Telling Mental Health

The Big D by Pablo Marz

“When you’re empathetic, you can be fully present.”  Since before the pandemic, Pablo has been the primary caregiver for his elderly mother, who has dementia. Pablo shares that caregiving for someone with dementia requires a “Yes, and” improv-style approach; he doesn’t get far arguing with his mom, but he describes how he’s learned to ride the tides of her whims and moods. “If I can keep things light and bouncing along, then we’re okay.”  In our conversation, he details what has helped him preserve his own mental health in the unexpected situation of being in charge of a parent with a deteriorating illness.  Pablo Marz is an actor, storyteller, improviser, director, and teacher. He's performed in films, television, comedy improv, theatre, and has taught performance workshops for adults and school children of all ages. Pablo is also the creator and producer of the popular storytelling/personal essay show, Tell It! (www.facebook.com/tellitla [http://www.facebook.com/tellitla]), now celebrating its tenth year in production! Pablo was born and raised in Los Angeles, breathing L.A. smog, drinking L.A. tap water, and swimming in the Santa Monica Bay. Nothing can kill him.

Getting Diagnosed with Angel Yau

“I was tired of myself, so I knew I needed to go to therapy.” At age 14, Angel Yau was hopeful a depression questionnaire would give her a chance to finally talk to someone about her mental health. Instead, her doctor dismissed her answers, telling her these were simply everyone’s struggles. Thus began several years of downplaying her own symptoms, some of which were shared by her parents.  With untreated anxiety and OCD, simple decisions like whether to take the train or a cab became debilitating. She finally sought out therapy and learned how obsessive thinking prevented her from knowing her own mind. “Am I easygoing or am I afraid of upsetting other people? Am I kind or am I scared of conflict?” She learned to recognize her parents’ own issues and develop empathy for them. And she finally got the validation of an official diagnosis. Angel Yau is a comedian, storyteller, writer, and award-winning filmmaker from Queens, New York. She is an NBC Diversity Scholar finalist and has been featured on the Risk!, Mortified, and StoryCollider storytelling podcasts. She has performed on Ronny Chieng's Take Chinatown Comedy Special, starred in an Amazon/Funny or Die collab, "Soojung Dreams of Fiji,” and was recently featured in a BBC documentary about being an Asian American woman in comedy, dealing with mental health. Angel founded and hosts "Asian American Film Thing" and "Shoes off, Mouth off," both shows featuring AAPI artists, filmmakers, and storytellers.

Tennis Psychology with David Feinberg

“A cup can only hold so much water. It will eventually overflow.” Unexpected outbursts on the tennis court led David to seek therapy. To address his extreme discomfort around losing, he had to face what he learned from his upbringing about his value as a person. Our conversation starts off in the realm of sports psychology but moves into so much more as we talk about tennis as a metaphor for life. “Now I don’t run away from my problems; I run toward them.” Originally from Chicago, David Feinberg moved to Los Angeles a year after graduating from the University of Iowa with a BA in Communications from its famed Writers’ Program. After college, his first job was working for legendary filmmaker John Hughes. David has had a successful career as a sports content, film, and television writer and performer. He wrote for Scrubs, has sold multiple pilots, and worked with the likes of Rodney Dangerfield, Sacha Baron Cohen and Matthew McConaughey. He’s also created content for the Los Angeles Clippers, Dodgers and Sparks. He's also a storyteller and stand-up comedian and has performed in multiple storytelling/comedy shows around Los Angeles. A formerly highly ranked junior player, David moonlights as a tennis pro as well.

My Heroes by Jenice Matias

“Your condition doesn't define you; you define it.”  Jenice Matias was well into her adult life when she woke up in a psychiatric ward with no memory of how she got there. She would soon learn that within her lived twelve unique personalities, each of which came to the forefront in different situations. Seeking treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder as an adult was no easy feat, but Jenice connected with a therapist who helped her meet her multiple personalities for the first time. She would come to see these personalities not as a hindrance, but as her protectors. In our conversation, Jenice shares a remarkable story of resilience, recovery, and self-acceptance. She sees mental illness as a source of creativity and empathy. We left the episode changed in how we love ourselves and the blessings we see in our own mental health struggles. As Jenice says, “be your own greatest love and you will see yourself as having a divine gift.”  Jenice is a Moth GrandSlam-winning storyteller, professional dancer with the Piel Canela Ladies Dance Company, actress, and mental health advocate who has performed several shows. She is currently developing a show entitled, “I don’t suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.” She has received several acting scholarships including the Montreal Improv Theater Diversity Scholarship, the PIT scholarship and two Jason Chin Scholarships from Maydays Improv Theater in London. She is a homeschool teacher, mother, and grandmother. She teaches the art of storytelling online and in person. To learn more about her and her workshops, visit Jenicematias.biz [http://jenicematias.biz] "Mental illness is not a curse. It's our mind's pleading for self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-love.

PHOBIC-OLOGY by Annie Korzen

“I’ve promised myself that my phobias won’t prevent me from experiencing things.” Annie Korzen is always imagining the worst case scenario. “You see a beach, I see shark attacks. You see a zit, I see melanoma. You say ‘tomato’ and I say carcinogenic pesticides.” She’s used therapy to try to control her fears, but finds that techniques like positive imagery don’t work for her. Instead, she confronts her anxieties by imagining even more horrible circumstances; after all, it could always be worse. Annie shares with us how she has embraced her fears. “Just because you’re afraid of something doesn’t mean you can’t be good at it!” We talk about the empathy she has for her mother’s agoraphobia and the impossibility of parenting children to feel safe in the world when you don’t feel safe yourself. And how everything that happens in your life is copy.  TikTok sensation Annie Korzen is the author of THE BOOK OF ANNIE: Humor, Heart and Chutzpah from an Accidental Influencer [https://www.amazon.com/Book-Annie-Chutzpah-Accidental-Influencer/dp/B0C4JPK3Q2/]. She was the recurring Doris Klompus on Seinfeld, and has written humorous essays for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and many more. Annie has performed her solo shows on three continents. She is a Moth Mainstage storyteller, and can be heard on TheMoth.org. Annie has been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, Tavis Smiley, and Dr. Phil. Learn more about her on AnnieKorzen.com [anniekorzen.com] or watch her posts on tiktok.com/@akorzen [tiktok.com/@akorzen]