What If Homelessness Isn’t a Choice—But a Trauma We Refuse to See?
What if the most dangerous myth about homelessness is that people choose it—or deserve it? In this powerful episode of the And Now Love podcast, Cynthia Marks (Holistic Psychoanalysis Foundation) speaks with Amy Turk, CEO of the Downtown Women’s Center, about women’s homelessness on Skid Row and how trauma-informed care, trust, and dignity create real change. Amy shares how the Downtown Women’s Center began in 1978 after its founder met Rosa, a woman left without support after mental health institutions were defunded, and how the organization grew from a day center into housing, health services, employment pathways, and advocacy. They discuss why women’s homelessness is rising (about 30% of the unhoused population; ~22,000 women in LA on any given night), the role of gender-based violence and chronic trauma, and why “real change happens at the pace of trust.” The conversation covers outreach strategies tailored to women’s safety, supportive housing that includes long-term clinical and medical support (with a 98% housing-retention rate), the social enterprise “Made by DWC,” and policy solutions like rent subsidies, prevention funding, and investing in affordable/public housing. Amy also explains funding challenges (about 60% government-funded and increasingly precarious), why cuts may increase homelessness, and how listeners can help through volunteering, donating from the DWC wishlist, and calling elected officials to support housing. Visit: downtownwomenscenter.org

Host: Cynthia Marks, creator/host of And Now Love.
Featured Guests: Amy Turk, Chief Executive Officer at Downtown Women's Center

Core ideas: biomarkers, epigenetics, pregnancy and trauma research

Episode length: 50:08

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Timestamps:
00:00 Radical Care Meets Deep Psychology (Cynthia’s Introduction)
01:59 How the Downtown Women’s Center Began: Rosa, Skid Row & a Daytime Sanctuary
04:47 What Women Need Most: Trauma, Violence, and the Rising Numbers
06:46 Change Happens at the Pace of Trust: Trauma-Informed Support in Action
11:11 Advocacy & Systems Change: Taking the Fight Upstream to DC
16:38 Supportive Housing That Works: Long-Term Care + Health & Mental Health Services
17:58 Work as Healing: The ‘Made by DWC’ Social Enterprise & Employment Pathways
20:44 ‘It’s Not What’s Wrong With You’: Trauma-Informed Care, Therapy Options & Women’s Safety
25:31 Street Outreach That Actually Connects: Building Trust, One Woman at a Time
38:37 A Day at DWC: Breakfast, Showers, Case Management, and Community Activities
40:24 When the Day Center Closes: The Hardest Part Is Nightfall
41:51 Permanent Housing & Campus Expansion: 119 Units, 500 Supported, +97 More
42:52 How Homelessness Accelerates Aging: Stress, Trauma, and Health Decline
44:27 Day Programs That Create Exits: Financial Literacy, Certifications, and Dignity
46:38 Keeping Families Together: Kids, Reunification, and the Housing Bottleneck
50:36 Funding Cuts & Rising Need: Why More People Will Be Turned Away
53:46 Policy Fixes That Work: Rent Subsidies, Prevention, and Basic Income
56:55 Why Supportive Housing Sticks: Relationships, Healthcare, and Advocacy
01:00:53 Love as Leadership: Trauma-Informed Culture and Hiring the Right People
01:03:29 How You Can Help: Volunteering, Smart Donations, and Calling Officials
01:06:32 Rewriting Trust & Identity After Homelessness: Healing, Breathwork, and Hope
01:09:23 Final Thanks & How to Find Downtown Women’s Center

Does our emotional history begin at birth, or is it written in the womb? Join Cynthia Marks as she sits down with world-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Tracy Bale to explore the profound "Mother’s Imprint." While psychoanalysis has long discussed the psychological blueprint formed by the mother, Dr. Bale provides the groundbreaking biological evidence: how the emotional and physical state of expectant parents can create epigenetic "tags" that shape their offspring—influencing everything from stress responses to predispositions for mental health disorders.This episode bridges the gap between psychoanalytic theories and hard science, offering a fascinating look at the biological narrative behind our emotional lives. Discover the critical role of biomarkers in diagnosing mental health and the "mind-blowing" science of how we carry the stories of those who came before us.0:00 — Intro: Did Your Story Start Before You?1:30 — Dr. Tracy Bale’s Work: Stress & Brain Development3:10 — Why Mental Health Is Rising (and What’s Missing)7:20 — “You Didn’t Start Here”: Development Begins Early11:20 — Stigma + Why Psychiatry Needs Biomarkers13:40 — What Biomarkers Could Look Like (Blood Signals)19:10 — Timing Matters: When Trauma Hits Changes Outcomes26:00 — The “Mismatch” Problem: Womb vs World35:00 — Misdiagnosis & Navigating Mental Health Care45:40 — Genes vs Environment: How Risk Builds52:10 — Sex Differences: Placenta, Biology, Vulnerability1:14:40 — The Women’s Health Research Gap (and Why It Matters)

In this essential episode of And Now Love, Cynthia Marks speaks with Kelly O’Connor, Executive Director of Maternal Mental Health Now, about the reality—and treatability—of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Kelly shares her own early postpartum experience, from feeling disconnected and overwhelmed to the crushing pressure of breastfeeding expectations that left her feeling like she was “failing.” Together they unpack why this isn’t rare: perinatal depression and anxiety affect a significant portion of new parents, yet shame and silence keep many from getting help. Kelly explains common risk factors, and also why even “perfect on paper” support systems don’t guarantee protection. They discuss why the medical system often screens but can’t refer, and how cultural stigma and fear of child welfare involvement can prevent Black and Brown families from speaking up. Kelly outlines how Maternal Mental Health Now is changing the system through provider trainings, free online courses, and peer support programs like Sana Sana, including specialized groups for queer parents and Black NICU moms. The episode ends with a hopeful reframe: the goal isn’t perfection—it’s being a good enough parent, supported by community, education, and love.

00:00 — What This Org Is

05:20 — Kelly’s Story

10:40 — PMADs Basics

16:00 — The Referral Gap

21:20 — Culture & Fear

26:40 — Child Welfare Shift

32:00 — Peer Support Programs

37:20 — Good Enough + Resources (Closing)

In this episode, Cynthia Marks is joined again by Dr. Loren Weiner to explore idealization—the unconscious tendency to see people, institutions, and even leaders as far more perfect than they are. Loren explains that idealization is normal early in life because a baby must experience caregivers as “good enough” to feel safe, but it becomes a problem when we can’t tolerate truth, nuance, or ambivalence. Through Dr. Bernard Bail’s imprint theory, they describe how an infant takes in a mother’s unprocessed material and then wrongly concludes, “I caused it,” which fuels guilt and keeps parents on a pedestal. The conversation shows how idealization spreads beyond family into teachers, celebrities, partners, bosses, and political leaders—and how its flip side, devaluation, creates black-and-white thinking. Cynthia shares how she idealized her parents for decades and how dreamwork helped her open the door to reality without her world collapsing. Loren illustrates the pattern through vivid dream examples—rockstar parents in a limo, a missing phone, and being “too stoned” to feel—revealing how we stay disconnected from ourselves to keep the illusion intact. The takeaway is empowering: when you learn to read your dreams, you gain the flexibility to see the full picture and make healthier choices in love and life.

00:00 — What Idealization Is

06:40 — Making Mom Perfect

13:20 — The Imprint & Guilt

19:55 — Putting It on Everyone

27:05 — Devaluation & Black/White

34:05 — The Limo Dream

40:55 — Missing Phone / Being Stoned

48:55 — Don’t Change (Closing)

In this episode of And Now Love, Cynthia Marks welcomes Rebecca Binny, Vice President of Casa de Los Angelitos, a nonprofit maternity home supporting pregnant women in crisis since 1986. Rebecca explains how Casa began as a community-funded, five-bedroom home and why the need is immediate—many pregnant women facing homelessness, substance use, domestic violence, or trafficking have nowhere safe to go. They talk about what truly helps traumatized mothers in a short window of time: not “fixing” them, but creating a safe, dignified environment where community, mentorship, and consistent care can begin to soften the guardedness. Rebecca shares how Casa supports moms through pregnancy and the first months postpartum, including therapy requirements, sobriety expectations, and practical help like transportation, car seats, and newborn support. A powerful section explores reunification with children impacted by foster care and the deep pain of separation—along with the hope that long-term mentoring can bring families back together. The conversation widens into a bigger cultural message: women deserve respect, education, childcare support, and the confidence to advocate for themselves. They close by connecting empowerment to inner life—how slowing down, listening inward, and even beginning to notice dreams can help people reclaim their authentic selves.

00:00 — Casa Begins

07:15 — Who They Help

14:30 — Safety First

21:45 — Supporting Birth

29:00 — Reunification

36:15 — Empowering Women

43:30 — Finding Your Voice

50:45 — Dreams + Closing

In this moving episode of And Now Love, Cynthia Marks sits down with Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, to explore what healing looks like when a community chooses tenderness over judgment. Father Greg shares how Homeboy began at Dolores Mission in the middle of eight warring gangs—and how burying young people pushed him to build jobs, training, and a “movement” rooted in kinship. He explains why people arrive “barricaded behind a wall of shame,” and why the only thing that scales that wall is tenderness—a place to feel safe, seen, and cherished. The conversation reframes “bad behavior” as a language that points to the “thorn underneath,” inviting curiosity instead of condemnation. They discuss mental health as the defining health issue of our time, and why society should make health assessments—not moral judgments—about violence and hatred. Father Greg describes “clear love” (not tough love), and how Homeboy sets boundaries while staying connected and compassionate. The episode closes with a bold invitation: build compelling communities where there is “no daylight” between us—because none of us are well until all of us are well.

00:00 — Origins of Homeboy + “cherished” as the secret sauce

08:35 — Shame, tenderness, and why love needs “new language”

17:10 — “Find the thorn underneath”: trauma-informed curiosity

25:45 — Mental health, meds, and “it’s about health—not hate”

34:20 — Clear love: boundaries, rehab, and the “no-fly list”

42:55 — Gangs vs. gang members: hope, community, and tattoo removal

51:30 — Unconditional vs. conditional love + Homeboy’s turning point

1:00:00 — Conclusion: demonizing, healing models, and Hope Village

In this candid and deeply human conversation, Cynthia Marks sits down with Mädchen Amick—actress, director, writer, and co-founder of the inclusive mental health foundation Don’t Mind Me—to talk about what happens when a family is forced to navigate a system that doesn’t work. Mädchen shares how her son Sylvester’s first major episode in college thrust their family into emergency rooms, misdiagnoses, and a long search for truly qualified mental health care. She explains why mental illness remains so stigmatized, and how education helped her separate “my son talking” from “his disorder talking,” shifting the entire family dynamic. Together they explore the staggering lack of access, the predatory cost of treatment, and why the brain needs real time to heal—more like recovery from a heart attack than a quick fix. Mädchen describes Don’t Mind Me’s mission: vetted resources, scholarships for treatment, and an ambitious brick-and-mortar “holistic campus” that bridges the gap between crisis stabilization and long-term recovery. She offers practical guidance for families—stay loving, stay present, and don’t confuse fear with leadership. The episode closes with a message of collective responsibility: mental health is not “them and us”—it’s all of us, together.

00:00 — What “Don’t Mind Me” Means + Why Stigma Persists

07:10 — The Broken System

14:20 — The Cost of Care: Insurance Gaps and “$100k a Month” Quotes

21:30 — Crisis Stabilization vs Residential Treatment

28:40 — Sylvester’s Diagnosis Journey

35:50 — Psychiatry on Staff, Tracks, and Long-Term Care

43:00 — How Families Can Help

50:10 — Genetics, “Superpower,” Community, and Support

In this thoughtful return episode, Cynthia Marks welcomes Dr. Tom Paris, a retired psychotherapist whose practice centered on dreamwork and the teachings of Dr. Bernard Bail. Together they explore “the masculine” through the lens of the mother’s imprint—the emotional and unconscious material a fetus absorbs while “marinating” in a mother’s inner life. Tom explains how the imprint becomes a lifelong survival strategy: we learn early to monitor and manage the mother’s emotional state, often at the expense of knowing who we truly are. From there, the conversation expands into power, privilege, and why gender inequality persists—sometimes reinforced by both men and women through culture, fear, and the comfort of the status quo. Cynthia and Tom discuss father involvement in pregnancy, how men can be supported to develop emotional fluency, and why mothers also need permission to raise sensitive boys. They connect personal change to cultural change: progress often comes in small steps, with backlash, and requires courage. The episode ends with a hopeful invitation—use your dreams to know yourself, clear the “trash,” and build a world where men and women share equal space.

00:00 — What the Imprint Is

06:10 — Babies, Survival, and Losing the Self

12:15 — Why Men Don’t Engage in Pregnancy (and Why It Matters)

18:20 — Power, Privilege, and the “Less-Than” Training

24:30 — Culture Change: Steps Forward, Backlash, Repeat

30:40 — Idealizing Parents, Repeating Patterns in Love

36:50 — Feelings, Empathy, and Raising Boys Differently

43:10 — What Equality Could Look Like + Closing Invitation