Giving Voice to Depression: Real Stories & Expert Support for Depression and Mental Health

Suicide is devastating, complex, and deeply misunderstood. In this powerful conversation, Patty Kajawa shares the heartbreaking story of losing her 18-year-old son, Jack, to suicide—and the ways she continues to honor his memory. Patty’s story reminds us that depression doesn’t always look like the stereotypes. Jack was funny, outgoing, and deeply loved. Yet behind the mask, he was struggling with...

When someone dies by suicide, the grief is unlike any other. It’s filled with questions, guilt, love, and a desperate wish to understand. In this episode of Giving Voice to Depression , we share the story of Patty Kijawa, a grieving mother who lost her teenage son Jack to suicide. Through her pain, Patty has chosen to speak openly to help others. She talks about the importance of listening for sub...

In this episode of Giving Voice to Depression , John shares his deeply personal journey of living with undiagnosed, lifelong depression—and how the pandemic brought him to his darkest place. Struggling with suicidal thoughts during quarantine, John finally sought help through therapy, medication, and connection with others. He describes the powerful shift that came from hearing people speak openly...

What happens when you finally put a name to the pain you’ve been carrying for years? For John, acknowledging that what he was experiencing was depression was the turning point in his journey from silence and stigma toward hope and healing. In this episode of Giving Voice to Depression , John shares openly about growing up in a household marked by trauma and alcoholism, the heavy self-stigma men of...

When depression starts to pull you under, the hardest step is often realizing it’s happening. In this powerful conversation, guest Matt Zinman shares the practical strategies he’s used to manage depression and stop it from spiraling out of control. Matt introduces the 3-Day Rule , a simple framework for knowing when it’s time to act. He also discusses the role of mood scales, exercise, hydration,...

What happens when mental illness runs in a family? In this deeply moving conversation, Matt Zinman shares his lived experience of growing up with a bipolar father and a mother who survived a suicide attempt. Matt later faced his own battles with depression and suicidal ideation—experiences that shaped his understanding of both the pain and resilience that mental illness brings to families. This ep...

What happens when mental health care—meant to heal—actually causes harm? That harm has a name: treatment trauma . In this episode, Dr. Warren Braden , a licensed marriage and family therapist in training, unpacks how racism, stigma, and systemic inequities shape the mental health experiences of Black and Brown communities. He explains why cultural silence often discourages seeking help, how repres...

What does it really feel like to live with depression — and how do you fight back against its lies? In this deeply personal episode, Terri, co-host of Giving Voice to Depression , shares her own battle with mornings, dark thoughts, and the exhaustion of living with depression in silence. She opens up about the moment she realized her thinking had turned dangerously unhealthy, the decision to retur...

What if depression, as soul-crushing as it can be, also offered unexpected lessons that shape who we become? In this powerful episode of Giving Voice to Depression , Tom Wavre shares eight lessons he’s learned from his own battle with depression. From confronting stigma and discovering inner strength, to learning empathy and helping others, Tom reframes depression not just as an illness, but as an...

In this powerful episode of Giving Voice to Depression , Jennifer returns to share her deeply personal journey of living with major depression for nearly three decades. From countless hospitalizations and medications to breakthrough treatments like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , Jennifer’s story illustrates both the painful persistence of depression a...

In this episode of Giving Voice to Depression , Jennifer shares her decades-long journey with severe depression, including the struggle to find effective medications, her coping tools for surviving dark times, and the importance of support and connection. Jennifer describes how depression robs her of joyful experiences, yet she continues searching for treatments—from antidepressants to TMS and ECT...

In Season 17 of Giving Voice to Depression , we shared powerful conversations exploring depression, burnout, family and generational trauma, and real-world strategies for both seeking and offering support. From deeply personal stories to practical tools provided by trusted mental health advocates and psychiatrists, this season highlighted the many ways we can better understand, live with, and resp...

In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Adel Corker shares his personal journey from decades in clinical medicine to becoming a passionate advocate for mental health. Despite an accomplished career in nephrology, his most important lessons came from lived experience—facing severe panic attacks, depression, and learning firsthand the critical link between body and mind. Dr. Corker reveals how exercise,...

Supporting someone with depression or another mental health condition can feel overwhelming. What do you say? What do you avoid saying? How do you show up without overstepping? In this episode of Giving Voice to Depression , returning guest Sam Dylan Finch shares 11 specific, meaningful ways his loved ones have supported him during mental health struggles —actions that helped him feel seen, safe,...

It’s hard to know what to say—or what not to say—when someone you love is struggling with depression. You want to help, but you also don’t want to push too hard, make things worse, or offer advice they don’t want. In this episode of Giving Voice to Depression , mental health advocate Sam Dylan Finch shares 11 specific, practical ways his loved ones supported him during difficult times. These real-...

Supporting a loved one through depression or a mental health crisis can feel overwhelming, especially when you don’t know what to say or how to help. In this episode, Sam Dylan Finch joins us to share five specific, real-life ways that friends and family members have supported him during his darkest times. From the power of simply listening to taking a team-based approach, Sam offers compassionate...

Knowing how to support someone you love who is struggling with depression or anxiety can feel overwhelming. What do you say? What’s helpful—and what isn’t? In this episode of Giving Voice to Depression , guest Sam Dylan Finch shares five practical, real-life-tested ways people have supported him during his darkest moments. From simple listening to small acts of kindness, these strategies can make...

When you’re struggling with depression, asking for help can feel overwhelming. Too often, advice stops at “reach out if you need support” — but no one gives you the actual words to say. In this episode of Giving Voice to Depression , writer and mental health advocate Sam Dylan Finch offers life-saving tools: practical, ready-to-use phrases that make it easier to ask for help. From requesting small...

Asking for help sounds simple — but when you’re struggling with depression, it can feel nearly impossible. Too often, we’re told “reach out if you need help,” without being given the language or tools to actually do it. In this episode of Giving Voice to Depression , mental health advocate and writer Sam Dylan Finch shares practical, real-world phrases anyone can use when depression makes it diffi...

Being told to “just ask for help” often feels impossible when depression makes words hard to find. In this episode, writer and mental health advocate Sam Dylan Finch shares five practical, compassionate scripts anyone can use to reach out for support. Sam’s insights come from lived experience—he’s both a suicide attempt survivor and someone who has lost loved ones to suicide. He explains why vague...

Being told to “just ask for help” often feels impossible when depression makes words hard to find. In this episode, writer and mental health advocate Sam Dylan Finch shares five practical, compassionate scripts anyone can use to reach out for support. Sam’s insights come from lived experience—he’s both a suicide attempt survivor and someone who has lost loved ones to suicide. He explains why vague...

Do you ever wonder if you’re just burned out — or if what you’re experiencing is actually depression? Psychiatrist Dr. Jessi Gold , an expert on physician burnout and mental health, helps us understand the critical differences between the two and why it matters. In this episode, Dr. Gold explains how burnout and depression overlap, how to recognize the warning signs of each , and the risks if burn...

Many of us feel exhausted, drained, and overwhelmed—especially in times of high stress. But how do you know if what you’re experiencing is burnout or depression ? Psychiatrist Dr. Jessi Gold , an expert on physician burnout and mental health, joins us to explain the difference, why it matters, and how to care for yourself before burnout turns into something more serious. This episode explores the...

In this powerful episode of Giving Voice to Depression , Trony Small shares his family’s journey through trauma, loss, and resilience. Growing up in Milwaukee with a mother living with cerebral palsy, Trony and his brothers experienced discrimination, instability, and profound grief after their mother’s death. When his younger brother Justin was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disor...

Family trauma doesn’t just affect one person — it ripples through generations, shaping identities, relationships, and opportunities for healing. In this episode of Giving Voice to Depression , Trony Small shares his family’s story of growing up in Milwaukee with poverty, discrimination, and loss. After the death of his mother, Trony and his brothers faced instability, grief, and stigma that made c...