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Phoenix and Flame Podcast

Phoenix and Flame Podcast

Written by: Dana Skaggs: psychotherapist and keynote speaker
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About this listen

Phoenix and Flame is a podcast by Dana Skaggs, M.A. She is called the "Queen of Boundaries" as well as the "Sassy Psychotherapist." Her podcast is about going From Ash to Flight on the Wings of Boundaries. If you feel alone in your struggle, check out the candid interviews with inspiring guests. You'll hear their authentic journey through struggle, what helped them, what hurt them, and how they finally rose from the ashes. Dana asks direct, thought-provoking questions infused with snarky humor and therapeutic commentary, designed so her listeners will take away useful and applicable rubber-meets-the-road coping strategies. Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • The Science Behind Trust and Self-Betrayal
    Feb 22 2026

    In this episode, Dana is joined by Clay Moffat, an ex-Navy weapons tech turned behavioral coach and author of The Trust Trap. Clay offers a radical reframe on trust, arguing it isn't a character trait but a dynamic process of alignment that requires constant evaluation. He reveals why we are the "authors of our own pain" and how we unknowingly fall into the "trust trap" by creating a frozen mental image of others and ignoring real-time data. Clay breaks down the psychology of betrayal, arguing that the most significant betrayals are often the ones we commit against ourselves by ignoring our intuition.

    Clay's Website

    The Trust Trap Book

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    44 mins
  • Laugh Your Way to Success with Cathy Nesbitt
    Feb 15 2026

    In this episode, Dana is joined by Cathy Nesbitt, an innovator who turned a city-wide garbage crisis into a thriving entrepreneurial mission. Cathy shares her incredible journey from a secretary to the founder of Cathy's Crawley Composters and Cathy's Laughter Club. She reveals how she overcame the universal "ew" factor of her worm business and navigated the profound challenges of entrepreneurship, including losing her family's main source of income right as her business launched. Cathy explains why failure is always better than regret and teaches us how to find our "daily dose" of happiness through the science of laughter.

    Cathy's Linkedin

    Cathy's Site | Join Laughter Yoga

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    36 mins
  • How to Build a Workplace Culture That Lasts
    Feb 8 2026

    In this episode, Dana is joined by Dr. Victoria Mattingly, an organizational psychologist who is transforming workplace cultures by blending research with lived experience. Dr. Mattingly shares how her personal journeys through cancer, alopecia, and mental health recovery became the bedrock of her professional mission to build more human-centered and equitable organizations. She challenges us to reframe "soft skills" as essential "power skills" and offers a profound, partnership-based model for allyship. This is a powerful conversation about finding strength in vulnerability and using our deepest struggles to lead with more empathy and impact.

    Dr. Mattingly's Linkedin

    Dr. Mattingly's Site

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    32 mins
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