#41 - No Health Without Mental Health: Dr. Gina Di Giulio on Practical Mental Health
Today’s guest is Dr. Gina Di Giulio
How to make evidence-based mental health care simpler, faster, and more actionable—so individuals and organizations can reduce anxiety, improve resilience, and access the right support without getting lost in a confusing system.
In today’s conversation Gina Di Giulio explores why “there is no health without mental health,” and how to cut through confusion to get high-quality support quickly. She and Dr. Wells unpack practical strategies for coping with anxiety, protecting sleep, using exercise as “medicine,” limiting news exposure, and staying socially connected while physically distant. Gina explains her “action first” philosophy—take a small, controllable step to jump-start motivation—and shares how gratitude journaling and strengths-based psychology move people from neutral to flourishing. You’ll hear real-world, clinician-tested tactics that work for busy leaders, parents, and teams.
You will learn a simple decision filter for anxiety: identify what’s controllable and take one small step, because action reduces anxious rumination. You will learn the core pillars of brain recovery—sleep, screen-free time, time in nature, music, and movement—and how to implement them in a modern workday. You will learn why Gina prescribes exercise like a drug (the “3×30” guideline) and how social connection amplifies its mental health benefits. You will also learn how gratitude journaling and a strengths-based approach from positive psychology can shift mood from “minus” to “plus.”
You will discover that motivation follows action—not the other way around—and that even a 1% step changes state. You will discover how small daily practices (news limits, scheduled self-care, brief nature breaks) build stress-resilience you can feel.
Feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty and decision fatigue. Gina offers a playbook to regain agency—clarify control, take a single step, and build momentum—so you can lead, parent, and perform without burning out.
Key take aways:
Action precedes motivation; start tiny.
Protect sleep like a meeting.
Limit news to 30 minutes daily.
Move your body, boost your mood.
Connect socially; it’s protective.
“Action is the antidote of anxiety.”
Today’s Expert Guest - Dr. Gina Di Giulio
Dr. Gina Di Giulio, Ph.D., C.Psych., LL.M., is a clinical psychologist and the CEO & Founder of PathWell, a Toronto-based mental wellness clinic serving individuals and organizations. She brings 20+ years across inpatient psychiatry, hospital outpatient services, and executive health—formerly Director of Mental Health at Canada’s largest executive wellness clinic—specializing in corporate and executive mental health.
Gina built PathWell to remove friction from mental health care—guaranteed rapid access, comprehensive services (therapy, assessments, psychiatric consults), and bespoke employer solutions that blend science with high-touch service. Her perspective is both clinical and corporate: she teaches leaders and teams evidence-based skills while designing systems that minimize wait times and guesswork.
Use the Control → Action loop: ask “Is this within my control?” If yes, do one specific, 5-minute step now (email, walk, schedule sleep, text a friend). If no, release it and redirect to a controllable behavior. Repeat daily; momentum compounds.
Follow Dr. Gina Di Giulio on Instagram & Linked In.
Check out her website.
This podcast contains advice and information relating to health and wellness. It should be used to supplement rather than replace the advice of your doctor or another trained health professional. If you know or suspect that you have a health problem, seek your physician’s advice before embarking on any medical program or treatment. All efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained in this podcast / interview / article as of the date of publication. The author and publisher disclaim liability for any medical or other outcomes that may occur as a result of applying the methods suggested in this material.
