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

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]

Motherhood, Generational Healing & Nature-Based Learning w/ Lindsay Hayes | EP11

Today I'm chatting with Lindsay Hayes, a former public school educator turned nature-based learning facilitator who has spent the last several years doing deep personal work and how that understanding has reshaped her approach to parenting, healing, and working with children. Lindsay and I met through our shared experience writing in Sovereign Volume 2, and this conversation goes to some really tender places. We talk about what it means to move through a victim mindset without bypassing it, how our bodies eventually demand the attention our minds have been avoiding, and why Lindsay left the public education system to create something entirely different on her acreage. She's working with kids from all backgrounds and what she's witnessing out there in nature is transformational. We also get into generational healing in a way that felt very alive for me. Lindsay writes about her mom in her upcoming chapter in Motherhood Expanded, and what she shares about releasing blame while still honoring the impact of her early experiences is something I think a lot of us need to hear. There's so much in this conversation about planting seeds you may never see harvested. Connect with Lindsay Hayes: Instagram: @linsayhayes2.0 [https://www.instagram.com/lindsayhayes2.0/] Motherhood Expanded: https://a.co/d/03Fm0ZWG [https://a.co/d/03Fm0ZWG] Connect with Darrel-Lynne: Instagram: @dee_ogsoul [https://www.instagram.com/dee_ogsoul/] Website: ogsoul.ca [http://ogsoul.ca] Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Shared Experiences 03:00 The Writing Journey: Sovereign Volume 2 05:57 Motherhood and Personal Growth 09:08 Understanding Childhood and Attachment 11:52 Shifting from Victimhood to Empowerment 15:05 The Impact of Parenting on Personal Healing 18:12 Nature-Based Learning and Education 20:55 Transformational Experiences with Children 24:07 Conclusion and Future Aspirations 25:18 Exploring Diverse Learning Environments 30:39 Motherhood and Healing Through Writing 36:29 Breaking Generational Patterns 41:08 The Impact of Personal Healing on Parenting 48:30 Navigating Systems and Self-Reflection