In today's episode, we sit down with Dr. Tahilia Rebello, neuroscientist, VP of mental health research and advocacy organization: One Mind, and Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Columbia University.

Tahilia shares her journey navigating mental health from not only a personal but also a community and global perspective.

We explore:

• How early-life experiences and the environments we grow up in shape the personal narratives we carry into adulthood

• How early-life experiences play a role in shaping our emotional blueprint and why early relational experiences matter so much for long-term mental health

• Why change, especially deep emotional change, can be challenging without the right support structures

• Tools to identify and "rewrite" the unhealthy stories we tell ourselves and design psychologically safe spaces in our lives

• Why urban planning, climate justice, and community are critical to mental health.

This conversation was incredibly powerful and a must-listen for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of how to best care for themselves, others, and our communities.

Enjoy.

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Chapters:

00:00 Start

04:04 How Early Life Shapes Our Core Narratives

13:57 Epigenetics: Inheriting Stories Biologically

18:48 A "Tourist" Identity

24:02 Digital Age & Narrative Formation

31:07 Challenging and Rewriting Our Stories

47:22 Psychological Safety: Key to Healthy Development

57:31 Systems Thinking: Mental Health Beyond the Individual

01:06:31 One Mind’s Ecosystem Approach

01:28:31 Cross-Cultural Insights

01:40:50 Hope and Future Vision

Derrick Washington—Atlanta-based kickboxing coach, trainer, and founder of 301 Fitness, shares how addiction, shame, and isolation eroded his body, relationships, and spirit—and most importantly, how fitness became a path back to himself.

We explore:

• The illusion of "fine" and why physical strength means nothing when we’re spiritually hollow, and how to recognize the disconnect

• How community, not willpower alone, is the antidote to hiding

• How to reclaim movement not for aesthetics, but as a dialogue between body, faith, and forgiveness

• The use of words as medicine and why intentional language rebuilds integrity from within

This episode is for anyone who has ever armored themselves with achievement, numbed pain with productivity, or felt like a stranger in their own skin.

Enjoy.

00:00:00 Start

00:01:26 Meet Derrick Washington

00:03:58 Fitness Origin Story

00:07:01 Spiritual Bankruptcy

00:13:23 Addiction & Rock Bottom

00:15:22 Rehab Revelation

00:19:26 Daughter's Diagnosis

00:25:51 Purpose Reborn

00:30:34 Atlanta Awakening

00:32:30 Coaching Through Empathy

00:45:01 The Non-Negotiable: Community

00:47:32 Words as Medicine

00:49:16 Fitness Misconceptions

00:51:18 Mind-Body Presence

01:01:04 Embracing Discomfort

01:02:50 Final Wisdom: You're Not Alone

Follow us: @insidecoffeebreak

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Derrick Washington has dedicated his life to making fitness more accessible and enjoyable for others. As the Lead Trainer at Roundhouse Kickboxing based in Atlanta, Georgia, he offers personalized coaching that includes tailored workout plans, nutritional guidance, and ongoing support to help people achieve their fitness goals.

Derrick empowers individuals to harness their inner strength and resilience through higher high energy workouts that combine strength training, cardio and martial arts techniques.

What happens when your body forces you to stop—after years of pushing, producing, and performing? In this episode, we sit down with Jaide Garcia, a multi-Emmy award-winning field producer for CNN, who shares what burnout really looks like when you are so deeply tied to your work.

We explore:

• How stress and unprocessed trauma manifest in the body

• The turning point that changed everything in Jaide’s career and life

• The false comfort of hustle culture and the fear of slowing down

• What it means to reclaim agency, joy, and alignment

• The journey of feeling again—after years of emotional numbness

• Redefining success and self-worth beyond performance

This episode is for anyone navigating burnout, questioning their career path, or feeling the slow unraveling of a life lived too fast for too long.

Enjoy.

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Follow us @insidecoffeebreak

Multi-Emmy Award winning field producer for CNN, with 10+ years of covering international and domestic breaking news. A fast-paced, solutions based journalist who is learning the hard way about the benefits of slowing down and living mindfully. Jaide is exploring the next chapter of her life with more openness and gratitude than ever before.