The Well Mind Podcast

The Well Mind Podcast

The primary focus of this podcast is to engage people in discussions about a broad range of topics related to wellness, with a special emphasis on mental wellness. It is my hope and intent that the topics and themes covered during this podcast will serve to promote and enrich your understanding and practice of wellness in your relationships, professional life, and your mind and body. I'm your host, Dr. Ben Kohls, a licensed professional clinical counselor and counselor educator with over 15 years of experience in the mental health field.

Episodes

May 14, 2025 48 mins

In this episode of the Well Mind Podcast, Dr. Ben Kohls speaks with Dr. Joshua Mears about his journey in mental health care, focusing on the integration of faith in clinical practice. They discuss the challenges and rewards of working in corrections, the importance of spiritual care in therapy, and the concept of transcendence in mental health. Dr. Mears shares insights from his experiences and emphasizes the need for a grounded a...

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In this episode of The Well Mind podcast, Dr. Ben Kohls speaks with Latrina Radler, a new faculty member in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. They discuss Latrina's journey into mental health, her formative helping experiences, including community care following Hurricane Katrina. She also shares her insights around the impact of addiction on families. The conversation emphasizes the importance of open communicatio...

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April 2, 2025 45 mins

In this episode, I welcome back my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Jennifer Londgren. Season 2 continues as Jenna shares about the experiences that drew her to the field and how her journey to professional counseling was shaped by her love for people and understanding behavior. We discuss the significance of scaling impact through writing and public speaking, as well as the integration of faith and mental health in counseling practi...

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March 27, 2025 44 mins

In this episode of the Well Mind podcast, Dr. Ben Kohls engages in a broad and thoughtful conversation with Anita Smith, exploring her journey into the counseling field, the integration of faith in therapy, and the value and joy of play therapy. They also discuss Anita's global counseling experiences, the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in the field, and the need for personal human connection in therapeutic settings. T...

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Summary

In this episode of the Well Mind Podcast, I speak with Dr. Helena Stevens, core faculty member at Bethany Lutheran College in the CMHC Program. We discuss Dr. Stevens' unique journey to becoming a counselor, the importance of mentorship, and the integration of faith into professional identity. The conversation also explores the capstone experience for students, emphasizing the significance of faith in counseling practice...

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In this episode of the Well Mind Podcast, Dr. Ben Kohls welcomes Dr. Karina Clennon back to the podcast. Karina opens the conversation by sharing about her journey of becoming a professional helper. Together we explore the significance of time and presence in relationships, the challenges of balancing personal and professional roles, and the impact of 'busy'ness culture on mental health. The discussion emphasizes the import...

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March 6, 2025 12 mins

In this episode, Dr. Ben Kohls returns to the Well Mind Podcast after a hiatus, sharing updates on his work in the counseling program at Bethany Lutheran College, including efforts towards specialized accreditation. He discusses the upcoming season, which will feature interviews with faculty members, focusing on their experiences and insights in the field of mental health and counseling. Dr. Kohls emphasizes the importance of creat...

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Welcome to the show, friends! I’m excited to have you with me. The Well Mind Podcast is space for meaningful conversation on a broad range of wellness related topics, with a special emphasis on mental wellness. For this conversation, I invited Dr. Jason Paltzer back to the podcast to chat about all the changes that have happened for him personally and professionally. Jason and I connected way back in January of this year at a men’s...

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Welcome to the show, friends! How are you doing? I really mean it, how are you doing? Are you giving time and attention to your well-being and relationships or have they been an afterthought lately? Depending on your season of life, current commitments, stress levels, you may be struggling to take time to reflect on and attend to your mental and emotional well-being. This is a challenge we all face and the topic of A Guide to Menta...

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February 26, 2024 72 mins

Welcome to the show, friends. It is great to have you here. The Well Mind Podcast is a space for meaningful conversations on wellness and mental health. I want to start by sharing a quote with you from a book that I just recently finished reading. “Does the destination matter? Or is it the path that we take? I declare that no accomplishment has substance nearly as great as the road used to achieve it. We are not creatures of destin...

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Welcome to the Well Mind Podcast, a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. I am a clinical mental health counselor and counselor educator. This podcast is my effort to bring free and open access content on health and wellness. I hope that by tuning in you discover new and meaningful ways to think about your wellness and take away some actionable information. L...
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September 19, 2023 71 mins

Welcome to the Well Mind Podcast! I'm excited to share my recent conversation with retired Major General Gregg Martin in this episode. He is a 36-year army combat veteran celebrated for his remarkable career commanding engineer units and holding prestigious roles such as president of the National Defense university and commander of Fort Leonard Wood. An accomplished author, his book Bipolar General: My Forever War with Mental I...

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The Well Mind is a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics and this episode is a beautiful example of that mission. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. I’ve been a practicing clinical mental health counselor for over 15 years and am currently a counselor educator and director for the CMHC graduate program at Bethany Lutheran College. My guest for this episode is Elizabeth DeBolt. She is a professo...

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The Well Mind is a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics, with a special emphasis on mental wellness. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. I’ve been a practicing clinical mental health counselor for over 15 years and am currently a counselor educator and director for the CMHC graduate program at Bethany Lutheran College. I’ve got another special episode for you. I had the opportunity to hold a li...

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Welcome to episode 36! The Well Mind is a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics, with a special emphasis on mental wellness. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. I’ve been a practicing clinical mental health counselor for over 15 years and am currently a counselor educator and director for the CMHC graduate program at Bethany Lutheran College. If you’ve been a member of the Well Mind community, y...

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Welcome to the Well Mind podcast, I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls, I am a professional mental health counselor, counselor educator, and currently the director of the clinical mental health graduate program at Bethany Lutheran College. This is a special episode of the podcast, where I have not one, not two, but THREE guests on the show. Paul Tenhaken, in addition to being the mayor of Sioux Falls, SD, was one of 12 individuals that help...

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The Well Mind is a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics, with a special emphasis on mental wellness. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. I’ve been a practicing clinical mental health counselor for over 15 years and am currently a counselor educator and director for the CMHC graduate program at Bethany Lutheran College. This conversation is a real treat to share with you. My guest is Dr. Josh Kn...

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September 14, 2022 73 mins
Welcome to episode 33 of the podcast! Thanks for joining me for today’s conversation. How important is it to you to have peace in your life? How about this: What does it take to be a peacemaker? Certain famous people in history likely come to mind when you think about being a peacemaker, but what if I told you that you can be a peacemaker in your own life and relationships. I believe that we could all use a bit more peace in our re...
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The Well Mind is a space for meaningful conversations about a broad range of wellness related topics, with a special emphasis on mental wellness. I’m your host Dr. Ben Kohls. I’ve been a practicing clinical mental health counselor for over 15 years and am currently a counselor educator and director for the CMHC graduate program at Bethany Lutheran College. For this episode, I invited one of our adjunct faculty, Dr. Ashley Schoof, t...

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April 12, 2022 78 mins

My guest in this episode is a surfer, father, husband, entrepreneur, and expert in the practice of breath work and cold exposure. Relatably, Reis Paluso found himself caught up in the ever accelerating process and goals of building a life through his work, family, friendships, and favorite pastimes but was simultaneously losing a sense of balance and connectedness in his own life. Then he hit an inflection point and, in my conversa...

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