A Hero's Welcome Podcast
A Hero’s Welcome Podcast
For the therapists doing the hard work and the hearts behind the healing.
Hosted by Maria Laquerre Diego and Liliana Baylon, both LMFT-S and RPT-S, A Hero’s Welcome is a podcast created by and for mental health professionals. We spotlight the work, wisdom, and lived experiences of therapists who show up for others every day, especially those working with children, families, and communities impacted by trauma, migration, and systemic stress.
Each episode features honest conversations with expert clinicians, supervisors, trainers, and consultants. We talk about clinical insights, cultural humility, and what it means to support healing in today’s world. This is your space if you’re a therapist seeking a more profound connection, real-world tools, and community.
Hosts:
Maria Laquerre-Diego
maria@anewhopetc.org
Liliana Baylon
liliana@lilianabaylon.com
A Hero's Welcome Podcast
Choosing Your Battles: Mental Health Activism
What happens when the cost of having your voice heard threatens your wellbeing? In this raw, unplanned conversation, we explore the painful reality many professionals face: choosing which battles to fight and which to walk away from.
The discussion begins with a triggering incident in a professional setting where unprofessional behavior created a hostile environment. From there, we unpack the specific challenges faced by those with "dynamic disabilities" – conditions that aren't immediately visible but significantly impact daily life. "But you look fine" becomes a phrase that dismisses real suffering and forces many to function with what we call "acceptable pain."
We dive deep into the question that haunts many advocates: Is it our responsibility to endure microaggressions and dismissive behaviors so our voices can be heard in important spaces? Or do we prioritize our health by walking away? There's no simple answer, but we offer a framework for deciding which hills are worth the toll they take on your wellbeing.
A powerful cancer metaphor emerges – becoming "the forefront on holding that cancer so it doesn't spread" while ensuring you don't perish from that same cancer. This captures the delicate balance between fighting for change and self-preservation. We examine the disconnect between decision-makers and frontline workers, the financial burden of maintaining wellness while advocating, and the radical notion that rest itself can be a form of activism.
Share your experiences with us and help us see the good being done amidst what sometimes feels like overwhelming darkness. Remember – you're not alone in this struggle to make a difference while taking care of yourself.
A Hero's Welcome Podcast © Maria Laquerre-Diego & Liliana Baylon
Okay, Hello everyone.
Maria Diego:Welcome to an unplanned, unscripted episode of , and I'm joined by my lovely co-host.
Maria Diego:Liliana Baylon and we started actually, it was unplanned, as Maria just shared- because it was sharing an experience and how the political environment is dictating the way that we respond. And then we're noticing one more time all those biases that we Would you agree, Maria, that I always say that we can be aware of trauma, yet most of us are actually causing trauma in spaces? all, as professionals, have, even in mental health, which I think that's why it's so hard for all of us to make sense of.
Maria Diego:Yes, yeah. So part of what triggered our initial conversation was an unfortunate incident and situation that you found yourself in, but isn't the only time you have found yourself in that situation, nor is it the only time that, in a professional setting, professionals behave really unprofessional, but let's just say disgusting, towards each other and the toll that it takes on you deciding whether that's a space you need to remain in or do you walk away. And so what we ended up sort of talking about was this idea of is it our responsibility and our duty to take on the discomfort, the stress, the toll that it takes being in situations where we are attacked, where we are questioned, where we are dismissed and belittled by other professionals? Do we need to take that on so that our voice is heard and that those groups are not surrounded by, yes men, yes women, or do you choose, for the betterment of your mental health, to not engage in those spaces, and what does that mean for you, but also for the larger profession?
Maria Diego:Yeah, so all of it is true, right? No-transcript. How are we going to do that as a Latina migrant mental health therapist who is constantly dealing with microaggressions but also is dealing with dynamic disabilities that are being dismissed in our field because but you look fine.
Liliana Baylon:Right. Not only do you look fine, Liliana, you have a voice and you're not, you're not quiet. I think that's another assumption about dynamic disabilities and those people who are quote unquote sick is that if you don't look sick, then you're not sick. And if you're, if you're showing up to meetings and being vocal, then you're not sick. And those of us, and those of us, our listeners that live with chronic conditions, we know we have to do those things anyway, we have to show up anyway, we all live with a degree of acceptable pain or illness and still have to function. And do you need to decide I mean you specifically, Liliana, for this situation, but I, you know, our listeners in general we have to decide is this worth the toll on my health? Because sometimes the answer is going to be yes.
Maria Diego:Yeah.
Liliana Baylon:And sometimes the answer will be this is not the battle I'm willing to fight any longer. And how do you make, how do you make that decision? Which battle do you pick? And then, how do you get right with yourself for the ones that you walk away from?
Maria Diego:So I think, for listeners right in this moment, either pause, pause the podcast and then write down what are the heels, what are the values, personally and professionally as mental health therapists, that you are willing to become an ally and to fight for, and not the ally of hashtag, because that became really popular. George Floyd, which a lot of a lot of people tend to dismiss because it's a trend. Right, like using certain words or, but don't tell me you're an ally when you witness things and then you're quiet. Yeah, don't tell me you're an ally by going and putting a hashtag or something on your social media. What is truly the work that you're doing? Right? So Maria and I talk about how we hold each other accountable or like okay, I said this, give me your perspective, what are my blind spots? Right, but that's the relationship that you and I have, where we can call each other's bullshit or lack of humility and it's necessary.
Liliana Baylon:Part of the conversation was also we cannot surround ourselves with people who only think and agree with us.
Maria Diego:No.
Liliana Baylon:That's not growth, that's not safe, that's not healthy, that's actually really dangerous, right? Because then we become siloed and we believe that we're the only ones that are right and we're getting that feedback. So that becomes really, really dangerous. So, thinking about you, know your values, the hills that you're willing to not necessarily die on, but you're willing to do the work, you're willing to acknowledge the sacrifices that you have to take to be on that hill and you find that there's value enough in making that choice. Yeah, because you can't be on all the hills.
Maria Diego:You can't by the way, shout out to norca, one of my friends here in colorado. So I have a lunch with her and she says the world is good, is dealing with cancer, and I love her analogy in that moment. And she said and you're becoming, uh, the forefront on on holding that cancer so it doesn't get spread, which is beautiful work, and how are you going to take care of yourself so that you don't die from that cancer? I was like damn damn girl, I don't even know how to answer that right now. But that analogy fits perfectly because we're living in an environment right now where we have given permission to belittle people, to discriminate against people, and we have given permission for people to say really hurtful things about others. So there's no, I see you, as the human is, research says, or the administration says, uh, those are the common language that I keep hearing over and over again yeah, we're losing touch with our humanity.
Maria Diego:That's exactly it, right? So you and I, maria, are known for talking about the human aspect of how will this impact you? So I think, as mental health therapists, we understand, because of our clients, the impact that it has from that dynamic disability, a political environment, social status, financial status, like it's. All these things that we're dealing with, and what I'm becoming aware, and tell me if it's the same for you which I think it is is that not everyone deals with the populations that we deal with. Actually, there's a lot of mental health therapists who have leadership positions and therefore they're not having this experience, this shared experience of working with clients, and that's where the disconnect happens. Yeah, right, absolutely, you and I are in it, and therefore this empathy is highlighted, which is beautiful, and it sucks yeah, yes, because I think it.
Liliana Baylon:You know we've we've talked a little bit before about how the the place and where the decisions are being made. They're being made by people who are not in the front lines, and that disconnect has been more and more evident over the last year, but even more so in the last couple of months. That decisions are being made without truly understanding the impact on the frontline workers, their clients, their caseloads, and that lack of empathy and humanity comes through when it feels like decisions are being made without context.
Maria Diego:So, with all of this being discussed out loud, right, the invitation to our listeners is not everything is so dark, feels like it. It's so dark, feels like it, and you know what is it that is coming up for you, what is it that you're becoming aware of Because we can talk about. I have these privileges, yeah, great. And then what? What is the follow-up with that? And if you don't have privileges, okay, great, and then what comes down after that? We all have voices.
Maria Diego:The difference right now is that we have a podcast, so we have a platform for you and me also. We have privileges the privilege of our profession, our education, it can be their financial. All of us are still working, so obviously we're not rich. There will be signs, people when mariana, but we're not telling you that will be. But there's all these layers of privileges that we may have. Yet we're still impacted either because of current policies that are being in place, by by being born females, by having disabilities, chronic issues, by not being in those rooms where those decisions are being made. Now that we have to be invited, there's others, but when those decisions are being made and truly a diversity of voices are not there.
Liliana Baylon:Yeah, absolutely yeah, so it's. I mean, the question is for you, liliana, but also for our listeners you have to decide which battles you're willing to take on and come up with a self-care plan to continue to keep yourself healthy while battling these cancers that you've decided to target.
Maria Diego:Yeah, right, so I was sharing with Maria and hopefully all of you are doing some of your own work. What would that look like? It's different for everyone, okay, but in my work it's not only attending all the medical appointments, that if you're dealing with chronic, most of our agendas are doctor's appointments. It's insane. If you look at our agendas so it's attending to doctor's appointment. And then in me, in this case, I was sharing with Maria and that's why this prompt is a doctor appointment that I had yesterday told me, can you monitor your stress? Which that's why Maria and I started laughing, because now I have to monitor my stress level, which all of us should do, plus other things that I have to monitor my stress level, which all of us should do, plus other things that I have to monitor, and in that, deciding what room deserves me at the table. That sounds very cocky.
Maria Diego:Yet what room in my volunteering? Because most of these leadership positions you fucking volunteer. They give you lessons, so they don't pay you your income, they said, but it will add to your resume. I'm sorry, my resume is so fucking impressive, maria says. Well, and that's not humble, I'm very aware of it, but I'm going to take Ileana here when she called me out and say can you not be embarrassed of your resume? Say, can you not be embarrassed of your resume? So what room deserves us, what room for our listeners deserves you? Not because they agree with you, but because of the values and the growth and the decisions that are being made. Yeah Right. So for me, I'm truly debating. Do I continue the tables that I'm sitting on, not because they're not agreeing with me, but because the level of stress and microaggressions that I'm dealing with?
Liliana Baylon:Yeah, absolutely, and I think that's a continuous conversation. Right now, as new opportunities arise, you have to kind of take stock in is this going to be worth the toll on my health, on my mental health, on my income? And we need disruptors, right Like we need those voices at the table, because if everyone walks away, and only the yes men and yes, women are left.
Liliana Baylon:Things get worse and maybe, maybe, only taking on two rooms at a time, a room at a time, whatever is manageable, because you can't be in all the rooms you can't be on all the hills while still trying to like, have a life and a functioning body and mental health that's, you know, better than the world on fire.
Liliana Baylon:Yeah, and in encouraging our listeners that a lot of the time the sacrifices can be worth it, because your voices do need to be heard, you do need to have a seat at the table and sometimes the costs outweigh the benefits, and that's okay, to acknowledge that and to take good care of you.
Maria Diego:Yeah, which, for all of you who are listening, this is Maria talking to me, because I tend not to listen to that part Because I'm like I can do it, I can go fight, and truly it's because my whole life I've been an activist and I have to learn to rest. Some of you are familiar because I have shared this over and over again. I listened to Dolores Huerta. She's an activist and she's the one who's telling us learn how to rest, and I do not know how to rest.
Liliana Baylon:No, it's a, it's a difficult. I mean, that's a whole nother episode to unpack all of that difficult and that's a whole nother episode to unpack all of that. But it is a difficult lesson for us to learn on so many levels. And rest is activism, because if you burn out or if you make yourself so unwell that you can't keep doing what you're doing, then you're not good to anybody or the cause yeah, and financially.
Maria Diego:Oh my god, all the doctor's appointments and not my therapist, because she loves me being pissed for what I'm sharing.
Liliana Baylon:It's expensive. It's expensive to be well in our country anyway. If you have a healthy body, it's expensive to be well. If you don't have a healthy body, it's really expensive to try to be well. And again, that should be fuel for the decision of which rooms. Am I going to take that seat and take the cost of being there versus yeah, this is not worth the toll it's taking on my well-being worth the toll it's taking on my well-being.
Maria Diego:So obviously, with this spontaneous podcast episode, we don't have the answers for you.
Maria Diego:Uh, we don't even have the answers for ourselves.
Maria Diego:We are exploring this out loud with all of you, but our hope is that you take time to explore, to you know, integrate this information and then evaluate what are the rooms that I need to be a part of in order to create change, especially when you have privileges.
Maria Diego:Two is, what is the work that you're doing to truly become an ally in those rooms? Doing to truly become an ally in those rooms, not to the privileges and not to discrimination, but to make a difference, especially in our field. And then, hopefully, you'll reach out to us and share your experiences, which we're pretty sure they're not that indifferent than the ones that we just share, especially in our field, not only because what you're listening and containing, especially in our field, not only because what you're listening and containing, but because you're aware of what is happening and if you're not aware, man, I want to be in your life, but it's an invitation of. Can you share your experiences? Can you share what is it that you're finding out in regards to what you find about you, your advocacy skills and then the rooms that you are being a part of, in order for us to see the good too right. Not everything is so dark. Help us see the good, help us see the light.
Liliana Baylon:Absolutely. There's a lot of good being done. It's easy to get out, overshadowed by all of the dark, but there's a lot of good being done. It's easy to get out overshadowed by all of the dark, but there's a lot of good being done. They're just, they feel really small and everything else feels so big. Find support, even if you're not in the room with you. Find support to say like I can't believe this just happened. How do I address this? How do I fill my cup? Because that meeting was so depleting for me. You don't have to do it alone, even if you are alone at the table yeah, beautiful, beautiful.
Maria Diego:so thank you for listening to us in this spontaneous episode, as we were sharing and we're like this is an episode.
Liliana Baylon:We also recognize this is a universal experience. This is not just our experience, and some of the feedback we have gotten about the podcast is it's just nice to know that they're not alone in this.
Maria Diego:Yeah, we're going to start singing Michael Jackson. You're Not Alone. If you got stuck on your mind is because that's the next I think in this. Yeah, we're going to start singing Michael Jackson. You're Not Alone.
Liliana Baylon:If you got stuck on your mind is because that's the next, I think in songs Before Lilliana breaks out into song, we'll let you all go, but yeah, please take a couple of minutes to decide for yourself. And it's okay to decide. Oh, I said yes to this, but I need to change it to a no for now and take good care of yourselves until next time.
Maria Diego:Thank you, We'll see you next time Till then.
