moments that matter most.

We talk candidly about how Western grief norms rush people back to “functioning” and how that pressure collides with the realities of OCD. You’ll hear why ERP and inference-based CBT remain essential and where they can miss the emotional core unless we add rituals of mourning, narrative reframes, and family involvement. We unpack egodystonic thoughts, shame, and the nervous system’s hijack, then offer simple prompts that help reclaim a minute, a conversation, or a sunset from OCD’s demands. Our guest also shares personal stories of loss, including parental death, and how openness, not secrecy, created space for healing and resilience.

This conversation challenges stigma and ableism by humanizing OCD and acknowledging its surprising gifts alongside very real pain: meticulous care that serves craft, deep empathy born from struggle, and hard-won capacity for presence. If you’ve ever wondered who you might have been without OCD or how to live more fully with it, you’ll find language, tools, and hope here. Listen, reflect, and share with someone who needs a gentler map. If this resonated, subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what loss are you finally ready to name?

Bryn Murphy @ www.blueravenfamilycounseling.com

A Hero's Welcome Podcast © Maria Laquerre-Diego & Liliana Baylon