Today we're honoring the late Joe Hurd, my good friend Aubrey's husband, who passed away from Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma (EHE), a rare sarcoma. I've shared about grief and the hardships of being a caregiver, but being a caregiver to a parent is very different than caring for and losing a partner. In this episode Aubrey shares the raw truths around her journey going from wife to caregiver, what you should never say to a widow, and why it's about moving forward, not moving on. For anyone impacted by cancer, Aubrey recommends Gilda's Club, a non-profit support community for families and loved ones. Please consider donating or joining Team Joe with the Sarcoma Foundation of America. https://p2p.onecause.com/chicago/team/team-joe-8 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

Is your life full of chaos or peace? It probably should be a balance of both, but let's be real, there's more chaos than we all probably want. Having peace in our lives is so important for our health, physically, mentally, and emotionally. But how do you find inner peace? How do you live a more peaceful life? Well that's what I'm talking to my good friend Korie about! Today we're talking about how the very definition of peace has changed over time for us and what that's looked like. Korie also recommends a few podcasts that have helped her so check these out too! Badass Manifester Podcast UnF*ck Your Brain Podcast --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

Today marks seven years since my mom passed away. The first few years after she passed, I dreaded this day. It brought up the pain and sadness of her last days. This year, it's still sad but I'm able to celebrate her life, instead of focusing on her absence. It's taken seven years to get to this point though. It took about five for my friend Bill after losing his mom. Today we're talking about how grief changes over the years and how anniversaries can go from painful memories to spending a day at the spa because that's what our moms would've wanted. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

What is a healing journey? It's something many of us have heard and are probably on, but don't know it. To heal means to address the root cause of our pain, our trauma. It's not slapping on a band aid and pretending we're fine—cause we're not. But how do you begin your healing journey? I brought on my friend Lala to share about her several, yes SEVERAL, healing journeys. Because sometimes we're healing from different things throughout our lives and that means needing different types of healing. Lala shares her biggest takeaways and advice for anyone who is unsure what a healing journey is like and figuring out when you need one! Follow Lala and her healing journey, especially through art, on IG @heylalajackson and her work at www.lalajackson.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

TW: Mentions or suggestions of suicide and intrusive thoughts. When you live with anxiety and depression, sometimes it can be hard to reach out for help. Yes everyone says "reach out anytime" or "call me if you need me", but when you're in those moments, the really dark ones, a big barrier is the feeling of bothering, or being a burden, or sometimes even embarrassment. It's hard to ask for help. But there's the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to help. I had to use it a few weeks ago. It was a scary moment but I'm so glad I did. What's it like to call or text 988? Here's what it was like so you know what to expect if you ever need to use it. I hope no one ever needs to, but that they do use it if they need help. You're not alone. You are loved. You deserve to live. If anyone is struggling with intrusive thoughts or thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 9-8-8, or even chatting online at www.988lifeline.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

TW: This episode mentions murder, suicide, and suggestions of abuse. Childhood trauma isn't something that ends with childhood. Sometimes that shit follows you into adulthood. As adults processing and healing from childhood trauma, my bestie Brittney and I are talking about what it's been like. Spoiler alert: It's been hard AF. Childhood trauma impacts mental health, which in the Latinx community isn't talked about enough! This episode covers a hard topic, but Brittney handles it with such grace and has some amazing tips at the end, you won't want to miss it. Remember, you are NOT what has happened to you. And you're not alone. You can learn more about my chica Brittney Benavidez Smith on IG at @brittneybenavidezsmith or @one_in_a_melody, and her website oneinamelody.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

Life can feel really big, really heavy sometimes. I know it's felt like that a lot lately for me. That heaviness just feeds anxiety and depression, and before you know it, a bad morning turns into a bad day and into a bad week. You blink and it's been a month of feeling like shit. Yesterday I woke up to a panic attack and expected it to ruin my day, my week. But it didn't. It was actually one of the best days I've had in a while! I was super productive, in a good mood, and felt good. How? It was the little things. They say gratitude is the best weapon against anxiety and the little things are those weapons. Today I'm challenging you to find one "little" thing you can do for yourself to help with all the BIG things. And remember, we got this! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

No one likes to talk or think about death, but it’s all around us. Death has been on my mind lately for a few reasons, mainly with my dog Burberry’s health changing. It hit me that she’s getting older and being able to see it, well it’s fucked with me. I started pre-grieving. Let’s talk about why we start to pre-grieve when we see death coming. I know death can be a difficult subject and if it’s something you’re dealing with now, know you’re not alone. You’re not weak for “not handling it well”. No one does. There’s no handbook for handling situations like this. You’re doing what you can and I’m proud of you. I’m here for you. You’re not alone. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

Do you know how awesome you are? Probably not. Sometimes when we're always focused on who we want to be, we overlook and undervalue who we ALREADY are (which is pretty f*cking awesome). Not knowing who we are means we don't know our worth. But what's the big deal with not knowing our worth? Who does that hurt? Everyone. Not knowing your worth means you miss out on opportunities that can help out your career, your family, your whole damn future. Part of knowing who you are is knowing when opportunities are or aren't for YOU. Let's talk about it! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

Who knew three words to add up to such a big question! WHO ARE YOU? I thought I knew who I was at 14. Then I thought for sure I knew who I was at 24. Now at 32, I've realized the answer will always be changing. These past three decades I've put so much pressure on myself to know exactly who I am so I could figure out what she should look like, what she should be achieving, etc. But all that's really done is fucked with my mental health because I either don't know or I'm not living up to that expectation. Anyone else? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

Who Are You? Miniseries: It's my birthday month, meaning it's a month full of self-reflection. So in this four part miniseries we're answering the question Who Are You? I know it's a bit of a vague, yet loaded question, but who we are impacts our lives and those around us. In this first part we're talking about how our morals and values shape who we are. Thinking about what our values and morals are isn't necessarily on the forefront of everyone's mind 24/7/365, but it's our values and morals that influence the decisions we make every day. They impact who we are when people ARE and AREN'T watching us. They decide whether we stand up and speak up for others or make us bystanders. So who are you when your morals are tested? Let's talk about it. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

Life can really throw some shit in your face, but society tells you that you should rub that shit into your face and call it a mud mask. Make the best of it. Turn it into something positive. But it's literal shit. in. your. face. Sometimes situations are just that. Shitty. Yet we feel the pressure to find gratitude in everything and to turn bad situations into good ones but you know what, that takes effort. It takes energy that we already don't have. When you stop validating your own feelings that you're going through some tough challenges, you stop letting yourself feel those feelings and that can make things go pretty ugly pretty fast. Today I share some doozies that my therapist gave me to help me stop turning shit into luxury face masks. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

Stories of trailblazers breaking cultural traditions and norms are always feel-good and inspiring, but that's because you don't see what the road looked like before they paved the way. First-gen students, Americans, and those who immigrate to this country for a better future are the trailblazers that take the beating building paths so those after them can enjoy the stroll. I'm very lucky to have someone I deeply admire and am fortunate to call my best friend on today's episode, Dr. Jiyan Mohammad. Jiyan came to the US from Kurdistan, a territory in northern Iraq, and is the oldest of 10. Part of Kurdish culture is that women are only really supported to aspire to become wives and mothers. At around the age of 8, Jiyan said fuck that (my words not hers!) and knew she wanted a different life than the women before her. Breaking cultural and family traditions can be filled with heartbreak, work you down to the bone, and be a challenging task with no one to help guide you. But like Jiyan, people break them so they can build a better life for themselves, their families, and their future. This episode is for the unrecognized heroes breaking traditions is worth listening to every minute! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

Just got laid off or looking for a better opportunity? Then you don't want to miss today's episode! We're chatting with Nick Kopco (yes, my awesome brother-in-law) about how he's managed to changed positions 7 times, and always for a better role and better pay. But wait, isn't changing jobs often bad for your resume? Well, staying loyal to one employer for 20 years may have been a thing our parents did, but unfortunately many employers aren't loyal to their employees, don't offer competitive salaries, or have toxic work environments. Let's talk about it! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

Have you ever tried cannabis? Most portrayals of weed and cannabis depict a stereotypical stoner who talks slowly and just eats cheetos all day in their mom's basement. But what if it helps manage your stress or helped your pain more than any pharmaceutical has? Today I'm talking with the amazing BJ Garceau about all things cannabis, including the health benefits for diabetes management and mental health. Although recreational use may be illegal in several states, medicinal use is legal in many of them, so check to see if medicinal marijuana is an option in your state. And of course, always talk to your doctor about trying new things for your health, like cannabis. In today's episode, you'll learn what dinosaurs have to do with edibles—you don't want to miss it! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

Losing a loved one sucks, whether it happened unexpectedly or you saw it coming a mile away with illness. But there's more to grief than just the rollercoaster of emotions. Today my bestie Noe and I are talking about all the tons of extra SHIT you deal with after losing a loved one like canceling their phone service and figuring out how to arrange a funeral. All these extra little tasks become reminders of your loss, the salt in the wound. Grief doesn't get easier, it just changes. But you change with it. Whether you're preparing yourself to lose a loved one or they've been gone for 20 years, this episode is for you. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

We've all heard the phrases "no pain, no gain", "push through", "fight through", etc. I've definitely tried living by those phrases in the past, and to some extent, it's probably helped me achieve some pretty awesome things. But the reality is, I probably would've achieved them anyways! Instead, I lived by this mentality of just pushing through life, and it's cost me my physical and mental health sometimes. Yesterday my body took a Muhammad Ali quadruple hit and knocked me down pretty hard. And instead of getting right back up and trying to keep fighting, I stayed down—and I'm better for it. Let's talk about when you get knocked down, why you should probably start staying down. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

If there’s one thing this pandemic has taught me, it’s that I’m more of a social being than I thought. I’ve talked in previous episodes about how hard it is to make friends as adults, but now I’m just flat out feeling….lonely. And it sucks. But how do you fix loneliness? For once in my life, I don’t have the answer. Is it time? It’s always fucking time. It’s probably time. So to all my lonely people, hang in there. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

I've had some very complicated relationships in the past, and one of those was with food. It still is. I love food but because of societal pressures, many of us start assigning foods as "good" or "bad", or as the health industry has labeled "clean" foods. It's all confusing and I always end up feeling dirty and shameful if I eat anything other than a salad—especially with diabetes! Today I'm chatting with my bestie Erika Szumel (@erikaszumel) who lives with type 1 diabetes about how living with diabetes sucks, but how it can really impact our relationships with food. Since starting insulin, I've personally struggled with feelings of guilt and shame surrounding how many carbs I'm eating. It sucks. But food, specifically carbs, are NOT the enemy. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support

This week I had to fight with a doctor to order me a cup to shit in. A literal cup. FOR ME TO SHIT IN. The number of stories I’ve heard about people going untreated and undiagnosed because their doctors brushed them off and didn’t listen has to easily be in the hundreds now. Including many stories of my own. Growing up, my mom always told me that when asked, to always say my pain was a 10. I never understood why my mom would tell me to lie but I get it now. That’s how you actually get listened to. Self-advocacy in the doctor’s office sounds unnecessary but it could save your life! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drlizkopco/support