Click to text me what you got out of this episode.

We've all been there—that awkward moment in the break room when you pretend to check your phone rather than make small talk with a coworker. Those seemingly trivial exchanges actually tap into something much deeper: our fundamental human need for connection and our equally powerful fear of rejection.

Small talk isn't actually small at all. What feels like casual conversation is actually our brain navigating complex social territory. When your amygdala senses uncertainty in social situations, it can trigger the same fight-flight-freeze response that protected our ancestors from physical threats. That's why asking "How was your weekend?" can suddenly feel as daunting as public speaking without a script. Add in your personal history of social interactions, and it's no wonder small talk feels like a skill everyone else mastered while you were absent that day.

The good news? You can transform these moments of anxiety into opportunities for genuine connection. By simply naming your inner critic ("There's my 'don't say anything dumb' voice again"), you create space between yourself and your fear. This shift from self-consciousness to other-consciousness changes everything. Suddenly, small talk isn't about performing—it's about curiosity. And in professional settings, these casual exchanges serve as the foundation for trust, career growth, and belonging. Those hallway conversations aren't just pleasantries; they're how people start to see you beyond your resume.

Ready to strengthen your small talk muscle? Try talking to one stranger daily, focus on follow-up questions rather than clever openings, avoid conversation-killing yes/no questions, keep reliable conversation starters ready, and practice in familiar environments. Remember—connection isn't built through perfection; it's built through willingness. So next time you're tempted to fake a phone call in the elevator, maybe just look up and say hi instead. Your future connections will thank you.

About Danny Clark
Danny Clark is a licensed clinical social worker and family therapist based in Houston, Texas. As the founder of Texas Insight Center, he specializes in helping individuals, couples, and families navigate mental health challenges with practical, evidence-based approaches.

💡 Is therapy right for you? Let’s talk. If you’re struggling with stress or emotional regulation or just want to explore healthier coping strategies, reach out for a consultation. Visit www.texasinsightcenter.com to learn more and schedule a session.

📩 Have a question or topic suggestion? Send it to danny@texasinsightcenter.com

You can also follow me on Instagram @texasinsightcenter or visit my webpage at texasinsightcenter.com

Join the conversation! Share your key takeaways using #MentalHealthPotluck or tag me on social media.

Click to text me what you got out of this episode.

Welcome to Mental Health Potluck—a podcast hosted by licensed clinical social worker Danny Clark. This show serves up bite-sized insights, real conversations, and evidence-based strategies to help you better understand yourself, your relationships, and your mental wellness. Whether you're a fellow clinician, a curious learner, or someone just trying to make sense of the chaos, there’s a seat at the table for you.

Subscribe and join me wherever you get your podcasts—and bring your appetite for growth.

About Danny Clark
Danny Clark is a licensed clinical social worker and family therapist based in Houston, Texas. As the founder of Texas Insight Center, he specializes in helping individuals, couples, and families navigate mental health challenges with practical, evidence-based approaches.

💡 Is therapy right for you? Let’s talk. If you’re struggling with stress or emotional regulation or just want to explore healthier coping strategies, reach out for a consultation. Visit www.texasinsightcenter.com to learn more and schedule a session.

📩 Have a question or topic suggestion? Send it to danny@texasinsightcenter.com

You can also follow me on Instagram @texasinsightcenter or visit my webpage at texasinsightcenter.com

Join the conversation! Share your key takeaways using #MentalHealthPotluck or tag me on social media.

Click to text me what you got out of this episode.

🎮 Are Video Games Bad for Mental Health? The Surprising Science Behind Gaming & Wellness

🎙️ Episode Summary:
Are video games really harmful, or can they actually help with stress, aggression, and building community? In this episode of Mental Health Potluck, we explore the science behind gaming and mental wellness, bust common myths, and uncover how gaming, when done right, can be a powerful tool for emotional regulation.

🔑 Key Takeaways:
✔️ Do violent video games really cause aggression? (Hint: The science says no!)
✔️ How gaming can act as a cathartic outlet for emotions.
✔️ The role of gaming in stress relief and problem-solving.
✔️ How online gaming builds community and resilience—and when it becomes unhealthy.

⏱ Timestamps & Topics:
0:08 – Are video games bad for us? Breaking down the myths.
0:28 – How research debunks the link between violent games and real-world aggression.
1:29 – The catharsis effect: How gaming helps with emotional regulation.
2:05 – Gaming as a stress reduction tool—and when it can become avoidance.
3:18 – The community aspect of gaming and its role in building resilience.
5:15 – When gaming becomes unhealthy: Signs to watch for.
6:00 – The therapist’s role in understanding gaming’s impact on mental health.

If gaming is your way of unwinding, play on! Just make sure it’s working for you, not against you. 🎮✨

How this would apply to therapy: Reality Therapy & Healthy Emotional Outlets
At Texas Insighto Center in Houston, Texas, we understand that everyone needs healthy ways to manage emotions—whether it’s through journaling, meditation, or even gaming. In Reality Therapy, we help clients assess their behaviors, determine what’s working, and make choices that support emotional well-being. If gaming helps you decompress, it can be part of your self-care strategy—but balance is key.

About Danny Clark
Danny Clark is a licensed clinical social worker and family therapist based in Houston, Texas. As the founder of Texas Insight Center, he specializes in helping individuals, couples, and families navigate mental health challenges with practical, evidence-based approaches.

💡 Is therapy right for you? Let’s talk. If you’re struggling with stress or emotional regulation or just want to explore healthier coping strategies, reach out for a consultation. Visit www.texasinsightcenter.com to learn more and schedule a session.

📩 Have a question or topic suggestion? Send it to danny@texasinsightcenter.com

You can also follow me on Instagram @texasinsightcenter or visit my webpage at texasinsightcenter.com

Join the conversation! Share your key takeaways using #MentalHealthPotluck or tag me on social media.

Click to text me what you got out of this episode.

Remember scribbling down those impossibly long Nintendo 64 save codes? Turns out, there are similar shortcuts for navigating the game of life—psychological "cheat codes" that can transform how we handle stress, relationships, and personal growth.

Licensed clinical social worker Danny Clark unpacks 15 powerful mental strategies drawn from therapy, personal experience, and psychological research. These aren't quick fixes but fundamental mindset shifts that create lasting change. From the counterintuitive power of speaking less to the neurological benefits of quality sleep, each code offers a practical approach to common challenges.

Clark explains why discipline consistently beats motivation, how confidence is built rather than inherited, and why no one is watching you as closely as you believe. He demystifies resilience as simply showing up on tough days and reframes "no" as a complete sentence that reinforces healthy boundaries. Perhaps most powerfully, he reveals why staying calm during conflict gives you the upper hand and how unhealed wounds inevitably leak into our relationships.

These mental shortcuts work because they align with how our brains naturally function. The spotlight effect explains why we overestimate others' judgment. The parasympathetic nervous system activates when we remain calm under pressure. Neural pathways strengthen through tiny, consistent habits. By understanding these psychological mechanisms, we gain access to strategies that feel like "cheats" but are actually evidence-based approaches to better mental health.

Ready to level up your life? Try implementing just one of these cheat codes this week. The beauty is you don't need to master them all—even small shifts can unlock new possibilities. Share what works with someone else, because as Clark reminds us, that's what living is all about: passing along the wisdom we've earned through our own struggles and growth.

About Danny Clark
Danny Clark is a licensed clinical social worker and family therapist based in Houston, Texas. As the founder of Texas Insight Center, he specializes in helping individuals, couples, and families navigate mental health challenges with practical, evidence-based approaches.

💡 Is therapy right for you? Let’s talk. If you’re struggling with stress or emotional regulation or just want to explore healthier coping strategies, reach out for a consultation. Visit www.texasinsightcenter.com to learn more and schedule a session.

📩 Have a question or topic suggestion? Send it to danny@texasinsightcenter.com

You can also follow me on Instagram @texasinsightcenter or visit my webpage at texasinsightcenter.com

Join the conversation! Share your key takeaways using #MentalHealthPotluck or tag me on social media.

Click to text me what you got out of this episode.

Picture this: Someone's struggling with IKEA furniture, about to install the back panel upside down. Do you jump in to fix it or let them learn through failure? That split-second decision reveals the essence of your leadership philosophy.

Leadership styles aren't random – they're deeply influenced by our own histories. Some of us become "fixers" who proactively correct problems, stepping in before mistakes happen. We may have been over-parented by well-meaning adults who rescued us from every challenge, teaching us that mistakes are dangerous and need immediate correction. Or perhaps we were under-supported, forced to become hyper-responsible because no one else would help.

The alternative approach is the "facilitator" leadership style. Facilitators create space for growth, even when it means allowing people to stumble. They understand that true learning often requires struggle and reflection. By resisting the urge to rescue, facilitators build environments where people develop genuine confidence and problem-solving abilities.

This isn't just about management strategies – it's about psychology. Theory X and Theory Y perspectives, locus of control, and self-determination theory all help explain why some leaders foster independence while others create dependency. When we constantly fix problems for others, we inadvertently communicate that they lack competence. But when we facilitate learning, we nurture autonomy and internal motivation.

Ready to evolve your leadership approach? This week, challenge yourself to let someone assemble that IKEA shelf their way. Create space for them to struggle, reflect, and ultimately grow. True leadership isn't about being the smartest person with all the answers – it's about knowing when your silence is more valuable than your solution. Your restraint might be exactly what someone needs to discover their own capability.

About Danny Clark
Danny Clark is a licensed clinical social worker and family therapist based in Houston, Texas. As the founder of Texas Insight Center, he specializes in helping individuals, couples, and families navigate mental health challenges with practical, evidence-based approaches.

💡 Is therapy right for you? Let’s talk. If you’re struggling with stress or emotional regulation or just want to explore healthier coping strategies, reach out for a consultation. Visit www.texasinsightcenter.com to learn more and schedule a session.

📩 Have a question or topic suggestion? Send it to danny@texasinsightcenter.com

You can also follow me on Instagram @texasinsightcenter or visit my webpage at texasinsightcenter.com

Join the conversation! Share your key takeaways using #MentalHealthPotluck or tag me on social media.

The mysterious one-sided bond between followers and online personalities has a name: parasocial relationships. These connections feel intensely real, making us defend celebrities like Taylor Swift as if they're our actual friends, even though they have no idea we exist.

Parasocial relationships aren't new—psychologists first identified them in 1956 when television viewers formed attachments to TV personalities. But social media has supercharged these dynamics to unprecedented levels. When an influencer looks directly into the camera, our brains don't register this as mass communication; instead, it processes the moment as a personal interaction, creating a powerful illusion of friendship.

This phenomenon affects both sides of the screen. For content creators, maintaining an online persona while balancing different audience expectations creates what experts call "context collapse"—a psychological tug-of-war between their authentic self and the version followers expect. This pressure can lead to identity confusion, anxiety, and burnout. Meanwhile, followers who constantly consume carefully curated content may develop unrealistic expectations, lower self-esteem, and diminished satisfaction with their own lives.

The ASAP method offers a practical framework for maintaining mental health in this digital landscape: Awareness of how content affects you, Setting boundaries around social media use, Asking for help when needed, and Prioritizing self-care. Whether you're creating content or consuming it, this approach helps ensure that digital connections enhance your life without replacing real-world relationships. After all, true connection happens beyond the screen, where algorithms don't dictate our worth and validation comes from authentic human interaction rather than metrics.

About Danny Clark
Danny Clark is a licensed clinical social worker and family therapist based in Houston, Texas. As the founder of Texas Insight Center, he specializes in helping individuals, couples, and families navigate mental health challenges with practical, evidence-based approaches.

💡 Is therapy right for you? Let’s talk. If you’re struggling with stress or emotional regulation or just want to explore healthier coping strategies, reach out for a consultation. Visit www.texasinsightcenter.com to learn more and schedule a session.

📩 Have a question or topic suggestion? Send it to danny@texasinsightcenter.com

You can also follow me on Instagram @texasinsightcenter or visit my webpage at texasinsightcenter.com

Join the conversation! Share your key takeaways using #MentalHealthPotluck or tag me on social media.

Click to text me what you got out of this episode.

Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm setting a boundary," but it feels more like they're avoiding a hard conversation? Or maybe you've seen the word "trauma" used to describe everything from a bad breakup to a stressful day at work? Therapy language has made its way into everyday conversation, but are we always using it correctly? In this episode, we break down how therapy speak—words meant to help us heal—can sometimes keep us stuck.

We'll explore the four biggest ways therapy language gets misused and what that actually means for your mental health. Plus, we'll dig into how real therapy should challenge you—not just comfort you—and why growth doesn’t happen in an echo chamber of self-validation.

Guest Information

• Guest Name: Reverend Geneece Goertzen
• Bio: Rev. Geneece Goertzen is a national expert on domestic violence, researcher, and author. She provides critical insights into gaslighting and manipulation in abusive relationships and has published books to help people identify red flags.
• Links:
  • Taking It Seriously: A Faith Leader's Guide to Domestic Violence
  • Never Ever After: A Guide to Recognizing Red Flags

Episode Outline

1. The Rise of Therapy Speak

• How psychological terms have entered everyday conversation through social media.
• The pros and cons of using therapy language in casual discussions.

2. Four Common Misuses of Therapy Speak

• Boundaries: When setting a boundary is actually avoiding accountability.
• Trauma: The difference between real trauma and difficult life experiences.
• Toxic Relationships: When normal conflict gets mislabeled as dysfunction.
• Gaslighting: What it actually means (and what it doesn’t).

3. Social Media’s Role in Misinformation

• A study found that 85% of mental health advice on TikTok is misleading, and nearly 75% of trauma-related content is inaccurate.
• How therapists are navigating these challenges in sessions.

4. Therapy Language in the Therapy Room

• How words like "trauma" and "boundaries" function in actual therapy.
• Why therapists ask deeper questions instead of taking labels at face value.

5. Moving Forward: Using Therapy Language for Growth

• Tips for avoiding mislabeling experiences and fostering real self-awareness.
• How to use these terms as conversation starters, not conversation enders.

Host Name: Danny Clark

About Danny Clark
Danny Clark is a licensed clinical social worker and family therapist based in Houston, Texas. As the founder of Texas Insight Center, he specializes in helping individuals, couples, and families navigate mental health challenges with practical, evidence-based approaches.

💡 Is therapy right for you? Let’s talk. If you’re struggling with stress or emotional regulation or just want to explore healthier coping strategies, reach out for a consultation. Visit www.texasinsightcenter.com to learn more and schedule a session.

📩 Have a question or topic suggestion? Send it to danny@texasinsightcenter.com

You can also follow me on Instagram @texasinsightcenter or visit my webpage at texasinsightcenter.com

Join the conversation! Share your key takeaways using #MentalHealthPotluck or tag me on social media.

Click to text me what you got out of this episode.

Why We Can’t Look Away: Social Media, Outrage, and Your Brain

Have you ever opened your phone for a quick check-in, only to find yourself deep in an internet-fueled existential crisis? Why does our brain fixate on negativity, and why do social media platforms exploit this? In this episode of Mental Health Potluck, Danny Clark breaks down how social media platforms profit from outrage, why our brains are wired to fixate on bad news, and—most importantly—how to break the cycle before it hijacks your mental health.

We’ll explore the science behind negativity bias, the tactics tech companies use to keep us emotionally invested, and practical strategies to reclaim your attention and peace of mind.

Episode Outline

1. Why Our Brains Fixate on Chaos (2:12)

• The psychology behind negativity bias
• How evolution wired us to pay attention to bad news
• Studies proving that negative news spreads faster than positive news

2. The Outrage Economy & How Social Media Exploits It (5:32)

• How social media algorithms prioritize outrage for engagement
• The business model behind keeping users emotionally on edge
• How platforms personalize negativity to keep you hooked

3. The Mental Health Cost of Doomscrolling (9:21)

• Research on how negative content increases stress, anxiety, and depression
• How your brain absorbs negativity and shifts your worldview
• The cycle of outrage addiction and the dopamine reward loop

4. Five Ways to Break Free from the Outrage Loop (12:24)

• Recognize when you’re in the outrage cycle – Pause before engaging with negative content
• Use the three-day rule – Wait before reacting to emotional news
• Curate your information diet – Choose content that informs rather than enrages
• The 3-to-1 positivity rule – Balance negative exposure with positive inputs
• Digital detox strategies that actually work – Realistic ways to limit harmful social media habits

Host & Show Info

• Host Name: Danny Clark
• About the Host: Danny Clark is a licensed clinical social worker and family therapist in private practice at the Texas Insight Center. He takes a no-nonsense approach to mental health and mental wellness while integrating the latest evidence-based research.
• Podcast Website: TexasInsightCenter.com

Community & Calls to Action

• Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts – Your support helps others find the show!

About Danny Clark
Danny Clark is a licensed clinical social worker and family therapist based in Houston, Texas. As the founder of Texas Insight Center, he specializes in helping individuals, couples, and families navigate mental health challenges with practical, evidence-based approaches.

💡 Is therapy right for you? Let’s talk. If you’re struggling with stress or emotional regulation or just want to explore healthier coping strategies, reach out for a consultation. Visit www.texasinsightcenter.com to learn more and schedule a session.

📩 Have a question or topic suggestion? Send it to danny@texasinsightcenter.com

You can also follow me on Instagram @texasinsightcenter or visit my webpage at texasinsightcenter.com

Join the conversation! Share your key takeaways using #MentalHealthPotluck or tag me on social media.