mental health podcast - madness2magic

(Ep 20) Mental Health and Writing Therapy: From the Inside Out

On Thursday, September 1, 2021, the book, “Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel from the Inside Out” by Jennie Nash publishes. What a treat it was to chat with Jennie who has been my book coach and mentor for years and who has been instrumental in my own books getting written and published. Jennie…

Read More
When Mother's Day Is Hard

When Mother’s Day Is Hard

I’ve babysat in my youth and am the aunt who bakes. I’ve been called “piccola mamma” (little mother) by my papà when I took on the role my mentally ill mamma couldn’t. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for kids in foster care and as a team leader in the workplace, my mothering and…

Read More
mental illness in the family

(Ep 19) Caregiving for Mental Illness: SiriusXM Doctor Radio Show

On Tuesday, April 6, 2021, I joined in as a guest on one of SiriusXM’s radio programs to talk about caregiving for mental illness. DOCTOR RADIO included this segment on caregiving for mental illness, and its host Dr. Michael Aronoff interviewed me. Dr. Aronoff MD is Attending Psychiatrist on the Senior Staff of Lenox Hill…

Read More
world mental health day

World Mental Health Day Time Out

In observance of World Mental Health Day today, you’re invited to take a time out and, yes, take a mental health day from all the crazy of our present day. All throughout history, humans have endured a lot of scary times. Health crises, wars, civil unrest, natural disasters, and more have played out on the…

Read More
Challenges of aging: Remembering who you are and knowing your worth

Challenges of Aging and Its Lessons

Dismissed, discarded, devalued, discouraged: The injustices, inequities, and challenges of aging are very real. Body image and identity – especially in women over the age of 50 – are negatively skewed with every birthday we celebrate (or keep secret). Add to that the isolation and loneliness that this pandemic has delivered with its social distancing…

Read More
Lessons learned from failure

3 Ways to Deal with Failure

We all fail. It’s a fact of life. If we’re not failing at something, we’re not really living. Failure demands that we take risks, stretching ourselves beyond those “sure things.” It also requires us to learn how to deal with failure. Learning how to deal with failure doesn’t come easily to most of us. When…

Read More
Mental Health Awareness Month

Your Mental Health Matters: Stop Pretending You’re Fine

As caregiver to my mom and sister, both of whom were diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, I got good at pretending I was fine. From the outside looking in, I played the role of someone who had it all together. On the rare occasion when somebody would ask me, “Are you okay?” or “What’s the matter?”…

Read More