Written by Casey Hersch, LCSW
January 18, 2022

Melora Hardin, actor, takes us behind the scenes of her upcoming docuseries Thunder, Hunter, & Me and explores her views on trauma, healing, and human connection. Listen to Melora talk about Body Positivity and Aging here

 About Melora:
Melora Hardin is well known for her portrayal of ‘Jan Levinson,’ Steve Carell’s rigid, former corporate boss and love interest, on the critically acclaimed NBC series “The Office.” Additionally, Hardin was Emmy nominated in 2016 for her recurring role of ‘Tammy Cashman’ on Amazon’s Golden Globe-winning comedy “Transparent.” Last year she wrapped the fifth and final season of the Freeform series “The Bold Type.” Hardin starred as ‘Jacqueline Carlyle,” a strong but nurturing editor-in-chief at a high-end women’s magazine, inspired by the life of Joanna Coles of Cosmopolitan. Most recently, she competed in the 30th Season of ABC’s long running “Dancing With The Stars” series and made it to the Semi-Finals with her professional dance partner Artem Chigvintsev. She also recurs on the ABC series “A Million Little Things.”

Written by Casey Hersch, LCSW
January 18, 2022

Melora Hardin, actor, speaks with me about her perspectives on Body Positivity and Aging and relates her experiences on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Listen to Melora talk about her trauma-based docuseries Thunder, Hunter, and Me here

About Melora:
Melora Hardin is well known for her portrayal of ‘Jan Levinson,’ Steve Carell’s rigid, former corporate boss and love interest, on the critically acclaimed NBC series “The Office.” Additionally, Hardin was Emmy nominated in 2016 for her recurring role of ‘Tammy Cashman’ on Amazon’s Golden Globe-winning comedy “Transparent.” Last year she wrapped the fifth and final season of the Freeform series “The Bold Type.” Hardin starred as ‘Jacqueline Carlyle,” a strong but nurturing editor-in-chief at a high-end women’s magazine, inspired by the life of Joanna Coles of Cosmopolitan. Most recently, she competed in the 30th Season of ABC’s long running “Dancing With The Stars” series and made it to the Semi-Finals with her professional dance partner Artem Chigvintsev. She also recurs on the ABC series “A Million Little Things.”

Written by Casey Hersch, LCSW
January 18, 2022

Melora Hardin, actor, speaks with me about her perspectives on Body Positivity and aging and relates her time on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She takes us behind the scenes of her upcoming docuseries Thunder, Hunter, & Me and explores her views on trauma, healing, and human connection. This is the full interview.

About Melora:
Melora Hardin is well known for her portrayal of ‘Jan Levinson,’ Steve Carell’s rigid, former corporate boss and love interest, on the critically acclaimed NBC series “The Office.” Additionally, Hardin was Emmy nominated in 2016 for her recurring role of ‘Tammy Cashman’ on Amazon’s Golden Globe-winning comedy “Transparent.” Last year she wrapped the fifth and final season of the Freeform series “The Bold Type.” Hardin starred as ‘Jacqueline Carlyle,” a strong but nurturing editor-in-chief at a high-end women’s magazine, inspired by the life of Joanna Coles of Cosmopolitan. Most recently, she competed in the 30th Season of ABC’s long running “Dancing With The Stars” series and made it to the Semi-Finals with her professional dance partner Artem Chigvintsev. She also recurs on the ABC series “A Million Little Things.”

Written by Casey Hersch, LCSW
December 1, 2021

This article originally appeared in the December 2021 issue of Costco Connection Magazine

Gut Health, Your Health
The ecosystem known as the microbiome affects every system in your body

The journey your food takes from the first bite after entering your mouth to its breakdown by stomach acids and enzymes on its way through the digestive tract is an amazing one. But there’s so much more going on. The health of your gut has a dramatic impact on your overall health as well.

The microbiome ecosystem

Dr. Emeran Mayer, a gastroenterologist, neuroscientist and research professor at UCLA, studies the ecosystem inside the gut—known as the microbiome—which comprises trillions of microbes and networks that affect the rest of the body.

Written by Casey Hersch, LCSW
November 23, 2021

In this powerful video, Lady Gaga and the Born This Way Foundation honor World Kindness Day with this short film. The message is huge. Our mental health improves significantly with simple acts of kindness. Acts of kindess include the way we treat ourselves AND others. Self-love and Self-acceptance are contagious. When we give to ourselves we have more to give others. When we give to others we get even more back! 

Written by Casey Hersch, MSW, LCSW
November 22, 2021

“Every Problem is an Opportunity in Disguise”—John Adams

“Honey,” my husband quietly says, “I have this stabbing pain in my right side.” It is 11:00 p.m. and normally this time of night he is dead asleep on the couch, TV still blaring, until I wake him to come to bed with me. So, this night is different.
First, my husband, Scott, never complains about anything---especially a physical symptom. Second, I have lived with chronic illness and Crohn’s disease since we met, and I am the “sick” one---not him. Until that moment, our marriage was defined by me as patient, him as caretaker. I thought this rule was cast in stone—'til death do us part; however, in just a blip, life can plunge us into new terrain and challenge our expectations, roles, and resiliency.

I was not prepared for the night ahead. I was in a Crohn’s flare and feeling weak from anemia. Our stress level was unusually high. Less than twenty-four hours prior we had travelled to my hometown, burned to the ground by the Dixie Fire. For two months my mom and her four cats were evacuated and living with us. Despite the horror of watching most of the small rural communities in Indian Valley dissolve to ashes, my mom was ready to go home and start anew in a natural disaster zone. Given the past months, I thought I had met my quota for fair share of stress. I knew my husband and I were due a vacation to our living room, home alone. I was wrong!

That night my husband’s body screamed for attention. In the days ahead this turn of events would challenge our understanding of health, self-care, and relationship.