Finding Peace: Laura Rhodes-Levin’s Guide to Reducing Anxiety

In this episode of Conversations with Rich Bennett, Rich sits down with Laura Rhodes-Levin, licensed therapist and founder of the Missing Peace Center for Anxiety. Laura shares her inspiring journey from working in the entertainment industry to overcoming severe anxiety and founding a unique mental health center. They discuss Laura’s holistic approach to healing, the generational impact of trauma, and her new book, The Missing Peace: Rewire Your Brain, Reduce Anxiety, and Recreate Your Life. Laura offers practical tools for reducing anxiety and finding inner peace, with insightful tips for listeners looking to take control of their mental health.

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Transcript

Rich Bennett 0:00
Thanks for joining the conversation where we explore the stories and experiences that shape our world. I'm your host, Rich Bennett. Today, I am thrilled to welcome Laura Rhodes Levin. Laura is the founder of the Missing Peace Center and a licensed therapist who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of anxiety, depression and trauma. Very important. She holds a master of science in counseling and is known for her unique approach in the understanding of anxiety and anxiety disorders. And she recently released her book in May called The Missing piece Rewire Your Brain Reduce Anxiety and Recreate Your Life. So all of you listening, remember that if you haven't purchased a book yet, get it. The missing piece rewire your brain, reduce anxiety and recreate your life. And after you read it, two things Leave a review, a full review. Tell everybody why you love it and keep it handy. Because this and LA correct me if I'm wrong, but this is like a guidebook, right? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 1:11
That's the idea. 

Rich Bennett 1:13
Okay, good. So, first of all, welcome, Laura. How you doing? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 1:17
Thank you so much for having me, Rich. I'm doing good. How are you? 

Rich Bennett 1:22
I am doing good. You know, the weather's nice and I'm just sitting in here enjoying some water and get to talk to you, which is always good. I love talking to young people when they're younger. To me, it makes me feel so good, you know? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 1:37
We're probably pretty close to the same age. 

Rich Bennett 1:40
Oh, okay. So you're 30. Okay. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 1:42
Exactly. 

Rich Bennett 1:44
Be. I got the white beer going. All She's like, Yeah, Rich. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 1:47
I don't want to see all my grain. I'm proud. I've earned every strand of this white hair. 

Rich Bennett 1:54
For years. I would tell everybody it's not white. It's Arctic Blonde. But not now that I've been playing Santa Claus so long. I can't use that excuse anymore. It just does. It's white. I give in. It's what? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 2:08
Well, we do not have to excuse age. I mean, I want to grow old gracefully. I want my. My wrinkles will show, my white hair will show and I'm proud of them. 

Rich Bennett 2:21
I have a goal, I'm going to make it to at least 100. No matter what. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 2:26
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 2:26
Podcasting. Maybe cooking in English. You know, I just I actually just had a lady on 101 years old. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 2:37
Wow. 

Rich Bennett 2:38
And still writing. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 2:41
Wow. That's one. 

Rich Bennett 2:42
Oh, she's amazing, she wrote. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 2:43
What was her name? What's her name? 

Rich Bennett 2:46
Babette Hughes. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 2:49
Wow, that's a wonderful way to go about it. 

Rich Bennett 2:52
She is amazing. She wrote her first book when she was 70. And then my co-host, Wendy, asked her, said, you know what? What is it that you do? How do you stay so young and 101 so active? She is a trainer. That comes 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 3:08
Well. 

Rich Bennett 3:08
in a year. She'll lift weights and everything. I mean, not not bench press, like £200. But, you know, just staying active. And if you. Oh, Laura, I'm telling you, if you if you if you look at her, you would not believe she is 101. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 3:24
That's a. 

Rich Bennett 3:24
Not believe it. And then she's a whip. She is. All right. So with I let's talk about your field first. Why did you decide to get in this field and how long have you been in it? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 3:40
Well, I'm crazy. No. 

The. 

Rich Bennett 3:48
When I first. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 3:51
I actually entered this field later in life. I started off in the entertainment industry and God, I had a heart attack. I had such severe anxiety. Yeah, when I was. 

Rich Bennett 4:07
Wow. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 4:08
Yeah. I tried all the meds the doctors gave me. I tried booze. I tried pot. And I just had to find a different way to be present, to be in the moment, and. And really learn how to enjoy my life. And honestly, if you'd asked me back in my twenties if I wanted to be a therapist and run an anxiety center and a charity, and I would have said no. Shoot me now. But I got a chance to figure out who I was in my late forties. And I love my species. They used to annoy me. Honestly, everyone was a moron. But I love people and I love 

watching that light come on from the dark skitter in the darkness. People just crying on my couch with no hope. And then to see them launch their lives. It's just. It's. It's amazing. I it's what I live for. 

Rich Bennett 5:21
All right. And, you know, I'm going to have to ask this, but what did you do in the entertainment industry? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 5:28
Oh, God. Everything. I was a comedian. I was a 

Rich Bennett 5:33
Oh, wow. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 5:33
pain. I was an agent. I was. I was all over the place. 

Rich Bennett 5:38
While in California. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 5:40
Yeah, well, actually, I did most of my comedy in Canada, in Vancouver. 

Rich Bennett 5:46
That's. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 5:47
A lot of. 

Rich Bennett 5:48
For for comedy. It ain't no wonder you had a lot of anxiety and stress. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 5:54
Right. I was just born with it, though. At four, there was a bear in my closet. So. 

Rich Bennett 6:05
But I mean, a lot of people. And you're you're living proof for a lot of people that want to get into the entertainment entertainment industry. Think it's they think it's a cakewalk. They don't realize the stress, the anxiety. I mean, you think about look how many comedians and musicians are all. It's like they're in depression all the time. Those are your best songwriters. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 6:31
Yeah. A pain brings out a lot of artistic 

expression which. Which can be wonderful. But, you know, the entertainment industry is a perfect example of someone understanding the difference between what their dream is. And what their dream for, their day to day life really, really is. I mean, as an actor, you're getting up at six in the morning, you're in a freezing cold soundstage putting on makeup, and you say the same line over and over and over again and you desperately want to be recognized. And if your wish comes true, you spend the rest of your life hiding. Which is such a dichotomy. And that's that's what I thought I wanted. I didn't think I wanted to sit comfortably on a couch and talk to people. But we're we're programmed for our dreams when we're very little. And then as we get older, we go, I don't know if this is my dream, really. 

Rich Bennett 7:41
Doesn't it feel good? I mean, it feels good when you can make people laugh. But. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 7:45
Yes. 

Rich Bennett 7:46
No, even better when they're laying on your couch and you're helping them. I don't want to say become normal, but you're you're helping them to release a lot of that stress and anxiety and depression and making themselves feel better. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 8:03
Yeah, and we love to. You should be laughing in therapy. Why not 

Rich Bennett 8:09
Well, yeah, 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 8:10
that. 

Rich Bennett 8:10
they did. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 8:10
That will 

Rich Bennett 8:11
LAUGHTER 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 8:11
stand. 

Rich Bennett 8:11
was the best medicine. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 8:14
What? 

Rich Bennett 8:15
I said laughter is the best medicine. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 8:17
It is. It really, really is. 

Rich Bennett 8:21
I think there's something that's missing nowadays. A lot of people don't know how to live anymore. Unfortunately. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 8:28
Well, and we take ourselves so seriously. 

Rich Bennett 8:31
Yes. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 8:32
You know, laugh at yourself. There's there are no mistakes. There's no failure. There's blueprints for the future. But, you know, enjoy yourself. Even even though the stuff you messed up. 

Rich Bennett 8:49
Yeah. So you start you said 40 when you started this, your career 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 8:55
In my mid-forties. I'm 57 

Rich Bennett 8:57
made 40. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 8:58
now and I opened my centre 

ten years ago. 

Rich Bennett 9:07
Really? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 9:08
Mm hmm. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 9:09
How is that? How is that during COVID? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 9:12
We never closed a day. COVID didn't come through our doors. When you're dealing with suicidal people and people with severe depression and anxiety, the last thing you want to do is lock them up alone. And it was a beautiful time because families got to come in together. Usually it's like, fix my kid, fix my wife, fix my husband. But we don't happen in a vacuum, people. We happen as a group. And when the whole group got to come in for individual and and group healing, it was amazing. 

Rich Bennett 9:53
So they were you were actually L.A. people enduring curvy. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 9:57
Oh, yeah? Yeah. We're a medical facility. 

Rich Bennett 10:01
Oh, okay. Well, yeah. Yeah, I guess that makes sense now. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 10:06
Yeah. Most of my clients are intensive, outpatient or. 

Rich Bennett 10:11
Right. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 10:11
Hospitalization. So they're coming anywhere from 9 hours a week to 25 hours a week of therapy. 

Rich Bennett 10:19
Okay. Now, do you do a virtual as well? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 10:22
Now. 

Rich Bennett 10:23
All right, so you're strictly in person. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 10:25
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 10:25
Okay. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 10:26
Yeah, Because, I mean, therapy's great. I think I'm a good harpist. So are my other therapists. But I say this on every single thing I do, but I think it's the best way to explain it. If your dog was freaking out, you wouldn't say what triggered you, Fluffy. You would need to calm that animal down. And we don't know how to soothe ourselves. We don't know how to relax our bodies and just be in the moment. So much of drinking and pills is about being in the moment. They think it's about escape. But when you're when you're drunk, you're present. You're like, This music is great. I love you, man. And when you have anxiety, you're not in the moment. You're in some imagined freaked out place. And so at my center, we do neurofeedback, we do art therapy, we do massage, we do aromatherapy, we do energy work, we do movement, we do nutrition, we do music therapy because just you know, you don't want to be a musician necessarily, but just you're anxious. Just bring it into a drum. 

Rich Bennett 11:36
Yeah. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 11:37
Right. And so we need some fun ways to cope. And it was COVID was we were slammed. In fact, we wound up expanding our facility 4000 feet because we 

Rich Bennett 11:51
Wow. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 11:51
needed to have group room for four groups. People had to be six feet apart. 

So we had to make a big kitchen and a big living room and a big movement room and a big art studio. So we went from 6000 to 10000 square feet and covered. 

Rich Bennett 12:10
Wow. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 12:11
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 12:12
Amazing. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 12:13
It was it was bizarre and amazing. 

Rich Bennett 12:17
All right. So was the book. When did you decide? 

First of all, why did you decide to write the book? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 12:27
Well, I think my whole life, my ego wanted to write a book. But again, that idea of be careful of what you're dreaming about, because writing a book is is not so carefree. But a lot of of my clients have said, why don't you franchise? Or I'll have people say. Open up a center out in Philadelphia or in Florida or and a big part of me enjoying my life and what I practice is I don't want to work myself to the bone. I want to enjoy my life. So I thought, okay, if I wrote a book, then my methods, my ways of thinking, my healing technique, which is different, can get out there. And if it's meant to be the right people will pick it up and then I can be everywhere and still enjoy my backyard. 

Rich Bennett 13:26
Of that. I love that. Well, and that's like I said in the beginning, it's it's a guidebook. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 13:32
Mm hmm. 

Rich Bennett 13:33
You don't realize books like this. It's something you never want to put down. Because if it helps. I read it. If it helps me, then I want somebody else to read it. And it's actually how I used to tell people, you know, if if you love the book, pass it on to somebody else. Don't pass the book on to somebody else. Buy it for somebody. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 14:00
Very. 

Rich Bennett 14:02
That because of it. If you pass it on to somebody else and then you something happens and you're like, Oh God, what was it in that book that that helped me this? You still have the book there and you could pick it up and find out what it was that that helped you. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 14:18
Yeah. And at different times in your life. You know, my chapters are short. So usually people with anxiety don't want to read a long chapter. That's 

Rich Bennett 14:28
Right. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 14:28
And so you're going to go through the book pretty quickly. But your mental 

rewiring is is going to take practice. So you can pick up the book a couple of years later and work on the recreating your life part. Whereas the first part, your rewiring your brain, you're learning to think differently. You're learning to act differently. You're reducing your anxiety. And so I've been doing this for a long time, and even though I don't actually pick up my own book, I have to go back to my tools and go, okay, what the heck? What's going on here? What am I missing? And then I remind myself, Oh, yeah, I'm not doing blank, you know? And what's. 

Rich Bennett 15:13
Right. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 15:13
Why did I stop What? I got to do that again? 

Rich Bennett 15:17
How many chapters is it? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 15:19
So that's a good question. I think it's really six. I think it's 30. 

Rich Bennett 15:24
36. Okay. All right. So I asked you why now We know why, but when did you write it? How long did it take you? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 15:32
Took me a year because I really the first thing I did is I joined a writing class to hold me accountable. And I had some wonderful ladies just be so encouraging and really, really helping me along there in my dedication. And actually, I probably should have mentioned my family a little more. But I was so grateful to these two, these women, because it's it's it's hard to do on your own. But then once. 

So I think writing for me was like how some people feel about working out. And that is that they hate the idea of doing it, 

including me. But once they do it, they feel better. So once I sit down and I'm writing, I can go for a few hours. But the idea of actually sitting down, well, that's a whole other fight. So to get. 

Rich Bennett 16:35
So. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 16:35
Sit down. It's nice. 

Rich Bennett 16:37
Who is the first one to read your book besides you? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 16:43
Well, the women in my writing group, really? 

Rich Bennett 16:45
Okay. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 16:46
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 16:47
They read it and critiqued it. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 16:48
My writing mentor. Yeah, absolutely. Then who will next? I don't even know. I think my sister probably was the first one to, like, read it cover for cover when I actually printed it out. 

Rich Bennett 17:04
Right now. And you're. No, you're not self-publish. You went through a publishing company, right? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 17:09
Yeah. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 17:11
How did that happen? Because this is correct me if I'm wrong, but is your first book right? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 17:15
It is. It is. 

Rich Bennett 17:17
A lot of authors with their first book. It's hard to find a publisher. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 17:21
So I am a very spiritual person, but my spiritual, my spiritual thinking I have respect for. However you connect with the universe. For me, it is the universe. For me, it's about a frequency. It's science. And I the the end part and the last several chapters of the book is about recreate your life. And I believe when you really set your mind to do something and you believe it's going to happen, you have to be like a Jedi. Like these are not the droids you're looking for. And that's just how I went about it. I one of the women in my group, recommended her agent. She said, Let me try it out with this publisher. The publisher said it was the fastest she ever made an offer on a book. 

Rich Bennett 18:14
Wow. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 18:16
And yeah, and there's also a chapter on how not to manifest, because in the book I talk about trying to meet with a very, very famous 

motivational speaker, and my will was there, but I was so fearful, like, this has to happen. I was coming out of panic and I ended up getting thrown out of the Shrine Auditorium. Yeah, but I met him. But nothing happened. It just was a disaster. But when you manifest with like, 

joy and knowing, like, you know, this is going to happen, that can't him spot in the universe will meet you. And I really believe that. 

Rich Bennett 19:04
So how often do you go back? You yourself go back and read your book or parts of your book. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 19:11
Well, my book is in me, so my book is broken down into three parts. The the first part of every chapter is a story from my life because I personally feel like when someone's telling you a story about their own life and you are going, Oh my God, you totally get me. Yes, yes, yes. Then you want to hear more about how they got out of it. So the first part of every chapter is a story very candid stories from my life, where anxiety and depression were very prominent. And then. Or trauma. And then I tell about a reframe, how I look at it now and how I'm able to heal from that moment. And then the third part, which I almost didn't put in the book, because I hate being given homework, but one of my writing mentors was like, You have to put homework in the book because for the people who want it. So what I have people do is I have them build their own tool kit. Take the tool that I just taught you. Let's say the first the first chapter, for example, is about generational trauma. So I told you I would wake up at four in the morning and think there was a bear in my closet and I was a little girl. Why? My grandmother was haunted. My grandparents were hunted 

in the war. Right. And so I what I've learned is that trauma is generational. We don't just inherit our hair color. We inherit emotional trauma. So in the first tool kit, I talk about 

think about the trauma that you inherited. Go back to your grandparents. Go back to your parents. What trauma are you carrying that someone else's and you didn't even know it didn't even occur to you? Like, why am I afraid there's a bear in my closet? Well, if you go back, it makes more sense. And then, as you understand your own anxiety, it becomes one a lot less frightening. And two, very manageable when you apply it to yourself. 

Rich Bennett 21:34
She when you mentioned earlier about the bear in the closet, I thought there was the comedian coming out and you're joking with me. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 21:42
No, that is not true. 

Rich Bennett 21:46
Wow. So I'm loving this toolkit idea, which is how can somebody build that tool kit from reading your book and I know with you, you keep it in your mind. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 22:00
Right. 

Rich Bennett 22:01
Anybody can do that. What's what's the best way for people to build their tool kit and keep it? I would say on them because this way. Well, nowadays you've got cell phones, but they could just pull it up and look at it right there 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 22:15
Well, one of the first prompts I give in the book is if you're going to do the exercises, go get yourself a blank book. It could be pretty. It could be, you know, whatever. It could be a composition book, but title it your user manual, because that's the idea. You know, we don't. Many people don't read their car manuals. Right. And so that light goes off and you're like, pull over. 

Rich Bennett 22:42
and. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 22:44
And it turns out it was just cold out and your tires got a little empty because the air condensed. So 

Rich Bennett 22:50
Right. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 22:50
we want to make out our own user manual. And so that's how you can keep it on hand, is you can know your own stuff from the very first chapter on. 

Rich Bennett 23:06
How does one go about reading their own user manual, though? I mean, to me, if I'm doing this, unless unless I'm unless I'm thinking about this wrong. So you're keeping a user manual at all. Can you write stuff down about you? But how? I mean, how do you read that? Because you're some people don't want to read about themselves. It can trigger some things, right? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 23:29
Well. So 

what it is, is so one of the examples I give, let's just say, is we have our wounded child. I say wounded child because inner child just makes people want to run from the room screaming. 

Rich Bennett 23:48
Right. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 23:49
But we've been hurt as children. We've been hurt as adults. So let's say you get abandoned as a child and now you're married. You're in your fifties and your husband comes home or your spouse or whatever late from work and you're pissed. Why didn't you call me? Well, that's your wounded child. That's a reaction you're having from your early abandonment. You're capable, adult self thinks. All right. He's probably not dead in a ditch. He's probably late. And when he comes in, I'm going to address it like, Hey, babe, what happened? Are you okay? How you doing? How was your day? Because if I yell at him when he walks in the door, he's probably going to yell right back. He's exhausted. He's already late from work. So what I do is I have a person go into their user manual and they write down ways. Their wounded child shows up. Maybe it's jealousy. Maybe it's abandonment. Maybe you get triggered quickly. But then you are writing down what is your capable, adult, rational self. What's that response? And then you're writing that down. So in the future, when you find yourself getting triggered by a wounded child, you can go back and go, What did I do in this situation? What did I say to this person? Because right now I'm so angry, I can't think straight. So I'll go back because we all know. Pause for 10 seconds. Personally, I think you need 24 hours. Most people can't even remember to pause because we're so reactive. But as you rewire your brain, you start to get into different habits. And one of those habits is don't react. Go to your tool kit and go, okay, what's a different solution here? So it depends. Is it are you making choices that someone else want you to make? How did you get out of that? How did you make your own choice this time or last time? And so you can look at examples in your past of how you handled things differently or better. And you can reuse those ideas in the future. 

Rich Bennett 26:15
Oh, la la la la la. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 26:19
Refrigerate. 

Rich Bennett 26:21
Is is there have have you thought about creating an app to go along with the book? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 26:29
Oh, my God. Don't put that on my plate. 

Rich Bennett 26:34
I just. I just think I mean, seriously, because like I said before, this is a guide book. I love the idea of the tool kit, building your own tool kit, reading your own user manual. But you know how people are today with apps. I mean, just to give you an idea, I'm wanted I'm on a diet right now, low carb diet, and I'm using noom. Oh, my God. It it's a great help for me. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 27:02
Great. Great. 

Rich Bennett 27:04
Be? Yes. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 27:05
Really an idea. I've honestly never thought about it. No one's ever suggested it to me. And now it's going to be there. So. 

Rich Bennett 27:14
But now giving you more stuff to work on. I'm sorry. No. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 27:18
What we're growing, right? 

Rich Bennett 27:21
I just think can be a great addition to the book, you know? And now for the the second edition, you know, the happy. Oh, so you could that your your own tool kit on the as an app. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 27:38
That is so cool. See, that's why you have conversations with people. You help them discover things. 

Rich Bennett 27:44
I get ideas all the time, but what I like now, I have a funny feeling I already know the answer to this one. 

Audio. Is this an audio form as well yet? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 27:56
Now. So here's the messed up thing or I don't know if it's messed up, it makes sense. But publishers, at least my publisher, who I really like you have to sell a certain amount of books before they will put it on audio. And my book just came out in May, so we're we're working on it, but hopefully and I put it in my contract that if we do that, I get to narrate it because it's. 

Rich Bennett 28:24
Good. Yeah, well, a lot of publishers do do that. They'd rather you do the book first, sell so many and then duty audiobook. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 28:35
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 28:36
Another thing that I'm sure you've already thought about is if you have the time. Well, you can easily. You only need 5 minutes a day to do this. Have you thought about starting a podcast to go with the book? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 28:51
No. You should be my PR person right now. I have great P.R. people. Great P.R.. I should not say that. Go, Val Allen and friends. 

No, I do. I used to do a podcast. I kind of fell out of place with it, and I do Instagram and, you know, I do a daily 

what you would call it like. 

Rich Bennett 29:19
Like it. Almost like a devotion or whatever. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 29:21
What? Yeah. One minute. Real. So maybe I should start working my book into it. 

Rich Bennett 29:29
Well, I'm just I'm thinking because with a package, you could go two ways. Talking about the book, say know it can be like little five minute blurbs. Here is something for you to put in your toolkit today. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 29:44
Right. 

Rich Bennett 29:45
You can always do alternate episodes like that would be one episode. Your second episode or your other episode could be like you interviewing somebody else, read your book that. Has that it has helped. Because as you know, and you got you already got some reviews up there, which is very good. Testimonials and reviews help 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 30:07
Yeah, absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 30:09
those. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 30:09
And thank you for saying that at the top of the podcast, because that's what I think one of the hardest things for me is to say, Oh, will you review me? Because I've already asked the person to buy a book. Now you want to go, I'm give you a review, a good review. So thank you for saying that. 

Rich Bennett 30:33
Not necessarily. Well, yeah. You. You. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 30:37
Review, right? 

Rich Bennett 30:39
And I think this is where now granted, I don't believe on Amazon or Goodreads or Barnes Noble, I don't think you can respond to the reviews. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 30:50
I don't. I don't know. I. 

Rich Bennett 30:53
I don't. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 30:54
Maybe on Amazon, but I'm not. 

Rich Bennett 30:56
Okay. But one of the things I like with Google, Facebook, you know, usually businesses when they give reviews, if you get a bad review. And I think where most people don't 

where they mess up, they don't respond to that bad review in a positive way. Prime example, if I. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 31:16
Yes, I'll do that for my anxiety center. Absolutely. 

Rich Bennett 31:20
Okay. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 31:21
I do that. Uh huh. 

Rich Bennett 31:23
Now, as for an author, if I wrote a book, if somebody left me a bad review, if I can, I'm going to try to contact that person, ask them what did you like about the book? So, you know, if I go to write another book, I know what to put in there because you weren't you when you were in the writing group, they critiqued your work. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 31:45
Oh, yeah. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 31:46
What better critique can you get than people, you know, other people reading your book? You have the ability to be able to reach out to people. And I think you can. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 31:55
I'll look into it. It's a great idea. 

Rich Bennett 31:57
Then they may go back and change that review. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 32:00
You never know. That's the only thing I know for sure in. 

Rich Bennett 32:05
Yeah, 

but it doesn't matter. You won't get any bad reviews anyways. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 32:11
My first review was so bad, I was just like. 

Rich Bennett 32:15
Really? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 32:16
Bad review I've gotten, but it was like, I can't believe this book got published. And, you know, I'm a new writer and I was like, Oh my God. But thank God the rest of them were good reviews. But. 

Rich Bennett 32:31
I was going to say I'm looking at. Yeah, you have 4.6. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 32:36
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 32:37
Which is awesome. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 32:39
Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 32:40
Oh, and it's in hardcover. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 32:44
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 32:46
Oh, ho ho, ho. I like that even more. And it's all right. So, people. Yes, I'm on Amazon right now. Looking at the book. Who did? Who did the artwork? Who did the cover? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 32:59
My publisher gave me some images to choose from, and then I got to play with it a little bit. So, you know, that's that's how I got it. 

Rich Bennett 33:11
I'm loving it because it's all right. So those of you listening, you can't see it until you purchase the book. But it's a young lady, and correct me if I'm wrong, Laura, but it looks like she it looks like she's sitting on a ball of yarn, which I would think is suppose to represent your brain. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 33:29
Totally. 

Rich Bennett 33:29
But here and here she is sitting I forget what they call it, that yoga style. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 33:35
Lotus. 

Rich Bennett 33:36
Okay, Lotus. Just like 

she's so peaceful 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 33:42
Right. 

Rich Bennett 33:43
there. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 33:43
That's the book. 

Rich Bennett 33:45
Yeah. I mean, I love the cover. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 33:49
Thank 

Rich Bennett 33:49
love 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 33:50
you. 

Rich Bennett 33:50
it. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 33:50
Thank you for that. And for those of you who are going to order on Amazon. So my book is called The Missing Piece, Hence the Peaceful Part P. But when you put that in Amazon, it switches the spelling and gives you the Shel Silverstein poetry book. So if you really want to order it on Amazon or put in my name, Laura Rhodes. Levin And then the book will come up. 

Rich Bennett 34:19
All right, now I'm going to put you on the spot. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 34:21
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 34:22
What if what if people would like to order the book but they want you to autograph it? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 34:27
Oh, my God. First of all, I would be honored. 

You can always contact me on my website and send it to me. And you can even tell me what you want to say. And I would be happy to write something in there and send it back. I'd be honored. 

Rich Bennett 34:47
That's the other important thing. What is the website? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 34:51
So the website is missing like lost and found missing piece. P a. C. E. Then the number four. So missing piece for anxiety dot com. 

Rich Bennett 35:07
Have you started working on the second book yet? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 35:09
Now. 

Rich Bennett 35:13
I get. You're like rich. An app, a podcast. What other homework you giving me? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 35:21
Well, I'm flattered because a few of my readers have called out and said, Right, you know, we want to hear more because it is about my personal life as well. But. 

I want to see how the book does. I want I want to see a positive response. And so far, it's looking good. But it hasn't been that long. And you know, again, you never know if it's meant to be. I'll write another one, I promise. 

Rich Bennett 35:51
Oh, I think it's going to it's definitely going to be meant to be because a lot of people are going to purchase this. They're going to keep it. They're going to build their tool kit, they're going to if they know somebody else is going through anxiety, depression or anything like that, they're going to tell them about it so they can get it and build their own tool kit as well. Do you actually keep the book in in this in your center as well for people to read? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 36:16
Oh, yeah, Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Mm hmm. 

Rich Bennett 36:19
That's great. That's a good idea. And actually, 

on think about it, all of you listen. There's a lot of places that could use this book. And I'm thinking a lot of your addiction centers, your mental health facilities and all of that. Tell them about it. So they can go purchase it as well. Because 

I'm sure, like when people go into your facility, you probably got Lane right there where well, maybe not. So maybe if I saw a lady, I might walk off with it. 

I mean, this way. You know, people I don't want to say it's a coffee table book, but it's a coffee table book. Does that make sense? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 37:07
Well, I do have it in our coffee, tea honor and coffee table in the lobby. So, yeah, 

Rich Bennett 37:12
Okay. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 37:12
I guess so. And yeah, because it's like I said, the chapters are short. And, you know, if you're I love the people who just want to open the book and turn to where they're meant to read, and then they get like, the message they're supposed to get that day, they get the chapter they should be working on because there's an energetic imprint. 

Rich Bennett 37:35
Okay. So when you were writing this and now going back to when you were in the entertainment industry, you were going through your anxiety and everything when you were writing this, was there a certain certain part of the book that it just took you and and basically helped you, just like you're as you're writing, you're like, Oh my God, man, this just helped me. So much. Like that aha moment. You know what I mean? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 38:11
Yeah. It's interesting you say that because I picked aha moments to write in the book. But as I was writing them and this is why you can reread things, it just went even deeper for me in some places where I went, Wow. And even just immersing myself in the memory, I was almost like reliving some of this stuff that was happening, which made me think, Oh, I can add a tool for that too, that I didn't even remember was a part of it to begin with. 

Rich Bennett 38:49
Your book actually has a ha moment. That is too weird. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 38:53
Officer. 

Rich Bennett 38:55
I say, those of you listening, I, I don't I don't have Laura's book. I had no idea that I read, but that's all right. We are. Are we like brother and sister that we didn't know about or something? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 39:08
I told you earlier, I'm like, we are distant relatives. We are the sense of humour. I could tell you about practical jokes going back in my family forever. We could do ten 

Rich Bennett 39:22
I. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 39:22
podcasts on just the humor. 

Rich Bennett 39:25
I never did practical jokes on any part. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 39:29
Your nose just grew. Hit the microphone. For those of you who are listening, you didn't see it, but boom, it just went right out there. 

Rich Bennett 39:41
All right. Very important. 

Tell people why they need to purchase this book. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 39:52
Because we don't realize how programmed we are by other people. And the original title of this book was called Harness Your Fears and Freaking Fly Already, 

because so much 

that holds us back are not our true real feelings. They're either based in fear or they're given to us by society, or they're given to us by parents. And we have the right to discover who we are and to live our best, most happy, happy, happy life. I was at a table two nights ago with a seven year old and he said, What's the meaning of life? 

Said Find joy and don't hurt people while you're getting your joy. And I was like, That's it. That's just that's just totally it. And so we we tend to save our joy for like vacation or big events that can sometimes let us down. And you should enjoy. You can enjoy every day of your life if you know what really makes you happy and what really stops you from achieving your happiness. And that's what this book helps you do. 

Rich Bennett 41:21
Okay, first of all, I am blown away that a seven year. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 41:25
I know, right? 

Rich Bennett 41:28
A seven year old issue with the meaning of life is 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 41:31
Yep. Well, it was 

Rich Bennett 41:32
why. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 41:32
a dinner table, so he was asking, you know, the table in general, 

Rich Bennett 41:37
But 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 41:37
but. 

Rich Bennett 41:37
still from a seven year old. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 41:39
Right. I saw seven year olds who want to know the meaning of life. That's when we should really start asking so that we're not in our fifties going, What the hell? 

Rich Bennett 41:50
Yeah, Well, yeah. Isn't that the truth? Well, that that's a you know what, kids today. Well, not just today. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 42:00
Kids. 

Rich Bennett 42:01
There are some amazing kids out there that will just they come up with these questions and you wonder how in the world there's somebody with that might be able to the think of this, come up with this. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 42:19
In the middle of a sushi dinner. I mean. 

Rich Bennett 42:23
Wow. All right, Laura. And I don't know if you could share one or not. I'm sure if you can't, you. You have to change the names to protect the. That kind of sounds like a dragnet show. Oh. 

I was. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 42:39
I said just the facts. 

Rich Bennett 42:40
Just the facts. Can you share a feel good story? And I don't know if you if you can. If you can if you have one from somebody read your book. Yes. It's just came out May. If not was. Oh, you do. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 42:57
Yeah. Yeah. I've been lucky to get really good feedback. I had a woman write through my website, email that. And it's actually it's a subject we talked about on today's show. Wounded child and capable adult self. And her grandson was very upset after a soccer game, and he was calling himself stupid and dumb. And he should never play soccer again. And she said that she spoke to him and said, now I know there's a part inside of you that knows you are good and that you're not stupid. So let's talk to that part of yourself. And he did it and he felt better. And she just was so excited about it. And I was just like, Oh, you know, I love. 

Rich Bennett 43:53
From reading your book. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 43:54
Yeah. Yeah. Cause she didn't even apply it to herself. She saw her. Her her grandson having this wounded child moment and she knew he had it in him to think from his higher self. And she. She took him there. 

Rich Bennett 44:13
Hmm. 

Okay. So. 

So this book is not just for adults, even though I'm sure it's on an adult reading level. 

Those of you listening, if you have children that are going through anxiety, depression, whatever, get this, you have to get this book because you can read it. You can help them build their tool kit and. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 44:47
I want that. Young people need to know this. 

Rich Bennett 44:51
We told the band before we started recording Cove It was. 

Not good for these kids. There's still a lot of kids that are going through some mental illness issues because of COVID. When I mean, you took their social life away from them and here they were secluded, no friends to play with. Leisure was all. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 45:19
Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. 

Rich Bennett 45:21
Go ahead. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 45:22
Well, as we were saying earlier, what some people don't realize is if you take a seventh grader and you hold him at home for two years and then you pop him back into the ninth or 10th grade, he still has the social skills of a seventh grader. But we expect him to perform at a ninth or 10th grade level emotionally, socially. And he hasn't learned. We learn socialization through experience. And so it's great to a lot of kids out. 

Rich Bennett 45:54
Oh, yeah. And a lot of adults. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 45:57
Don't. 

Rich Bennett 45:58
Adults with the kids. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 45:59
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 46:01
All right. Yeah. I'm told that from experience as an adult, as a parent, and you see what your kid's going through, you feel helpless because you want to do it. Everything you can to help your child. And when it comes to anxiety and depression, it's it's not a joking matter. You can't just say and we talked about this before we start recording. You just can't see. It's in your head. We know it's in your head. But you got to understand this support. They need is something you may not know how to do. You may not know how to support them. But if you get peace. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 46:44
For parents who have kids going through anxiety, if you've never or I'm sorry meant depression, if you've never suffered with depression, when you're feeling a little low, you go out and you feel better. But telling a person with severe depression, why don't you go to the beach? Why don't you just do something? You'll feel so much better. That's literally like telling me, Grow your hair blonde and be six to. 

Rich Bennett 47:14
Yeah. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 47:14
Blondes have more fun. Don't you know blondes have more fun. I'm never going to be able to grow blond hair. And and that's where professional help is really important because depression is a very specific animal. And just it it needs to be approached a certain way. Same thing with anxiety. So as parents, we become so hard on ourselves, like, why can't I get my kid better? Why can't? And it's like, you can't fix your kid's car, can you? You can't. There's so many things that we we trust other people to help us with, and we don't learn this stuff ourselves. So how are we going to help our kid with it? 

Rich Bennett 47:55
Right. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 47:56
And that's where hopefully the book helps you. You learn your own user manual and then you can help your kids. 

Rich Bennett 48:05
Kids and people are just like cars. Every user manual is different. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 48:10
Yes. That's why you have to get to know yours personally. 

Rich Bennett 48:14
Hmm. Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm. God, I cannot wait for the app to come out. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 48:19
By my book. Ridge set an example for your four year and then leave a review, please. 

Rich Bennett 48:26
Oh, yes. Yeah. Without a doubt. I can not wait to get this before I get to my last question. Is there anything you would like to add? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 48:37
I just want to thank you for all the people that you do help with mental health and addiction. I would love to just thank your listeners for 

taking that leap, whether it's this book or whatever, to help yourself, because a lot of people don't want you to change and, you know, it's like, well, then I'm going to they'll be upset if I start doing this. They probably will at first, but you deserve to be happy. And when you're happy, they will also be happier. So thank you for being brave enough to seek out what seems unattainable to really enjoy your life. The planet's a better place when we enjoy our lives. 

Rich Bennett 49:23
People have to talk about it, because if you don't, it's what's the saying? You got to break the stigma. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 49:30
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 49:32
When you talk about it, it helps. And I know for a fact talking to experts and people like yourself on the podcast, it helps because I've had people contact me and thank me for certain episode, you know, for a guest they've had on or that I've had on. That's helped them. So I know it definitely without a doubt helps. And I'm going to be getting you on again. I've been talking about doing this for a long time and we haven't done it yet. Well, we've done one so far. I love to do roundtables and we've. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 50:05
Oh, I go into that. 

Rich Bennett 50:07
Okay, good. Because we've done one roundtable about mental health. I keep saying we're going to do another one. So I'm going to I'm going to have to do another one and get you on that one. But it's. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 50:17
I will be honored. Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 50:20
All right. So my last question. Are you ready for this? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 50:23
Okay. Okay. Hit me. 

Rich Bennett 50:27
I was going to. I was. No, I was going to. Best of you say give us your best stand up routine. But. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 50:34
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 50:35
Out of all the interviews you've had, is there anything that a house has never asked you that you wish they would have asked you in a way but didn't? And so what would be that question? What would be your answer? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 50:50
Hard won Reg I'd rather 

Rich Bennett 50:51
It 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 50:51
do. 

Rich Bennett 50:51
doesn't necessarily have to be about the Booker or any. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 50:58
Gosh, 

I can I think about that one and answer you with the roundtable. 

Rich Bennett 51:10
That's why I edit this and don't do it live. 

You know what I got one for is a simple one. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 51:17
Okay. 

Rich Bennett 51:18
Are those of you listening? Because, you know, Laura and I could see each other. 

Of course. I'm here in Baltimore. She's in California. But she's got orange fingernail polish on. Who is your favorite baseball team? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 51:37
The Dodgers baby. 

Rich Bennett 51:39
Ow, ow, ow, Ow, ow, Ow! I 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 51:43
No. 

Rich Bennett 51:43
thought you were wearing a. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 51:45
Orioles now. Orioles. But my middle name is Raven. 

Rich Bennett 51:51
Oh, really? 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 51:52
Yes. So if I have to pick a football team, I'll pick the Ravens. 

Rich Bennett 51:58
Are you redeemed yourself? You're good. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 52:00
Look. 

Rich Bennett 52:02
I mean, almost an orange shirt, orange fingernails. I was like, we got a little Spain here. 

You know what I. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 52:11
And no one has ever asked me that. So there you go. 

Rich Bennett 52:15
And I can't even watch them because it the channel, it's on a certain network here. Well, that's another long story. So never mind. Laura, I want to thank you so much and I cannot wait to talk to you again. The roundtable is going to be fun. Everybody, again, the missing piece. P. E. A c. E. Rewire your brain, reduce anxiety and recreate your life. By Laura Rhodes 11. Make sure you purchase the book. Actually, you could purchase more than one if you want and give it to other people. Those if you want it, buy it and donate it to a facility, whether it be a recovery home. Here in Harvard Care we have clients Crisis Center be a perfect place to donate it. Feel free to do so. And of course, make sure you leave a full review after you read the book. Laura, thank you so much. 

Laura Rhodes-Levin 53:15
Thank you, Rich. Have a beautiful everything. 

Rich Bennett 53:18
You, too.