Alison Answers #MissionAwake

Send us a textMost of us are one decision away from giving up. We're at the breaking point, questioning if we're qualified, if our pain has purpose, if it's even worth continuing. And in that moment—when you're about to quit—everything changes. Or nothing does. It depends on what you choose next.In this life-altering episode, mental health professional Alison Lager and voice coach Matt Berthot sit down to discuss the exact moment when most people walk away from their calling. They've both been there. Alison survived her husband's suicide, childhood abuse, eating disorders, and a murder trial. Matt inherited generational trauma from his grandfather's suicide and his father's alcoholism. Both were broken. Both were about to quit. Both chose differently.And they're here to tell you: The moment you're about to quit is exactly when you must keep going.But they're not just offering motivation. They're offering a framework—one rooted in neuroscience, Scripture, and lived experience—for what to do when the eclipse of despair gets too dark to see through.You'll discover:Why "God qualifies the called" means your inadequacy is the invitationHow the suicide mind works (and it's not what you think)The one skill that prevents emotional collapse: emotional sobrietyThe three-step framework that transforms your worst pain into your life's workWhy bigger growth always means bigger storms—and how to prepareThe Hadestown lesson: How to sing your sad song and still find hopeHow to practice resilience in small moments so you have it in big crisesWhat happens when you finally say yes to that small, still voice inside youWhy receiving help is harder than giving it (and why that's destroying you)The difference between reaction and response (it's a 10-second pause)This episode is for anyone standing at the edge. For the burnt-out parent, struggling entrepreneur, the person in crisis. It's for people who've lost people to suicide. It's for people who've thought about it themselves.Alison and Matt aren't here to tell you it gets easier. They're here to tell you it gets meaningful. And that changes everything.🎧 Subscribe now—you might need this episode tomorrow💬 Tell us in the comments: What's one reason you almost quit?📤 Share this with someone who's at their breaking pointConnect with Matt Berthot:Website: https://voicebymatt.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voicebymatt/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-berthot-b836a49YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@voicebyConnect with Alison: Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounseling Website: LagerCounseling.com YouTube: Alison Answers Facebook: Alison Lager Lcsw Casac Purchase Alison’s book: “The Wake Up Call” Alison Answers Facebook Group: Join HERE Women of Excellence FB group: Join HERE ⚠️ Crisis Resources:Lager Counseling ServicesCall: 516-221-2123Text: (914) 363-0381Wantagh: 3408 Park Ave. Wantagh, NY 11793988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (24/7, free, confidential)Call or text 988 | Visit 988lifeline.org

Send us a textMost of us don't realize how deeply grief can reshape our identity. When someone we love dies by suicide, we often unconsciously believe that staying broken honors them—that abandoning our joy, our hobbies, our future is some kind of loyalty. But here's the hard truth: that's not honoring them. That's joining them in death.In this raw and unflinching episode, therapist and suicide loss survivor Alison Lager pulls back the curtain on the invisible second death—the one that happens to survivors. Drawing from her own devastating experience losing her husband to suicide, neuroscience, spiritual wisdom, and years of clinical practice, Alison shares the actionable blueprint she used to refuse suicide a second victim.You'll discover:Why "secondary loss" happens—and how your abandoned dreams become collateral damage to griefThe dangerous comfort of the "victim" identity—and why you have to eventually let it go to surviveThe "boardwalk principle": How to reclaim the places and activities you loved without betraying your loved oneWhy staying in grief is a form of spiritual death—and how to recognize when you're joining the same darkness that took themThe science of "gaining more than you lost"—the neuroscience behind why this actually worksHow to ride waves of grief instead of drowning in one long emotional responseThe "heavier weights" metaphor: Why your pain can become your greatest strengthPractical strategies for processing rage, anger, and the emotions grief tries to hideWhy living fully is the ultimate honor to those we've lost—not a betrayalThis episode is for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide, anyone supporting a widow or survivor, and anyone who's ever wondered if there's a way out of the darkness. If you've felt like staying sad is loyalty, or believed that you can never be happy again—this conversation will change everything.Because here's what Alison knows: Suicide didn't just take their life. It's trying to take yours too. And you have the power to say no.🎧 Subscribe now for life-changing conversations on grief, resilience, and transformation💬 Share your biggest takeaway in the comments—what's one thing you're reclaiming?📤 Send this to someone who needs to hear: You are not a victim. You will survive this.Connect with Alison: Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounseling Website: LagerCounseling.com YouTube: Alison Answers Facebook: Alison Lager Lcsw Casac Purchase Alison’s book: “The Wake Up Call” Alison Answers Facebook Group: Join HERE Women of Excellence FB group: Join HERE ⚠️ Crisis Resources:Lager Counseling ServicesCall: 516-221-2123Text: (914) 363-0381Wantagh: 3408 Park Ave. Wantagh, NY 11793988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (24/7, free, confidential)Call or text 988 | Visit 988lifeline.org

Send us a textMost of us aren’t even aware how deeply our own voice and self-judgment shape every part of our lives. The negative thoughts we repeat day after day can convince us we’re worthless, keep us locked in cycles of shame, and even convince us that giving up is doing our loved ones a favor. But it’s all a lie—the truth is, you matter far more than you know.In this radically honest episode, mental health expert and counselor Alison Lager is joined by voice coach and performer Matt Berthot to expose the hidden power of your internal and spoken voice. Drawing from personal loss, neuroscience, faith, and decades of real-world experience, Alison and Matt share deeply practical strategies for trading self-loathing for self-love, overcoming toxic family patterns, and speaking truth into your own life—even when you don’t believe it yet.You’ll discover:- Why the words “I am” can either imprison you or set you free—and how to choose new self-definitions- The continuum of self-love to self-hatred—and how to measure and shift your own position- The science of how changing your thoughts literally transforms your brain- Ways to counteract generational shame and abusive self-talk- Stories of transformation—from crisis to hope—with simple, actionable mental and spiritual resets- The importance of serving others from your overflow, not emptiness- Why authenticity, not perfection, is the key to deep connection and fulfillmentThis episode is for anyone who’s ever battled self-doubt, struggled to find their true voice, or supported others through dark seasons. If you’ve ever wondered if lasting change is possible, this conversation will show you—there’s more power and purpose inside you than you think.🎧 Subscribe now for life-changing conversations every week💬 Tell us your most powerful “I am” statement in the comments📤 Share this episode with someone who needs a reminder: You matter.Connect with Matt Berthot:Website: https://voicebymatt.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voicebymatt/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-berthot-b836a49YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@voicebymattPodcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Nz3wo8h0Hxs1WmhfJTGcIConnect with Alison: Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounseling Website: LagerCounseling.com YouTube: Alison Answers Facebook: Alison Lager Lcsw Casac Purchase Alison’s book: “The Wake Up Call” Alison Answers Facebook Group: Join HERE Women of Excellence FB group: Join HERE ⚠️ Crisis Resources:Lager Counseling ServicesCall: 516-221-2123Text: (914) 363-0381Wantagh: 3408 Park Ave. Wantagh, NY 11793988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (24/7, free, confidential)Call or text 988 | Visit 988lifeline.org

Send us a textTypically, people who want to die by suicide don't actually want to die—they want their pain to end. The suicide mind is a total eclipse of rational thinking, making temporary darkness feel permanent.In this deeply personal episode, mental health professional Alison Lager—who owns counseling centers, has lost her husband to suicide, and has experienced suicidal thoughts herself—shares 7 powerful strategies to disrupt the suicide mind and take back control:• How 91% of your thoughts are repetitive—and how to break the cycle• The 16-second rule that disrupts negative thought spirals  • Why moving past victim mentality is essential (even when victimization is real)• The power of speaking words opposite to your feelings• The truth about hope deferred and how to rebuild it• Why there is ALWAYS a solution (you just haven't found it yet)This episode is for anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts, supporting someone in crisis, or working in mental health. Share it with someone who needs hope.🎧 Subscribe and never miss life-changing conversations💬 Comment with your biggest takeaway📤 Share this episode—it could save a lifeConnect with Alison: Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounseling Website: LagerCounseling.com YouTube: Alison Answers Facebook: Alison Lager Lcsw Casac Purchase Alison’s book: “The Wake Up Call” Alison Answers Facebook Group: Join HERE Women of Excellence FB group: Join HERE ⚠️ Crisis Resources:Lager Counseling ServicesCall: 516-221-2123Text: (914) 363-0381Wantagh: 3408 Park Ave. Wantagh, NY 11793988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (24/7, free, confidential)Call or text 988 | Visit 988lifeline.org

Send us a textYou're living a life controlled by beliefs you can't see. In this transformational episode, Alison Lager interviews Christine Peine, a subconscious reprogramming expert and health tech founder, about the one thing that will quantum leap your life: rewriting your unconscious programming.The Problem:Most personal development fails because it only addresses the 5-7% conscious mind. But 93-95% of your life is being run by subconscious beliefs—many inherited from 7-10 generations of ancestral conditioning. Affirmations don't work. Therapy talks about the problem forever. And willpower exhausts you because you're fighting beliefs you can't see.What You'll Discover:• The Sway Test — A body-based tool you can use RIGHT NOW to identify what your subconscious actually believes (not what you think you believe)• Why Ancestral Patterns Sabotage Success — How your great-grandmother's trauma, your parent's scarcity beliefs, and your family's relationship patterns are blocking YOUR money, visibility, and relationships TODAY• Why Affirmations Fail — You can hold BOTH the old limiting belief AND the new affirmation simultaneously. The real work is removing the old belief entirely (not just adding a new one)• Theta Healing: The Spiritual Reprogramming Technique — How Christine connects to divine energy and downloads new beliefs directly into her clients' subconscious, creating instant, lasting transformation• Christine's Personal Breakthrough — She healed her IBS in 2 weeks, her chronic joint pain overnight, and her severe burnout completely by identifying and reprogramming her root beliefs (perfectionism, self-judgment, unworthiness)• The Hidden Payoff — Every limiting belief serves a purpose and has benefits. Until you identify those payoffs, you can't release the belief without internal conflict• Money Blocks, Power Blocks, Sex Blocks — The three most charged topics requiring deep, persistent subconscious work• How Healing Yourself Creates World Peace — When you embody inner peace, it radiates outward. 25% of humanity embodying peace creates critical mass consciousness shift. Entrepreneurs have the power to accelerate thisThis isn't surface-level mindset work. This is accessing the 93% of your mind actually running your life and giving it permission to evolve. Perfect for entrepreneurs, coaches, and anyone ready to break generational patterns and step into their full potential.About Christine Peine:Christine is a Theta Healing practitioner, subconscious reprogramming expert, and former founder of Midaia (a health tech startup helping arthriConnect with Alison: Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounseling Website: LagerCounseling.com YouTube: Alison Answers Facebook: Alison Lager Lcsw Casac Purchase Alison’s book: “The Wake Up Call” Alison Answers Facebook Group: Join HERE Women of Excellence FB group: Join HERE ⚠️ Crisis Resources:Lager Counseling ServicesCall: 516-221-2123Text: (914) 363-0381Wantagh: 3408 Park Ave. Wantagh, NY 11793988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (24/7, free, confidential)Call or text 988 | Visit 988lifeline.org