Finding My Voice

Having free, safe, open spaces makes all the difference in our lives to know that we can freely speak what's on our mind free of judgement. It is extremely important for us to be able to find those spaces. Here I interviewed Michael Scholtles and he discuses his own journey on being able to find that space in his faith. Michael's Website: https://thescholtes.com Church Info: https://dmvicc.org Therapy Resources: Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org Number: 988 https://nami.org/Home https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

Finding the right regimen and program that works well for you is an important part of sustaining our mental health. Overall its your journey and what works for you may not work for others. This episode we interview Jon Katz, and he dives into the program that ultimately changed and saved his life. You can follow Jon on instagram @nycfoodways Church Info: https://dmvicc.org Therapy Resources: Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org Number: 988 https://nami.org/Home https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

Being okay with our diagnosis and getting to a doctor to even be diagnosed is the first place is one of the most crucial pieces in our mental health journey. If we do not know what is going on with us, it makes it that much harder to figure out what it is that we need and how we can obtain help. In this episode I interviewed Steve Wilson on his journey of his bipolar diagnosis. Steve's Book: https://a.co/d/2EPhsMf Church Info: https://dmvicc.org Therapy Resources: https://nami.org/Home https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

In this episode we dive into the conclusion we draw when we are at our lowest points and how we truly lean on the people around us to pull us out of that darkness. I had the pleasure of interviewing Will Samson, the host of Mission Driven You, as he explains what he has gone through in his own recovery process. https://willsamson.com Resources: Substance Abuse: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) Alcoholics Anonymous  https://www.aa.org  Church Info: https://dmvicc.org Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

Being vulnerable is something none of us look forward to doing, we don't want to be perceived as weak or expose ourselves to getting hurt. At some points it is indeed necessary to truly let people in so that we can indeed we can get the help we need and deserve. I had the great pleasure of interviewing Kevin Palmieri of Next Level University where he shares his own personal experiences on being vulnerable. https://open.spotify.com/show/5SDGgQSRRaoCcWbnToL6o9?si=f83d30f95e4c444f Resources: Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org Number: 988 Church Info: https://www.youtube.com/@dmvicc Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

Life gets hard, its gets tough and can bring us down pretty low, but a little encouragement can go a long way! Here I go into have I have been encouraged over the years and hopefully how you can encourage others as well. We all need a little more kindness to get us through the toughest of days. Resources: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/g2401/inspirational-quotes/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=arb_ga_ghk_md_dsa_prog_org_usx_g2401&gclid=CjwKCAiA3KefBhByEiwAi2LDHChrXiPYHLYtNaPLpOrnIaU-O03_mkoIz7eOLrjlfPprlkqFePnhrRoC-68QAvD_BwE Church Info: https://dmvicc.org Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

As the year comes to a close, a recap is typically what people like to look back on, I am no different. Here I go through what my 2022 was like and how God ordered all my steps to lead me right to Him and I am so very grateful for it. My baptism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcnkQaTbrJk Resources: Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org Number: 988 Substance Abuse: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) Church Info: https://dmvicc.org Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

In this episode I go into the few months of how my battle with depression has been manifesting. The steps I am taking to overcome and keep up the good fight. In these times it is challenging to truly see hope and a way out, but by the Grace of God He gives us peace and hope. Resources: Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org Number: 988 Church Info: https://www.youtube.com/@dmvicc Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

As the years past us by we gain experience and knowledge, only the wisest of us all are able to take those experiences and learn from them. Here we speak with Shari Small who gives us an insight on her some of the experiences and challenges she has faced in her life and how she's managed over the years. Link for Shari's Testimony for Communion (about 54 mins in): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jkdSesZ83o&t=3275s Resources: Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org Number: 988 Substance Abuse: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) Church Info: https://www.youtube.com/@dmvicc Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

Continuing on with this mental health series, I had the pleasure of interviewing my friend, Porsha! She is married, a mother and an up and coming writer. You can follow her on socials, @porshalanee (Twitter) @porshawrites (IG) and her website http://www.porshaaddison.com. In the interview she shared her challenges she has overcome and some she is still working on but ALWAYS making a way by the grace of God. Church Info: https://www.youtube.com/@dmvicc Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

During this series, we are going to look at the mental health journey in others. Highlighting the struggles that other people have can help us realize that we are not alone in this world. In this episode I interview my cousin Arnesia, she shared about her struggles with anxiety and what she does to manage.  Resources: Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org Number: 988 Church Info: https://www.youtube.com/@dmvicc Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

We look at the balances in our life, but what does it mean to thrive, how do we know when we are truly thriving. Contentment comes in many different ways, let's take a look at what thriving looks like for me. Resources: Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org Number: 988 Church Info: https://www.youtube.com/@dmvicc Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

The balance of life is a skill that might take a lifetime to master, but every little step we take to get there is very important. Our mind, our body and our souls are the three pillars we must stand on and nurture. Here I share a glimpse of the dangers of not taking care of the balances in your life. Resources: Substance Abuse: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org                              Number: 988 https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

Here we ask the day old question, what does it mean to be a man? I spoke with a church member, Kevyn, and he dives into his struggles and his own personal experiences as a man in this society.  Therapy Resources:  https://therapyforblackmen.org https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com

In our lives we never know who we are going to meet, some people stay forever, others are only here for a short time. Lets dive into the people we meet during very crucial times in our healing journey and the impacts they have in our lives. We also get to hear from the fabulous Q, an artist, author and illustrator from Utah to speak on her own personal experiences! Q's book: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/starseedadiary Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org Phone Number: 988

Here we dive into the struggles of trusting another person and what that means for us and our healing journey. The stain that this world has put on our hearts was never meant to be. It is up to us to restore and heal from those traumas, so that we can become our higher, truer selves. Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org Phone Number: 988

Asking for help can be one of the hardest things we have to do in this world, and opening up and actually trusting someone is damn near impossible, but it is achievable and oh so worth it for our betterment. Here we dive into the pain others may inflict on us and how we can learn and choose to be better for us. Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.psychologytoday.com/us https://www.betterhelp.com Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org Phone Number: 988

What we feel is important and how we walk in our life is important, this episode touches on the importance of taking ownership of our life and what steps we should take. Therapy Resources: https://therapyforblackgirls.com https://www.betterhelp.com Suicide Hotline: https://988lifeline.org Phone Number: 988