Today we have such an exciting episode and a special guest. Santasha Wright-Comer, LMSW, is a Sex-Informed Therapist here The Gaia Center who believes healing and pleasure go hand in hand. A proud wife and mom of two, Santasha brings both warmth and realness into her work, especially when supporting LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities in finding safety, joy, and intimacy in their relationships. When she’s not in session, you can catch her in dance class, laughing with her family, or researching the latest mods for The Sims 4.

In this episode, SanTasha shares so much wisdom related to sex therapy, sex positivity, and kink.

This episode covers:

• 03:13 - Tea & Crumpets: Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching - from Owen & Quentin Reiser, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish on Netflix, and The Sims
• 09:10 - Step Into My Office: How do I bring up kink with my partner?
• 13:57 - The DSM: Sex Therapy & Kink
• 45:55 - Now That's What I Call...OKAAAAY!
• 47:24 - SanTasha pick: "Persuasive:" by Doechii
• 48:30 - Fire Dumpster Phoenix: Mile long table in Denver CO sat thousands of people who wanted to connect and be in community with one another, and Who Gives a Crap,
• 52:49 - Rapid Fire Q&A

Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode:

• Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching
• Unknown Number: The High School Catfish
• The Sims

Connect with SanTasha:

• gaiacenter.co/meet-santasha
• instagram.com/santashawc

Connect with Us:

• Send a story or ask for advice: butforrealpod@gmail.com
• But For Real on IG: @butforrealpod
• Now That's What I Call... OKAAAAY Playlist
• The Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenter
• Val on IG: @valkaymartin
• The Gaia Center website: www.gaiacenter.co

DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are

In this episode, Valerie and Emerson dive into an always controversial topic: infidelity. They explore what infidelity actually is, statistics, why people cheat, cultural considerations, and the role therapy can play.

This episode covers:

• 03:28 - Tea & Crumpets: The Osbournes and Shrinking Season 2
• 06:08 - Step Into My Office: HELP! My friend is cheating…
• 10:04 - The DSM: THE hottest debate in all media ever and IRL relationships… let’s talk about INFIDELITY
• 38:29 - Now That's What I Call...OKAAAAY!
• 41:52 - Emerson’s Pick: "My Mind" by Yebba
• 46:45 - Valerie’s Pick: "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" by Panic! At the Disco
• 47:53 - Fire Dumpster Phoenix: A former chef helping street dogs after they gave him hope in his darkest days & Dan Pelzer’s legacy

Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode:

• Prolific reader, former Marine and social worker Dan Pelzer
• Street dogs gave him hope during dark days. Now he’s returning the favor
• "My Mind" by Yebba
• "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" by Panic! At the Disco
• https://what-dan-read.com/

Connect with Us:

• Send a story or ask for advice: butforrealpod@gmail.com
• But For Real on IG: @butforrealpod
• Now That's What I Call... OKAAAAY Playlist
• The Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenter
• Val on IG: @valkaymartin
• The Gaia Center website: www.gaiacenter.co

DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are in crisis, please utilize crisis support services, such as the Crisis Text Line (Text START to 741741 in the US) or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: (Call 988 in the US), or visit www.findahelpline.com for international resources.

In this episode, we are excited to dive into all things men’s mental health & the power of gaming with one of The Gaia Center’s team members, Sam DiMartino!

In his clinical work, Sam supports individuals and couples through an array of topics like grief, trauma, toxic masculinity + men’s issues, systemic oppression, identity exploration etc and also leads our men’s group Tearing Down The Walls! As our Client Journey Liaison he assists our leadership team with ensuring excellent client care and experience, and he does a damn good job. When he’s not therapizing, you can find him gaming, creating, being a literal comedian and sharing his love with his wife Ruby and their two cats Sophie and Claus.

This episode covers:

• 00:03:24 - Tea & Crumpets: forRest Mind Ambiance YouTube channel, Heartstopper, and Donkey Kong Bananza
• 00:09:12 - Step Into My Office: Is my little brother addicted to video games?
• 00:18:09 - The DSM: Men’s mental health and the impact of video games in today’s culture
• 00:44:10 - Now That's What I Call...OKAAAAY!
• 00:46:12 - Sam Pick: "ZZZ Top" by Aesop Rock
• 00:46:53 - Fire Dumpster Phoenix: Older aged folks finding connection through gaming, a city-run program in Seoul, SK is combating isolation among adults of all ages who live alone, and Sam’s cat Claus
• 00:50:14 - Sam Quizzes Val & Em on Gaming
• 00:59:56 - Rapid Fire Q&A

Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode:

• forRest Mind Ambiance YouTube channel
• Heartstopper
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Aesop Rock - ZZZ Top (Official Video)
• Gaming in their golden years article
• Seoul, South Korea community program

Connect with Us:

• Send a story or ask for advice: butforrealpod@gmail.com
• But For Real on IG: @butforrealpod
• Now That's What I Call... OKAAAAY Playlist
• The Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenter
• Val on IG: @valkaymartin
• The Gaia Center website: www.gaiacenter.co

DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are in crisis, please utilize crisis support services, such as the Crisis...

Today’s episode is allllll about MONEY HUNNY – how we are influenced to think about the construct of money, financial wellbeing, and balancing all of this in the modern landscape of capitalism and consumerism.

This episode covers:

• 06:59 - Tea & Crumpets: Stretching in the pool + Courtney Carver
• 11:27 - Step Into My Office: Navigating financial boundaries with friends
• 18:04 - The DSM: The Psychology of Money
• 44:17 - Now That's What I Call...OKAAAAY!
• 45:41 - Emerson Pick: "Seven Rings" by Ariana Grande
• 48:07 - Valerie Pick: "Look At Me Now" by Karmin (CB Cover)
• 48:55 - Fire Dumpster Phoenix: H-E-B supporting Texas flood relief efforts + a crow visiting his Danish “chosen family”

Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode:

• Courtney Carver
• Money Beliefs and Financial Behaviors: Development of the Klontz Money Script Inventory
• Scarcity mindset article
• Conflating Income and Self-Worth. The Money Trap 2 | by Baillie Aaron
• 7 rings by Ariana Grande
• Look At Me Now by Karmin
• The Butt Family, H-E-B, and the H.E. Butt Foundation announce $5 million donation for Texas flood recovery efforts
• A crow visits his Danish chosen family often

Connect with Us:

• Send a story or ask for advice: butforrealpod@gmail.com
• But For Real on IG: @butforrealpod
• Now That's What I Call... OKAAAAY Playlist
• The Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenter
• Val on IG: @valkaymartin
• The Gaia Center website: www.gaiacenter.co

DISCLAIMER: But For Real Podcast is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment or healthcare. This podcast is solely for entertainment and educational purposes. If you are in crisis, please utilize crisis support services, such as the Crisis Text Line (Text START to 741741 in the US) or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: (Call 988 in the US), or visit

In today’s world, there’s an interesting juxtaposition between constant (and often necessary) use of technology coupled with conversations around unplugging. In this episode, we dive into digital detoxing, why everyone suddenly wants a flip phone, and how our nervous systems are begging for boundaries. From nostalgic phone memories to the psychology of being “always on,” we’re asking: can we ever truly unplug? (Spoiler: you don’t have to throw your phone in the ocean… but we get it.)

This episode covers:

• 05:48 - Tea & Crumpets: Tokyo Disney & Sunrise On The Reaping
• 10:47 - Step Into My Office: Setting tech boundaries while working from home
• 15:43 - The DSM: Digital Detox + Unplugging
• 39:41 - Now That's What I Call...OKAAAAY!
• 42:32 - Val's Pick: "All You Wanted" by Michelle Branch
• 44:06 - Em's Pick: "Two Ghosts" by Harry Styles
• 44:23 - Wait...What? - The concept of “reheating nachos
• 46:46 - Fire Dumpster Phoenix: Clarksville, TN 4 year old saves her daycare teacher’s life & an 81-year-old waitress said she couldn’t retire, so a stranger raised over $300K for her

Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode:

• Sunrise On The Reaping
• Business of Apps Push Notifications Statistics of 2025
• How Multitasking Drains Us
• All You Wanted by Michelle Branch
• LOVE/HATE LIST by DREAM BABY PRESS
• Two Ghosts- Harry Styles
• Clarksville, TN 4 year old saves her daycare teacher’s life
• An 81-year-old waitress said she couldn’t retire, so a stranger raised over $300K for her

Connect with Us:

• Send a story or ask for advice: butforrealpod@gmail.com
• But For Real on IG: @butforrealpod
• Now That's What I Call... OKAAAAY Playlist
• The Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenter
• Val on IG: @valkaymartin
• The Gaia Center website:

In this episode, we have our first installment of a special new mini series titled Living Your Activism. In this series, we're talking to activists and advocates across a wide variety of missions and passions about how they found their thing, what they do to stay grounded and connected with joy amidst all the chaos in the world, and what it means to truly live their activism, not just as a checkbox or some burnout inducing giant commitment, but as something that's interwoven throughout their life in a nourishing, sustainable way.

Our guest for this first installment is Ella Magers, MSW, a holistic fitness rebel on a mission to ignite fierce compassion and revolutionize what it means to be healthy and fit.

She’s a thought-leader, professional speaker, podcast host, and the dynamic creator and host of the Evolution of Fitness with Ella YouTube show—a space where strength meets soul and transformation goes way beyond the physical.

Vegan since 1995, Ella holds a Master’s in Social Work and is a certified personal trainer, yoga instructor, and food freedom coach. With over two decades of experience in the wellness space, she’s helped thousands break free from toxic diet culture, rewire self-sabotaging patterns, and build powerful, plant-strong bodies they love living in.

Ella is a former bikini bodybuilding champion and lifelong athlete who blends mindset, movement, and plant-based nutrition into transformational coaching that sticks. She was named one of the world’s top trainers by Bodybuilding.com and Shape Magazine, and serves on the board of Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary.

Based in Miami Beach, you’ll find her training, teaching, filming, and adventuring with her beloved rescue chihuahua, Fiona.

This episode covers:

• 01:39 - Tea & Crumpets: Emerson’s experience with trying hair glossing
• 05:07 - Step Into My Office: Can seasonal depression happen in summer?
• 10:26 - Living Your Activism Interview with Ella Magers
• 40:46 - Fire Dumpster Phoenix: A triple organ transplant recipient met with his donors family

Resources + Stuff Mentioned in This Episode:

• Triple organ transplant recipient meets with donors family

Connect with Ella Magers:

• Website: https://www.ellamagers.com
• IG: @sexyfitvegan

Connect with Us:

• Send a story or ask for advice: butforrealpod@gmail.com
• But For Real on IG: @butforrealpod
• Now That's What I Call... OKAAAAY Playlist
• The Gaia Center on IG: @thegaiacenter
• Val on IG: @valkaymartin
• The Gaia Center website:...