Nicholas Ribush, Director of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive and Former Tibetan Buddhist Monk: On Disillusionment Working in the Medical Field, Whether Schools of Buddhism Stigmatize Mental Health, and a Buddhist Point of View on Wellbeing

“Most of my medical work (1965–71) was in hospitals, where it seemed that more than 50% of the patients were there because of the ill-effects of tobacco, alcohol or analgesics. To me, most of our work appeared to be to patch them up and send them back out into the circumstances that made them sick in the first place. These substances that were responsible were not just freely available; they were heavily advertised. I felt I could help improve people’s health more by stopping advertising and easy accessibility than by simply treating the symptoms, and to do that I would need to get out of medicine and go into politics. That was such a distasteful option that I decided to take a break and travel for a while.”

Mental Wellness Interviews

Hannah Blum, Activist, Author, & Instagram Influencer on Mental Health Stigma, Deleterious Effects Of the “Wellness Movement” and Navigating Relationships with Mental Illness

“The most crucial part is finding the right psychiatrist. There are not enough good psychiatrists in the mental health field, and that is just the truth. Find someone who sees you as an individual and will listen to your wants and needs. Many psychiatrists would put me on meds that sedated me to the extent that I could not work. I started voicing my concerns around that and did not give up my search.”

Mental Wellness Interviews | Advocates

Martha Dorn, Executive Director of The Art Therapy Project, on Art Making and Talk Therapy as Medicine, COVID-19’s Impact on Mental Health Programs, and Social Impact

“With the country in lockdown due to COVID-19, there has been an enormous increase in discussions around mental health, mindfulness and self-care. The coloring book phenomenon, while not art therapy, stems from people experiencing how using coloring books can be therapeutic in alleviating stress. The uptick in people embracing creative pastimes during this crisis, whether making art, cooking or knitting, is very encouraging as these activities help us manage our stress and improve our mood.”

Mental Wellness Interviews | Advocates

Eslee, Photographer and Art Director On Work and Mental Health, Faith, and Getting to No

“I do something called devotion for my wellbeing. The equivalent to this that is most easily understood would be meditation, but meditating with the Bible, and having the source of what you’re being present with as God. I go on my Bible app and go through different plans of life stages. It usually takes me about 20 minutes and I take notes! Devotions in part help me realize that there are bigger things out there to be concerned about, and learn to make the best out of any situation with perspective.”

Content Creators | Artists | Mental Wellness Interviews

Laura Jung, Digital Creator & Founder of Event Series @skincontactnyc on the Unique Risks for “Burnout” as an Influencer and What Fuels Her Love for [Online] Community

“I think every digital creator with an online community deals with burnout. Burnout not in the usual sense of “overworking,” but in the sense that sharing our life online like we do makes us completely dependent on the internet. “

Mental Wellness Interviews | Artists | Content Creators | Founders

Co-founder and COO of FloraMind, Danny Tsoi, on Using Hiphop Music to Talk Mental Health with Youth, Differentiating Typical Youth Development from Mental Illness, and the Criticality of Checking In with Yourself to Protect your Wellbeing

“In our opinion, it is not just about closing the gap of treatment by increasing accessibility. Instead, having culturally relevant practices that support intersectionality is needed. This means making sure that services are developed for the lived experience that different people have in order to have better outcomes. For mental health, youth are a group that has insufficient support for mental health. As teenagers, mental health challenges are often misunderstood as part of typical adolescent development, and as a result are either misdiagnosed or under-reported.”

Mental Wellness Interviews | Advocates

CEO of Mental Health Startup Henry Health, Kevin Dedner, On Mental Health Product Personalization, Mental Exhaustion, and the Sociological Factors Impacting Black Male Mental Health

“Beyond the factors that commonly trigger mental health issues, Black men must also carry the day to day stress of being a Black man, which often presents itself unconsciously in normal activities. Black men report experiencing racial microaggressions —insults, invalidations, and interpersonal slights (subtle and sometimes unintentional) – which are linked to symptoms of anxiety and depression. Black men also suffer from impostor syndrome, a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts his accomplishments in professional settings and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a fraud….. My general belief is that human beings have long held the answers to how to live well. Somewhere along the way, we lost our knowledge of the importance of self-care and restorative practices that help us cope with stress. I think the loss is wrapped up in a myriad of reasons, including western work culture and increased exposure to technology. The bottom line is that we were not designed to be as busy as we are.”

Mental Wellness Interviews | Advocates | Founders