WEBVTT - Global Health Is A Collective Problem: How We Can Solve It, Together? 0:00:06.760 --> 0:00:10.600 Hello, and welcome back. Now. In Part one of our 0:00:10.640 --> 0:00:14.360 Global Health Conversation, we talked a lot about this idea 0:00:14.440 --> 0:00:17.600 that health is less of an individual issue and more 0:00:17.640 --> 0:00:21.080 of a collective problem, and our guests in that conversation 0:00:21.560 --> 0:00:23.919 proved that when we work together, when we try to 0:00:24.079 --> 0:00:27.520 heal and help one another, we save lives. So make 0:00:27.560 --> 0:00:31.680 sure you don't miss that episode. Meanwhile, as I've shared 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:34.680 with you before, I love this idea of putting our 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:39.320 heads together, joining forces, and basically becoming voltron for change. 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:43.880 So today I'm gonna continue exploring global health by putting 0:00:43.920 --> 0:00:47.479 the spotlight on some action leaders. These are folks on 0:00:47.520 --> 0:00:50.760 the ground providing health care access, both physical and mental, 0:00:51.159 --> 0:00:55.320 in some remote places, including right here in the United States. 0:00:56.440 --> 0:00:59.000 I wanted to know a few things. What's it like 0:00:59.120 --> 0:01:02.400 to provide healthcare in places where inequity is a problem. 0:01:02.440 --> 0:01:05.360 How do you globalize an issue that has so many 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:09.640 nuances within each government, each system, in each community. How 0:01:09.640 --> 0:01:13.560 do you facilitate mental health access in the community that 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:18.120 doesn't know it desperately needs it. To answer some of 0:01:18.160 --> 0:01:21.600 these questions, I sat down with Juan Acosta, a mental 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:25.240 health advocate and regional manager at cal Hope Warmline at 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:28.760 the Mental Health Association of San Francisco. He began his 0:01:28.840 --> 0:01:32.960 work really young, accumulating over two hundred hours of community 0:01:32.959 --> 0:01:36.279 service at age fifteen. He's also a New York Times 0:01:36.319 --> 0:01:40.479 bestselling author for a book he co authored with Lady Gaga, Yeah, 0:01:40.600 --> 0:01:45.440 Lady Gaga called Channel Kindness, Stories of Kindness and Community. 0:01:46.240 --> 0:01:49.920 After one, We'll hear from Dr Kerry Joe's Felix. He 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:52.880 works as a chief surgeon at Doctors Without Borders and 0:01:52.960 --> 0:01:57.120 has been with the organization since He spent time offering 0:01:57.120 --> 0:01:59.600 his services all over the world, from his native home 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:13.919 in Haiti to the Congo in Africa. Welcome to Force Multiplier. 0:02:14.160 --> 0:02:17.120 Thank you for joining me. Thank you. So you have 0:02:17.160 --> 0:02:19.600 a book with Lady Gaga. I saw you kicking it 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:22.360 with Selena Gomez and the first Lady at the White House. 0:02:22.400 --> 0:02:25.400 So I just want to start by saying congratulations on 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:29.480 your life one. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Now. 0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:32.560 I know things didn't start this way. Can you take 0:02:32.600 --> 0:02:35.680 me back to some of your early days. Tell me 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:38.400 where you were born and raised, some of your early 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:45.000 home and school experiences. Great well, I was born in Halisco, Mexico, 0:02:45.280 --> 0:02:48.720 and I came to this country at age two. Uh 0:02:48.760 --> 0:02:51.760 So growing up. I grew up in Woodland, California, and 0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:55.760 growing up here was quite interesting because it's a small town, 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:59.360 so everybody knows one another. And because I immigrated to 0:02:59.440 --> 0:03:02.440 this country, I didn't know the English language when I 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:05.880 first arrived, and I have to learn it throughout grade school, 0:03:06.320 --> 0:03:10.760 which put me through some barriers and communication with my classmates, 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:14.000 with my teachers, and I started to get made fun 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:17.000 of for those things. And I was also being labeled 0:03:17.040 --> 0:03:20.440 things in regards to my sexuality prior to me being 0:03:20.480 --> 0:03:23.600 able to acknowledge it myself. So that's when a little 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:26.639 bit of my mental health journey began and just why 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:29.800 I got into the work that I did today. We 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:32.440 all have so many parts to our identities, and you've 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:36.000 hinted at a few pieces already. But what parts of 0:03:36.040 --> 0:03:39.560 yourself and your identity are you comfortable with and fully 0:03:39.560 --> 0:03:43.680 embracing now that you weren't able to do with a kid. Yeah, 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:47.560 I think living authentically as a gay man has been 0:03:47.680 --> 0:03:49.960 one of the things that I'm most proud of today. 0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:53.160 It brought me a lot of fear and a lot 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:57.760 of inner conflict to even be able to name that 0:03:57.800 --> 0:04:00.440 out to people, to my parents, to my ends. I 0:04:00.480 --> 0:04:04.119 felt like I had to repress and hide a lot 0:04:04.160 --> 0:04:06.880 of who I was in order to be living in 0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:09.440 a society that I felt was not meant for people 0:04:09.480 --> 0:04:13.560 like me. This feeling, this internal tension, is feeling of 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:17.400 repression that you just described. How did that show up 0:04:17.400 --> 0:04:20.599 in your life? Yeah, it manifested in many ways, and 0:04:20.640 --> 0:04:23.640 I generally believe it did in every aspect of my life. 0:04:23.680 --> 0:04:27.520 Even with my parents. I remember I built this barrier 0:04:27.720 --> 0:04:30.120 and communicating with them. I was trying to push my 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:33.920 my own family away because I didn't want to feel 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:36.159 like I was too attached if they were to turn 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:37.960 their back on me when I came out to them. 0:04:38.400 --> 0:04:41.240 So I I didn't share a lot with my parents. 0:04:41.360 --> 0:04:44.159 And I also didn't share because I saw them struggling 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:46.520 as well to put food on the table to pay 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:49.200 for our bills, because they were working a day and 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:53.280 night as immigrants in this country to provide for my siblings. 0:04:53.279 --> 0:04:56.400 And I I felt stomach ache showing up to school. 0:04:56.560 --> 0:04:58.719 I didn't want to be in class because I knew 0:04:58.720 --> 0:05:01.320 I was going to get bullied on my peers. It 0:05:01.400 --> 0:05:04.800 wasn't a great feeling and I chose to stay home 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:08.279 often so that I wouldn't interact with people in school 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:11.120 or outside of school, because I knew it was going 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:13.400 to put me in the fire zone, that I was 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:17.599 going to be a target to the people around me. Yeah, 0:05:17.680 --> 0:05:21.720 I have this image of just walls between you and 0:05:21.800 --> 0:05:25.160 your peers at school, walls between you and your own family, 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:29.680 walls within yourself. I grew up with a mother who 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:33.040 worked really really hard to make the road a bit 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:37.560 smoother from me, and I can identify with withholding some 0:05:37.640 --> 0:05:40.919 of my own needs so as not to be a burden. Definitely, 0:05:41.200 --> 0:05:44.039 So I really I really connect with that. That said, 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:48.640 how did your parents react when you remove that wall 0:05:48.800 --> 0:05:52.480 and revealed that part of yourself to them? Honestly, it 0:05:52.480 --> 0:05:54.880 took me a while to do so. I was in 0:05:55.000 --> 0:05:56.919 high school, I think, when I had built up the 0:05:56.960 --> 0:06:00.440 courage to do so, I just didn't want to feel 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:06.160 a lot of their disappointment. Thankfully, when I did come 0:06:06.200 --> 0:06:10.000 out to them, they were really accepting and embracing. My 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:13.200 dad had a couple of questions to try and understand, 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:16.480 but he is the sweetest man, and he's supportive of me, 0:06:16.600 --> 0:06:19.920 and he's proud, and I'm proud to just be able 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:23.240 to have this relationship with them. And I also recognized 0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:26.479 that my story isn't the same story of every other 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:30.200 lgbt Q plus person, and that people are at times 0:06:30.240 --> 0:06:33.280 kicked out of their homes and face many more barriers 0:06:33.320 --> 0:06:37.440 when coming out. What were some of the spaces where 0:06:37.480 --> 0:06:41.920 you started to feel more comfortable connecting with this part 0:06:41.920 --> 0:06:44.960 of your identity and starting this healing process for you? Who? 0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:49.320 Who did help you? Who did you run to first? Yeah? Honestly, 0:06:49.360 --> 0:06:51.360 when I was going through it, when I was deep, 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:54.640 like in the dark, I did not know where to go, 0:06:55.000 --> 0:06:58.200 and that is why I got into advocacy. I found 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:01.680 an opportunity to join a youth council locally at a 0:07:01.720 --> 0:07:04.680 nonprofit here in my town, and I started doing a 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:07.640 lot of volunteer work, a lot of community service. You 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:10.400 joined a youth council in your town? How old were you? 0:07:11.000 --> 0:07:15.120 I was thirteen when I started. Just doing that community 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:18.920 service was really beneficial to my own mental health at 0:07:18.920 --> 0:07:21.840 the time in your life where you didn't necessarily feel 0:07:21.920 --> 0:07:25.680 fully supported. Based on the timeline you shared, you end 0:07:25.720 --> 0:07:29.920 up volunteering to try to support others. Talk to me 0:07:29.920 --> 0:07:31.560 a little bit more about that that may not be 0:07:31.600 --> 0:07:36.680 obvious to a lot of people. Yeah, for me, that 0:07:36.760 --> 0:07:39.440 moment was about me feeling like I didn't belong in 0:07:39.480 --> 0:07:41.720 the community and wanting to feel like I belonged in 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:45.760 the community, and joining that youth council was the opportunity 0:07:45.840 --> 0:07:48.280 for me to belong in the community by trying to 0:07:48.800 --> 0:07:51.680 have a positive impact with other people because I knew 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:54.360 that we were all in that council with one purpose, 0:07:54.480 --> 0:07:57.240 and it was to support one another and support the 0:07:57.280 --> 0:08:00.600 other youth in our community. I want to talk about 0:08:00.640 --> 0:08:05.400 the roller culture in supporting the LGBTQ community. You said 0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:07.520 it was some of the lyrics and Lady Gaga is 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:12.240 Born this Way that really helped you be your true self. 0:08:13.120 --> 0:08:17.640 What was it about that music, those lyrics that resonated 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:22.240 so deeply with you. Yeah, I think with Gaga. I 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:25.800 I always liked her performance art. But that album came 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:27.680 out in middle school at a point where I was 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:30.000 really struggling with my mental health. I had a lot 0:08:30.040 --> 0:08:32.840 of suicidal thoughts and feelings at the time because I 0:08:32.920 --> 0:08:36.320 was being bullied almost every day in school, and when 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:39.440 that song came out, it just kind of reaffirmed that 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:42.559 it was okay to be myself. And in this small 0:08:42.600 --> 0:08:44.560 town that I live, and there wasn't a lot of 0:08:44.679 --> 0:08:48.600 lgbt Q plose folks, and there wasn't that representation, and 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:52.880 that was really isolating. But when I see and hear 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:55.880 music with these lyrics of you being beautiful in your 0:08:55.920 --> 0:08:58.760 way and that doesn't matter if you're gay, it really 0:08:59.040 --> 0:09:01.480 spoke to me that point, and it gave me kind 0:09:01.520 --> 0:09:04.400 of that light amidst all the darkness that I was 0:09:04.880 --> 0:09:10.960 surrounded by someone seemingly so far away, you know, connected 0:09:11.000 --> 0:09:12.960 so closely to you in and broke through some of 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:15.679 those walls. You had a rector to protect yourself. M h. 0:09:16.600 --> 0:09:20.040 How did you end up hearing that song and then 0:09:20.040 --> 0:09:22.760 I'm reading about you as co author of a book 0:09:23.480 --> 0:09:28.240 with Lady Gaga? How did that begin? I was looking 0:09:28.280 --> 0:09:31.480 for every opportunity to stay involved in community work, and 0:09:31.720 --> 0:09:35.960 I saw an opportunity to join Channel Kindness, which is 0:09:36.040 --> 0:09:39.400 Lady Gaga's extension of her Born This Way Foundation, and 0:09:39.440 --> 0:09:42.520 that we're looking for an inaugural cohort for this new 0:09:42.559 --> 0:09:48.520 platform about storytelling and kindness and community, and I applied. 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:50.199 In my head, I was like, there's no way they're 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:52.760 going to choose me. You know, in Woodland, like a 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:55.840 small town, like it's just not gonna work out, but 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:58.679 I'm just gonna take the risk, and I applied into 0:09:58.679 --> 0:10:03.560 my surprise, I was accepted, and years later I wrote 0:10:03.600 --> 0:10:07.280 a story for the Platform about my journey and drafting 0:10:07.280 --> 0:10:11.520 a historic lgbt Q plus proclamation for my hometown that 0:10:11.640 --> 0:10:15.240 made history. Tell me about that proclamation. What is the 0:10:15.280 --> 0:10:18.960 proclamation that you wrote? Yeah, so, prior to moving to 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:23.439 San Francisco, where I pursued my higher education, I wanted 0:10:23.480 --> 0:10:27.840 to address the lgbt Q plus community here in Woodland 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:30.160 where I grew up because I didn't have that message 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:32.960 of acceptance or belonging, and I wanted to change that 0:10:33.120 --> 0:10:34.960 for the young people that were going to be growing 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:39.400 up here. So I emailed the city manager at the 0:10:39.480 --> 0:10:41.800 time and I was like, how can we get the 0:10:41.920 --> 0:10:47.319 city council to proclaim June as Pride Month? And they said, 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:50.240 what we need language for a proclamation, and I was 0:10:50.360 --> 0:10:52.400 I had just turned twenty one at the time, and 0:10:52.440 --> 0:10:55.959 I had no clue about any language for a proclamation. 0:10:56.000 --> 0:10:58.840 So I stayed up all night kind of figuring stuff out, 0:10:58.920 --> 0:11:01.199 looking at things from the Internet, and I did it, 0:11:02.360 --> 0:11:04.040 and I emailed it to them and they took it 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:07.880 up to their study Hall meeting and I went to 0:11:08.000 --> 0:11:11.640 speak during public comment and all of the people opposing it, 0:11:11.840 --> 0:11:15.880 and it passed unanimously for the first time in the 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:21.680 town's history. Wow, what did it feel like to hear 0:11:21.720 --> 0:11:27.920 that opposition and to have the proclamation ultimately passed. Yeah. 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:31.439 I think curing the opposition was something that I knew 0:11:31.640 --> 0:11:33.960 was going to happen, just because of the things that 0:11:34.000 --> 0:11:37.559 I had undergone in this town. And to my surprise, 0:11:37.559 --> 0:11:39.520 there was also a lot of people speaking in favor 0:11:39.559 --> 0:11:42.319 of it. It was just so beautiful to see and 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:45.160 I didn't think much of the opposition in that moment. 0:11:45.320 --> 0:11:48.600 I was there to do one thing and I wanted 0:11:48.600 --> 0:11:51.840 to make sure it got done. And just when it 0:11:51.880 --> 0:11:56.000 passed and I saw everybody else like near me, cry 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:58.880 and hug each other and have their like pride flags, 0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:00.960 it was just a mom And I think that's still 0:12:01.040 --> 0:12:04.600 my favorite moment till this day, of just being able 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:07.560 to do that, because for my inner child, it was 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:10.400 a full circle moment of kind of something that I 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:14.520 was shamed for so much, and now in our present day, 0:12:14.559 --> 0:12:17.080 they have like a pride week, a Pride Parade and 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:22.439 it's completely three sixty. That's tremendous. And it's also for 0:12:22.480 --> 0:12:26.840 so many folks they get that moment elsewhere and and 0:12:26.880 --> 0:12:30.120 so they're accepted in a community they weren't born into. 0:12:30.640 --> 0:12:35.000 You got that feeling in your hometown. That's great man, 0:12:35.960 --> 0:12:39.800 Thank you. Yeah. You know, I've recently had a conversation 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:43.679 on this podcast with Amanda Ryan Smith. She's at the 0:12:43.720 --> 0:12:47.520 Trevor Project running development, and she was telling me how 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:52.400 there are over two d harmful policies targeting LGBTQ folks 0:12:52.800 --> 0:12:58.000 proposed this year alone. So you've got this front row 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:01.880 seat with the Commander in chief. I mentioned the White 0:13:01.880 --> 0:13:03.840 House and passing earlier, but you were part of the 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:08.439 first ever youth mental health action form at the White House. 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:12.400 What was the purpose of the forum? What was your role? 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:16.320 Give me some deeds? Yeah, So the forum was put 0:13:16.360 --> 0:13:19.880 in in partnership with MTV and the White House, and 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:23.760 it brought together thirty young people to create a mental 0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:27.520 health campaign that was going to address relevant issues in 0:13:27.559 --> 0:13:31.640 our community and are My campaign, along with my team, 0:13:31.800 --> 0:13:36.320 was around intersectionality and mental health. How different aspects of 0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:40.080 our identity impact our mental health. The way we have 0:13:40.240 --> 0:13:44.040 access to care and how we approach mental health support 0:13:44.080 --> 0:13:48.440 and care. And we all authority of us created these campaigns, 0:13:48.440 --> 0:13:51.839 and we all presented it to a variety of media 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:55.199 and brands so that they could come together to create 0:13:55.320 --> 0:13:58.440 and put these campaigns into action along with the government. 0:13:59.600 --> 0:14:04.000 I'm you're in like Avengers style scene with you know, 0:14:04.080 --> 0:14:07.920 all the Avengers versus like the villains in the various movies, 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:13.400 and and on one side, I see these proposed exclusionary laws, 0:14:13.640 --> 0:14:15.720 and on the other I see you, you know, and 0:14:15.800 --> 0:14:18.640 I see Lady Gaga, and I see these mental health 0:14:18.640 --> 0:14:24.040 advocacy campaigns. Where do you see the field right now? 0:14:24.240 --> 0:14:26.640 Do you feel like we're moving in the right direction 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:28.760 in terms of the politics. Does it feel like we're 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:32.480 moving backwards? What's your take? I think it's a mixture 0:14:32.480 --> 0:14:35.600 of both. I believe that there is progress that has 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:39.320 definitely been made, and that, you know, just having conversations 0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:42.960 around intersectionality and mental health and having more people that 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:48.640 look like society itself being represented and speaking to these 0:14:48.720 --> 0:14:52.440 issues has been great. And I think the issue that 0:14:52.480 --> 0:14:55.640 we've been encountering is that there has been a lot 0:14:55.680 --> 0:15:00.000 of conversations and not enough action and when there's these 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:04.840 policies that are impacting and targeting communities, we are letting 0:15:04.920 --> 0:15:08.800 history repeat itself. Maybe not in the same exact way, 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:11.240 but history is repeating itself. And what we need to 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:16.280 do is to ensure that we, yes, are fostering these conversations, 0:15:16.280 --> 0:15:19.520 but that we're being intentional and following through with our 0:15:19.560 --> 0:15:24.760 actions after I have often thought that history isn't a circle, 0:15:25.440 --> 0:15:28.200 but it can feel like a spiral, and we revisit 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:31.280 like similar coordinates, but on kind of a different plane. 0:15:31.600 --> 0:15:34.360 So there's these echoes of the past. When you talk 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:37.680 about moving from words to action, you make me think 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:40.600 of what I hear a lot about Generation Z. I 0:15:40.720 --> 0:15:43.320 hear that gen Z is done with the status quo, 0:15:43.920 --> 0:15:46.640 ready the challenge and fight for issues that matter to 0:15:46.680 --> 0:15:50.160 them most and act and not just talk. Do you 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:52.840 think that's true, And as so, what do you see 0:15:53.240 --> 0:15:56.040 in terms of those actions that are different among gen 0:15:56.160 --> 0:16:00.840 Z versus other generations. I think it's definitely true. I 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:04.480 think in comparison to other generations, the majority of gen 0:16:04.600 --> 0:16:09.040 Z is advocating and they're pushing their thoughts beliefs out there, 0:16:09.080 --> 0:16:13.480 whether it's through social media or locally with their community. 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:16.360 And I think that's great. And I think just this 0:16:16.640 --> 0:16:19.600 that we have about the youth mental health crisis. I 0:16:19.600 --> 0:16:22.880 know the Surgeon General put out a mental health crisis 0:16:22.920 --> 0:16:28.000 statement late last year. There needs to be proactive measures 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:31.920 at all levels to ensure that young people and everybody 0:16:31.960 --> 0:16:35.600 in general have support before them reaching a crisis point. 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:38.480 For so long people have reached the crisis and it 0:16:38.600 --> 0:16:41.320 is not until then that they receive support, and we 0:16:41.360 --> 0:16:43.360 need to change that. We need to make sure people 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:46.160 are getting support early on so that they don't have 0:16:46.240 --> 0:16:50.400 to go into a crisis. Yeah, it feels like we 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:54.840 can't talk about lgbt Q plus mental health without talking 0:16:54.840 --> 0:16:58.000 also about technology. I've been online for a very long 0:16:58.040 --> 0:17:00.880 time and seeing some of the best part where folks 0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:03.280 who feel isolated, who don't have someone in their town 0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:06.320 like them, can find someone in another town like them 0:17:06.359 --> 0:17:09.720 and feel less alone. But I've also seen the bullying, 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:14.800 the isolation that the targeted harassment of this community as well. 0:17:15.520 --> 0:17:18.800 What would you like to see tech companies do more 0:17:18.840 --> 0:17:23.119 of or less to have the role of technology be 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:26.640 more supportive than harmful. You're talking about tech spaces here. 0:17:26.680 --> 0:17:30.480 I think making sure that they are ensuring that whether 0:17:30.520 --> 0:17:34.120 it's apps or spaces are safe for people that could 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:38.240 look very differently for many members what we've seen these 0:17:38.240 --> 0:17:43.680 past years in terms of misinformation of just attacks on communities. 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:46.879 People go sometimes online when they can't find a safe 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:50.080 space in their own communities or at home. So I 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:55.359 think trying to ensure that's done is really important. This 0:17:55.440 --> 0:17:57.879 show we like to focus on action. One of our 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:01.320 hashtact is action meets Impact. Can you tell us about 0:18:01.359 --> 0:18:04.080 some of the action you're up to now, particularly with 0:18:04.160 --> 0:18:07.080 this concept of a warm line as opposed to a 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:10.600 hotline at the cow Hope Warm Line. So I work 0:18:10.640 --> 0:18:13.080 as a regional manager for the cow Hope Wormline, and 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:15.640 a worm line is meant to be a phone line 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:17.200 where people are able to call it in and get 0:18:17.240 --> 0:18:19.600 support prior to them being in a crisis. So unlike 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:22.720 a crisis line, when people call wormline, they're going to 0:18:22.760 --> 0:18:25.600 be connected to a peer counselor someone who's been there 0:18:25.640 --> 0:18:29.600 before and who understand what it's like to struggle. And 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:32.920 our peer counselors they come from all different backgrounds and 0:18:32.960 --> 0:18:36.120 they have different experience in the mental health field, and 0:18:36.680 --> 0:18:39.280 when people call in, they're able to have an honest 0:18:39.320 --> 0:18:44.240 conversation about how they're feeling. And people like this approach 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:48.480 because unlike the clinical field, there isn't a hierarchy. They're 0:18:48.520 --> 0:18:51.880 able to talk to and with one another rather than 0:18:51.960 --> 0:18:54.520 out one another where you're just sharing, sharing, sharing and 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:58.480 getting nothing back. And they are also connected to resources, 0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:02.960 whether it's a source of a peer support program or 0:19:03.119 --> 0:19:05.960 group in their community where they're able to go in person, 0:19:06.560 --> 0:19:09.280 or they're connected to how to find a therapist in 0:19:09.320 --> 0:19:13.000 their communities. So that's our approach at the warm Lane, 0:19:13.240 --> 0:19:15.800 and it's very real around the nation, and a lot 0:19:15.800 --> 0:19:18.359 of people don't know about that. And I think just 0:19:18.480 --> 0:19:21.200 the more we're able to raise awareness because sometimes people 0:19:21.240 --> 0:19:24.919 can't get a therapy appointment because of insurance or because 0:19:24.960 --> 0:19:28.040 of long wait times. So the more we can use 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:32.919 resources that are accessible to us, better we can ensure 0:19:32.960 --> 0:19:36.720 that people don't have to wait to reach a crisis point. Yeah. 0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:41.720 I love that kind of preemptive, preventive position. I also 0:19:41.800 --> 0:19:44.159 like this idea that you know, I've I've talked with 0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:46.320 therapists before in my life, and that can be a 0:19:46.359 --> 0:19:51.240 pretty q and a focus kind of extractive, like tell 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:53.760 me about your traumas as opposed to the way you 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:56.399 described a peer who's been through some version of this, 0:19:56.760 --> 0:19:59.280 and there's more of an exchange there. How long have 0:19:59.320 --> 0:20:02.119 you been in this role. I started working at the 0:20:02.160 --> 0:20:06.000 warm Line in I started off as a coordinator, than 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:09.320 assistant manager and the regional manager for the line. But 0:20:09.800 --> 0:20:13.399 what I've seen throughout it has been really incredible because 0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:15.399 there's people who reach out for the first time for 0:20:15.520 --> 0:20:19.439 mental health support. People who share how they never wanted 0:20:19.640 --> 0:20:23.080 or could acknowledge in their household that they were struggling 0:20:23.119 --> 0:20:26.840 mentally and now they're fifty calling the warm Line talking 0:20:26.880 --> 0:20:31.200 about their struggles for the very first time. Yeah. When 0:20:31.240 --> 0:20:34.080 you hear that story, how does that make you feel? 0:20:35.240 --> 0:20:37.760 You know, it gives validation to the work, and it 0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:40.960 continues pushing me and the counters who are answering the 0:20:40.960 --> 0:20:44.840 phones through because this work can be heavy and it 0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:50.239 can be exhausting emotionally, as is advocacy. So when you 0:20:50.480 --> 0:20:54.640 hear these stories, you are reminded of your why and 0:20:54.680 --> 0:20:56.800 why you get into this work is because of that 0:20:56.880 --> 0:21:01.240 passion and purpose to support the community, and those stories 0:21:01.600 --> 0:21:05.000 are that they are very much the purpose of why 0:21:05.040 --> 0:21:08.639 we do this work. Yeah, that's great, It's like fuel. 0:21:10.200 --> 0:21:15.400 Definitely is in a world filled with such literally devastating 0:21:15.440 --> 0:21:19.320 news every day. This is a great reminder there's a 0:21:19.359 --> 0:21:22.360 warmline you can call that, there's kindness that you can 0:21:22.440 --> 0:21:27.280 channel and be inspired by or contribute to yourself. How 0:21:27.320 --> 0:21:31.159 do you manage your own mental health today? And it 0:21:31.200 --> 0:21:33.320 sounds like you've been on quite a journey from that 0:21:33.400 --> 0:21:35.560 two year old who showed up in Woodland and a 0:21:35.600 --> 0:21:38.440 couple of decades ago. What are your tools now? How 0:21:38.440 --> 0:21:42.439 do you assess where you're at? How do you manage well? 0:21:42.560 --> 0:21:44.840 One of my biggest tools now, it's just being honest 0:21:44.960 --> 0:21:47.640 and open, both about my struggles and how I'm feeling. 0:21:48.640 --> 0:21:52.240 I think that has changed my life tremendously compared to 0:21:52.280 --> 0:21:55.080 where I was in middle school, where I repressed everything 0:21:55.320 --> 0:21:58.119 and where I felt shameful almost every part of my being. 0:21:58.280 --> 0:22:01.680 I now feel very proud of who I am, and 0:22:02.000 --> 0:22:04.280 I feel like I'm able to share how I'm feeling 0:22:04.359 --> 0:22:07.880 with my family openly. I set boundaries. I take care 0:22:07.880 --> 0:22:10.000 of my own mental health. I try and move my 0:22:10.080 --> 0:22:13.000 body every morning at five am. I tray and exercise. 0:22:13.640 --> 0:22:17.840 I also have my own support groups, peer support therapy. 0:22:18.440 --> 0:22:21.600 All of those things work for me. What's one thing 0:22:21.760 --> 0:22:26.240 you want someone listening to this conversation to be sure 0:22:26.280 --> 0:22:29.800 they take away I want people to not feel broken 0:22:29.880 --> 0:22:32.560 for being who they are. I think our society is 0:22:32.600 --> 0:22:36.280 the one that's broken, and we are at times made 0:22:36.280 --> 0:22:39.280 to feel shame or broken for being ourselves, and that 0:22:39.359 --> 0:22:42.600 should never be the case. We should be proud of 0:22:42.640 --> 0:22:47.000 who we are and we should embrace our light. That 0:22:47.160 --> 0:22:48.720 is what makes us who we are, that is what 0:22:48.840 --> 0:22:52.439 makes us unique, that is what makes us want to live. 0:22:52.720 --> 0:22:56.400 And if we are feeling broken and we're repressing who 0:22:56.440 --> 0:23:00.600 we are, we are not living life. We are alive, 0:23:01.080 --> 0:23:04.080 and we cannot just be alive. We need to live. 0:23:05.640 --> 0:23:09.000 That's about everything right there. We have to live, not 0:23:09.160 --> 0:23:13.560 just be alive. What's one thing you want people listening 0:23:13.600 --> 0:23:18.240 to this conversation to do. I want people listening to 0:23:18.280 --> 0:23:21.879 this conversation to reach out for support when they're struggling, 0:23:22.119 --> 0:23:25.560 and to support those around them if they have the capacity. 0:23:26.119 --> 0:23:28.720 I think that's really important. And when we do that, 0:23:28.840 --> 0:23:32.679 we create a ripple effect. We impact ourselves positively, and 0:23:32.720 --> 0:23:35.520 we impact those around us to do the same with 0:23:35.600 --> 0:23:41.119 our peers and with the folks around them. M mmm mmmmm. 0:23:41.640 --> 0:23:47.720 It's almost like we become a kind of force multiplier 0:23:48.600 --> 0:23:56.320 on exactly. I have so much respect for you. I'm 0:23:56.320 --> 0:23:59.560 so grateful for what you're doing in the world, the ripples, 0:23:59.600 --> 0:24:02.040 your cre aiding. I think what stands out to me 0:24:02.880 --> 0:24:07.120