In this episode, Al Levin, a pioneer of mental health advocacy shares his experience of recovering from two bouts of severe depression, his work in mental health advocacy, and in helping coach and mentor others in their journey through mental ilness.

Al Levin is an assistant principal at a k-8 school in the Saint Paul Public School system. He has been in education for over twenty years, the past fourteen years as an administrator.   He is married, has four children...and two dogs.

Al is certified in cognitive coaching and has completed his coursework in the Co-Active coaching certificate through the Coaches Training Institute.

The coaching work has allowed him to support the staff he works with in the public schools, as well as others who are seeking support in reaching their goals or working through challenging times.

Al is also a person who has recovered from two major bouts of depressive disorder, one of which was quite debilitating for nearly six months of his life.  Through this experience, he has become very passionate about learning more about mental health and supporting others with a mental illness, particularly men with depression. In addition to a blog, Al has a podcast in which he interviews men who have struggled with depression and/or other mental illnesses and has expanded to include “deep dive” conversations with guest experts on various topics of mental health. You can find both his blog and podcast at TheDepressionFiles.com. 

Al also speaks publicly for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and, more often, on his own. He has spoke at the Mental Health America (MHA) annual conference and recently delivered Keynote talk at Miami University. 

He currently serves in a governor-appointed position on the Minnesota State Advisory Council on Mental Health and also the State Suicide Prevention Task Force. 

Al is published in The Mighty, The Huffington Post, Psych Central, The Recovery Letters, Made for More, and was featured in Esperanza Magazine and the Minnesota Post. 

You will find Al Tweeting @allevin18 and can contact him at [email protected]