OM DENNE EPISODE
Profound loss can break us… but it can also awaken a purpose powerful enough to transform our lives and the lives of others.
Certified wellness coach and holistic mental health advocate Miriam Putnam joins Dr. Dan for a deeply personal conversation about resilience, stress, self-advocacy, and caring for the whole person: body, mind, and soul. Drawing from her family’s pioneering legacy and her painful experience of losing her mother after years of mental health struggles, Miriam explains how she turned heartbreak into a mission to help others find clarity, balance, and greater freedom from stress.
Miriam comes from a family connected to the legacies of Crayola Crayons, Putnam Publishing, and aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. Growing up surrounded by stories of innovation and courage taught her to challenge the status quo… but personal tragedy taught her that wealth, influence, and access do not guarantee happiness or wellbeing.
Miriam shares how her mother’s experiences with mental health treatment inspired more than 25 years of advocacy and exploration into holistic wellness. She and Dr. Dan discuss the importance of asking questions, listening to the body, investigating potential physical contributors to emotional distress, and becoming an active participant in your own care.
The conversation also explores Miriam’s approach to reducing stress by identifying its roots rather than simply managing its symptoms. She introduces the concept of “soul health,” explains how boundaries protect our emotional energy, and demonstrates her Mind Muscle Exercise, a practical technique that uses the senses to reconnect with a positive memory and shift your emotional state.
This episode is an inspiring reminder that meaningful change begins with self-awareness, courage, and the willingness to consider new possibilities.
How Miriam transformed personal loss into purpose and advocacy.
Why physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness should be considered together.
How stress may reveal itself through disrupted sleep, irritability, disconnection, and strained relationships.
Why asking questions and advocating for yourself are essential parts of navigating healthcare.
How healthy boundaries help protect and replenish your emotional energy.
Why living in alignment with your purpose supports “soul health.”
How to use a positive memory to exercise your “mind muscle” and interrupt a stressful thought pattern.
1. Resilience is developed through adversity.Resilience does not mean avoiding painful experiences. It means finding the inner strength, support, and determination to move through them and continue building a meaningful life.
2. Look beneath the symptoms.Stress and emotional distress can have multiple contributing factors. Miriam encourages people to work with qualified professionals, ask questions, and consider their physical health alongside their mental and emotional wellbeing.
3. Pay attention to your early warning signs.Changes in sleep, a shorter temper, increasing anxiety, strained relationships, and feeling disconnected from yourself may signal that stress is beginning to overwhelm your current coping resources.
4. Protect and intentionally replenish your energy.Healthy boundaries are not about blaming or rejecting others. They are about recognizing your agency, limiting harmful patterns, and scheduling activities that restore your energy and sense of connection.
5. Strengthen your “mind muscle.”Choose a genuinely happy memory and bring it back to life through sensory details. Recall what you saw, heard, smelled, felt, and experienced emotionally. Practicing this regularly can help redirect your attention and reconnect you with calm, gratitude, and hope.
For more information visit MiriamPutnam.org and follow @miriam_putnam_ on Instagram.
Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com.
We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one.– Dr. Dan
ABOUT THIS EPISODEWHAT YOU’LL LEARNKEY TAKEAWAYS
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
