Coping 101

"I feel like this kind of work makes me a lot more passionate about health overall. And it helps me be an advocate for things that I care about... STAND gave me those skills to be an advocate." As a first generation American from a family of Zanzibar immigrants, Aidah Hawkins knows a lot about Community. Currently in college pursuing a degree in nursing, she's already quite accomplished at a young...

"Everything that I've been affected by, I adamantly take a 100% role in changing it and making it better." Impact-based artist Myron Curry is many things, but above all he's a community activist. His murals decorate walls and spaces across Seattle and beyond, and his work in curation, art management and installations comes to life through the gallery he owns in downtown Seattle. As a community cou...

What does an active retirement look like to you? At 80 years young, Wally Webster II sees his retirement as merely an excuse to dive deeper into his community and take on social issues for the group who needs it most:  youth. "We're finding that a number of youth are committing crimes with weapons, hate crimes, as well as self-harm, like suicide, because they're having some mental health challenge...

"Historically and systemically women of color aren't represented," says Olympia Edwards, Founder and CEO of Project Girl mentoring program, which .  "Here we're providing a space where their life story and their life journey doesn't have to be what society thinks of them. It doesn't have to be a struggle. They're entitled to a comfortable life; they're entitled to a fruitful life. We're trying to...

"Many of the beliefs we form as children [about the world and ourSELVEs] we carry on into our adulthood, and they manifest in different ways, and they can really influence where we're gonna end up... The earlier we can help our kids gain an emotional IQ, the better off we will ALL be." In this episode we're joined by Sondra Vasquez, the Program Manager for Compass Health's Child and Family Clinic...

Have you ever stopped to consider all the ways you're connected with your neighbors and your community? Many of us are affected in ways we aren't even aware of because of the dynamic and complex nature of how our lives are interconnected with one another. Whether we realize it or not, when our neighbors receive care, when a family member starts therapy, when someone living on our streets has a saf...

"As artist Yasiin Bey said, 'the arts are something we forget we need, until we need them.' In this episode of Artist Mental Health Stories we're joined by one of Seattle's cultural thought leaders   James Miles, fondly known as the Fresh Professor. Miles is an Assistant Professor at Seattle University and former Executive Director of Third Stone, the nonprofit known for reviving the Bumbershoot A...

How do you identify? Identity can be informed by many factors, including cultural background, abilities, religion, gender, geography and more. Growing up with deafness in a strict religious family on the island of Samoa, Loki Tiatia experienced many layered challenges that have informed his identity and influence his work today as an ASL instructor and Deaf Advocate. As a husband to a deaf spouse...

"We try to minimize and overlook grief in our culture. Yet most if not all of us will have an experience of grief - or many - in our life."  Celebrated Seattle Actor Amy Thone joins Artist Mental Health Stories to discuss life lessons she's learned throughout her career in the theater, the recent loss of her teenage daughter Stella to cancer, and how she lives through her grief. Stella may have 't...

Loss comes in many forms, and no two people will process grief in the same way. Inevitably we will all face loss, including the death of a friend or loved one, and while healing may not be entirely possible for everyone we  can  learn to live differently and adapt. In this episode, Nathan Hale High School sophomore Emanuel sits down with Amy Pereira Clevenger, Compass Health's Director of Crisis R...

"Once you get there, don't forget to grab someone's hand and bring them with you." In this episode we're joined by two guests who focus our lens on the healing power of authentic mentorship, where you learn as much as you impart.   The mentor: Megan Garbayo-López is a Queer Latina filmmaker, film educator, and film programmer with SIFF. She works with Seattle-area schools to mentor youth and intro...

"I hear people say  'Well, it's natural.'  or  'It's just weed.' ... It stopped being  'just weed'  a long time ago." Dr. Jason Kilmer joins High School junior Gavin to discuss marijuana prevention among young people, healthy coping tips to deal with stress, and the real science behind marijuana use. An Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington, who...

In 2019, about 1 in 5 people were suffering from some kind of mental health or substance use issue, and since then the pandemic has impacted ALL communities and the need for help has surged. Increasing access to care is now perhaps the most critical step in reversing America's mental health crisis. On a mission to break down barriers as the Chief Medical Officer of Compass Health, Katie Gilligan's...

The first artist to emerge from her family, Esmeralda Vasquez discovered the power of art to dive deeper into her culture, and highlight the colors and the beauty that come from it. Esmeralda is a Latina from the Yakima Valley, currently working in Seattle as a multi-disciplinary artist, muralist, painter, and teacher. She recently sat down with high school senior Luz to share the inspiring story...

"It's okay to not be okay, and no one ever has to go through hard things alone. There is ALWAYS someone willing to listen." Seattle-area high school senior Luz sits down with Megan Reibel from Forefront Suicide Prevention to candidly destigmatize the conversation around suicide. Megan shares her own mental health journey and discusses her work on the frontlines of suicide prevention. In addition t...

One of the primary factors contributing to today's mental health crisis - especially impacting traditionally marginalized communities - is  limited access to care . People of all ages, communities and backgrounds need behavioral healthcare resources, and simply knowing where to find them is more than half the battle. On a mission to bring much needed counseling services to the people, Ryan O'Donne...

"Being able to try certain things out - especially if you have a supportive and trusting gaming group - that can allow us to throw off the shackles of neurotypicality and we can feel like a literal hero in a world that often makes us feel lesser than."  Raffael Boccamazzo, PsyD -  aka  Dr. B - is a celebrated speaker, practicing Psychologist, Autism and ADHD self-advocate, and Clinical Director of...

Some organizations simply build classrooms, while Seattle's renown Bumbershoot has taken a more progressive approach to festival production as a classroom to train up tomorrow's industry leaders. In this episode of 'Artist Mental Health Stories' we're joined by Autistic, Queer artist and advocate Denali Naylor, as they share their experience as a member of Bumbershoot's Workforce Development Progr...

"Creativity doesn't add to our value or worth, but reveals that it's already there... Where can you create in YOUR life?" Chris Lumry is an entrepreneur, writer, and filmmaker who studied public affairs at Princeton and holds Master's degrees in business and public policy from Harvard. The founder of mission-driven company OneStepGrowth, his work centers on helping people increase joy and purpose...

No matter where they live, Queer Youth deserve safe spaces, supportive resources and affirming care to advance into adulthood with health, opportunity and equity. In this special Pride-month episode, we're joined by Shannon Webb from Compass Health as we focus on behavioral health services for LGBTQ+ Youth in rural and suburban communities, where access to these services has been traditionally lim...

"Embracing your own beauty is an act of resistance..." Whether he's producing over-the-top nightlife events as Co-Founder and Executive Director of BeautyBoiz, or confronting inequity and building collective joy as the Managing Director of Intiman Theatre, Wesley Fruge is a space-maker, community-blender and paradigm-shifter. Through his many roles as a director, producer, marketer, fundraiser, ev...

Art and activism are intertwined, and music has always been at the heart of major movements. Facing today's Mental Health crisis, Cameron Lavi-Jones - frontman of Seattle Alt-Rock band King Youngblood - is determined to use his art and influence to dismantle the stigma and raise awareness. Along with fellow bandmates, Cameron leads  Hold Your Crown -  a nonprofit devoted to shining a light on yout...

Just as CPR training prepares people without medical backgrounds to help someone who is having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid trains people to help someone who is at risk of developing a mental health problem or who is going through a mental health crisis. In this episode we're joined by Jordann Doler, Mental Health First Aid Program Manager for Valley Cities Behavioral Health Care. Jorda...

With support from 4Culture and Seattle Children's, C89.5 fm presents  Coping 101: Personal Paths  - part of a student-hosted series capturing  Artist Mental Health Stories . Listen as arts advocates Crystal Lee Dandrige and Leigh Legler share their experience of overcoming trauma and learning to cope with mental health diagnoses through their participation in Path With Art. Since 2008,  Seattle-ba...

"Affordable housing is just not there any more, which creates a crisis situation in our community." The trauma of homelessness affects children, adults and families in ways that seriously impact our communities and society at large, and solving this growing crisis boils down to stability.  Much like a firefighter who charges toward danger instead of away from it, Ryan Disch-Guzman regularly runs i...