September is Suicide Awareness Month. As someone who's experienced suicidal ideation and mental health challenges through the years, I feel this is the best time to have some bold conversations around complex mental health issues. 

You see, a few brave souls reached out to me after watching my story of struggle on the World's Toughest Race. And those raw conversations with them have put me in a place where I feel the need to understand these topics beyond my own experiences. 

Today, I’m bringing in an expert, Dr. Josephine McNary, a board-certified general psychiatrist. She and her entire team at CalPsychiatry specialize in medication management, particularly focusing on the use of complementary medicine for mood and anxiety disorders.

I wanted to dive deeper into those issues to raise awareness, especially how we, as athletes, need to think about mental health and wellness. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• The mental health stigma within ourselves
• Why it’s hard for society to accept mental illness
• The hierarchy of struggle
• The collective trauma people are experiencing during COVID times
• Is my struggle worth it?
• When to start seeking help and how to navigate the first step
• Who to go to: psychiatrists vs. psychologists and other therapists
• What is the best therapy out there?
• Defining depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and passive suicidal thoughts
• Depression and anxiety among athletes
• The role of coaches and training partners

Join the adventure!

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I’d love for you to subscribe to my podcast. Each week, Tales of Toughness takes a deep dive into how to overcome limiting beliefs, developing awareness into why you compete, and understanding what makes high-performers tick. The goal is to help develop more confidence and toughness both mentally and physically.

If you’re feeling really generous, I’d love for you to give me a review over on iTunes. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps me out a ton!

If you really enjoyed this episode, we've created a PDF that has all of the key information for you from the episode. Just go to the episode page at https://gosonja.com/podcast​ to download it.

Supporting Resources:

www.calpsychiatry.com 

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/calpsychiatry-presents-mindstories/id1501515784

https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/the-weight-of-gold 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provide free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please keep their number in your wallet, in your drawer, or at your bedside. You may not need it, but you might need to give it to a friend. 

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Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com