Rooted and Rising

Content/Trigger Warning: This episode includes candid discussions of addiction, homelessness, incarceration, street violence, murder, sexual violence, exploitation, and other traumatic experiences. Please listen with care and take whatever space you need while listening.

What happens when surviving becomes a way of life—and then one day, you have to learn how to live again?

In this powerful episode of Rooted...

What if the life you keep trying to earn is already yours?

In this Sunday Seeds of Thought, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the exhausting habit of constantly proving our worth—through productivity, perfectionism, achievement, relationships, and the need to feel deserving of the spaces we’ve already earned.

There’s a difference between growing because you’re curious about who you can become and performing because ...

The Body Remembers: The Physical & Physiological Effects of Trauma — Especially for Women of Color

What happens when you’ve been “strong” for so long that your body finally says, enough?

In this powerful episode of Rooted & Rising, Dr. Carmela Maxell sits down with author, speaker, and wellness advocate Dee Mosley for an honest conversation about the ways trauma can live far beyond ...

What if the most productive thing you do this week... is protect your peace first?

In this week's Sunday Seeds of Thought, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the quiet ways we lose ourselves before the workday even begins. From checking emails before getting out of bed to measuring our worth by how busy we are, we've normalized living in a constant state of reaction.

But what if peace isn't something you find—what if it's somethi...

We tell ourselves we'll deal with it later.

After this project.
After the kids are older.
After work slows down.
After the next crisis passes.

But our mental health keeps a ledger—and eventually, every ignored emotion, every sleepless night, every boundary we failed to set, and every wound we refused to acknowledge demands payment.

In this episode of Rooted & Rising with Dr. Carmela Maxell, we explore the hidde...

We've all met one.

The person who has absolutely no idea what they're talking about...but somehow has the most to say about it. 😂

But before we start pointing fingers, there's an uncomfortable truth:

Sometimes Karen is us.

In this episode of Sunday's Seeds of Thoughts, Dr. Carmela Maxell takes a witty—but psychologically grounded—look at what happens when confidence outruns competence. From workplace know-it...

"Your tests are normal."

For millions of people, those four words don't bring relief—they mark the beginning of years spent questioning their own body, memory, and sanity. In this deeply personal special episode of Rooted & Rising, Dr. Carmela Maxell shares her own eight-year journey to a diagnosis of adenomyosis after years of debilitating pain, medical dismissal, and being told to "wait." Blending personal testimony...

The Cost of Compromise: Moral Injury and the Hidden Wounds of People of Color

What happens when survival requires you to silence parts of yourself?

In this powerful episode of Rooted & Rising, Dr. Carmela Maxell sits down with Dr. Kevin Scott Sr.—educator, veteran, trauma specialist, and nationally recognized speaker—to explore the invisible wounds that often go unnamed.

Together, they unpack moral injur...

The Post-It Note Effect: Why Planning Isn't Progress

How many sticky notes are sitting on your desk right now?

If you're anything like Dr. Carmela Maxell, you've probably filled planners, color-coded calendars, downloaded productivity apps, and written countless to-do lists—all in the name of staying organized. But what if the very systems we create to help us move forward are sometimes keeping us stuck?

In this episode of ...

Why are unanswered endings often harder to heal from than painful ones?

In this Midnight Reflection, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the psychology of ghosting, unanswered goodbyes, and the invisible wounds left behind when someone disappears without explanation.

Whether you've experienced the end of a relationship, friendship, job opportunity, or connection that simply faded into silence, this episode examines why our minds struggle wit...

The Price of Being Pleasant: Good Girl Syndrome, Nice Guy Syndrome, and the Hidden Cost of Staying Small

What if being "nice" has been costing you more than you realize?

From childhood, many of us are taught to be agreeable, accommodating, helpful, and easy to love. We learn to avoid conflict, put others first, and earn acceptance by meeting everyone else's expectations.

But what happens when being pleasant means abandoning yourself?

I...

Have you ever noticed how Monday gets blamed for everything?

"I hate Mondays."

"Here we go again."

"I already can't wait for Friday."

But what if Monday isn't the problem?

What if the story we're telling ourselves about Monday is shaping the week before it even begins?

In this episode, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the psychology of anticipatory stress, confirmation bias, and the powerful role mindset plays in how we experience our lives. ...

What if the healthiest thing you could do for your next chapter... was protect it?

In this Midnight Reflection, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the psychology of sharing our successes, the emotional complexity of being celebrated, and why not everyone has the capacity to rejoice in our growth.

Drawing from psychological research, personal experience, and reflections on human connection, this episode examines the difference between privac...

What do you do when no one invites you to the table?

You build one.

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Carmela Maxell sits down with Dr. Melvin King—Transformational Friendraising Strategist, executive leader, entrepreneur, and community advocate—to discuss what it truly means to create opportunities rather than wait for them.

Together, they explore networking beyond business cards, the difference between relationship...

This week's Sunday Seed is different.

It's not advice.

It's not a productivity hack.

It's a confession.

For years, I believed that exhaustion meant I was successful.

If I answered emails late at night...
If I worked through lunch...
If I skipped vacations...
If I always said "yes"...

I thought it meant I cared more.

I thought it made me a better leader.

The truth?

I wasn't just teaching myself that rest had to be earned.

I was teach...

What makes an ordinary person leave a cruel comment online?

Is it anonymity? Anger? Loneliness? A desire to belong? Or is there something deeper happening beneath the surface?

In this Midnight Reflection, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the psychology of internet trolling, online outrage, and the emotional distance that screens create. Together, we'll examine why people say things online they would never say face-to-face, how negativity ...

Growth isn't always exciting. Sometimes it feels like grief.

In this episode of Rooted & Rising, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores why becoming the person you're meant to be often requires letting go of the person you've always been.

Like a snake shedding its skin, personal growth can feel uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and even painful. We outgrow relationships, identities, habits, careers, and expectations that once protected us&mda...

Have you ever convinced yourself that a new planner, another notebook, or that random gadget in your online shopping cart was going to change your life?

You're not alone.

In this first installment of Sunday Seeds of Thought, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the psychology behind weekend impulse purchases and why so many of us find ourselves filling our carts on Sunday evenings. What if those purchases aren't really about what we're b...

Parenting has never come with a manual—but today's parents are navigating challenges that previous generations could never have imagined.

In this episode of Rooted & Rising, Dr. Carmela Maxell explores the emotional, mental, and physical weight of raising children in an era of constant comparison, technology, social media, financial stress, and ever-changing expectations. From the pressure to be the "perfect parent" t...