Mental Illness Happy Hour

A favorite episode among listeners and from the first year of the podcast (2011). How do you cope when you are convinced your life is constantly in danger as a child? First, you band together with your siblings and form an army, then you learn about the sweet oblivion of addiction. Paul’s friend Karma withholds her last name and picture so she can fully reveal the family life that nearly killed he...

Dave Manheim is a producer and podcaster (Dopey) who shares his story of recovery and what it was like to create a podcast dedicated to addiction stories–and then to suddenly lose his co-host and creative partner to an overdose. More about Dave: www. DopeyPodcast.com WAYS TO HELP THE MIHH PODCAST Subscribe via iTunes and leave a review. It costs nothing.  https://itunes.apple.c...

Marcy Langlois was born with a physical deformity, which required 23 surgical procedures before the age of 18, and was involved in a devastating, life-changing accident at the age of 17. She shares her story and opens up about the ways in which she has been able to heal and to focus on life’s infinite possibility. Look for her podcast Living Beyond Limits. This episode is sponsored by Paul Kalanit...

Erin Williams is an author, illustrator, and healthcare researcher who joins Paul to discuss chronic pain and how her own struggles with it have served her art. Look for her new book What's Wrong?: Personal Histories of Chronic Pain and Bad Medicine  More about Erin: website:  https://www.erinrwilliams.com/home Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/erin_r_williams/ WAYS TO HELP...

Michael Laurie is an actor, a small group facilitator, and a parent. He talks with Paul about his road to recovery and shares his unusual story of becoming a foster parent, with all the love and pain that entails.  More about Michael Laurie: www. MichaelLaurie.com IG @MichaelLaurieus WAYS TO HELP THE MIHH PODCAST Subscribe via iTunes and leave a review. It costs nothing.  https...

Dr. Jeff Karp is a Harvard Medical School professor and bioengineer. He works in the fields of drug delivery, medical devices, stem cell therapeutics, and tissue adhesives and has been recognized by MIT as being one of the top innovators in the world. He talks with Paul about his work, his relationship with nature, and how life led him to where he is now. Watch for his new book, LIT* Life Ignition...

Dana Killion is an author of mystery and memoir whose work is informed by her own life’s turmoil. She opens up about her marriage to a high-functioning alcoholic and how she has worked on her issues of codependency. Be sure to check out her new book, Where the Shadows Dance: He Got Sober. I Got Broken This episode is sponsored by The ASPCA Pet Health Insurance program. To explore coverage, visit w...

Dr. Kate Truitt is a psychologist and neuroscientist who wants to share her own story of how she came to this work. Armed with her knowledge of the mind, she has worked to process her difficult childhood and the personal tragedy of losing her fiancé right before their wedding. Look for her new book Keep Breathing: A Psychologist's Intimate Journey Through Loss, Trauma, and Rediscovering Life. More...

Donn Bradley is a therapist (LMFT) and a former first responder who shares his journey to discovering how much therapy and emotional processing is needed for EMTs, police, and anyone whose work requires the witnessing of violence and tragedy. Donn also opens up about his childhood and the death of his mother when he was young.  More about Donn https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/don...

Margo Steines is a Dominatrix turned welder turned author. She opens up about her experiences as a sex worker, her battles with addiction, and her attraction to pain. She also discusses her memoir, Brutalities: A Love Story, where she reflects on her various lives while pregnant with her first child.  This episode is sponsored by  Cerebral.  For a prescriber, therapist, or both go t...

Swamy Gopalsamy is a coach who specializes in helping people recover from depersonalization and derealization. As someone who has lived through it himself, he has first hand knowledge of these conditions and what can help you manage them. In this episode, he shares his own personal journey and offers management tactics that have worked for him and his clients.  More about Swamy You can find h...

Dr. Devika Bhushan is a pediatrician and the former acting Surgeon General of California. She is also someone who lives with Bipolar Disorder. She opens up about her personal journey to finding a diagnosis and how she’s on a professional and personal mission to fight the stigma associated with mental health struggles.  This episode is sponsored by  Cerebral.  For a prescriber, thera...

Kendra Petty is an author who opens up about her life story, which is full of both devastation and hope. She talks about being raised in a cult, the tragic death of her brother, the abuse she suffered as a child, and how she’s gotten through it all. Be sure to check out her book, I Can't Believe I'm Not Dead: Escaping Abuse, a Cult, Attempted Murder and Other Insanities...A Story That Cannot Be Tr...

Dale joins Paul to discuss her experience with social, emotional, and sexual anorexia. She opens up about how she’s working on intimacy and connection (when being alone can just be so much simpler) and what has been helping her break down her walls. Dale has found this website to be helpful. www. BrothersKoren.com This episode is sponsored by  Cerebral.  For a prescriber, therapist, or b...

Ron Placone is a comedian and writer with anger issues. He opens up about how he realized his anger was a problem and how he works to psychologically unpack it when it arises. He also shares tips and tools that have worked for him when it comes to anger management. Check out his first feature film, Left at Wall, which is currently screening around the country.  More about Ron:  LinkTree:...

Topaz Adizes (@the_skindeep) is a filmmaker and producer of the interactive documentary, {THE AND}. For years, he has studied the effect that holding cathartic, intimate conversations can have on relationships and has developed resources that anyone can use to facilitate these conversations in their own life. He believes deeply in the power of questions and shares his journey to this work. Watch f...

Kaylee Powers is a substance abuse counselor who has worked with various populations, including people who live on Skid Row in Los Angeles. She talks about the challenges that some populations face and how she works to find ways to support them. She also opens up about her own issues with depression and codependency.  Links Kaylee mentioned: Products made by Downtown Women’s Ce...

Heather Gonzales is a mental health advocate with a specific focus on postpartum psychosis. Heather was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 as a teenager and, after the birth of her first child, she experienced a severe and frightening episode and was hospitalized. She shares her story about having this psychotic break, how it was managed, and how she and her husband prepared to have a second child.  Mo...

Levi Meaden (@Levi_Meaden) is a friend of Paul’s from his support group and he joins Paul to share about his struggles around the death of his younger brother (as well as relationships and sobriety). Levi opens up about the unique experience of losing a deeply-loved sibling and the variety of the emotions that he carries and works through every day while missing him.   Check out the anim...

Holly Crumpler joins Paul to talk about living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Holly shares her journey to being diagnosed with DID, how she and her family manage it, and her frustration with how it’s been represented in TV and film. Holly and Paul are also joined by Holly’s son, Dylan, who offers perspective on what it’s like to grow up as a child of DID and how his mother’s diagnosis...

Michael Easter (@Michael_Easter) is a Professor of Journalism at UNLV who joins Paul to discuss the topic of his new book, Scarcity Brain: Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough. Michael shares his findings when it comes to answering the question: Why can’t we ever get enough? He and Paul discuss addictive behavior and tactics to manage cravings in a world built to e...

Dr. Sarah Michaud is an expert in codependency–in large part because she has dealt with it herself. She discusses how she works through her codependent tendencies. She also discusses her new book Co-Crazy: One Psychologist's Recovery from Codependency and Addiction: A Memoir and Roadmap to Freedom. Be sure you check out her YouTube show, Leaving Crazy Town. More about Dr. Michaud   www....

Leah Rudick @Leah_Rudick is a stand-up comedian and sketch performer. She opens up to Paul about the anxiety she’s carried since childhood and her fear of making mistakes. She also shares her experience with regular couples therapy and the positive impacts that it’s had on her marriage. Be sure to check out her new comedy special, Spiraling.  More about Leah:  Watch her new special Spira...

Katie Love @KatieLoveWriter is a comedian and author who bares all in this episode. She opens up about the death of her mother when she was young, being drawn into being a Jehovah’s Witness, and how she ultimately escaped the religion. She also shares the success she’s had with therapy and how she focuses on being mindful of her own self-talk. Be sure to check out her book, Two Tickets to Paradise...

Gianmarco Soresi @GianmarcoSoresi is a stand-up comedian, actor, and podcast host (The Downside). He reflects on what it’s like to look back on your childhood and realize that not everything was as it seemed. He talks about mourning the loss of who you thought your parents were, the complexities and drama of divorce, and how his parents’ divorces affected his ability to trust.   More Abo...