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innercalling with Dr. Victoria

innercalling with Dr. Victoria

Written by: Dr. Victoria Ranade
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Innercalling is a place to slow down in a world that never does—a place where human connection still matters, and you can simply be.


Hosted by clinical psychologist Dr. Victoria Ranade, innercalling explores modern life through a humanistic, existential, and transpersonal lens—asking what it means to trust the truths you know deep inside yourself, even when society tells you otherwise. Episodes explore mental health, integrative medicine, spirituality, creativity, leadership, relationships, and life in the age of technology and AI.


Each episode is a conversation that explores how real humans — artists, clinicians, leaders, scientists, and everyday people — navigate uncertainty, loss, and change to discover something unexpected and extraordinary within themselves along the way.


At its core, innercalling is a space to explore what it means to be human. It’s a slower, more honest place where you can remember yourself beneath the noise. Here, you can simply be, and discover that the beauty and resilience you’ve been looking for are already living inside you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Victoria Chialy Ranade Economics Hygiene & Healthy Living Leadership Management & Leadership Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Spirituality
Episodes
  • #39. Wayde Louviere | Growing Up Gay in the 1960s South: The Power of Self-Trust

    #39. Wayde Louviere | Growing Up Gay in the 1960s South: The Power of Self-Trust
    Jan 10 2026

    Wayde Louviere is based in Los Angeles where he is a respected queer elder and longtime pillar of the West Hollywood community. He carries decades of lived experience, along with a deep interest in spirituality and healing. Wayde is also a close friend and neighbor of our creative producer, Western Kramer, and we’re honored to share his story.

    ***

    In this conversation, Wayde shares what it meant to grow up gay in Louisiana in the 1960s—before “representation” existed, before anyone said the word queer out loud, and before there was language for what he felt. There were no role models, no media, and no openly queer people in his community—only silence, and the real threat of violence if you were discovered.


    Wayde shares his wisdom on how to know yourself when who you are isn't reflected back to you accurately in the world. What does it mean to trust your inner truth when the world tells you you’re wrong—or that what you feel doesn’t even exist or that you should be ashamed of it?


    This episode is a powerful reminder of what innercalling is really about: the light inside you that no darkness can overcome. There is an inner compass and true north within you that guides you home, even when the world is unkind. Watch to learn how Wayde survived by trusting himself, trusting who he was despite what the world around him said, watch how he demonstrates the courage of listening inward, and choosing self-trust over shame.


    Thank you Wayde for joining us, and thank you to our listeners for your support!

    ***

    “I just knew. Listening to my intuition saved my life.” — Wayde


    “You don’t need the world to affirm who you are if you already know it inside yourself.” — Wayde

    ***

    Episode Highlights

    00:00 – Introduction

    07:45 – Growing Up Gay in the South

    14:30 – Suppression, Silence, and Survival

    22:10 – Discovering Community and Belonging

    36:00 – Trusting Intuition

    43:20 – Spirituality vs. Religion

    52:40 – The AIDS Epidemic and Loss

    01:07:00 – Energy, Healing, and Reiki

    01:20:30 – Labels, Identity, and Discernment

    01:29:00 – Advice for Younger Generations

    01:31:00 – Closing Reflections

    ***

    ✨ Learn more + stay connected: https://www.innercalling.org/

    ✨ Looking for kind, compassionate, evidence-based mental health care? Check out Hope+Wellness, a mental health practice founded by Dr. Victoria, where hope can be found even in the most difficult seasons of life. https://www.hope-wellness.com

    ✨ Instagram: @‌drvictoriaranade

    Disclaimer: https://innercalling.org/disclaimer

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 28 mins
  • #38. Dr. Julie Carpenter (AI Hidden Dangers Explained: What You Need to Know)

    #38. Dr. Julie Carpenter (AI Hidden Dangers Explained: What You Need to Know)
    Jan 6 2026
    “AI does not understand you, care about you, or know what it means to be human.” – Dr. Julie Carpenter“What worries me is how easily we stop trusting ourselves.” – Dr. Victoria RanadeIs Artificial Intelligence really helping us or is it actually reshaping our minds, relationships, and humanity? Can a technology that feels supportive, validating, and “human” actually be undermining our self-trust, autonomy, and mental health? In this episode, Dr. Victoria Ranade and Dr. Julie Carpenter explore the psychological, emotional, and ethical impact of generative AI. Together, they unpack why AI feels so compelling, how it is intentionally designed to engage and retain us, and what happens to humans when we outsource our thinking, emotional processing, and decision-making to AI. This conversation looks under the hype and examines the development of AI through the lenses of mental health, attachment, surveillance, education, power, and what it means to remain human in an increasingly automated world. Dr. Carpenter explains why AI should not be used as therapy, why children are especially vulnerable to overreliance on these systems, and how confirmation bias, emotional manipulation, and surveillance are built into the technology itself.About Our Guest:Dr. Julie Carpenter is a social scientist and user experience researcher who studies how humans form trust, intimacy, and emotional relationships with AI systems. She is the author of The Naked Android: Synthetic Socialness and the Human Gaze and an external research fellow with the Ethics and Emerging Sciences Group. For over two decades, her work has examined how emerging technologies quietly reorganize culture, relationships, and everyday life. https://www.jgcarpenter.com/In this episode, we will explore:Why AI feels emotionally supportive and why that’s riskyHow AI exploits human attachment, trust, and vulnerabilityWhy AI should not be used for therapy, mental health, or parenting adviceThe illusion of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)How bias and misinformation are baked into AI systemsThe environmental and surveillance costs of generative AIWhat parents, educators, and clinicians should be thinking about right now in regards to AIHow overreliance on AI erodes self-trust and critical thinkingWhat AI can never replicate about being humanTimestamps0:00:00 Introduction: Why AI Feels So Compelling0:02:45 Meet Dr. Julie Carpenter0:05:12 What Is Generative AI—Really?0:08:40 Why AI Sounds So Human0:12:30 Emotional Attachment & AI Companionship0:17:45 AI as a “Funhouse Mirror”0:22:10 Why AI Is Not Neutral0:27:40 Surveillance, Data, and Power0:33:15 AI, Children, and Learning Concerns0:40:20 Why AI Should Never Be Used as Therapy0:47:55 Confirmation Bias and Emotional Manipulation0:55:30 The Myth of Artificial General Intelligence1:03:10 Environmental Costs of AI1:10:45 Reclaiming Human Judgment and Autonomy1:18:20 What AI Can Never Replace1:24:30 Cleaning Up Our Own “Backyard”1:30:10 Final Reflections on Humanity and HopeShow notes DAIR Institute Dr. Julie Carpenter's blog, where she explains the ideas behind AGI and who is chasing this philosophy, "Why AGI Won’t Save the World And Who Wants You To Think It Will"✨ Learn more + stay connected: https://innercalling.org/✨ Looking for kind, compassionate, evidence-based mental health care? Check out Hope+Wellness, founded by Dr. Victoria based in the belief that hope can be found even in the most difficult seasons of life. https://www.hope-wellness.com✨ Instagram: @‌drvictoriaranadeDisclaimer: https://innercalling.org/disclaimer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 34 mins
  • #37. innercalling Book Club: Accidentally on Purpose by Kristin Kish (Chapters 9 - 12)

    #37. innercalling Book Club: Accidentally on Purpose by Kristin Kish (Chapters 9 - 12)
    Dec 30 2025

    Hi innercallers! In this episode, Dr. Victoria and producers Carlisle and Western return for the third installment of our Book Club series, diving into Chapters 9–12 of Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kish, which dives into the heart of Kristen’s Top Chef journey and the personal transformations that followed this victory!


    Dr. Victoria and Western are self-proclaimed long-standing Top Chef nerds, so they love diving into the lore about Top Chef and all that this experience signified in public figure Kristen Kish turned out to be! Carlisle might be less versed in Top Chef versed, but has been a long-standing fan of food, so she is equally excited to discuss this topic.


    In this episode, we explore:

    • What Top Chef is really like behind the scenes
    • Representation and identity for Asian American and LGBTQ+ communities
    • Kristen Kish’s coming out journey and family support
    • Toxic workplace culture and knowing when to leave
    • How self-trust grows through adversity
    • Why presence was the key to winning
    • How following what feels like “home” can guide life decisions


    Timestamps

    0:00:00 Welcome to Book Club (Ch. 9–12)

    0:01:15 Snacks, Pickles, and Top Chef Behind-the-Scenes

    0:03:00 The Top Chef Audition & Emeril Lagasse

    0:05:40 Pressure, Presence, and Cooking with Focus

    0:09:00 Competing Against Your Best Friend

    0:12:30 Elimination & Last Chance Kitchen

    0:15:45 Winning Top Chef and Keeping It Secret

    0:18:30 Representation and Unexpected Community Support

    0:22:00 Queerness, Identity, and Coming Out

    0:26:30 Family Acceptance & First Relationships

    0:30:15 Life After Winning: Delayed Opportunities

    0:34:00 Toxic Work Environments & Bullying

    0:38:30 Walking Away from Status and Power

    0:42:00 Trusting Yourself Through Uncertainty

    0:45:30 Presence as the Key to Success

    0:48:30 Final Reflections & What’s Next in the Book


    Find Dr. Victoria Ranade here and here

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    Learn more at innercalling.org

    ‌

    Disclaimer: https://innercalling.org/disclaimer

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    37 mins
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