In this episode, Miranda sits down with Kathy Flamino, founder and CEO of Move Mindfully, and Chrissy Mignogna, their lead trainer and director of education. We dive into what it really looks like to integrate trauma-responsive, body-based practices into everyday spaces—therapy sessions, classrooms, hospitals, and even juvenile justice settings.
Kathy and Chrissy are all about making these tools accessible and practical for the people who need them most. Whether you're a therapist, educator, or just someone trying to bring more regulation and grounding into your life (or your kid’s life), this episode is packed with ideas you can actually use.
We talk about:
Meeting people where they’re at, especially in crisis
Why movement matters in mental health care
How to introduce mind-body work to folks who are skeptical or shut down
Tools that work for kids, teens, and even stressed-out college students
Tips for therapists (because let’s be honest—we need regulation tools too)
They also share some really powerful takeaways from their new book, I Am Safe, and walk through examples of portable, classroom-friendly coping strategies.
If you’re curious about how to weave the mind-body connection into the work you already do—or if you're looking for new ways to support regulation and safety—this one’s worth a listen.
The Therapist Thrival Guide is a podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of thriving by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, LICSW and a rotating cast of seasoned therapists. Each episode features a therapist speaking to their areas of expertise to help us learn how to thrive as therapists.
Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for over three years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Director of Content and Production at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.
The Therapist Thrival Guide is one of many creative productions from Ellie Mental Health. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy