In today's final part of our three-part conversation, Rafiah opens up about preparing for life after loss, the amazing work of her charity in honor of her son Jamal's life, and some final thoughts about mental health advocacy, especially within the BIPOC Community.
In today's second part of our two-part conversation with Brittany, she starts to open up about her turning point, how she started to really find herself in her writing, and how she has learned to live with her disorders. Brittany shares what it's like to be living in recovery with her disorders, but also what it's like to have advocacy show up in her life and what she feels has been helpful to her, and sometimes more importantly, what she feels has not been helpful.
In today's second part of our two-part conversation with Jason, he really opens up about what it was like to have an intervention from his family to help him truly seek treatment. He also opens up about some of the tools and skills that he uses to truly live with his Schizophrenia and to pursue his happiest and best life.
In today's episode of UNSILENT "Honoring Her Son's Life After Suicide: Part 2" we get to know more about Rafiah, the mother of son Jamal who at 19 years old tragically lost his life to suicide in May of 2020. Since the loss of Jamal, Rafiah has gone on to be an outspoken and passionate advocate for breaking mental health stigmas, especially in the BIPOC community. She chooses every day to honor the life and spirit of her son, Jamal, as she puts her advocacy in action with her own charity, Soul Survivors of Chicago [instagram.com/soulsurvivorschi]. In today's second part of our three-part conversation with Rafiah, she opens up about what she feels are the mental health stigmas within the BIPOC community, the need for post-intervention, barriers to seeking treatment, and the impact of the collective trauma and loss within the black community. Be sure to check out part one of our conversation with Rafiah here: youtu.be/cdyk2YOpP5s. We start by getting to know more about her and her family's story, the loss of her son, and celebrate Jamal with love.
In today's episode of UNSILENT, we get to know Brittany, a writer and advocate living with mental health challenges including Borderline Personality Disorder and OCD . In this first part of our two-part conversation with Brittany, she opens up about living with these disorders and the impact they've had on her personal life. She also shares some of the specific challenges and experiences she's had with these disorders, and notably, when she, in 2019, decided to voluntarily admit herself to seek treatment and recovery, and since then, has gone on to be a fierce mental health advocate. She also leaves us with some thoughts on ways that we can best advocate for the youth in our lives. We know these conversations are sometimes difficult to have, and we thank Brittany so much for putting her advocacy in action and opening up and sharing her life experiences with us.
In today's episode, we get to know Jason, a veteran and mental health advocate living with Schizophrenia. 📺 Watch at youtu.be/uNHX6kFDP0g and 🎧 stream wherever you listen to podcasts. 🍎🎙bitly.ws/v7nW. In this first part of our two-part conversation with Jason, he opens up about his time in the military, the hazing he experienced because of his mental illness, and the tumultuous but life-saving road to seeking help. Thank you Jason for your honesty and for sharing your advocacy with us.
In this episode of UNSILENT "Honoring Her Son's Life After Suicide: Part 1" we get to know Rafiah, the mother of son Jamal who at 19 years old tragically lost his life to suicide in May of 2020. Since the loss of Jamal, Rafiah has gone on to be an outspoken and passionate advocate for breaking mental health stigmas, especially in the BIPOC community. She chooses every day to honor the life and spirit of her son, Jamal, as she puts her advocacy in action with her own charity, Soul Survivors of Chicago. In today's first part of our 3-part conversation with Rafiah, we start by getting to know more about her and her family's story, the loss of her son, and celebrate Jamal with love.
In this episode - "Surviving Triple Suicide Loss: Part 3" with Danielle, the final part of this 3-part S.P.E.A.K., we get to know more about Danielle, a survivor of three suicides in her family. She shares about being trauma-aware advocates, the power of "storying," and the importance of each and every person's story. We thank Danielle for her honestly, her heart, and her conviction to mental health advocacy.
UNSILENT Season 2, Ep 2 - "Surviving TripleSuicide Loss: Part 2" with Danielle. In Part 2 of this 3-part SPEAK, we get to know more about Danielle, a survivor of three suicides in her family. She shares about her coping strategies, how we can be youth mental health advocates, and the importance of seeking out networks of peer support. We thank Danielle for her honestly, her heart, and her conviction to mental health advocacy. Catch up on Part 1 of her story here ➡️ youtu.be/X0w5BC60w6U.
UNSILENT Season 2, Ep 1 - "Surviving Triple Suicide Loss: Part 1" with Danielle. In Part 1 of this 3-part SPEAK, we get to know Danielle and her lived experience of being a survivor of three suicide losses in her family. She talks impact of these losses, her own mental health journey, and tackles the often-asked questions to survivors of "What should we say? What can we do? What could you have done?" We thank Danielle for her honestly, her heart, and her conviction to mental health advocacy.
EP. 12 (PART 2) - “Group Therapy: Releasing Shame" with NY Times Bestselling Author of "Group", Christie Tate. "Christie O. Tate is a Chicago-based writer and essayist. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Pithead Chapel, McSweeney’s, Motherwell, Entropy Magazine, A Perfect Wedding, Together.com, Brain, Child and others. Her debut memoir, Group, published in October 2020 was a Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller." (ChristieTate.com). Lance talks with Christie about her years growing up battling disordered eating, overcoming shame, and living in recovery. She opens up about her experiences with group therapy, and how to this day, she continues to maintain her mental health and strength grounded in this practice.
EP. 11 - “Overcoming Otherness: Trans and Queer Voices " with guest, Taylor. Taylor Putorti is a Chicago-based mental health advocate and nurse-in-training, proudly thriving as a Trans man with a passion for Allyship and self-acceptance. Taylor talks with our Lance, both bold members of the LGBTQIA+ community, about everything from his own path to self-discovery, self-advocacy, self-love, and resilience. They tackle talk on youth mental health, supporting and lifting Queer voices, and being brave enough to form your found family if that’s the path that leads to building a sustainable and loving support network. We thank Taylor for his service not only to NoStigmas, but for being a living example of truth, visibility, and love in this world.
EP. 10 - “I Am Worth Something" with guest, Chris. Chris Holden is a UK-based mental health advocate living with Autism and Borderline Personality Disorder. Chris has bravely taken a stand against cyberbullying, something he has had to endure as an adolescent and continuing into adulthood. He courageously opens up about his story, the challenges he has faced or overcome, and how we can boldly advocate for safe spaces and the lives of youth growing up in an online landscape too often fueled by keyboard courage and hate. We than Chris for his visibility and heart.
EP. 9 - “More Than Me Too: Life Beyond Harassment" with guest, Lindsay. Lindsay Moore is a former LA-based actress now Doula. She shares about her experiences with sexual harassment in the workplace, and the damaging effects of having self-worth and value rooted in body image. She shares her path to finding her support system and how she made some brave changes to advocate for herself and her mental health.
EP. 8 - "A.C.E.s of Diamonds: Thriving in Recovery" with guest, Marella. She opens up about what it was like realizing she had a 10/10 on the Adverse Childhood Experiences test (ACEs). She walks us through some of those formative moments from her past and how she has used her mental health awareness as a source of strength in her life and the lives of her children. She also talks on resiliency and how we all can evolve past self-care to advocacy for ourselves and those we love.
EP. 7 - "Befriending Bipolar: A Quest for Happiness" with guest, Oliver Seligman, a Uk-based author and former Broker, now Monk. He opens up about his life with mental health challenges and coming into a Bipolar Disorder diagnosis. He is an outspoken advocate about the power of love in this world -- and the healing ability of kindness. Oliver is a wonderful soul committed to showing diagnoses don't define us and how truly magical life can become with a support system, self-compassion, and staying the course with self-care and treatment plans that support your wellness. Be sure to check out Oliver's book "Befriending Bipolar" and learn more about him and his story at www.BefriendingBipolar.co.uk.
EP. 6 - "Attempt Surviving & Owning OCD" with guest, Jaimi McPeek, a professional dancer and passionate mental health advocate with a lifelong connection to OCD. She opens up about coming into her diagnosis of OCD with morbid thoughts as a child and where that took her in her story. She shares the power of dance in her life and how creativity and art grounds her in the present and silences the noise. She bravely talks about how she found herself on the other side of a suicide attempt and what that road to healing and recovery has looked like. We were so thankful to have Jaimi share her story with us and thank her for being a champion for mental health. We hope you join us in lifting her up and celebrating her new passion project Flip of a Coin, boldly using filmmaking to explore true lived experiences with mental health challenges.
EP. 5 - "FIGHT. WIN. LIVE." with guest, Erika E. Wade Erika E. Wade -- an explosive performer and a powerful talent for writing. She is a SCAD Alum with a late-in-life Bipolar Disorder diagnosis. She has no fear in talking on what she feels needs to be heard, here and now. She is dedicated to preventing suicide and using her platform as a writer to advocate in storytelling. She refuses to stay silent about mental health, especially -- as she so powerfully shares -- in the Black community. You don't want to miss a minute of this episode.
EP. 4 - "BROKEN BOUNDARIES: TOXIC RELATIONSHIPS" with guest, Elizabeth Notestine @elizabethclare__ -- a FIERCE mental health advocate, NoStigmas Trauma-Aware Workshop co-creator, and survivor of intimate partner violence. [TRIGGER WARNING: We will be talking about partner abuse] Join the conversation as our own Lance talks with Elizabeth about her lived experience with intimate partner violence as a teenager, and how that impacted her mental health and development as a young adult. While she has years of experience sharing her story, it never gets easy. She hopes sharing this story will give those struggling in silence hope and courage. Her story is a tangible testament to her dedication to advocacy for not only mental health, but trauma-aware relationships and connections, built on trust and understanding.
EP. 3 - "ORTHOREXIA BITES" with guest, Jason Wood, thriver and author of "Starving For Survival." [TRIGGER WARNING: We will be talking about disordered eating] Join the conversation as our own Eli talks with Jason about living in recovery from Orthorexia, a rare but damaging eating disorder. We learn more about WHAT it is and also HOW it impacts one's mental health. Jason also speaks to the stigmas prevalent with men speaking about disordered eating. He has taken up the call for advocacy as he releases his first book this year, with 50% of proceeds supporting the work of NoStigmas.
EP. 2 - "I Just Want to Be Seen" with guest, Ashley, a South Louisiana native and an advocate for mental health transparency, especially in families and teaching communities. Join the conversation as our own Eli talks with Ashley about the road of recovery after a breakdown after suicidal ideation drove her to her limit. She opens up about motherhood, teaching, and navigating family dynamics and generational stigmas.
EP. 1 - "Pain to Purpose" with #NoStigmas Founder, Jacob Moore Join the conversation as we talk with Jacob about the loss of his father at an early age, his journey with mental health throughout his life, and what lead him to found NoStigmas all those years ago. Be sure to tune in right here every Wednesday at 2 PM Eastern from here on out for more REAL talk with REAL people. We are survivors, thrivers, advocates, and Allies. We see you. We love you. BE UNSILENT. 💚
We are SO excited to share that our new digital S.P.E.A.K. series is LIVE! Stream our trailer TODAY! Every Wednesday, on all of our social media @NoStigmas, we will share REAL talk with REAL people.
“I wish people knew that mental health isn’t something happening in your head. It’s very real. You can reach out for seeking professional help, and acquire resources.”
I am determined to spread the word and make people understand that it is OK to seek help and not feel ashamed of what they are feeling.
If you define them by their illness then you are robbing your chance of getting to know the real person underneath it.
I pay it forward by sharing what I’ve learned about meditation and mindfulness with those around me.
I had noticed that in the media, certain conditions had been overlooked or misrepresented, particularly schizophrenia.
We talk with Erika, a passionate UK-based mental health advocate, about the need for breaking the stigmas surrounding the mental health of those she prefers to see as "differently-abled."