In a world that forces many of us to mask, especially those with mental health conditions, what if your real power comes from authenticity and turning authenticity into impact?

That question sits at the heart of our conversation with youth mental health advocate, student, and writer Merlot Ghadoushi, who opens up about rerouting her college path to protect her mental health, learning to set boundaries, prioritizing rest, and building advocacy work that turns vulnerability into action.

We explore many different facets of authenticity and advocacy, including:

• Boundary setting and scheduling rest as non-negotiable
• Practical self-care habits for students under pressure
• Letting other people in and accepting support
• Tips for safely unmasking
• Deleting social media and replacing comparison with presence
• What it means to live an authentic life
• Merlot’s lived experience with anxiety, depression, and disordered eating
• Merlot’s work with the organization Unmasked Authenticity
• Priceless advice on how to become a youth mental health advocate
• Essential tools for self-awareness
• Memoir themes of identity, resilience, and healing

For Merlot, advocacy became a lifeline and a lighthouse. From raising funds for epilepsy research to interning with NAMI Westside LA, meeting legislators in Sacramento, and speaking weekly in psychiatric units, Merlot shows how one honest story can shift a room.

If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a rating or review to help more listeners find these tools and stories. Your support keeps this work going.

Merlot can be reached at:

mghadoushi@nami.org

On Instagram @merlotghadoushi

On LinkedIn at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/merlot-ghadoushi-2229a438b/

Disclaimer: Guest views and offerings are their own. Any links, resources, or services mentioned are provided for convenience and informational purposes only. Please use your own judgment when exploring or purchasing anything. We appreciate our guests for sharing their insights and experiences.

*AI was used to help with the creation of the episode title and description

For more information about the Five Building Blocks of Recovery and/or to contact Jared, go to Five Building Blocks of Recovery (thefivebuildingblocksofrecovery.com)

A non-motorized trek across the East Coast. A hospital stay that reset everything. And a clear, human roadmap for living well with bipolar disorder. I sat down with Steven Nawotniak—occupational therapist, certified psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner, New York certified peer specialist, and award-winning author—to trace how he moved from coping with symptoms to building a purpose-driven life grounded in fulfillment and action over feelings.

In this episode Stephen and I discuss:

• The two types of stigma
• The power of expanded self-awareness (Building Block #5)
• Four perspectives living with bipolar
• Three things to have a good quality of life while living with discomfort
• The five rung acceptance ladder from hopelessness to gift
• Practical "and" statements to diffuse negative self-talk

Finally, the episode ends with Stephen sharing his hopes for the future related to mental health treatment and the two lies that depression tries to tell us.

If you’ve felt stuck chasing happiness and trying to fight or avoid negative feelings, this conversation points to something more powerful and grounded: fulfillment built through aligned action, even on hard days.

Subscribe, share with someone who needs hope, and leave a review with the rung on the acceptance ladder you’re on today and one step you’ll take next!

You can get in touch with Stephen at his website:

https://www.stephennawotniak.com/

Stephen's Books:

Bipolar Life Hacks: Keys to Loving Life with Bipolar Disorder

Handbook for Healthy Living with a Mood Disorder

Mubu the Morph (children's book)

Disclaimer: Guest views and offerings are their own. Any links, resources, or services mentioned are provided for convenience and informational purposes only. Please use your own judgment when exploring or purchasing anything. We appreciate our guests for sharing their insights and experiences.

*AI was used to help with the creation of the episode title and description

For more information about the Five Building Blocks of Recovery and/or to contact Jared, go to Five Building Blocks of Recovery (thefivebuildingblocksofrecovery.com)

Hard seasons test our values. After losing a home to a wildfire, getting sick, and wrestling with an inconsistent rhythm in 2025, I made a decision that protects my mental health, supports self-care, and honors your time: I'm switching to a monthly release so every conversation about recovery gets the care it deserves.

New episodes will come out every four weeks on Sundays at 3PM, which adds up to approximately 13 episodes every year.

Thank you for sticking with me through the ups and downs this year. I genuinely appreciate every listen, every download, every review... And a new episode will be coming very, very soon!

*AI was used to help with the creation of the episode description

For more information about the Five Building Blocks of Recovery and/or to contact Jared, go to Five Building Blocks of Recovery (thefivebuildingblocksofrecovery.com)

It is no secret that the current mental health treatment model, is, to put nicely, flawed and incomplete.

In this week’s episode I talk with Adam Sholder, mental health advocate and founder of Insight Enrichment Group, a mental health coaching and consulting company, about the missing elements to the standard mental health treatment model.

In this episode we talk about:

• Adam’s personal and family history with mental health struggles
• The power of creative community in recovery (A Gap in the Forest)
• The importance of staying present in life and trusting the process
• The concepts of “social prescribing” and “link workers” as key elements of recovery

Join us for this illuminating discussion that reimagines mental health support as a holistic ecosystem where therapy, medication, creative expression, and community connection work together to nurture lasting recovery. Whether you're on your own recovery journey or supporting someone who is, Adam's insights offer practical wisdom for moving forward with purpose and hope.

Links to Insight Enrichment Group and A Gap in the Forest:

https://www.insightenrichment.com/

https://www.agapintheforest.org/

*suicide was briefly mentioned in the episode

*AI was used to help with the creation of the episode title and description

Disclaimer: Guest views and offerings are their own. Any links, resources, or services mentioned are provided for convenience and informational purposes only. Please use your own judgment when exploring or purchasing anything. We appreciate our guests for sharing their insights and experiences.

For more information about the Five Building Blocks of Recovery and/or to contact Jared, go to Five Building Blocks of Recovery (thefivebuildingblocksofrecovery.com)

Let’s face it; being a college student can be one of the most fulfilling but also the most stressful periods of a young person’s life.

Having to balance both academic and social pressures while being away from home for the first time and working towards a degree comes with its own set of challenges for anyone, not to mention those living with a mental health condition.

In this week’s episode, I interview Ryder Davis, mental health advocate and NAMI Westside Los Angeles “Ending the Silence” presenter, about his experiences as a college student at Boston University while living with bipolar disorder.

Ryder and I discuss the following topics:

(1) strategies for optimum self-care as a college student
(2) building community in college
(3) tips for academic success while being in recovery
(4) what it means to choose “the path of least resistance” as a college student

Whether you're a student in recovery, a parent supporting one, or someone interested in mental health advocacy, this episode offers both practical tools and the reassurance that academic success and recovery can beautifully coexist.

You don’t want to miss it!

*AI was used to help with the creation of the episode title and description

Disclaimer: Guest views and offerings are their own. Any links, resources, or services mentioned are provided for convenience and informational purposes only. Please use your own judgment when exploring or purchasing anything. We appreciate our guests for sharing their insights and experiences.

For more information about the Five Building Blocks of Recovery and/or to contact Jared, go to Five Building Blocks of Recovery (thefivebuildingblocksofrecovery.com)

A surprising dream following tragedy becomes a guiding light for an artist's life mission. After losing his Boy Scout leader to suicide at 16, Oshri Hakak dreamed of a document meant to cure all human illnesses—only to find its pages blank except for one word: "music." This mystical experience launched Oshri's commitment to creative expression as a healing force, a path that gained even deeper meaning when he later lost his brother to heart failure during a period of severe depression.

Today, Oshri channels these profound experiences into children's books addressing mental health and mindfulness, daily art practices that process his emotions, music, and advocacy work with NAMI's Ending the Silence program. In this deeply moving conversation, he reveals how these practices embody essential recovery principles—from maintaining consistent self-care routines (Building Block #2) to trusting the incremental nature of healing (Building Block #3).

What emerges is a philosophy both practical and profound: "These experiences don't define us, they refine us." Oshri's story demonstrates how creativity, persistence, and compassion can transform our deepest wounds into sources of meaning and connection. Whether you're navigating your own recovery journey or supporting someone else's, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on finding purpose through life's most challenging moments (Building Block #5).

You can learn more about Oshri and his children's books at his website below!

https://www.butterflyonbooks.com

*heads up, my mic is a bit loud this time around, but the content is still gold!

*trigger warning we do talk about suicide

*AI was used to help with the episode title and description

Disclaimer: Guest views and offerings are their own. Any links, resources, or services mentioned are provided for convenience and informational purposes only. Please use your own judgment when exploring or purchasing anything. We appreciate our guests for sharing their insights and experiences.

For more information about the Five Building Blocks of Recovery and/or to contact Jared, go to Five Building Blocks of Recovery (thefivebuildingblocksofrecovery.com)

After a prolonged absence since December 2024, I'm returning to the podcast following the devastating fires in Los Angeles County that destroyed my home and neighborhood in early January 2025. I share how I've used the Five Building Blocks of Recovery to navigate through one of the most difficult periods of my life and how you can use the building blocks to take care of your mental health in the midst of/after a crisis or trauma.

In this episode I cover:

• Creating structure and normalcy in the midst/after a crisis
• Leaning on support from community
• Maintaining connections with friends and support systems
• Trusting that things will eventually work out
• Using self-care practices daily
• Implementing coping strategies for extremely high stress

If you've been impacted by a crisis or trauma, know it's not your fault and there is hope that you will be okay with time. Please seek help if needed – you don't have to face this alone.

*AI was used to help with the title and description of the episode

For more information about the Five Building Blocks of Recovery and/or to contact Jared, go to Five Building Blocks of Recovery (thefivebuildingblocksofrecovery.com)

What role does structure play in mental health recovery, and could it be the missing piece in your journey to well-being? This episode explores the transformative power of adding structure to your life (Building Block #1), drawing from my own "dark years" when the absence of grounding activities led to a mental health crisis. Through attending community college classes and participating in NAMI support groups, I discovered that even simple, consistent commitments can act as a lifeline, providing both stability and a newfound sense of connection with others.

I explore how engaging in various activities, such as work, school, volunteering, or attending support groups, can lead to a healthier, more fulfilling life. The discussion underscores the importance of incorporating structure as a foundational element of recovery, offering a 'reset' in daily life that fosters balance and accomplishment. Listeners are encouraged to assess their own lives and consider adding structured activities to support their path to recovery and overall well-being.

*AI was used to create the episode title and description

For more information about the Five Building Blocks of Recovery and/or to contact Jared, go to Five Building Blocks of Recovery (thefivebuildingblocksofrecovery.com)