November 27, 2025 • 41 mins
In this episode of Deeply Well, Devi welcomes Nina Westbrook, a licensed marriage and family therapist, entrepreneur, and mental health advocate. They discuss the importance of nurturing our inner worlds while actively engaging in our outer lives, covering aspects like relationships, work, and self-identity. Nina shares her journey, experiences, and the creation of her new emotional wellness app, Nebbi, designed to help users check in with their feelings and take small steps to improve mental well-being. Lastly, they also touch on the significance of presence, intentionality, and setting clear boundaries for personal peace and fulfillment.
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Connect with Nina:
Nina’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninawestbrook/?hl=en
Do Tell Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dotellpodcast/?hl=en
Nebbi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenebbiway/?hl=en
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Connect with Devi:
Website: https://devibrownwellbeing.com/
Living In Wisdom Book: https://www.devibrown.com/book
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devibrown/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deeplywellpod/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Holds it.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Now, release slowly again, deep in, helle.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
Hold release, repeating internally to yourself as you connect to
my voice. I am deeply well. I am deeply well.
(01:22):
I am deeply I'm Debbie Brown and this is the
Deeply Well Podcast. Welcome to Deeply Well, a soft place
to land on your journey.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
A podcast for those that are curious.
Speaker 5 (01:45):
Creative, and ready to expand in higher consciousness and self care.
This is where we heal, this is where we transcend.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Today.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
Welcome back, y'all. Of course, I'm DeBie Brown. Thank you
as all, so grateful to have you here.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Today.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
We're going to be diving into a conversation about what
it really means to nurture our inner.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Worlds while showing up fully in our outer ones.
Speaker 5 (02:12):
My God, that means in our relationships, it means in
our work, and it means in our overall sense of self,
that cloak that we wear every day and walk into
every single room with. So I am so excited to
bring a special guest onto the show today. Today we
are joined by Nina Westbrook as a licensed marriage and
(02:34):
family therapist, entrepreneur, and advocate Nina is deeply passionate about
erasing the stigma around mental health. She's been featured in
The New York Times, Goop, Oprah, Daily, b Et Essence,
Marie Claire, and Shape, and has shared her expertise on TED,
The Jennifer Hudson Show, and The tamer and Hall Show.
(02:56):
Beyond her clinical work, Nina creates opportunities for connection and reflection.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
She's the creator of the.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
Do Tel Conversation card game, designed to spark meaningful discussions
on relationships, intimacy, and self awareness. She also hosts the
Dotail Relationship podcast, which I can't wait to be on,
and the Vine Moments of Mindfulness podcast, where she offers
evidence based insights on cultivating happiness, personal growth, and deeper
(03:26):
human connections. She serves on the advisory board of the
Russell Westbrook Why Not Foundation, and most recently became a
member of the UCLA Resnik Neuropsychiatric Hospital Board. Nina is
also the co founder of Nebbi, a new emotional wellness
app that's designed to help people check in with how
they feel and take small science backsteps towards feeling better,
(03:51):
one mindful moment at a time. In addition to her
professional endeavors. Nina as a dedicated wife and a mother
of three, balance and her commitment to family with her
mission to support others in their wellness journeys. Nina, welcome
to Deeply Well.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Thank you for having me. I'm so excited.
Speaker 6 (04:12):
You made that long bio sounds so like relaxing.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
I don't know how you did that.
Speaker 6 (04:18):
It just it was like so much chaos, and you
made it sound really smooth and relaxing.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
So how does it feel to have your life kind
of spoken back to you?
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
I don't love it.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
I don't love it at all.
Speaker 6 (04:31):
And every single time this happens to me, I contemplate
what I'm doing, Like, am I.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Should I be doing all of this? Or should I
like take some things off my plate. It's really interesting.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
It's a really interesting experience. I'm not used to people
talking about me.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
Yeah yeah, because I think in hearing that too, and
at least speaking to yours, the multi hyphenated, fast faceted
nature of your life, I think, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 6 (05:05):
I tend to get really interested in something, and because
I want to always do well and I always want
to make sure I'm putting my best foot forward, I
tend to learn a lot and in the process, and
once I get really into it and I feel like
I'm doing pretty well at it, then I will like
(05:27):
fully it just I become it.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
I love that. I love women like that.
Speaker 5 (05:33):
I love just like Yeah, being really present in your
brain and your body, I think is like such a
It makes life really fascinating no matter what's happening.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yes, it does.
Speaker 6 (05:47):
And I think it's a skill and it's learned over
time and through lots of different experiences.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
So in this season of your life, well beyond like
all the facets, the titles, the role therapist founder, and
we're going to get to the amazing app that you
just launched and what it really took to get that
in the world.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Also, mother of three, three children under ten.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Who is.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Nina? And how would you describe where you are.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
In your journey as a human being as a mother
right now?
Speaker 6 (06:24):
I mean, that's a really great question. I don't feel
like anyone's asked me that in a long time. I
feel like I'm just I'm a new version of myself,
which tends to happen frequently as I kind of go
through these different journeys in my life and I feel
like I'm someone.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Who's just disarmed.
Speaker 6 (06:44):
Honestly, I feel so disarmed, And for me, that's really
big because I've spent so much time sort of building
and working and being alert to figure out how to
navigate so many different things. We spoke a little bit
(07:06):
about this off camera, but this idea of living so
many different lives.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
I feel like my life.
Speaker 6 (07:12):
Has kind of been lived in overdrive and so constantly
having to adapt and be flexible and change and pivot
has made things quite chaotic for me for a.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Lot of time.
Speaker 6 (07:26):
And now I kind of just feel like I'm so
disarmed and I'm just so open and really focus on
connection right now in my life.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
What does connection look like for you?
Speaker 5 (07:39):
And what are you Yeah, what does that mean for you?
And what are you craving in that?
Speaker 6 (07:45):
I mean, I just for me, connection means just putting
at the forefront the things that are most important to me.
That means, you know, family, community, faith, and my work, myself,
my body, just being more in tuned with what's going
(08:07):
on around me, like kind of taking a step back
to kind of look at life from a bird's eye
view and then like plug in where I want to
and just be present. I feel like that is the
thing that's really driving me right now, and it's it's
really good because it feels it feels good to be
(08:28):
present and to just be here.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
Yeah, yeah, it's so it's so interesting as someone that
also kind of feels very relating to what you're describing.
It's so interesting, like when you really take off that
kind of hat of societal expectation or you know, what's
(08:53):
what's called everyone by social scientists is like your culturally
created self, the version of you that is completely utterly,
totally influenced by your environment, by your family system, and
whatever zeitgeist of the time. When you really realize that
that is not something that you have to plug into,
(09:15):
because that alone feels revolutionary and counterintuitive, right because it's
like what everyone else is doing and whateveryone expects of you.
But when you realize, like that is actually my choice
to participate with it or not, it's mind blowing. Like
the freedom you find, it's mind blowing. The space you
find in your body, in your life, in your mind.
Speaker 6 (09:38):
It is and I think that it's the most beautiful
thing that we can all have. It's just this sense
of control over our own lives and the choices.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
It's such a luxury.
Speaker 6 (09:50):
And I think that we can be pulled in so
many different directions. There's so much going on constantly, and
you can kind of choose to remain very connected to
that part of yourself and your environment, or you can
choose to focus your energy and your life and your
time into the things that not only fulfill you, but
(10:12):
fulfill the community and reshape the community that you live within,
so that those those instances of change and those little
touch points that you create will come back to you
because you're building in the space that you're in. And
I think we don't do that enough. And you know,
(10:32):
there's been so much disconnectivity, and I feel like creating
spaces where we can really reach out to other people
and find ways to have small, simple impacts that are
positive and helpful and spreading kindness. And these are really little,
(10:54):
tiny things that we could be doing that make a
that go a really long way and our little ripples
of communities. And I think that's that's just what I'm
focused on. Even in my work, I've always tried to
find a way to take my work and create something
that is going to also have positive impact outside of
(11:21):
just you know, working for the sake of working, having
a career for the sake of having a good career.
I've always wanted to kind of live in my purpose
and make sure I'm giving back the thing that I
want to receive, which is just love and support from
the people around me.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Yeah, just a refreshing.
Speaker 5 (11:44):
And also like hearing you say that, because I think
I think it's important for kind of those of us
that have found presence to speak in such like a
nuanced way.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
About it and.
Speaker 5 (12:00):
The way you walk the road, because that's the part
that I think has such freedom, you know, that's the
part that a lot of people that are maybe in
a place where they're longing for that or trying to
access it don't understand. And what else matters? Right, Like
(12:24):
what else matters more than that? Like what I think
about that all the time, Like what it doesn't so
much does not matter, but the things that do, like integrity, dignity, kindness,
like doing what you can with what you have. But
much like what you just said, like plugging into what
(12:47):
would be considered the smaller moments but are actually the
biggest moments. Is like some of that one on one
connection helping where you can in your ecosystem and environment.
It's just sacred and so important.
Speaker 6 (13:01):
It's something that I've learned is not then I don't
I don't know that it's the norm.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
And I think people do tend to struggle.
Speaker 6 (13:11):
With this idea at times because we get really wrapped
up in the day to day and even in our
own lives and our different challenges and obstacles that we're
dealing and.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Facing in that moment.
Speaker 6 (13:25):
Like, I genuinely feel like I've been like as gracefully
as I can, you know, through some really dark times,
Like I'm not sitting here as someone who has not experienced.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Some really hard times.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
And so what I've been able to learn and take
from those experiences is a way to move forward and
how I want to be and focus my energy and
how I want to live my life. And also it
helps put things in perspective for you and all the
things that you can't control, Like what are the things
(14:10):
that I do have control over and what is the
most important thing to me? And I feel like sticking
to that has been very rewarding because it's brought me
a lot of peace and a lot of calm and
a lot of confidence in myself and the decisions that
I'm making in my relationships and in the relationships that
(14:31):
I choose not to pursue. And I think that that
is where the piece the real peace comes from, is
just having confidence and clarity in trusting yourself to make
the best decisions for yourself moving forward and within your
little ecosystem.
Speaker 5 (14:49):
Like you said, yeah, tell me about what led you
to this facet of your purpose. How did you find
yourself on the path to becoming a therapist?
Speaker 2 (15:00):
You know, I really didn't. I really don't have a
very interesting journey. I mean sort of, I know.
Speaker 6 (15:10):
Sort of, But essentially I was a sister, the only
girl of three brothers and raised by a single mom,
and so early on I took on a lot of
responsibility that was.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Not asked of me.
Speaker 6 (15:25):
But of course, just being in the position I was
in my family, I kind of became this person who
was managing things, trying to be helpful as a child,
managing emotions, managing relationships, managing the household, all of these things.
(15:46):
And I kind of just stepped into that role. And
then I became that friend who is able to have
just to be very objective and see things and maybe
that miss in the moment when we're in the moment,
and I kind of just developed into that person for everyone.
(16:06):
And I think I just have the ability to be
open and honest and kind. I think that the difference
between you know, being someone safe and being someone and
being mean or not being a safe person is just
the level of kindness in which you communicate, because I
(16:28):
can say just about anything to anyone and it doesn't
it's not always good, it's not always a pleasant thing
to hear, but I think it's more in the delivery
than it is in anything else. And so through that experience,
I just kind of fell into my work as a therapist.
(16:50):
I studied actually English, which kind of benefited me. I studied,
I went to UCLA, I got a degree, and in
my undergrad was in English. Actually I hate I did
not like it at all. But what I did learn
is all about the English language and how to speak
and how to talk, and how to evoke different emotions,
(17:11):
and how to sound safe, how to feel like and
really communicate the way that I felt like I wanted to,
and how to be vulnerable. So that experience did help me,
and I quickly learned that I didn't want to continue
to pursue that, and I needed to take on something else,
so I went on to get my master's in clinical psychology,
(17:32):
and that's when I fell in love with school. I
fell in love with my program, my professor, the work
that I was doing, everything that I was learning, and
I felt like my natural self like just connected with
this thing called, you know, psychology, when I didn't even
(17:53):
know that that was a thing. And then it was
interesting because I grew up in a family where we
never talked about There was a lot of mental health
challenges that we face as a family, but we never
really talked about it, so I didn't quite have the
language around it at that time. And then I married
(18:15):
someone who also did not have any background or history
in mental health and wellness awareness anything, and so we
went through the process of learning together how to embrace
our mental health and wellness and what that meant. And
once we were able to do that, then we were
(18:36):
able to help extend the things that we knew to
our families and our networks and the people in our communities,
which helped in turn build our relationships and connections. And
I just think that it's been it's been such a
wonderful journey for me because it's really allowed me to
have some really solid relationships with not only my family,
(19:00):
but my chosen family and my friends and with my
children as well. So it's kind of been it's just
always been ingrained in me and it's just kind of
who I am at this point.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
Yeah, it's definitely it's a sacred call. I think in
any of the work anyone does that is related to
like unlocking the inner self, you know, it really is
such a sacred walk that also like chisels and refines
every other category of your life it does. How does
(19:35):
that show up for you? How does your work show
up for you in your motherhood?
Speaker 6 (19:40):
Ooh, well, you're a mother. It's challenging, being a most challenging.
Oh my goodness. It's really helped me to have more
patience because I am such a doer and a goer,
(20:02):
not a goer. I'm such a doer and like it's go, go, go,
go go, And I really didn't used to take the
time to process and cope and manage and deal with
emotions for myself. I think that I'm so solution focused
(20:25):
and solution oriented, and having my kids taught me that
no I have to slow down, and I have to
help model and teach these little humans how to be
emotionally well and how to connect and how what it
looks like.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
When someone is.
Speaker 6 (20:49):
In tune with what you're saying and respecting what your words,
and listening to you and valuing the things that you
have to say and not ignoring you, and respecting you
as like a little person, so that they can grow
up to have those same boundaries and expectations, so to speak,
(21:12):
as they get older for the people around them.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
And I feel like it's just been.
Speaker 6 (21:18):
A really huge lesson all of it. It's not the
same when it's your own kids, you know, when you're
trying to implement all the things and make sure you're
saying and doing all the right things. And what I've
learned is that the best thing that I've been able
to do with my kids is just be a human
and to make mistakes, and to teach them and model
(21:40):
what an apology looks like, and to teach them and
model like what accountability looks like and what respect looks like.
And I feel like that has been the biggest blessing
for me with my children. And they sometimes when I'm
unsure if I'm making the right decisions or doing the
(22:02):
right things. Like there's always this little aha moment that
I get from one of my kids, most recently my daughter.
She referred to me as the calm Queen, and they
I know, I don't see myself as that because on
the inside, I think when I'm with my children, there's
(22:24):
so many emotions happening.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
But what I'm showing them and trying to teach them.
Speaker 6 (22:29):
Is patience and to communicate with respect.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
And it just that's such.
Speaker 6 (22:36):
A big reward for me to hear them say things
like that. So I think, you know, it shows in
many different ways in every way.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
I love that.
Speaker 5 (22:46):
That is really beautiful, really beautiful, And you gave us
a lot with that answer. Yeah, that's very special present
intentional parenting.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
It's funny.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
My fun is like he called, he's always clowning me,
Like just the way this kid can like just like
play the dozens with me, it's insane. But so one
day he was telling me like he was like trying
to make fun of me. He's like, oh, excuse me,
missus meditation, And I was like, oh, oh my, my,
(23:23):
my goodness.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
But I was dying laughing. I was like, kid, that's hilarious,
Like that.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Is so funny, but it's also so cute, like he knows,
he knows who you are and what you do, like.
Speaker 7 (23:35):
You see me, thank you yes, literally, And it's so
funny because it's like, you know, they're at the ages
these ages, you know, six, seven, eight, they're just starting
to understand that, like you're not just their mom, right,
Like even if they've seen you and understand you go
to work or you do things, it's like they're just
now understanding like what that means maybe to other people.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
So my son is fascinated. He asked to be a
guest on my podcast. Like sometimes he'll give me like
the sweetest little pep talk, Like he'll just if he's
in a good mood, he'll walk up to me and
he'll just go hey, I'm like, what's up, baby, And
he'll be like everybody's talking about it at school and
I was like, what what are they saying?
Speaker 1 (24:16):
He was like, everybody is saying.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
You're the best author in the world, and I was
like really. He goes, yeah, they love your book, and
I was like, oh my gosh, the kids love it, Like,
thank you so much. You know what I'm like, what
a sweetart, Like they're just learning to read, but like
just what a sweetheart, you know, just what they pick
(24:40):
up on.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
It's so interesting, you know. But especially when they have
the space to like know you as a human, know
that you know, it's just a safe place to explore.
Speaker 5 (24:52):
Even that their humor, their conversation, their outlook.
Speaker 6 (24:56):
Yeah, it's I mean, they teach us so much, like constantly,
and I think that I think that anytime we are
able to impart like wisdom on these children who help
us to be these much better humans ourselves.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
It's always fun.
Speaker 6 (25:20):
And my kids are off the chain, like they the
way they mock me and try to clown me and
all the things, it's really cute. There's there's still at
an age where they're really sweet and their jokes are silly,
like they like he like that's a diss to him.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
It's they're so pure.
Speaker 6 (25:39):
And it's a yes, it's a testament to your motherhood also,
and the thing the things that you're teaching him and
the way that you're raising.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Him, that's really nice. It's a testament to your lovely parenting.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (25:53):
And it's just you know, identifying with what you were
sharing as well. It's like it to me, that's one
of the greatest actually benefits of doing my work on myself, right,
the things that like I needed to heal from and
process because you have this space, you have more space,
(26:13):
Like we have so much space for playfulness like that,
Like there is when that happens because I can regulate
and you know, all the things that I've.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Done with my body and my wiring.
Speaker 5 (26:28):
It's like I savor the moments, like there is such
a deep savoring of even you know, watching him exert
his will and learn how to you know, have desires
that you want to see happen, and.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
How to be upset and you know all the things.
Speaker 5 (26:47):
Like you can actually just really enjoy watching someone else's
human experience unfold, yes, and their process.
Speaker 6 (26:54):
Yeah, for us, it is very interesting because we're really
interested in how the mind works and all of their
different behaviors and what moves us. And I think watching
from getting it, being able to see it from the.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Start to now and on is.
Speaker 6 (27:13):
It's really a beautiful thing because that's insight that we
would never have without them.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Yeah, it's special.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
Deeply.
Speaker 5 (27:28):
Well, I want to talk about the app So you
have a new app you just launched, which is such
an undertaking, like building an app is so stressed. Well,
I haven't done one personally, but when we built the
Choper app for meditation.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
It was like, oh my god, the pieces.
Speaker 5 (27:47):
But your app is really bringing something completely different into
this space.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
So your app is called Neby.
Speaker 5 (27:56):
Neby is a therapist designed emotional wellness app that helps
people check in with how they feel and take small
science backsteps to feel better in real time. It's rooted
in cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness practices. Nebi offers a calm,
judgment free space for emotional self awareness and growth. Designed
(28:20):
for busy, high functioning individuals navigating life's emotional ebbs and flows.
Nebi bridges the gap between traditional therapy and everyday self care,
empowering users to make meaningful emotional shifts and just sixty
seconds a day. So this is huge because most people
stop at the mind and then you don't get to
(28:44):
live really the work you're doing on yourself in your life,
but bringing it into the body. Having this kind of
multi pronged approach, Just talk to me about how you
knew this was something you needed to make and what
that process has been like.
Speaker 6 (29:03):
Wow, Well, Nebby is basically the byproduct of all the
things that I had been going through in my own
life and people in my community, whether it be friends,
family members, and I remember just feeling burnt out. I
(29:24):
feel like I was doing so many different things. I
wasn't taking care of my body. I wasn't really just
feeling well. I wasn't happy. I couldn't quite catch up.
I feel like I was kind of on this hamster wheel,
not really thinking too much about how I was feeling
because I was more trying to survive. And the more
(29:48):
I talk to other people about it, I realized they
were having a very similar experience. And what I realized
and what I learned, is that I wanted to you
create something new that would benefit all sorts of people.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
I don't want.
Speaker 6 (30:06):
I don't really think mental wellness is just for one
group of people. I think that there's no real niche
when it comes to the type of impact that I
would like to have and to see in our mental
wellness resources and tools. And I felt like there are
so many of us who are really high functioning. We're
(30:26):
dealing with life stressors and just trying to manage in
difficult times, but we are not finding the right, appropriate
or appropriate tools in order to do so. And I
feel like that's where Nebe kind of was born.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
We are all busy.
Speaker 6 (30:44):
We need something simple, we need something evidence based and trustworthy,
and we need something that's going to meet us.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Where we're at.
Speaker 6 (30:52):
There's a lot of really amazing apps out there that
I'm sure people are aware of where you can go
and seek out the type of inform that you're looking for,
huge content libraries and everything like that. But what I
realize is that, no, we're actually having a hard time
taking the time to just check in with ourselves first,
Like that's the first step before we can do anything,
(31:15):
is like we have to understand how we're feeling, and
so many of us weren't even taking the time to
do that right And so we're just living and functioning
and completing task and doing the things that we need
to do, but we're not happy. We don't have clarity
and we don't really know what's going on. And so
that's the first That was the nature of the app
(31:36):
is just that simple check in the amount of clarity
that you get from just touching base with yourself and
seeing how you feel and understanding like, well, there's a
change or there's something that I could do.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
And that's what we're going to do.
Speaker 6 (31:51):
We're going to give you a task, give you a
few tasks to complete that'll help instantly improve your mood
that day, and it takes like less.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Than five minutes. So I think I think that.
Speaker 6 (32:01):
The goal was to create truly accessible therapy adjacent support
that people could trust, and it's just been a really
really fun journey. I'm not a tech I am now
a tech person, but I think the beauty of the
app is that we come and we lead with the
(32:23):
clinical functioning functionality of the app, which means that we
don't want to do any harm. My background as a
therapist is like that's what's been instilled in me over
and over and over again. And by using therapy based
tech tactics based in CBT, we've been able to really
(32:43):
create this impactful experience that people are truly going to
feel better when they're engaging with the app, and it's
just really cool. I feel like I'm really happy to
be a part of our team. It's a really great team.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (32:58):
Now that it's like in the world and in the field,
like what do you see what are you getting from people?
Speaker 6 (33:06):
I'm seeing really amazing things. I think that people are
really excited to have something that feels more lifestyle. It
feels more every day. It doesn't take sixty minutes when
you might be in between sessions or you're not yet
in thinking about therapy. It's just something that you can do.
(33:26):
It doesn't feel clinically sterile. Feels more like a friend
or a companion or part of your community. And the
biggest thing that people are really loving about the app
is that it's not something that's going to tie you
to your phone.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
We're going to give you task and.
Speaker 6 (33:42):
Make suggestions that get you back out into your community,
that help you connect with your loved ones.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
No matter where you are in your.
Speaker 6 (33:51):
Life, whether you're single, coupled, partner, with children, without caretaking,
whatever it is, you're going to get personalized task to
help you get out of your phone and get back
into life and really focus on that connectivity because without
community and connectivity, we really can't be emotionally well.
Speaker 5 (34:14):
Oof oof god, oh so true, my god. Yeah, I
really love like just the idea and I love that
like the wordage you're using is like task, right, because
like for me, that feels motivating yet not overly pressurized, right,
(34:38):
like it feels more I don't know, kind of like
it gives it a feeling of duty, but duty is
held different and like you have so much responsibility or
you know something else.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Yeah, it's tangible.
Speaker 5 (34:54):
It's tangible, and we have to blend. I love that
you're saying that the way that people can work.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
With it is to also get off their phone to.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
Do what the task is, because we have to get
back into our lives, like we have to make life
more analog.
Speaker 6 (35:14):
I think that you know, our approach is a little
different as most apps and most technology is being built
by so many scientists and so many people to.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
Try to keep you glued to it.
Speaker 6 (35:29):
And I think for us, the goal is just to
help other people find clarity and to find balance and
to actually give them simple tools that they could that
will help them to feel better.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
And I feel like, you know.
Speaker 6 (35:48):
It's such rewarding work and it just feels like a
moment for me that I can be really proud of.
And it allows me the space and the clarity and
the time to be disarmed and just be in that
connectivity with my own family. Also and with my children
(36:08):
and my husband and my friends. And so that is
the goal and the hope for Nebi.
Speaker 5 (36:16):
What is your deepest hope and intention for the person
using nebbe.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Oh, my.
Speaker 6 (36:28):
Deepest goal or hope for the person using Nebi is
just that they find clarity and that they learn themselves
a little better and they develop emotional self efficacy through
using the app. The amount of knowledge that you will
(36:50):
gain about yourself from interacting through the app is enough
to help change trajectory of how you treat yourself moving
forward and how you take care of yourself when you're
in need.
Speaker 5 (37:08):
Beautiful, as we close out this show, at the end
of every episode, I extend to every guest an opportunity
to share some soul work with the audience. So that
can be a practice that can be a quote, journal, prompt,
thoughts starter, absolutely anything, But what is one practice that
(37:29):
you'd like to leave with everyone today? A little soul
work to also integrate what was heard in this entire episode.
Speaker 6 (37:37):
I think for me, we talked a lot about just
the clarity and the fact that I in this journey
and at this time in my life where I'm just
happy and I'm just happy to be connecting and reaching down,
(37:57):
reaching over and sharing and spreading the kindness that I
want into the world. And I think that without having
the ability to set clear and intentional boundaries for myself,
I would not.
Speaker 2 (38:14):
Be where I am today.
Speaker 6 (38:17):
I would not be able to have so much peace
around giving and so much peace around sharing if I
wasn't protecting.
Speaker 2 (38:29):
My own peace first. And so that is.
Speaker 6 (38:34):
I think the biggest gift that we can all give
ourselves is just protecting our own peace and having and
creating those boundaries around us, not walls, not blockades, but
just boundaries that help us keep on track with our
goals and who we are meant to be.
Speaker 5 (38:55):
Yes, yes, yes, all of that, more of that in
our lives.
Speaker 1 (39:01):
Yeah, noticing when are you.
Speaker 5 (39:07):
Faltering on your boundary a little bit and then saying,
you know, is that is that.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
The best choice for me? It's a way to.
Speaker 5 (39:15):
Like reinforce you know, this need, this desire. Well, Nina,
thank you so much for joining us today. Thanks you well,
thank you for sharing your work with the world and
this amazing new app Nebby that everyone should definitely download.
And if you go to the bottom of this episode
(39:36):
and all the show notes, everyone everything is linkable, so
you'll be able to connect with Nina, You'll be able
to connect with nebby and social media, all the things,
so it'll be there. But thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
Thanks for having me. This is really fun.
Speaker 6 (39:50):
I feel really touched and blessed to have been here
with you.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Thank you back next week.
Speaker 5 (39:55):
No, the content presented on Deeply Well serves solely for
educational and informational purposes. It should not be considered a
replacement for personalized medical or mental health guidance, and does
not constitute a provider patient relationship.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
As always, it.
Speaker 5 (40:18):
Is advisable to consult with your healthcare provider or health
team for any specific concerns or questions that you may have.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
Connect with me on social at Debbie Brown.
Speaker 5 (40:30):
That's Twitter and Instagram, or you can go to my
website Debbie Brown dot com. And if you're listening to
the show on Apple Podcasts, don't forget. Please rate, review,
and subscribe and send this episode to a friend.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Deeply Well is a.
Speaker 5 (40:44):
Production of iHeartRadio and The Black Effect Network. It's produced
by Jacquess Thomas, Samantha Timmins, and me Debbie Brown. The
Beautiful Soundbath you heard That's by Jarrelyn Glass from Crystal Cadence.
For more podcas ass from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Holds it.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Now, release slowly again, deep in, helle.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
Hold release, repeating internally to yourself as you connect to
my voice. I am deeply well. I am deeply well.
(01:22):
I am deeply I'm Debbie Brown and this is the
Deeply Well Podcast. Welcome to Deeply Well, a soft place
to land on your journey.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
A podcast for those that are curious.
Speaker 5 (01:45):
Creative, and ready to expand in higher consciousness and self care.
This is where we heal, this is where we transcend.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Today.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
Welcome back, y'all. Of course, I'm DeBie Brown. Thank you
as all, so grateful to have you here.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Today.
Speaker 5 (02:02):
We're going to be diving into a conversation about what
it really means to nurture our inner.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Worlds while showing up fully in our outer ones.
Speaker 5 (02:12):
My God, that means in our relationships, it means in
our work, and it means in our overall sense of self,
that cloak that we wear every day and walk into
every single room with. So I am so excited to
bring a special guest onto the show today. Today we
are joined by Nina Westbrook as a licensed marriage and
(02:34):
family therapist, entrepreneur, and advocate Nina is deeply passionate about
erasing the stigma around mental health. She's been featured in
The New York Times, Goop, Oprah, Daily, b Et Essence,
Marie Claire, and Shape, and has shared her expertise on TED,
The Jennifer Hudson Show, and The tamer and Hall Show.
(02:56):
Beyond her clinical work, Nina creates opportunities for connection and reflection.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
She's the creator of the.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
Do Tel Conversation card game, designed to spark meaningful discussions
on relationships, intimacy, and self awareness. She also hosts the
Dotail Relationship podcast, which I can't wait to be on,
and the Vine Moments of Mindfulness podcast, where she offers
evidence based insights on cultivating happiness, personal growth, and deeper
(03:26):
human connections. She serves on the advisory board of the
Russell Westbrook Why Not Foundation, and most recently became a
member of the UCLA Resnik Neuropsychiatric Hospital Board. Nina is
also the co founder of Nebbi, a new emotional wellness
app that's designed to help people check in with how
they feel and take small science backsteps towards feeling better,
(03:51):
one mindful moment at a time. In addition to her
professional endeavors. Nina as a dedicated wife and a mother
of three, balance and her commitment to family with her
mission to support others in their wellness journeys. Nina, welcome
to Deeply Well.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
Thank you for having me. I'm so excited.
Speaker 6 (04:12):
You made that long bio sounds so like relaxing.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
I don't know how you did that.
Speaker 6 (04:18):
It just it was like so much chaos, and you
made it sound really smooth and relaxing.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
So how does it feel to have your life kind
of spoken back to you?
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (04:29):
I don't love it.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
I don't love it at all.
Speaker 6 (04:31):
And every single time this happens to me, I contemplate
what I'm doing, Like, am I.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Should I be doing all of this? Or should I
like take some things off my plate. It's really interesting.
Speaker 6 (04:45):
It's a really interesting experience. I'm not used to people
talking about me.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
Yeah yeah, because I think in hearing that too, and
at least speaking to yours, the multi hyphenated, fast faceted
nature of your life, I think, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 6 (05:05):
I tend to get really interested in something, and because
I want to always do well and I always want
to make sure I'm putting my best foot forward, I
tend to learn a lot and in the process, and
once I get really into it and I feel like
I'm doing pretty well at it, then I will like
(05:27):
fully it just I become it.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
I love that. I love women like that.
Speaker 5 (05:33):
I love just like Yeah, being really present in your
brain and your body, I think is like such a
It makes life really fascinating no matter what's happening.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yes, it does.
Speaker 6 (05:47):
And I think it's a skill and it's learned over
time and through lots of different experiences.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
So in this season of your life, well beyond like
all the facets, the titles, the role therapist founder, and
we're going to get to the amazing app that you
just launched and what it really took to get that
in the world.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Also, mother of three, three children under ten.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Who is.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Nina? And how would you describe where you are.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
In your journey as a human being as a mother
right now?
Speaker 6 (06:24):
I mean, that's a really great question. I don't feel
like anyone's asked me that in a long time. I
feel like I'm just I'm a new version of myself,
which tends to happen frequently as I kind of go
through these different journeys in my life and I feel
like I'm someone.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Who's just disarmed.
Speaker 6 (06:44):
Honestly, I feel so disarmed, And for me, that's really
big because I've spent so much time sort of building
and working and being alert to figure out how to
navigate so many different things. We spoke a little bit
(07:06):
about this off camera, but this idea of living so
many different lives.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
I feel like my life.
Speaker 6 (07:12):
Has kind of been lived in overdrive and so constantly
having to adapt and be flexible and change and pivot
has made things quite chaotic for me for a.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Lot of time.
Speaker 6 (07:26):
And now I kind of just feel like I'm so
disarmed and I'm just so open and really focus on
connection right now in my life.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
What does connection look like for you?
Speaker 5 (07:39):
And what are you Yeah, what does that mean for you?
And what are you craving in that?
Speaker 6 (07:45):
I mean, I just for me, connection means just putting
at the forefront the things that are most important to me.
That means, you know, family, community, faith, and my work, myself,
my body, just being more in tuned with what's going
(08:07):
on around me, like kind of taking a step back
to kind of look at life from a bird's eye
view and then like plug in where I want to
and just be present. I feel like that is the
thing that's really driving me right now, and it's it's
really good because it feels it feels good to be
(08:28):
present and to just be here.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
Yeah, yeah, it's so it's so interesting as someone that
also kind of feels very relating to what you're describing.
It's so interesting, like when you really take off that
kind of hat of societal expectation or you know, what's
(08:53):
what's called everyone by social scientists is like your culturally
created self, the version of you that is completely utterly,
totally influenced by your environment, by your family system, and
whatever zeitgeist of the time. When you really realize that
that is not something that you have to plug into,
(09:15):
because that alone feels revolutionary and counterintuitive, right because it's
like what everyone else is doing and whateveryone expects of you.
But when you realize, like that is actually my choice
to participate with it or not, it's mind blowing. Like
the freedom you find, it's mind blowing. The space you
find in your body, in your life, in your mind.
Speaker 6 (09:38):
It is and I think that it's the most beautiful
thing that we can all have. It's just this sense
of control over our own lives and the choices.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
It's such a luxury.
Speaker 6 (09:50):
And I think that we can be pulled in so
many different directions. There's so much going on constantly, and
you can kind of choose to remain very connected to
that part of yourself and your environment, or you can
choose to focus your energy and your life and your
time into the things that not only fulfill you, but
(10:12):
fulfill the community and reshape the community that you live within,
so that those those instances of change and those little
touch points that you create will come back to you
because you're building in the space that you're in. And
I think we don't do that enough. And you know,
(10:32):
there's been so much disconnectivity, and I feel like creating
spaces where we can really reach out to other people
and find ways to have small, simple impacts that are
positive and helpful and spreading kindness. And these are really little,
(10:54):
tiny things that we could be doing that make a
that go a really long way and our little ripples
of communities. And I think that's that's just what I'm
focused on. Even in my work, I've always tried to
find a way to take my work and create something
that is going to also have positive impact outside of
(11:21):
just you know, working for the sake of working, having
a career for the sake of having a good career.
I've always wanted to kind of live in my purpose
and make sure I'm giving back the thing that I
want to receive, which is just love and support from
the people around me.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Yeah, just a refreshing.
Speaker 5 (11:44):
And also like hearing you say that, because I think
I think it's important for kind of those of us
that have found presence to speak in such like a
nuanced way.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
About it and.
Speaker 5 (12:00):
The way you walk the road, because that's the part
that I think has such freedom, you know, that's the
part that a lot of people that are maybe in
a place where they're longing for that or trying to
access it don't understand. And what else matters? Right, Like
(12:24):
what else matters more than that? Like what I think
about that all the time, Like what it doesn't so
much does not matter, but the things that do, like integrity, dignity, kindness,
like doing what you can with what you have. But
much like what you just said, like plugging into what
(12:47):
would be considered the smaller moments but are actually the
biggest moments. Is like some of that one on one
connection helping where you can in your ecosystem and environment.
It's just sacred and so important.
Speaker 6 (13:01):
It's something that I've learned is not then I don't
I don't know that it's the norm.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
And I think people do tend to struggle.
Speaker 6 (13:11):
With this idea at times because we get really wrapped
up in the day to day and even in our
own lives and our different challenges and obstacles that we're
dealing and.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Facing in that moment.
Speaker 6 (13:25):
Like, I genuinely feel like I've been like as gracefully
as I can, you know, through some really dark times,
Like I'm not sitting here as someone who has not experienced.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Some really hard times.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
And so what I've been able to learn and take
from those experiences is a way to move forward and
how I want to be and focus my energy and
how I want to live my life. And also it
helps put things in perspective for you and all the
things that you can't control, Like what are the things
(14:10):
that I do have control over and what is the
most important thing to me? And I feel like sticking
to that has been very rewarding because it's brought me
a lot of peace and a lot of calm and
a lot of confidence in myself and the decisions that
I'm making in my relationships and in the relationships that
(14:31):
I choose not to pursue. And I think that that
is where the piece the real peace comes from, is
just having confidence and clarity in trusting yourself to make
the best decisions for yourself moving forward and within your
little ecosystem.
Speaker 5 (14:49):
Like you said, yeah, tell me about what led you
to this facet of your purpose. How did you find
yourself on the path to becoming a therapist?
Speaker 2 (15:00):
You know, I really didn't. I really don't have a
very interesting journey. I mean sort of, I know.
Speaker 6 (15:10):
Sort of, But essentially I was a sister, the only
girl of three brothers and raised by a single mom,
and so early on I took on a lot of
responsibility that was.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Not asked of me.
Speaker 6 (15:25):
But of course, just being in the position I was
in my family, I kind of became this person who
was managing things, trying to be helpful as a child,
managing emotions, managing relationships, managing the household, all of these things.
(15:46):
And I kind of just stepped into that role. And
then I became that friend who is able to have
just to be very objective and see things and maybe
that miss in the moment when we're in the moment,
and I kind of just developed into that person for everyone.
(16:06):
And I think I just have the ability to be
open and honest and kind. I think that the difference
between you know, being someone safe and being someone and
being mean or not being a safe person is just
the level of kindness in which you communicate, because I
(16:28):
can say just about anything to anyone and it doesn't
it's not always good, it's not always a pleasant thing
to hear, but I think it's more in the delivery
than it is in anything else. And so through that experience,
I just kind of fell into my work as a therapist.
(16:50):
I studied actually English, which kind of benefited me. I studied,
I went to UCLA, I got a degree, and in
my undergrad was in English. Actually I hate I did
not like it at all. But what I did learn
is all about the English language and how to speak
and how to talk, and how to evoke different emotions,
(17:11):
and how to sound safe, how to feel like and
really communicate the way that I felt like I wanted to,
and how to be vulnerable. So that experience did help me,
and I quickly learned that I didn't want to continue
to pursue that, and I needed to take on something else,
so I went on to get my master's in clinical psychology,
(17:32):
and that's when I fell in love with school. I
fell in love with my program, my professor, the work
that I was doing, everything that I was learning, and
I felt like my natural self like just connected with
this thing called, you know, psychology, when I didn't even
(17:53):
know that that was a thing. And then it was
interesting because I grew up in a family where we
never talked about There was a lot of mental health
challenges that we face as a family, but we never
really talked about it, so I didn't quite have the
language around it at that time. And then I married
(18:15):
someone who also did not have any background or history
in mental health and wellness awareness anything, and so we
went through the process of learning together how to embrace
our mental health and wellness and what that meant. And
once we were able to do that, then we were
(18:36):
able to help extend the things that we knew to
our families and our networks and the people in our communities,
which helped in turn build our relationships and connections. And
I just think that it's been it's been such a
wonderful journey for me because it's really allowed me to
have some really solid relationships with not only my family,
(19:00):
but my chosen family and my friends and with my
children as well. So it's kind of been it's just
always been ingrained in me and it's just kind of
who I am at this point.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
Yeah, it's definitely it's a sacred call. I think in
any of the work anyone does that is related to
like unlocking the inner self, you know, it really is
such a sacred walk that also like chisels and refines
every other category of your life it does. How does
(19:35):
that show up for you? How does your work show
up for you in your motherhood?
Speaker 6 (19:40):
Ooh, well, you're a mother. It's challenging, being a most challenging.
Oh my goodness. It's really helped me to have more
patience because I am such a doer and a goer,
(20:02):
not a goer. I'm such a doer and like it's go, go, go,
go go, And I really didn't used to take the
time to process and cope and manage and deal with
emotions for myself. I think that I'm so solution focused
(20:25):
and solution oriented, and having my kids taught me that
no I have to slow down, and I have to
help model and teach these little humans how to be
emotionally well and how to connect and how what it
looks like.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
When someone is.
Speaker 6 (20:49):
In tune with what you're saying and respecting what your words,
and listening to you and valuing the things that you
have to say and not ignoring you, and respecting you
as like a little person, so that they can grow
up to have those same boundaries and expectations, so to speak,
(21:12):
as they get older for the people around them.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
And I feel like it's just been.
Speaker 6 (21:18):
A really huge lesson all of it. It's not the
same when it's your own kids, you know, when you're
trying to implement all the things and make sure you're
saying and doing all the right things. And what I've
learned is that the best thing that I've been able
to do with my kids is just be a human
and to make mistakes, and to teach them and model
(21:40):
what an apology looks like, and to teach them and
model like what accountability looks like and what respect looks like.
And I feel like that has been the biggest blessing
for me with my children. And they sometimes when I'm
unsure if I'm making the right decisions or doing the
(22:02):
right things. Like there's always this little aha moment that
I get from one of my kids, most recently my daughter.
She referred to me as the calm Queen, and they
I know, I don't see myself as that because on
the inside, I think when I'm with my children, there's
(22:24):
so many emotions happening.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
But what I'm showing them and trying to teach them.
Speaker 6 (22:29):
Is patience and to communicate with respect.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
And it just that's such.
Speaker 6 (22:36):
A big reward for me to hear them say things
like that. So I think, you know, it shows in
many different ways in every way.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
I love that.
Speaker 5 (22:46):
That is really beautiful, really beautiful, And you gave us
a lot with that answer. Yeah, that's very special present
intentional parenting.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
It's funny.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
My fun is like he called, he's always clowning me,
Like just the way this kid can like just like
play the dozens with me, it's insane. But so one
day he was telling me like he was like trying
to make fun of me. He's like, oh, excuse me,
missus meditation, And I was like, oh, oh my, my,
(23:23):
my goodness.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
But I was dying laughing. I was like, kid, that's hilarious,
Like that.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Is so funny, but it's also so cute, like he knows,
he knows who you are and what you do, like.
Speaker 7 (23:35):
You see me, thank you yes, literally, And it's so
funny because it's like, you know, they're at the ages
these ages, you know, six, seven, eight, they're just starting
to understand that, like you're not just their mom, right,
Like even if they've seen you and understand you go
to work or you do things, it's like they're just
now understanding like what that means maybe to other people.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
So my son is fascinated. He asked to be a
guest on my podcast. Like sometimes he'll give me like
the sweetest little pep talk, Like he'll just if he's
in a good mood, he'll walk up to me and
he'll just go hey, I'm like, what's up, baby, And
he'll be like everybody's talking about it at school and
I was like, what what are they saying?
Speaker 1 (24:16):
He was like, everybody is saying.
Speaker 5 (24:19):
You're the best author in the world, and I was
like really. He goes, yeah, they love your book, and
I was like, oh my gosh, the kids love it, Like,
thank you so much. You know what I'm like, what
a sweetart, Like they're just learning to read, but like
just what a sweetheart, you know, just what they pick
(24:40):
up on.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
It's so interesting, you know. But especially when they have
the space to like know you as a human, know
that you know, it's just a safe place to explore.
Speaker 5 (24:52):
Even that their humor, their conversation, their outlook.
Speaker 6 (24:56):
Yeah, it's I mean, they teach us so much, like constantly,
and I think that I think that anytime we are
able to impart like wisdom on these children who help
us to be these much better humans ourselves.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
It's always fun.
Speaker 6 (25:20):
And my kids are off the chain, like they the
way they mock me and try to clown me and
all the things, it's really cute. There's there's still at
an age where they're really sweet and their jokes are silly,
like they like he like that's a diss to him.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
It's they're so pure.
Speaker 6 (25:39):
And it's a yes, it's a testament to your motherhood also,
and the thing the things that you're teaching him and
the way that you're raising.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Him, that's really nice. It's a testament to your lovely parenting.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (25:53):
And it's just you know, identifying with what you were
sharing as well. It's like it to me, that's one
of the greatest actually benefits of doing my work on myself, right,
the things that like I needed to heal from and
process because you have this space, you have more space,
(26:13):
Like we have so much space for playfulness like that,
Like there is when that happens because I can regulate
and you know, all the things that I've.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Done with my body and my wiring.
Speaker 5 (26:28):
It's like I savor the moments, like there is such
a deep savoring of even you know, watching him exert
his will and learn how to you know, have desires
that you want to see happen, and.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
How to be upset and you know all the things.
Speaker 5 (26:47):
Like you can actually just really enjoy watching someone else's
human experience unfold, yes, and their process.
Speaker 6 (26:54):
Yeah, for us, it is very interesting because we're really
interested in how the mind works and all of their
different behaviors and what moves us. And I think watching
from getting it, being able to see it from the.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Start to now and on is.
Speaker 6 (27:13):
It's really a beautiful thing because that's insight that we
would never have without them.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Yeah, it's special.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
Deeply.
Speaker 5 (27:28):
Well, I want to talk about the app So you
have a new app you just launched, which is such
an undertaking, like building an app is so stressed. Well,
I haven't done one personally, but when we built the
Choper app for meditation.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
It was like, oh my god, the pieces.
Speaker 5 (27:47):
But your app is really bringing something completely different into
this space.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
So your app is called Neby.
Speaker 5 (27:56):
Neby is a therapist designed emotional wellness app that helps
people check in with how they feel and take small
science backsteps to feel better in real time. It's rooted
in cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness practices. Nebi offers a calm,
judgment free space for emotional self awareness and growth. Designed
(28:20):
for busy, high functioning individuals navigating life's emotional ebbs and flows.
Nebi bridges the gap between traditional therapy and everyday self care,
empowering users to make meaningful emotional shifts and just sixty
seconds a day. So this is huge because most people
stop at the mind and then you don't get to
(28:44):
live really the work you're doing on yourself in your life,
but bringing it into the body. Having this kind of
multi pronged approach, Just talk to me about how you
knew this was something you needed to make and what
that process has been like.
Speaker 6 (29:03):
Wow, Well, Nebby is basically the byproduct of all the
things that I had been going through in my own
life and people in my community, whether it be friends,
family members, and I remember just feeling burnt out. I
(29:24):
feel like I was doing so many different things. I
wasn't taking care of my body. I wasn't really just
feeling well. I wasn't happy. I couldn't quite catch up.
I feel like I was kind of on this hamster wheel,
not really thinking too much about how I was feeling
because I was more trying to survive. And the more
(29:48):
I talk to other people about it, I realized they
were having a very similar experience. And what I realized
and what I learned, is that I wanted to you
create something new that would benefit all sorts of people.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
I don't want.
Speaker 6 (30:06):
I don't really think mental wellness is just for one
group of people. I think that there's no real niche
when it comes to the type of impact that I
would like to have and to see in our mental
wellness resources and tools. And I felt like there are
so many of us who are really high functioning. We're
(30:26):
dealing with life stressors and just trying to manage in
difficult times, but we are not finding the right, appropriate
or appropriate tools in order to do so. And I
feel like that's where Nebe kind of was born.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
We are all busy.
Speaker 6 (30:44):
We need something simple, we need something evidence based and trustworthy,
and we need something that's going to meet us.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Where we're at.
Speaker 6 (30:52):
There's a lot of really amazing apps out there that
I'm sure people are aware of where you can go
and seek out the type of inform that you're looking for,
huge content libraries and everything like that. But what I
realize is that, no, we're actually having a hard time
taking the time to just check in with ourselves first,
Like that's the first step before we can do anything,
(31:15):
is like we have to understand how we're feeling, and
so many of us weren't even taking the time to
do that right And so we're just living and functioning
and completing task and doing the things that we need
to do, but we're not happy. We don't have clarity
and we don't really know what's going on. And so
that's the first That was the nature of the app
(31:36):
is just that simple check in the amount of clarity
that you get from just touching base with yourself and
seeing how you feel and understanding like, well, there's a
change or there's something that I could do.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
And that's what we're going to do.
Speaker 6 (31:51):
We're going to give you a task, give you a
few tasks to complete that'll help instantly improve your mood
that day, and it takes like less.
Speaker 2 (31:58):
Than five minutes. So I think I think that.
Speaker 6 (32:01):
The goal was to create truly accessible therapy adjacent support
that people could trust, and it's just been a really
really fun journey. I'm not a tech I am now
a tech person, but I think the beauty of the
app is that we come and we lead with the
(32:23):
clinical functioning functionality of the app, which means that we
don't want to do any harm. My background as a
therapist is like that's what's been instilled in me over
and over and over again. And by using therapy based
tech tactics based in CBT, we've been able to really
(32:43):
create this impactful experience that people are truly going to
feel better when they're engaging with the app, and it's
just really cool. I feel like I'm really happy to
be a part of our team. It's a really great team.
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (32:58):
Now that it's like in the world and in the field,
like what do you see what are you getting from people?
Speaker 6 (33:06):
I'm seeing really amazing things. I think that people are
really excited to have something that feels more lifestyle. It
feels more every day. It doesn't take sixty minutes when
you might be in between sessions or you're not yet
in thinking about therapy. It's just something that you can do.
(33:26):
It doesn't feel clinically sterile. Feels more like a friend
or a companion or part of your community. And the
biggest thing that people are really loving about the app
is that it's not something that's going to tie you
to your phone.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
We're going to give you task and.
Speaker 6 (33:42):
Make suggestions that get you back out into your community,
that help you connect with your loved ones.
Speaker 2 (33:49):
No matter where you are in your.
Speaker 6 (33:51):
Life, whether you're single, coupled, partner, with children, without caretaking,
whatever it is, you're going to get personalized task to
help you get out of your phone and get back
into life and really focus on that connectivity because without
community and connectivity, we really can't be emotionally well.
Speaker 5 (34:14):
Oof oof god, oh so true, my god. Yeah, I
really love like just the idea and I love that
like the wordage you're using is like task, right, because
like for me, that feels motivating yet not overly pressurized, right,
(34:38):
like it feels more I don't know, kind of like
it gives it a feeling of duty, but duty is
held different and like you have so much responsibility or
you know something else.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
Yeah, it's tangible.
Speaker 5 (34:54):
It's tangible, and we have to blend. I love that
you're saying that the way that people can work.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
With it is to also get off their phone to.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
Do what the task is, because we have to get
back into our lives, like we have to make life
more analog.
Speaker 6 (35:14):
I think that you know, our approach is a little
different as most apps and most technology is being built
by so many scientists and so many people to.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
Try to keep you glued to it.
Speaker 6 (35:29):
And I think for us, the goal is just to
help other people find clarity and to find balance and
to actually give them simple tools that they could that
will help them to feel better.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
And I feel like, you know.
Speaker 6 (35:48):
It's such rewarding work and it just feels like a
moment for me that I can be really proud of.
And it allows me the space and the clarity and
the time to be disarmed and just be in that
connectivity with my own family. Also and with my children
(36:08):
and my husband and my friends. And so that is
the goal and the hope for Nebi.
Speaker 5 (36:16):
What is your deepest hope and intention for the person
using nebbe.
Speaker 2 (36:24):
Oh, my.
Speaker 6 (36:28):
Deepest goal or hope for the person using Nebi is
just that they find clarity and that they learn themselves
a little better and they develop emotional self efficacy through
using the app. The amount of knowledge that you will
(36:50):
gain about yourself from interacting through the app is enough
to help change trajectory of how you treat yourself moving
forward and how you take care of yourself when you're
in need.
Speaker 5 (37:08):
Beautiful, as we close out this show, at the end
of every episode, I extend to every guest an opportunity
to share some soul work with the audience. So that
can be a practice that can be a quote, journal, prompt,
thoughts starter, absolutely anything, But what is one practice that
(37:29):
you'd like to leave with everyone today? A little soul
work to also integrate what was heard in this entire episode.
Speaker 6 (37:37):
I think for me, we talked a lot about just
the clarity and the fact that I in this journey
and at this time in my life where I'm just
happy and I'm just happy to be connecting and reaching down,
(37:57):
reaching over and sharing and spreading the kindness that I
want into the world. And I think that without having
the ability to set clear and intentional boundaries for myself,
I would not.
Speaker 2 (38:14):
Be where I am today.
Speaker 6 (38:17):
I would not be able to have so much peace
around giving and so much peace around sharing if I
wasn't protecting.
Speaker 2 (38:29):
My own peace first. And so that is.
Speaker 6 (38:34):
I think the biggest gift that we can all give
ourselves is just protecting our own peace and having and
creating those boundaries around us, not walls, not blockades, but
just boundaries that help us keep on track with our
goals and who we are meant to be.
Speaker 5 (38:55):
Yes, yes, yes, all of that, more of that in
our lives.
Speaker 1 (39:01):
Yeah, noticing when are you.
Speaker 5 (39:07):
Faltering on your boundary a little bit and then saying,
you know, is that is that.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
The best choice for me? It's a way to.
Speaker 5 (39:15):
Like reinforce you know, this need, this desire. Well, Nina,
thank you so much for joining us today. Thanks you well,
thank you for sharing your work with the world and
this amazing new app Nebby that everyone should definitely download.
And if you go to the bottom of this episode
(39:36):
and all the show notes, everyone everything is linkable, so
you'll be able to connect with Nina, You'll be able
to connect with nebby and social media, all the things,
so it'll be there. But thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (39:48):
Thanks for having me. This is really fun.
Speaker 6 (39:50):
I feel really touched and blessed to have been here
with you.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Thank you back next week.
Speaker 5 (39:55):
No, the content presented on Deeply Well serves solely for
educational and informational purposes. It should not be considered a
replacement for personalized medical or mental health guidance, and does
not constitute a provider patient relationship.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
As always, it.
Speaker 5 (40:18):
Is advisable to consult with your healthcare provider or health
team for any specific concerns or questions that you may have.
Speaker 1 (40:27):
Connect with me on social at Debbie Brown.
Speaker 5 (40:30):
That's Twitter and Instagram, or you can go to my
website Debbie Brown dot com. And if you're listening to
the show on Apple Podcasts, don't forget. Please rate, review,
and subscribe and send this episode to a friend.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Deeply Well is a.
Speaker 5 (40:44):
Production of iHeartRadio and The Black Effect Network. It's produced
by Jacquess Thomas, Samantha Timmins, and me Debbie Brown. The
Beautiful Soundbath you heard That's by Jarrelyn Glass from Crystal Cadence.
For more podcas ass from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Host
Devi Brown
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