In this episode, Al interviews John MacPhee, CEO of The Jed Foundation (recorded 8-9-23). John describes his own mental health challenges and how they impacted him as a Division I college basketball player. John also describes the work of The Jed Foundation that supports students and young adults around mental health, resiliency, and suicide prevention. You'll hear about the work that The Jed Foundation is doing not only in colleges and universities, but in high schools and with superintendents ...
Sep 24, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 125
In this episode, Al interviews Dr. Mark Harper, attending anesthesiologist in the UK and Norway, researcher, and author (recorded 7-18-23). Dr. Harper describes how, although keeping patients warm during surgery was a significant part of his job, he drew a fascination towards cold-water swimming and its impact on one's mental health. Dr. Harper describes the research that he has been a part of in the area of cold-water swimming and the future of the research. He describes the benefits, as well a...
Aug 27, 2023•57 min•Ep. 124
In this episode, Al interviews Shannon Walker, founder and CEO of Northwest Battle Buddies (recorded 7-11-23). Shannon describes her passion for training dogs and how she came to train service dogs for military veterans who are living with PTSD. Shannon explains the process; from five months of training the dogs, to receiving detailed information on the veterans seeking service dogs, to pairing the dog with a veteran, and finally an additional five weeks of training the veteran and their new ser...
Jul 30, 2023•47 min•Ep. 123
In this episode, Al interviews Craig Stanland, former account manager of a large tech company, formerly incarcerated in federal prison, and now a Reinvention Architect (recorded 6-7-23). Craig describes how he had it all; a wonderful wife, a fantastic job, multiple homes, beautiful cars, expensive watches. Craig would spend most days shopping at extravagant stores and bouncing into fancy restaurants for meals and drinks. He was a VIP at some of the best restaurants in Greenwich and Manhattan. Bu...
Jun 25, 2023•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 122
In this episode, Al interviews Hal Hughes, former police officer, former MMA fighter, and current psychotherapist (recorded 4-16-23). Hal shares his story of two separate work-related traumatic brain injuries (TBI) that led him into a deep, dark depression, an opioid addiction, and a diagnosis of both post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and bipolar disorder. At one point, Hal was on eight psychiatric medications and underwent electric shock therapy (ECT). He was also desperate enough to do wha...
May 28, 2023•58 min•Ep. 121
In this episode, Al interviews Dr. Mark Horowitz, a doctor in the neurobiology of depression and the pharmacology of antidepressants at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King's College London, a research fellow in the National Health Service in England and a co-founder of Outro on the topic of weaning antidepressants (recorded 2-12-23). Dr. Horowitz describes, in detail, how antidepressants impact every system of our body, rather than simply the brain. He describes his...
Apr 30, 2023•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 120
In this episode, Al interviews Peggy Van de Plassche, former banker and venture capitalist on the topic of microdosing psychedelics (recorded 11-13-22). Peggy grew up in low-income housing in an industrial area of the North of France raised by a struggling, single, narcissistic mother. During part of her childhood, she was also living with a stepfather who was not only majorly depressed, but was very mean towards Peggy. Peggy's only sibling passed away in an accident when Peggy was only seventee...
Mar 26, 2023•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 119
In this episode, Al interviews Kody Green, motivational speaker and content creator with over one million followers on TikTok, where he is known as The Schizophrenic Hippie (recorded 12-2-22). Kody shares the challenges of being raised by a single mother who was living with schizoaffective disorder. He shares that, even knowing the symptoms of serious mental illness, he didn't seek out for help immediately when he was struggling with symptoms similar to his mother. In order to shut down the audi...
Feb 26, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 118
In this episode, Al interviews Kaitlynne Yancy, a navy veteran and the Associate Director of Governmental Affairs of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) (recorded 10-26-22). Kaitlynne shares her own story of trauma that she has experienced in her personal life. She also shares what the IAVA is doing to address and eliminate active military and veteran suicides. You can find out more about Kaitlynne here and the IAVA by going to their website . You can also find the IAVA on Twitte...
Jan 29, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 117
In this episode, Al interviews CeCe Cheng, founder of ShareWell, a mental health company that provides virtual peer support services (recorded 10-24-22). From the fall of 2019 through October 2020, CeCe found herself in an emotionally abusive relationship that included daily gaslighting, pathological lying, and severe manipulation. While CeCe had a strong support network of friends, family, and medical professionals, she had a sense that what she really needed was a support group of other women ...
Dec 25, 2022•57 min•Ep. 116
In this episode, Al interviews Dr. Steve Lamberti, professor of psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) where he serves as Academic Chief of the Community Division and as the Chair of the Research Subject Review Board for Behavioral and Social Sciences, on the topic of psychosis (recorded 10-12-22). In this fascinating interview you'll hear Dr. Lamberti explain the primary symptoms of a psychosis, share which mental illnesses may include psychosis, discuss single-episode ...
Nov 27, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 115
In this episode, Al interviews Nick Jonsson, keynote speaker, author, and co-founder of Executives' Global Network (EGN)-Singapore, an executive peer network (recorded 9-19-22). Nick speaks of his own personal experience dealing with loneliness and depression as a top-level executive. In his case, alcohol was his outlet. His mental health struggles were accompanied by physical ailments. Hear these stories and how Nick benefited from sharing his story with others who were struggling. Nick now sha...
Oct 30, 2022•52 min•Ep. 114
In this episode, Al interviews Geralyn Ritter, executive vice president at Oregon, trauma survivor, and author (recorded 9-8-22). May 12, 2015 started out as a typical day for Geralyn. She was on a train that she had taken many times. Only this time, soon after leaving the Philadelphia station on a train that would normally be a short ride to her home, she felt some unusual shaking as she had stood up to get something from her briefcase that was on a luggage rack. She grabbed the luggage rack wi...
Sep 25, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 113
In this episode, Al interviews Dr. Doug Klein, family physician and a professor at the University of Alberta on the topic of Parks Prescriptions (recorded 6-20-22). Dr. Klein speaks in general about the incredibly mental and physical health benefits of getting outside, exercising, and spending time in nature. From improved heart health to decreasing stress and anxiety and much more, Dr. Klein shares some of the data from research on the topic. Dr. Klein also describes the Parks Prescriptions pro...
Aug 28, 2022•43 min•Ep. 112
In this episode, Al interviews Charlie Kratsch, founder and CEO of Infinite Campus (recorded 6-1-22). Ten years ago, Charlie's seventeen year-old son had a paranoid, psychotic episode. Charlie realized, this being the first time ever having to access it, how complicated the mental health system is; from a 72-hour hold, to finding a bed hours outside of the city limits for his son, to finding proper after-care. After this experience, Charlie began to learn more and more about the broken mental he...
Jul 31, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 111
In this episode, Al interviews Lorraine Montez, film producer, actor, and writer (recorded 5-9-22). Lorraine shares her own personal story of depression that began at a young age. She experienced death for the first time at just eight years old, when her eldest brother died tragically in an airplane crash. She describes living with her father who was a World War II veteran struggling with undiagnosed PTSD and a "rager" who would, at times, become physically aggressive for the slightest of things...
Jun 26, 2022•59 min•Ep. 110
In this episode, Al interviews John Callas, Emmy-nominated Hollywood director, writer, producer, and author. John talks about the incredible amount of trauma he endured as a child. John's father died ten days after his third birthday. John describes how that was the start of everything falling apart. At age twelve John was sent away to military school and suffered physical abuse at the hands of his peers that was an accepted part of the school. He describes his three years of military as "absolu...
May 29, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 109
In this episode, Al interviews Dr. Mark Rasenick, distinguished professor of physiology & biophysics, as well as psychiatry, the Director of the Biomedical Neuroscience Training Program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and a research career scientist at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (recorded 3-16-22). Dr. Rasenick speaks about research he has conducted that will allow a doctor to diagnose a patient with depression based on one biomarker in a simple blood test. In addit...
Apr 24, 2022•45 min•Ep. 108
In this episode, Al interviews Deb Robison, licensed social worker and project administrator at the Center for School-Based Mental Health Programs at Miami University (recorded 2-28-22). Deb describes the Ohio School Wellness Initiative, a grant-funded program with a goal of ensuring that all students and staff, especially the most vulnerable, will have access to mental health, behavioral health, substance abuse, and wellness services and supports. Working with eighty, diverse schools in eight d...
Mar 27, 2022•54 min•Ep. 107
In this episode, Al interviews Corey Dixon, actor, public speaker, and mental health advocate (recorded 2-3-22). Corey talks about dealing with anxiety, panic attacks, and depression since being bullied in school as a child. Hear how he was dragged outside of school by a classmate at one point and beat up on the school grounds. As a young actor, perhaps based partially on jealousy, the bullying continued into high school. Corey eventually found some refuge by transferring to a different school. ...
Feb 27, 2022•57 min•Ep. 106
In this episode, Al interviews Ricky Sapp, former NFL Linebacker and current inspirational speaker (recorded 1-6-22). Ricky speaks of the challenges he had in school as a young boy. Kicked out of high school, Ricky ended up in an alternative high school his Sophomore year. Having found a coach who believed in him, football and basketball helped him get through high school. Ricky was recruited heavily out of high school and joined the Clemson Tigers in 2006. This was a huge change from high schoo...
Jan 30, 2022•55 min•Ep. 105
In this episode, Al interviews Lesley Moffat, author, classroom high school band teacher, public speaker, and mom (recorded 11-17-21). Leslie shares her story of being an overwhelmed teacher and the consequences it had on her mental and physical health. After multiple surgeries, a regimen of fourteen different prescription medications a day, and dealing with depression, she decided she needed to make some serious life changes! Hear how she learned to change her lifestyle through various means to...
Dec 26, 2021•57 min•Ep. 104
In this episode, Al interviews Michele Rosenthal, trauma recovery specialist, author, and mental health advocate (recorded 10-25-21). Michele speaks candidly about an incredibly traumatic experience she had at the age of thirteen. For a typical infection, she was given a typical antibiotic that caused a reaction that was anything but typical. Her body had a reaction to the antibiotic and had to rid itself of the medicine any way it could, which was through the skin. The reaction turned her into ...
Nov 28, 2021•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 103
In this episode, Al interviews Anne Moss Rogers, public speaker, certified suicide prevention trainer, NAMI Virginia Board Member, and an award-winning author (recorded 10-6-21). She is also the mother of Charles, a young man who lived with depression and addiction and died by suicide. Anne Moss talks very candidly about her son, Charles, who died by suicide at the young age of twenty on June 5, 2015. She describes the many years of chaos in the household due to Charles' substance abuse and ment...
Oct 31, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 102
In this episode, Al interviews Tracey Bear, a PhD student who is on a joint venture with Massey University and Reddit Institute and Plant and Food Research (part of a wider research program looking at how nutrition can impact well-being), on the topic of the Gut-Brain Axis and depression (recorded 8-25-21). Tracey describes the Gut-Brain Axis and the recent research that shows that this axis may play a key role in the regulation of brain function and behavior. She shares the types of foods that ...
Sep 26, 2021•57 min•Ep. 101
In this episode, Al interviews Victor Janzen, a telecommunications project manager and mental illness activist (recorded 8-11-21). Victor speaks very candidly about the ongoing childhood trauma that he endured at the hands of his family members. Victor was eventually diagnosed with severe complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), and dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder. Victor has at least twenty dif...
Aug 29, 2021•2 hr 9 min•Ep. 95
In this episode, Al interviews Sarah Hancock, former professor of clinical psychiatric rehabilitation counseling at San Diego State University and a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor, on the topic of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) (recorded 7-1-21). Sarah received 17 years of treatment consisting of thirty-seven combinations of more than five medication classifications, 116 ECT treatments, multiple hospitalizations, and was institutionalized for thirteen months...all for a misdiagno...
Jul 25, 2021•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 98
In this episode, Al interviews Dr. Joyce Baptist, a professor in the Couple and Family Therapy Program at Kansas State University, on the topic of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy (recorded 6-7-21). Dr. Baptist's current work focuses on examining the efficacy of clinical interventions to mitigate suffering from traumatic childhood events using EMDR. Dr. Baptist describes EMDR and shares how a therapist uses EMDR to work with their clients. Although EMDR is typically t...
Jun 27, 2021•48 min•Ep. 99
In this episode, Al interviews Dr. Damon Ashworth, clinical psychologist and expert in the field of sleep and treatments for insomnia, on the topic of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i) (recorded 4-29-21). Dr. Ashworth helps listeners understand the definition of CBT-i and insomnia. He shares the critical elements of CBT-i and explains what one could expect if going to a therapist to receive this type of treatment. He also describes his randomized clinical trail that significantly...
May 30, 2021•44 min•Ep. 100
In this episode, Al interviews Sam Morris, founder of The Unbreakable Human Collective and Managing Director - Head of Culture at Five to Flow (recorded 11-2-21). Sam was always dedicated to tennis. This allowed him to have an excuse to avoid high school and college parties that caused him great social anxiety. An off-season ACL tear gave Sam his longest break from tennis in the previous fifteen years. A break from tennis gave Sam a glimpse of life without the demands of being a high-level athle...
Apr 25, 2021•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 91
