---
title: Navigating Vulnerability and Healing with Julie Barton
description: We’re joined by an incredible panel of creative entrepreneurs to explore the challenges and rewards of turning passion into a successful business.
image: https://planningalt.com/hubfs/PA_Podcast_JulieBarton%20(1).png
---
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# Navigating Vulnerability and Healing with Julie Barton
[Planning Alternatives](https://planningalt.com/insights/author/planning-alternatives) Updated on April 4, 2026
[Day in a Canoe Podcasts](https://planningalt.com/insights/tag/day-in-a-canoe-podcasts)
.png)
| [](https://open.spotify.com/episode/5GXDPN9iMqg2VSGd33Mye1) | [](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/navigating-vulnerability-and-healing-with-julie-barton/id1376400571?i=1000754077882) | [](https://youtu.be/ZSreJm7hfZk) |
| --- | --- | --- |
We sit down with [Julie Barton](https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-barton-773a4814/), a “New York Times” bestselling author, teacher, and writing mentor, to discuss the profound connection between humans and animals. She shares how her golden retriever, Bunker, helped her navigate the depths of depression and how this life-changing bond inspired her memoir, “Dog Medicine: How My Dog Saved Me From Myself.” In this episode, we explore the importance of vulnerability in writing and mental health, the unexpected challenges of navigating an inherited fortune, and the definition of true wealth..
Key Takeaways:
- 00:00 Introduction.
- 01:53 The transcendent and unconditional connections humans form with animals.
- 05:57 Navigating depression by releasing shame and asking for help.
- 09:48 Teaching vulnerability and the primal power of writing by hand.
- 11:11 The unexpected global resonance of publishing “Dog Medicine.”
- 13:30 Defining true wealth as family health and creative freedom.
- 18:46 Navigating inherited wealth and avoiding the trap of chasing status
> “The beauty of dogs is that they make you go outside, they make you move your body, they make you talk to people.”
>
> \- Julie Barton
Resources Mentioned:
- “[Dog Medicine: How My Dog Saved Me From Myself](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Svkp0GQJ9k)” YouTube Strand Book Store reading
- [“Dog Medicine: How My Dog Saved Me From Myself” by Julie Barton](https://www.amazon.com/Dog-Medicine-How-Saved-Myself/dp/0143130013/ref=sr_1_1?crid=JROXLOJKTQRM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.WTk2fYFIdjMnmp8MjfCvr2elKuGdynYNFeKwMOitPh7GjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.BE1RALxNsrNQ21x33sUJx6Vlf9s5TKEZcwKVQ21w5ds&dib_tag=se&keywords=Dog+Medicine%3A+How+My+Dog+Saved+Me+From+Myself&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1772611108&sprefix=dog+medicine+how+my+dog+saved+me+from+myself%2Caps%2C253&sr=8-1)
- [Jackson Hole Writers Conference](https://jhwriters.org/conference/)
- [EMDR Therapy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_movement_desensitization_and_reprocessing)
- [Substack](https://substack.com/)
Connect with Jennifer Griffith:
LinkedIn: [Julie Barton](https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-barton-773a4814/)
LinkedIn: [Penguin Random House UK](https://www.linkedin.com/company/penguin-random-house-uk/)
Connect with Nathan Mersereau:
Phone: 248-645-1520
Email: [nathan.mersereau@planningalt.com](mailto:nathan.mersereau@planningalt.com)
LinkedIn: [Nathan Mersereau](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-mersereau-cfp%C2%AE-a984761/)
Address: 255 S Old Woodward, Suite 310
Birmingham, MI 48009
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### A wealth of insight
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#### [How the “Anxious Generation” Is Redefining Global Work and Life Priorities with Dr. Corey Seemiller](https://planningalt.com/insights/how-the-anxious-generation-is-redefining-global-work-and-life-priorities-with-dr.-corey-seemiller)
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[](https://planningalt.com/insights/rewriting-lifes-narrative-with-jennifer-griffith)
#### [Rewriting Life’s Narrative with Jennifer Griffith of Post Hill Press](https://planningalt.com/insights/rewriting-lifes-narrative-with-jennifer-griffith)
[Day in a Canoe Podcasts](https://planningalt.com/insights/tag/day-in-a-canoe-podcasts)
[](https://planningalt.com/insights/from-prompting-to-strategy-using-ai-as-a-competitive-advantage-with-rajeev-kapur)
#### [From Prompting to Strategy: Using AI as a Competitive Advantage with Rajeev Kapur of 1105 Media](https://planningalt.com/insights/from-prompting-to-strategy-using-ai-as-a-competitive-advantage-with-rajeev-kapur)
[Day in a Canoe Podcasts](https://planningalt.com/insights/tag/day-in-a-canoe-podcasts)
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