Mental Illness Happy Hour

Chris Gethard (aka @ChrisGeth and @ChrisGethard) is a comedian, writer, and podcast host (Beautiful Anonymous) who talks openly about managing his life with depression. He shares how fatherhood changed him and how he’s been able to open up to family and rely on those who love him for help when he’s in a bad spot. He also talks about the struggles of being a working artist and shares his new plans...

Rebecca D returns to the podcast to talk about going no-contact with her mom and reflects on moments in her childhood that she didn’t realize were strange until she was an adult. She also talks about what it was like growing up surrounded by religious orthodoxy.  WAYS TO HELP THE PODCAST Subscribe via iTunes and leave a review. It costs nothing.  https://itunes.apple.com/us/pod...

Steph Jagger joins Paul to discuss the grief of loving someone with dementia. She also shares the small moments of beauty that can sometimes come out of this disease. Be sure to check out her book, Everything Left to Remember , where she beautifully documents the camping road trip she took with her mother while in the midst of her disease.  More About Steph www.stephjagger.com www.instagram.c...

Miller is one one of Paul’s support group friends. He joins Paul to talk about being on the other side of a chaotic life of crime. After having spent most of his life in a gang and going in and out of prison, he's turned a corner. He talks about his addiction, his childhood as a gang member, and what it was like, as a prisoner, to fight the California wildfires.  Support Our Sponsors!  T...

Bethanne Patrick is a writer, literary critic, and podcast host (Missing Pages). She talks about her struggles with double depression, her experiences with being a supportive caretaker, and her life as a voracious reader. Besure to check out her new book, Life B: Overcoming Double Depression. More about Bethanne Personal website:  https://www.bethannepatrick.com/ Life B 's page on the Counter...

Jenny Zigrino (@JennyZigrino) is a standup comedian from Minnesota who was put on a diet at the age of 5. She talks about how her parents’ reaction to her weight shaped her self-image, how she overcame her eating disorder, and how her body acceptance is continually evolving. Check out her brand new comedy hour, Jen-Z, on Youtube.  More about Jenny Www.jennyzigrino.com Instagram and YouTube @j...

Emi Nietfeld (@EmiNietfeld) is a writer and the author of the book Acceptance, a memoir of her journey through foster care, homelessness, and, eventually, to Harvard. She opens up about a childhood where she was often neglected and heavily medicated. She talks about her several stays in psychiatric wards and how she’s continuing to process her troubled childhood. More about Emi Twitter : @emi...

Kristine Kimmel is a writer and a host of the How To Survive podcast (@PodHowToSurvive). She opens up about how therapy saved her marriage and what it’s like parenting teenage twins. She also shares some unbelievable moments from her violent and unpredictable childhood and talks about how she’s working to manage her own rage. Social Media links for Kristine https://www.instagram.com/podhowtosurviv...

A tribute/re-airing for Paul’s friend Charlie who passed away last week after years of battling his demons. Charlie led an astoundingly painful life especially in regard to his mother (schizophrenia, depression), father (workaholic, hoarder), and sister (drug addict). He describes his descent into drugs (crack), emotionally damaged women and violence before finding the key to understanding his beh...

Michelle E. is the daughter of Paul’s best childhood friend. Michelle opens up about her struggles with self-worth, her desire to feel seen and appreciated, her time working as an escort, and how she’s dealt with the fact that, as a child, she didn’t have contact with her father and was raised by a single mom with deep trust issues and possibly BPD. Support Our Sponsors!  This episode is spon...

Dr. Scott Lyons (@DrScottLyons) is a holistic psychologist, educator, author, and a renowned body-based trauma expert. Scott is the creator of The Embody Lab—the largest online learning platform for body-based trauma therapies—and developer of Somatic Stress Release, a holistic process of restoring biological resilience. He sits down with Paul to discuss the topic of his newest book, Addicted to D...

Ashley Stahl (@AshleyStahl) is a counterterrorism professional turned career coach, the author of the bestselling book, You Turn: Get Unstuck, Discover Your Direction, Design Your Dream Career , and the host of the You Turn Podcast. Her work has a great deal of overlap with mental health because it’s all about self-reflection and discovering who you are. We spend much of our lives working and Ashl...

Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross join Paul to discuss their new book Your Brain on Art. They share the science behind how our brains and bodies transform when we participate in the arts. This episode will remind you why creativity should be a priority in your life, even if (maybe especially if) you don’t think of yourself as a creative person.  More About Susan and Ivy: Website :  https:...

Dr. Will Cole (@DrWillCole) joins Paul to discuss the gut-brain connection and the impact that inflammation can have on all areas of our health. Dr. Cole specializes in clinically investigating underlying factors of chronic disease and customizing a functional medicine approach for thyroid issues, autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, digestive disorders, and brain problems. Be sure to check...

Dr. Carolyn Kurle is a Biology Professor at UC San Diego. When she noticed that her students were coming to her for guidance about their mental and emotional struggles, she decided to write a book with her advice–which offers thoughts on finding your authenticity and connecting to your spark. Be sure to check out her book, The Guidance Groove.  Find out more about Dr Kurle at www. GuidanceGro...

Allison (@AllisonRaskin & @EmotionalSupportLady) opens up about her struggles with contamination OCD, sensory issues with clothing, anxiety, depression and compulsive thinking since age 4. The mental health advocate (in the process of getting her Master’s in psychology), podcaster and NY Times best-selling author (her new book is Overthinking About You: Navigating Romantic Relationships W...

Katherine Morgan Schafler is a therapist and an author who studies perfectionism. She talks about healthy vs maladaptive perfectionism and the ways we can harness this tendency for good. Follow her @KatherineMorganSchafler. Check out her book, The Perfectionists Guide to Losing Control.  About Katherine Buy her book https://www.perfectionistsguide.com/ Follow her on IG www. Instagram.com/kath...

Kelly Collette is a comedian, writer, artist, and an avid listener of the podcast. She opens up about going low contact with both of her parents and how she’s worked to set boundaries after a childhood filled with abuse and abandonment.  Follow Kelly on social media @KellyCollette Visit her website www. KellyColletteComedy.com Support Our Sponsors!  This episode is sponsored by  Bet...

Why, oh why would you choose to go on vacation with your family when every other time it's been a train wreck? Rich, one of Paul’s support group friends (and previous guest), wanted to talk through his trouble accepting that his family won't change, the issues he’s been having from it, and he and Paul decided to record the conversation. They discuss validation seeking, unhealthy dating patterns, a...

Yes Bill W. is his real name and he has been helping Paul for 19 years; inspiring him, helping him, making him laugh and giving him the truth when he needs to hear it. They talk about surrendering to things we're powerless over, developing good habits -especially human connection- to battle our demons and his lingering "shoulda-coulda-wouldas" on a professional baseball career that was cut short....

Kathleen Hammond is a mother who lost her child. She sits down with Paul to talk about childhood bullying, a parent’s perspective on losing a child to suicide, and how she manages to survive after this immense loss.  Connect to Kathleen on FB https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.pelaez?mibextid=LQQJ4d Support Our Sponsors!  This episode is sponsored by  BetterHelp  online counseli...

Dr. Alex Wills is a psychiatrist & therapist who focuses on the importance of ‘radical emotional acceptance’. He discusses how we can accept our emotions and what happens when we ignore them. Be sure to check out his new book Give a Fuck, Actually. More About Dr. Wills YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@alexwillsmd Spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/show/1wb68UBEqXoZsAQe86jwZI  ...

Dr. Robert Waldinger is a psychiatrist & a professor at Harvard Medical School who worked on an 85-year long study on what it takes to have a good life. His new book The Good Life expands on the results of that study and the science of relationships.  More About Dr. Waldinger To watch his TED Talk, click here ( https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from...

Paul’s friend (@Evan_Schad) shares about being the black sheep of the family (and having a “perfect” sibling) and eventually being sent to boarding school where he began to dissociate. He talks about bottoming out with a felony DUI and a trip to jail before finally asking for help. He also shares about learning to overcome his numbness, identify his emotions and eventually express t...

Originally recorded in 2011, the critically-acclaimed author of 6 books (most recently The Problem With Everything ), columnist and blogger (@Meghan_Daum) talks with Paul about growing up and later rebelling in a household where music and academia were everything. She talks about the pressure of starting a writing career in Manhattan and living a real-life  Devil Wears Prada  nightmare,...