Thriving Outside the Box

Thriving Outside The Box is a podcast that sheds light on the stories of leaders and entrepreneurs across industries who dared to create and walk their own path in their careers, lives and businesses and provide inspiration for how listeners can do the same. Dr. Kimberly Grocher, the host, also provides listeners with insights on how to thrive mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually while living a life outside of the box.

Thriving Outside the Box is a education podcast hosted by Kimberly Grocher, with 30 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Kimberly Grocher hosts Thriving Outside the Box, a education show with 30 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #13

  Season 2, EP13: Finding the Calling- Simona Badger on Immigrant Mental Health and Building Outside the Box

  Sep 16, 202628 minS2

  Dr. Kim welcomes Simona Badger, LCSW — Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Forensic Social Worker, psychotherapist, and educator with over 17 years of experience at the intersection of mental health and the legal system. Simona conducts immigration mental health evaluations and provides expert witness testimony for Asylum, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), T-Visa cases of trafficking, U-Visa, Extreme Hardship, and Cancellation of Removal cases. She has trained hundreds of mental health professionals nationwide to conduct forensic immigration evaluations and testify in legal proceedings. In this conversation, Simona shares the story of finding her calling — a path that has been outside the box for her both professionally and culturally — and what it means to do this work during unprecedented times. She and Dr. Kim explore the mental health toll on immigrant communities right now, what forensic immigration evaluation actually looks like, and why this work matters at the intersection of clinical care, advocacy, and the legal system. Simona also shares about the FIMHE 2026 Forensic Immigration Mental Health Evaluators Summit, taking place virtually on Saturday, October 17 — an interdisciplinary conversation bringing together professionals across mental health, medicine, immigration law, education, forensics, advocacy, and community leadership. The summit is open to all. Whether you're a clinician, an advocate, or someone trying to understand what we're living through, this episode meets the moment. Guest Links Website: https://www.sbempowerment.org FIMHE Summit Registration LinkedIn IG: @sbempowerment Credits Host: Dr. Kimberly Grocher PhD, MA, LCSW, ACC, RYT Music: Gregory Brooks, Jr. Sound Engineer: Hitz Muzic Group, LLC www.kimberlybondsgrocher.com | kimberly@verveandvision.com | @drkimbgrocher

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #12

  Season 2, EP12: What the Armor Costs: Mental Health, Race & Sustainability

  Sep 3, 202640 minS2

  Some of you have been quietly running on armor for so long, you forgot that you can put it down. In this solo episode of Thriving Outside the Box, Dr. Kim names what the armor actually costs — mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually. She speaks to the weight of building outside the traditional path, the compounded cost for Black professionals navigating systemic racism, and the interpersonal weight of envy and jealousy that shows up when your excellence becomes visible — sometimes with real consequences. Referencing Dr. Jason Arday, Nolan Wells, the Black players in the World Cup, and the recent losses of Black women in the U.S. workforce over the last 18+ months, Dr. Kim traces the pattern that runs through them all: excellence and achievement do not insulate you from the weight. Sometimes they intensify it and "traditional" wellness practices by themselves are often not enough to meet the challenge. She shares from her own life and professional experience on what actually sustains. Supportive resources Therapy for Black Girls: therapyforblackgirls.com Therapy for Black Men: therapyforblackmen.org Melanin & Mental Health: melaninandmentalhealth.com The Loveland Foundation: thelovelandfoundation.org Open Path Collective: openpathcollective.org Win With Black Women: winwithblackwomen.com 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 Credits Host: Dr. Kimberly Grocher PhD, MA, LCSW, ACC, RYT Music: Gregory Brooks, Jr. Sound Engineer: Hitz Muzic Group, LLC www.kimberlybondsgrocher.com | kimberly@verveandvision.com | @drkimbgrocher

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #11

  Season 2, EP11: Building What Doesn't Exist- Naa Pappoe on Care, Community & Real Support

  Aug 19, 202622 minS2

  Some of the most powerful care doesn't exist yet — until someone decides to build it. On this episode of Thriving Outside the Box, Dr. Kim sits down with Naa Adoley Pappoe, LMSW — psychotherapist, emotional wellness and stress management specialist, speaker, and multi-brand founder. Naa is the founder of the Single Moms Club and Curated Kids. Her work centers Black and Brown women navigating infertility, motherhood, and the demands of everyday life. Together, Dr. Kim and Naa unpack what it means to redefine success and wellness on your own terms — moving beyond traditional therapy models into community, conversation, and real-life support. Naa shares how she built an ecosystem of care by combining her clinical practice with the Single Moms Club and Curated Kids, and what it looks like to thrive as a single mother while building multiple purpose-driven brands. She speaks candidly about creating spaces that don't exist — including community for single mothers — and what it means to lead from lived experience. And she names the deeper reframe she is guiding women toward: choosing sustainability over survival, and building lives that feel grounded, intentional, and aligned. If you are building something — a practice, a family, a life — that doesn't look like what came before, this conversation is for you. Guest Bio Naa Pappoe is a psychotherapist, emotional wellness and stress management specialist, speaker, and multi-brand founder whose work sits at the intersection of emotional wellness, maternal mental health, and identity. She specializes in supporting Black and Brown women navigating infertility, motherhood, and the demands of everyday life, with a focus on shifting from survival to intentional, sustainable wellness. Through her clinical practice and the Single Moms Club, she has built an ecosystem of support designed for women navigating motherhood, healing, and life's transitions. A post-graduate certified infertility counselor and field practicum advisor at Hunter College, she brings both clinical depth and lived experience to every space she enters. Her mission is to shift the culture around women's wellness from crisis management to grounded, intentional living — and to build the systems that make that possible. Guest Links Instagram: @naapappoelmsw & @iamsinglemomsupported Curated Kids Concierge: linktr.ee/curatedkidsco Website: www.naapappoe.com Standing Credits Host: Dr. Kimberly Grocher PhD, MA, LCSW, ACC, RYT Music: Gregory Brooks, Jr. Sound Engineer: Hitz Muzic Group, LLC www.kimberlybondsgrocher.com | kimberly@verveandvision.com | IG @drkimbgrocher

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #10

  Season 2, EP10: No One Heard My Silence: A Conversation with Letitia Gottashe

  Aug 5, 202635 minS2

  This week on Thriving Outside the Box, Dr. Kim welcomes Letitia Gottashe — author, educator, child and family advocate, and CEO of Letitia Gottashe Consulting Group LLC. Across more than 35 years in education, parent engagement, and community advocacy, Letitia has been building bridges between schools, parents, and communities so that every child can thrive. In this conversation, Letitia shares her life story and her journey, what it means to be doing this work in "retirement," and a powerful reading from her upcoming memoir, No One Heard My Silence. Letitia will kick off her three-city pre-launch book tour at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago on August 12, 2026 — with an author talk and panel on childhood trauma, child abuse, domestic violence, healing, and hope. Guest Bio Letitia Gottashe is the CEO and Founder of Letitia Gottashe Consulting Group LLC, a Westchester MWBE social impact company, and the developer of LG Educational Consulting Services. Her mission is to strengthen the bridge between schools, parents, and communities through the arts, education, and advocacy so that every child can thrive academically, emotionally, and socially. For over 35 years, she has worked in Head Start, Daycare, and Title I programs — championing parent engagement as the key to student success. Her upcoming memoir, No One Heard My Silence, shares her journey of resilience through trauma and serves as a call to action for healing, education, and advocacy. Upcoming Event Three-City Pre-Launch Book Tour: No One Heard My Silence — Chicago Kickoff Wednesday, August 12, 2026 · 6:00–7:30 PM Obama Presidential Center, Herman Petty Room · Chicago, IL Author talk and panel on childhood trauma, child abuse, domestic violence, healing, and hope. Event Tickets Guest Links Facebook: @LetitiaGottashe Instagram: @LetitiaGottashe Support Resources IF YOU NEED SUPPORT Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453 (24/7, free, confidential) National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 RAINN (National Sexual Assault Hotline): 1-800-656-4673 or rainn.org You are not alone. Support is available. Credits Host: Dr. Kimberly Grocher PhD, MA, LCSW, ACC, RYT Music: Gregory Brooks, Jr. Sound Engineer: Hitz Muzic Group, LLC www.kimberlybondsgrocher.com | kimberly@verveandvision.com | @drkimbgrocher

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #9

  Season 2, EP9: Wealth & Well-Being: The Financial Conversation Women Entrepreneurs Are Missing

  Jul 22, 202638 minS2

  Most women entrepreneurs are not having the full financial conversation. In this special co-hosted episode of Thriving Outside the Box, Dr. Kim is joined by Alex Davis, CPA, CFP® — known as The Wealth Strategist — for an honest conversation about the patterns they keep seeing in their work with women business owners: the numbers being avoided, the money stories running the show, the emotional weight quietly shaping every financial decision. Together they unpack why wealth is a wellness issue, why women entrepreneurs cannot design what is next without knowing their financial picture, and how the intersection of money and well-being drives every choice you make in your business — whether you are aware of it or not. They also share the story behind Wealth, Water & Wellness — the immersive experience they are co-facilitating in Clearwater Beach, FL on August 21-22, 2026 — and why they built it specifically for the accomplished woman who has done the outer work and is quietly ready to do the inner one. Guest Bio Alex Davis is a CPA, CFP®, and the founder of AGA Tax & Consulting Services. Known as The Wealth Strategist, Alex helps women entrepreneurs, high-earning professionals, and business owners see their full financial picture with clarity and confidence — combining technical expertise with the emotional intelligence to meet clients where they actually are. She is the co-facilitator of Wealth, Water & Wellness alongside Dr. Kim. Guest Links AGA Tax & Consulting Services Instagram: @thewealthstrategist_alex Wealth, Water & Wellness Standing Credits Host: Dr. Kimberly Grocher PhD, MA, LCSW, ACC, RYT Music: Gregory Brooks, Jr. Sound Engineer: Hitz Muzic Group, LLC www.kimberlybondsgrocher.com | kimberly@verveandvision.com | IG @drkimbgrocher

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Thriving Outside the Box. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.