State Of Mind with Maurice Benard

AJ Mendez, known to WWE fans around the world as AJ Lee, returns to State of Mind and has a deeply honest and powerful conversation Maurice. They talked about growing up tough, surviving pressure, living with bipolar disorder, and returning to the wrestling spotlight with a healthier sense of self. AJ opens up about her childhood, her mother’s mental health journey, hospitalization, therapy, routi...

Maurice Benard welcomes his son Joshua Benard back to State of Mind for a deeply personal conversation about music, acting, anxiety, depression, family, and the creative life. After a powerful performance at The Hotel Cafe, Joshua opens up about finding his identity as a songwriter, moving from songs rooted in pain to music that also makes room for joy. He and Maurice talk honestly about sleep, de...

Maurice Benard welcomes Andrew Hawkes from General Hospital for a raw and heartfelt conversation about acting, anxiety, addiction, depression, family, and survival. Andrew shares how undiagnosed ADD shaped his childhood, how acting gave him focus, and how recovery, therapy, and love helped him find gratitude after some of the darkest seasons of his life. A deeply human episode about staying alive...

Actor and director Marcus Coloma joins Maurice Benard for an honest and wide-ranging conversation about General Hospital, acting, anxiety, Scientology, faith, friendship, fatherhood, and the personal choices that have helped him grow. Marcus opens up about his time on General Hospital, the fear and pressure that came with performing, how he found more confidence as an actor, and why his friendship...

In this deeply personal solo episode of State of Mind, Maurice Benard looks back on more than three decades of playing Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital. Maurice opens up about the early days of landing the role, battling bipolar disorder and nervous breakdowns behind the scenes, and the producers and castmates who helped carry him through some of the darkest moments of his life. From unforgetta...

Actor and filmmaker Josh Murray joins Maurice Benard for a deeply honest conversation about soccer, acting, depression, journaling, and finding a way back to yourself through art. From his role on General Hospital to his new film Gym Rat, Josh opens up about pain, purpose, and why talking about mental health can help people feel less alone. *If you or someone you know is struggling, help is availa...

What is it really like to live with bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety—and why are so many people still afraid to talk about it? On this episode of State of Mind, Maurice Benard sits down with actress, model, and musician Léa Marcastel for an honest and deeply personal conversation about mental health, trauma, and healing. Together, they explore what it means to struggle with depression fro...

WARNING: This episode talks about suicide, which some people may find disturbing. If you are having thoughts of suicide, know there is help and you are not alone. Support: Call or text 988 Chat: 988lifeline.org Maurice Benard sits down with actor Nathan Dean Parsons for a deeply personal conversation about bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and suicide. Together, they open up about living with...

In this episode of State of Mind, Maurice Benard sits down with actor Diedrich Bader for a deeply personal conversation on depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and the ongoing pursuit of peace within. What begins as a light conversation about Hollywood quickly turns into an honest exploration of mental health, including the realities of living with bipolar disorder, the impact of alcohol and anx...

On this episode of State of Mind, Maurice Benard sits down with rising actress Bluesy Burke for an honest conversation about anxiety, acting, and growing up in the spotlight. Bluesy opens up about moving across the country during COVID, leaving behind close friendships, and stepping into the unknown at a young age. She shares what it was like booking General Hospital, walking into high-pressure au...

Chauntal Lewis joins State of Mind again. This time, for a deeply honest conversation about surviving domestic violence, living with anxiety, and finding a way forward after trauma. In this powerful episode, she opens up about abuse, love addiction, grief, losing her hand in a devastating car accident, and the work it took to reclaim her life and sense of self. This is a raw, emotional, and ultima...

Maurice Benard sits down with acclaimed actor Clancy Brown for a wide-ranging conversation about anxiety, mental health, acting, family, grief, and resilience. Known for unforgettable roles in The Shawshank Redemption, John Wick, SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Penguin, Clancy opens up about the nerves that have followed him throughout his career, how he learned to work through them, and the person...

In this special birthday episode of State of Mind, the tables turn as Dominic Zamprogna (Dante on General Hospital) takes over the host chair to interview Maurice Benard. Maurice opens up about his life, career, and lifelong journey with bipolar disorder—from his early days chasing acting dreams, to his first manic episode and time in a mental institution, to becoming one of daytime television’s m...

In this episode of State of Mind, Maurice Benard sits down with actress Kelly Thiebaud for a raw, funny, and surprisingly deep conversation about what it really means to start over. Kelly opens up about growing up in a small town, being a sports kid turned model, and how the modeling world messed with her relationship to food, her body, and her self-worth. She shares what it was like moving to Los...

In this episode of State of Mind, Maurice Benard sits down with actor, musician, and longtime friend Jonathan Jackson for a deeply personal conversation about what happens when the mind feels steady but the body doesn’t. They talk about preparation, performance, and those moments when anxiety shows up physically even when you “should” be fine. Jonathan shares how faith shapes his work and his life...

Actor, writer, director, and voice actor Michael Easton joins Maurice Benard on State of Mind for a rare, deeply honest conversation about what it really takes to heal. Michael shares what it was like growing up between Belfast and the U.S., moving constantly, and carrying the hidden weight of childhood fear and instability into adulthood. From there, the conversation opens up into the stuff most...

On this State of Mind, Maurice sits down with Art Stratton Brown, a remarkable 101-year-old World War II veteran (and Josh Swickard’s grandfather) whose energy, clarity, and gratitude feel almost impossible to believe. Art takes us from a tough Chicago childhood and early leadership instincts to combat training, frontline battles in Italy and France, and the daily realities of war — fear, loss, su...

Josh Swickard—an actor who’s starred in films that have reached #1 on Netflix and on General Hospital—opens up about anxiety attacks he didn’t understand until they hit him, and how breathwork helped him reframe the symptoms and take away the fear. The conversation moves through anger, calm, parenting, and faith, landing on a powerful idea: don’t waste the pain—use it to help others keep moving fo...

Maurice Bernard sits down with wrestler Medina Ali for a powerful conversation about discipline, mental strength, and resilience. Medina shares how her background in combat sports shaped her mindset, and what happened when she was unexpectedly contacted by WWE and thrown into the world of professional wrestling without prior experience. They talk about bullying, culture, family expectations, fear,...

Retired LAPD veteran Manny Santoo rarely does interviews, but on State of Mind he opens up about a life shaped by the streets—air support helicopters, high-risk nights during the LA Riots, and what police work teaches you about fear, adrenaline, and restraint. The conversation turns deeply personal as Manny shares the story of his daughter Bella, who is autistic and mostly nonverbal, and how his f...

Enjoy this conversation originally published in 2022 featuring Emmy-winning actor Michael E. Knight. In this episode reflects on decades of friendship with Maurice Benard, their early years on All My Children, and the moments that shaped them on and off screen. In a conversation filled with laughter and honesty, Michael opens up about living with OCD and dysthymia, the role therapy and medication...

For the first time publicly, Chris McKenna opens up about his bipolar diagnosis and the mental health journey that reshaped his life and career. In this deeply personal episode of State of Mind, the General Hospital actor tells Maurice Benard what it was like living undiagnosed for decades, the breaking point he faced during the pandemic, and the treatment that helped him find stability and clarit...

In this episode of State of Mind, legendary broadcaster and comedian Fritz Coleman reflects on retirement, identity, and the fear of losing purpose after a long career. He shares how staying engaged through creativity, sobriety, and meaningful work helped him avoid the emotional collapse he once witnessed in his own family. It is an honest conversation about aging, self-doubt, and what it really t...

On this episode of State of Mind, Maurice sits down with Emmy-winning actress Sharon Case—known to millions as Sharon Newman from The Young and the Restless—for an unfiltered conversation about mental health, acting, and the real emotional truth behind portraying bipolar disorder on screen. Sharon opens up about her early life, unexpected path into daytime TV, her work with complex storylines, and...

In this State of Mind conversation, Maurice sits down with young actress Scarlet Spears, who plays Young Glinda in Wicked: For Good and portrays Donna Corinthos on General Hospital. What begins as a light conversation about acting, family, and childhood opens into an unexpected moment about fear, loneliness, and mental health that only an eight year old could express with such clarity. Scarlet’s i...