Welcome back to Consider Yourself Hugged! Click here to listen to Episode 130. OR click YouTube below to watch! (***Disclaimer: We provide these notes as a skeleton for the show - nothing fancy 😄)
First.... welcome to our 1st episode with your 3 co-hosts! Tami, Michelle, and Gracey are all so excited to launch this new chapter in the podcast! At the end of today's notes, you'll find our bios with contact info. Thanks for being with us, and now.. on to the show!
Living with a Diagnosis: What Does it Mean?
A diagnosis of any kind can leave us feeling alone, afraid, and lost.
In today’s show we talk about coming together for one another and realizing we are never alone in our struggles.
Mental Health Statistics per Mental Health America
50 million Americans live with mental illness in the US
21 million adults live with Major Depressive Disorder in the US
3.3 million adults live with Bipolar Disorder
19 million Americans live with a substance use disorder
42.5 million Americans live with an anxiety disorder
12 million adults live with PTSD
1.5 million Americans live with Schizophrenia
This isn’t even including diagnosis such as eating disorders, OCD and ADHD.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN YOUR STRUGGLE
A diagnosis is a starting point, a pathway to understanding a struggle better. It does not define you.
Resources National Alliance of Mental Illness
Thanks for joining today! As we’ve always asked in the past, please pass the show link along to your friends and subscribe, download, and review wherever you are listening. If you’re a woman and you haven’t joined our private FB group A Place for Women, please do that now! It’ll be your source of encouragement.
And until next time, Consider Yourself Hugged 😘🤗
Michelle Kixmiller, MSN, MAE, RN, APN, PMHNP-BC Michelle Kixmiller is a Board Certified
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Licensed Educator. She works with children and adults with mental health needs including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Michelle served as a public school teacher and science department chair for over a decade when a family tragedy pulled her in a different direction. The death of her younger brother after a multiple year battle with depression and alcoholism led her to pursue a career in the mental health field. She went back to school to become a registered nurse graduating and gaining experience as a critical care nurse at a level 1 regional burn center prior to completing a graduate degree to become a mental health nurse practitioner. Her vision is holistic care through teamwork to create a more peaceful school environment for students and staff alike. No one should have to struggle alone. Michelle currently works full time for a non-profit community mental health center at an outpatient clinic and works PRN for an inpatient crisis stabilization unit. When not at work she loves spending time with family, traveling, watching movies (not scary ones), running (slowly), and Crossfit. Contact Michelle at Silver Lining Psychiatric Solutions, 615-378-7713 or mkixmill@gmail.com.
Grace Lichtenstein, MS is award-winning international speaker/trainer, coach, and a huge fan of all things nap-related. For the last 20 years, I have been working with individuals and corporate teams to improve their health, become more productive, and reduce their stress. Through my training in both Western and Eastern wellness philosophies (including an MS in Counseling Psychology), I truly has a comprehensive view of "what works". In addition, my diverse experience working with thousands of people in 49 states and in 2 foreign countries (ranging from native New Yorkers to Native Alaskans and from the FBI to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), has allowed my to pinpoint some of the universal characteristics of successful individuals and teams. Contact Gracey at grace@graceandsuccess.com.
Through my signature online programs or with one of my live training topics, I have the tools to help almost every individual and team reach their true potential. In addition, I am skilled at providing an exceptional learning experience based on client needs whether it be live onsite, webinar, a customized learning management system, email tutorials, or individualized life or executive coaching.
Tami West, PhD Stress and Mental Health Expert Dr. Tami West uses her entertaining and
compelling style to shine a new light on how to transform your life and discover solutions to life’s challenges. Her passion stems from a lifelong battle with an anxiety disorder which has uniquely equipped her to teach, encourage, and motivate others.
Tami has worked in a variety of industries including healthcare, school nutrition, corporate sales, and 10 years as a public-school teacher. In 2013 she received her PhD in Human Development, studying the connections among stress, emotions, and identity. She is so passionate about removing the mental health stigma that she recently became a certified Mental Health First Aid instructor.
Dr. West has spoken in 48 states across the US, as well as the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. In any given year, Tami speaks to groups with audiences consisting of anywhere from 100 to 3,000 people.
Her audiences are diverse and include Danbury Federal Prison inmates, teachers, administrative assistants, food service, and senior executives at Social Security Administration.
Dr. West is the author of several successful publications including two books: The Stress Club, Life Without the Monsters and Thrive. She is a mother of eight in a blended family and enjoys reading historical fiction, traveling with her husband Tim and family, and watching The Big Bang Theory.
Contact Tami at tamiwest@tamiwest.com or follow her at Tami West Seminars.