Chatting with Humans

Bipolar, Faith & Finding the Light w/ Hayley Musgreave | EP16

Today I'm chatting with Hayley Musgreave, who I first crossed paths with back in high school in Fort Saskatchewan and then reconnected with years later through a coaching program. She's a farmer in northern Alberta now, with cattle, mini donkeys, and a grain and hay operation, and she's been a steady light every time we connect. We share some similar threads in our mental health journeys, and that's a lot of what we get into here. Hayley opens up about growing up feeling like the black sheep, the shame she carried as a kid, and the ADHD she only understood later. She shares about being diagnosed with bipolar in her 20s after a breakdown, the two episodes she went through, and what it was like to be handed a heavy load of medication and a sense that this was just how life was going to be, with no real light to look toward. We compare notes on what mania actually felt like from the inside, including the grandiose thinking and the racing mind, and we sit with how strangely real it all feels in the moment. From there she talks about her Graves' disease diagnosis, how its symptoms mirrored mania, and the path she took to heal it through changing her diet, prayer, and a refusal to accept the outcome she'd been told to expect. We get into her faith and gratitude practice, the tools she leans on now like grounding, sleep, and music, and where she's landed today: not identifying as bipolar, but as someone who came through two breakdowns and kept going. At the heart of this one is the reminder that you can walk through the fire and come out the other side. We share our stories so that the younger versions of ourselves, and anyone in the thick of it now, can see that there's hope to be had. Connect with Hayley: Instagram: @thehayleydawn [https://www.instagram.com/thehayleydawn/] Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul [https://www.instagram.com/dee_ogsoul/] Website: ogsoul.ca [http://ogsoul.ca] Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Nerves 02:53 Journey into Farming and Mental Health 06:00 Childhood and Early Mental Health Struggles 12:00 Bipolar Diagnosis and Its Impact 18:00 Navigating Mania and Breakdown Experiences 24:05 Healing Journey and Personal Growth 29:56 Graves' Disease and Its Effects 30:30 Healing Through Diet and Faith 32:15 Managing Mental Health and Medication 33:45 Current Well-being and Self-Identification 34:51 The Role of Faith in Healing 35:10 Prayer and Gratitude Practices 39:41 The Power of Sleep and Mental Health 42:56 Marriage and Support Systems 45:43 Navigating Relationships and Personal Growth 50:48 Resilience and Grit in Life 52:06 Finding Peace in the Journey 55:30 Tools for Mental and Emotional Well-being 57:11 Mutual Admiration and Future Aspirations

Mania, Medication & Mental Health w/ Shannon Skelton | EP15

Today I'm chatting with Shannon Skelton, a co-author alongside me in Reclaiming Mental Health. We'd never actually sat down and talked before this, so it was a first, and she turned out to be a light, joyful person to spend an hour with. Shannon's chapter is called "A Walk Down Mania Lane," and it's about a manic episode brought on by a pharmaceutical. We get into the whole chain of events, what the mania was actually like, and the bigger questions it raised for both of us. I felt drawn to get curious with her here because of my own experiences with what's been called mania and psychosis, and there were some interesting parallels between our stories. We talk about the manic episode that came from a medication, starting with a severe reaction to one drug and then a dose of prednisone that was too high, too fast. Shannon also shares about living with Crohn's disease since she was 16, being told more than once she would never have children, and going on to have two. We get into why she stopped taking a diagnosis at face value, including the seven years she spent being told it was Crohn's before her liver shut down, and we sit with the bigger questions around mental health labels, stigma, and the case for doctors asking what a patient's life actually looks like outside the office. She also talks about what she carried out the other side of all of it: more confidence, more willing to use her voice, and a habit of saying yes. At the heart of this one is awareness. Shannon shares her story so that someone going through the same thing might recognize it sooner, and so that more of us start asking better questions about the medications we're put on. Reclaiming Mental Health [https://a.co/d/0gyP9XdL] Connect with Shannon: @shannon_shining_through [https://www.instagram.com/shannon_shining_through/] @skeltoncrew [https://www.instagram.com/skeltoncrew/] Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul [https://www.instagram.com/dee_ogsoul/] Website: ogsoul.ca [http://ogsoul.ca] Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 04:19 Personal Journey with Mental Health 07:14 The Impact of Pilates on Life 10:14 Exploring the Chapter: A Walk Down Mania Lane 13:15 The Experience with Hydroxychloroquine 16:24 The Prednisone Dilemma 19:22 Navigating Medication Reactions 24:23 Navigating the Unknown: Initial Reactions to Prednisone 25:23 Personality Changes: The Impact of Medication 26:50 Obsessions and Relationships: The Effects of Mania 28:01 Time Distortion: Losing Track of Reality 30:04 Bizarre Behavior: Chasing Strangers and Consequences 32:06 Recognizing the Problem: The Turning Point 34:09 Challenging Medical Assumptions: The Journey with Crohn's Disease 36:15 Manifesting Dreams: Overcoming Medical Limitations 38:56 Current Health: Managing Joint Issues and Hormonal Changes 42:32 Growth Through Adversity: Finding Confidence in Recovery 46:24 Exploring Boundaries and Connections 47:37 The Complexity of Mania and Mental Health 50:01 Finding Humor in Dark Times 51:07 The Journey of Healing and Forgiveness 52:35 Communication and Understanding in Family Dynamics 54:32 The Writing Process and Personal Reflection 56:31 The Impact of Medication on Mental Health 59:07 Advocacy and the Importance of Patient Voices 01:06:53 Hope and Change in the Healthcare System

Improv & Therapy w/ Anthony Goodwin | EP14

Today I'm chatting with Anthony Goodwin, one half of the duo who taught me Improv 100 through Grindstone Theatre and someone whose work sits at the intersection of therapy and improv. Anthony is an Australian-born clinical counsellor and improv instructor. He's the founder of Still Listening, his private therapy practice. We talk about the full-circle way improv and therapy ended up holding hands in Anthony's life. Anthony shares how the same tools he uses in the therapy room, presence, co-regulation, meeting the world as it is, are the same ones that come alive on the improv stage, and how that overlap led him to develop experimental improv therapy workshops where players give voice to someone else's stuckness. We get into the concept of aiming to be average and we touch on the broader truth that adults need spaces to play together, and how rare and necessary that has become. Reference The Grindstone Comedy [https://www.grindstonetheatre.ca/] Improvise Freely by Patti Stiles Improvisation and the Theatre by Keith Johnstone Connect with Anthony: Relational Therapy with Anthony Goodwin [https://stillistening.ca/en/] Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul [https://www.instagram.com/dee_ogsoul/] Website: ogsoul.ca [http://ogsoul.ca] Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Anthony Goodwin 02:55 Journey from Australia to Edmonton 06:09 The Intersection of Therapy and Improv 09:03 The Philosophy of Improv 11:56 The Role of Discomfort in Improv 15:02 Aiming for Average in Performance 18:05 Challenging Societal Norms 20:54 The Nature of Improv and Authenticity 24:07 Improv as Therapy 26:30 Creating Safe Spaces for Healing 28:08 Exploring Improv Therapy Frameworks 29:47 Navigating Vulnerability in Therapy 33:01 The Impact of Improv on Therapeutic Practices 35:57 Emerging Models of Therapy 39:54 The Need for Alternative Therapeutic Approaches 43:03 Integrating Body and Mind in Healing 50:02 The Joy of Play in Adult Life

Reclamation & Choosing Love w/ Carey Abma | EP13

Today I'm chatting with Carey Abma, a co-author in Reclaiming Mental Health. Carey opens up about a chapter of her life she never expected to write, both literally and figuratively, and what it took to start choosing love over fear. We get into the breakdown that became her breaking open at the start of 2020, the years of self-abandonment that led there, and what it actually looked like to sit alone in her condo and meet herself for the first time. Carey shares the journey to becoming a mom, including the unimaginable gift of her sister offering to carry her daughter Coen, and the unexpected plot twist of meeting her partner Jason four days after a positive pregnancy test on Christmas morning. We talk about parenting from a more rooted place, the values work that changed how she makes decisions, and her launch into entrepreneurship with Estate Solutions with Care, a business shaped by personal loss and the literal meaning of her name. Connect with Carey: Instagram: @thecareyabma [https://www.instagram.com/thecareyabma/] Publication: Reclaiming Mental Health [https://a.co/d/07Ihr7q4] Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul [https://www.instagram.com/dee_ogsoul/] Website: ogsoul.ca [http://ogsoul.ca] Chapters 00:00 Introduction and First Impressions 03:04 The Journey of Writing and Publishing 05:50 Exploring Self-Love and Personal Growth 11:58 The Breakdown of 2020: A Turning Point 21:02 Life After the Breakdown: Transformation and New Beginnings 29:44 Navigating New Beginnings 31:05 Personal Growth Through Parenthood 34:00 The Importance of Values 36:24 Embracing Change and Challenges 39:03 The Journey of Motherhood 41:11 Writing for Future Generations 46:06 Claiming Strength and Identity 49:46 Building a Business with Heart

Restoring Hope, Empowerment & Faith w/ Richard Okwii & Adacet John Peter | EP12

Today I'm sharing a conversation I had with Richard Okwii and Adacet John Peter, the executive director and managing director of Murphy Charitable Foundation Uganda, a nonprofit working to support vulnerable children and communities in the northeastern region of Uganda through education, mentorship, and empowerment. I first came across Murphy Charitable Foundation through their Pen Pal program, where I've been corresponding with two pen pals in Uganda. That experience changed me in ways I'm still processing. So getting to sit down with Richard and John Peter and hear the story behind the foundation firsthand felt very special. Richard lost his father at one month old and was raised by his grandparents in poverty. It was their voices, their mentorship, and their insistence that education was the key that planted the seed for everything Murphy Charitable Foundation has become. That seed became a dream at age seven, and in 2018 it became an organization. What they've built since then is extraordinary. We talk about the Pen Pal program, which now connects over 3,000 children in Uganda with international friends, and the philosophy behind it: hope restoration and mindset first, before anything else. We get into the Learning Lab launching in Bukedia district this summer, the Motivational Movie Project bringing film screenings to communities without electricity, the Kind Loans program offering zero percent interest loans to women entrepreneurs, and the Cancer Awareness program reaching communities with little to no access to health information. One of the most powerful aspects of this conversation is what John Peter shares about how they run their programs with or without a grant, because the work of changing a mindset doesn't require funding. It requires belief. And these two have that in extraordinary supply. Learn about Murphy Charitable Organization Uganda and see how you can get involved: Murphy Charitable Foundation Uganda - Home [https://murphycharity.org/] Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul [https://www.instagram.com/dee_ogsoul/] Website: ogsoul.ca [http://ogsoul.ca]