On the 7th episode of Sound Mind Monica Forbes shares how being separated from her parents at a young age and being sexually assaulted at 12 contribute to her feeling of not being good enough. Monica shares how she got hooked on opioids, and that her first drug dealer, outside the medical doctors she saw for a legitimate affliction, was a nice mom from the suburbs. It wasn’t multiple near overdoses that helped Monica into Recovery, but the things she learned in the five years she did in prison where she landed due to financial crimes perpetrated to feed her addiction. All of these experiences fueled Monica into becoming a role model, Recovery Coach, CEO of Recovery United and champion of those in Recovery.
In the second installment of Maelstrom Pullman’s interview on Sound Mind they share their journey blossoming into a nonbinary queer person and helps shed light into the LGBTQ+ community, including the dangers and benefits of being a queer person, and the Idaho law that requires athletes to verify their gender. Maelstrom and Shannon also discuss the benefits and difficulties of being vulnerable and talking about your mental health on social media; as well as how curating a supportive online community can lead to more rewards than purely feeding your ego – so long as you set firm boundaries. Lastly Maelstrom opens up about how living with ADHD benefits them as a stand up comedian.
In this first installment of Sound Mind’s interview with Maelstrom Pullman, they reflect on how being “forged in a lifetime of child abuse” stooped in an obscure sect of Christianity, led to them having an overdeveloped sense of justice that fuels everything from their online crusading, to battling Whole Foods concerning their pink hair, to declaring Ammon Bundy a domestic terrorist. Maelstrom discusses the difficulty that marginalized populations have finding quality therapy (and medical care in general), and much more!
Check out the latest episode of Sound Mind, where guest Landon Maughan reflects on how everyone should go to therapy, especially people who think they don’t need it; how he learned how to recognize his symptoms of depression and anxiety; how using social media can be difficult for people who live with mental illness but can bring understanding and acceptance; how being open about your mental health struggles can strengthen your relationships; and how mental health can impact creativity.
Mike explains how his mom's conversion to Christian Science led to an event that forever changed his life; the differences between how men and women experience mental illness; and how mental illness can change your perception and behavior.
Adriel Martiez reflects on living with a mom who had an untreated severe mental illness, which resulted in him ending up in foster care when he was ten years old, where he learned to be strong and take care of himself. Adriel is a decorated Army Combat veteran who served 2 tours in Afghanistan; he discusses the issues soldiers face during service, including mental health and how sometimes the best healing comes from talking with other soldiers. Adriel also talks about his passion for politics, and how being heavily involved in the Idaho political scene since he was 17, and running for office 3 times, left him feeling disillusioned about the political machine in Idaho.
Todd opens up about being raised in a toxic and abusive LDS family; processing and overcoming his own misogyny; navigating his ego to learn to better control his emotions; addresses the spanking versus time-out parenting-style debate; managing his ADHD without medication; and intergenerational trauma and mental illness impacts society.