Dr. Devika Bhushan is a pediatrician and the former acting Surgeon General of California. She is also someone who lives with Bipolar Disorder. She opens up about her personal journey to finding a diagnosis and how she’s on a professional and personal mission to fight the stigma associated with mental health struggles.
Kendra Petty is an author who opens up about her life story, which is full of both devastation and hope. She talks about being raised in a cult, the tragic death of her brother, the abuse she suffered as a child, and how she’s gotten through it all. Be sure to check out her book, I Can’t Believe I’m Not Dead: Escaping Abuse, a Cult, Attempted Murder and Other Insanities…A Story That Cannot Be True, But Is.
Dale joins Paul to discuss her experience with social, emotional, and sexual anorexia. She opens up about how she’s working on intimacy and connection (when being alone can just be so much simpler) and what has been helping her break down her walls.
Ron Placone is a comedian and writer with anger issues. He opens up about how he realized his anger was a problem and how he works to psychologically unpack it when it arises. He also shares tips and tools that have worked for him when it comes to anger management. Check out his first feature film, Left at Wall, which is currently screening around the country.
Topaz Adizes (@the_skindeep) is a filmmaker and producer of the interactive documentary, {THE AND}. For years, he has studied the effect that holding cathartic, intimate conversations can have on relationships and has developed resources that anyone can use to facilitate these conversations in their own life. He believes deeply in the power of questions and shares his journey to this work. Watch for his new book, Twelve Questions for Love: A Guide to Intimate Conversations and Deeper Relationships
Kaylee Powers is a substance abuse counselor who has worked with various populations, including people who live on Skid Row in Los Angeles. She talks about the challenges that some populations face and how she works to find ways to support them. She also opens up about her own issues with depression and codependency.
Heather Gonzales is a mental health advocate with a specific focus on postpartum psychosis. Heather was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 as a teenager and, after the birth of her first child, she experienced a severe and frightening episode and was hospitalized. She shares her story about having this psychotic break, how it was managed, and how she and her husband prepared to have a second child.
Levi Meaden (@Levi_Meaden) is a friend of Paul’s from his support group and he joins Paul to share about his struggles around the death of his younger brother (as well as relationships and sobriety). Levi opens up about the unique experience of losing a deeply-loved sibling and the variety of the emotions that he carries and works through every day while missing him.
Holly Crumpler joins Paul to talk about living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Holly shares her journey to being diagnosed with DID, how she and her family manage it, and her frustration with how it’s been represented in TV and film. Holly and Paul are also joined by Holly’s son, Dylan, who offers perspective on what it’s like to grow up as a child of DID and how his mother’s diagnosis helped him make sense of things. For an accurate representation of this disorder, check out Holly & Dylan’s short film, Petals of a Rose.