Erika Andersen, LPC, on Mental Health of Children in Foster Care and the Real-Life Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences

“Mental health counseling was not on my radar as an undergraduate and in fact there was a strong culture of perfectionism, in which our humanity gets a little lost for the sake of achievement. At least, that reflects my experience at the time. I remember learning about growth and fixed mindset in a psychology class and seeing how plastic brain development truly can be. Through working with young people in an education setting, I saw how a culture of fixed mindset affects teenagers and hinders growth. I saw a lot of other issues as well, like bullying, chronic stress, anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, all in the microcosm of a classroom setting. I had to learn more.”

Mental Wellness Interviews

Karen Mok, Co-founder of Wellness Community The Cosmos on Asian Mental Health & How the Trauma of Anti-Asian Hate & Violence Affects Her Community

“Even though the search was more difficult, I knew that a big part of my trauma was racial trauma, and I needed someone who would not question that part of my experience. I understood that lack of culturally relevant care was a major reason why Asian Americans do not seek mental health care; I saw that in my own family.”

Mental Wellness Interviews | Advocates | Founders

Marco Capozzoli, Former NFL and AFL Athlete on Mental Health for Athletes and in Professional Sports

Some online resources that helped me through my dark days, and continue to help me on an ongoing basis are:

The Players Tribune – Users can search depression, suicide, or mental health to access stories, and first hand accounts of Athletes and their personal struggles with ill-mental health.

Start Today Podcast with Chris Cavallini: A personal friend and mentor of mine who went from foster care and being locked up 17 times before his 18th birthday to founding, owning, and operating Nutrition Solutions: a multi million dollar food prep company with a global presence (Language advisory)

Athletes Unheard.com: Founder Malcolm Lemmons, a former professional athlete and author built a media platform at the intersection of athletes and mental health.

Mental Wellness Interviews | Advocates

Richie Cartwright, Co-Founder of Fella on Opening Up To Family About Binge Eating, Men’s Mental Health, and Stigmas Keeping Us from Seeking Treatment

“Most of our Fellas are either overweight, or very overweight. There’s a case of when both partners are bigger, and one partner struggles with binge eating and one won’t, and the partner doesn’t acknowledge the partner’s struggles. The interaction is very much like, ‘well, we just eat CRISPS every day’ and the partner with binge eating is like, ‘well, no. I actually do all this hidden stuff as well’.”

Mental Wellness Interviews | Advocates | Founders

Roy Dahildahil, Executive Director of #MentalHealthPH on LGBTQ Mental Health, Mental Health in the Philippines, and Building Frameworks to Drive Impactful Mental Healthcare

“At this time, no new laws are being lobbied in mental health; we’re primarily focusing on ensuring the Mental Health Act is executed properly and that there is proper implementation at the local-level. Like many laws enacted in the Philippines, without continuous monitoring and oversight, the national laws will fail to trickle down to the grassroots level, so that’s where the work of our organizations come in.”

Mental Wellness Interviews | Advocates | Founders

Model and Futurist Sinead Bovell on Imposter Syndrome, AI and the Future of Mental Health, and Defining Success for Yourself

“Living so many ‘different lives,’ it’s been interesting to see how imposter syndrome presents itself in each industry. In the management consulting world self-doubt in your skills creeps in a lot. Despite the rigorous interview process that means you are more than ready for the job. I am sure over time it gets better. But I didn’t stay in the industry long enough to witness my personal evolution with it. When it comes to modeling.. well, naturally as a model you have a lot of insecurities. Whether you’ve just stepped into the industry or are an internationally renowned supermodel, you are very critical of yourself. Industry standards have changed quite a bit, and there has been a marked shift– progress– in the industry focusing on physique to focusing on what the model stands for. That’s been really refreshing to watch.”

Founders | Models

Mindbloom Founder Dylan Beynon on Making Psychedelic Medicine Accessible and How to Navigate Having Family with Mental Illness

“psychedelic therapy has been a pillar of my growth and development for over a decade. I wouldn’t be who I am or where I’m at without it. For me, ketamine’s therapeutic impact has been equivalent to other psychedelic medicines, and having the privilege to work in safe settings with trained clinicians and healers has helped me get even more out of treatment.”

Mental Wellness Interviews | Advocates | Founders