My blurred opinion

The live love method

Dale Walsh is a coach for the families of those diagnosed with schizophrenia. He has been coaching these families for several years and is the creator of the LIVELOVE method to help his clients. He is guided by the mantra “Recovery is Always an Option.” Following a thirteen-week hospitalization after being “extracted” from Dartmouth College in 1975, he was in a private psychiatric program where he was hospitalized nine times over five years. He then moved into his own unsupervised apartment and returned to college at Fairleigh Dickinson University, from where he graduated magna cum laude in English Literature. Diagnosed 50 years ago, Dale has been episode-free for the past 32. His mental health journey has evolved from total psychosis to a miraculous recovery. He has lived independently for forty years.
His website  http://www.dewlivelove.net/
 

Dopamine mountain

Andy Y. West is the author of Dopamine Mountain and Anhedonia Wastelands, books designed to hack the dopamine reward system for energy, motivation and happiness. Andy suffered severe chronic fatigue, cognitive decline and anhedonic depression for almost 4 years, however after experimenting with various hacks for rewiring the dopamine reward system, Andy made a full recovery, even learning to overcome migraine, chronic pain and overhaul the parasympathetic nervous system. Her productivity and drive ended up much greater than it had ever been.
 
Her website https://dopaminemountain.com/

Spastic chatter

This episode is with Whitney Bailey. I met her a while, looking through my feed on TikTok, and I found this wonderful woman who has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, and she was sharing her journey, very openly and honest. She talks about her struggles and her triumphs. Along with her social media, she also is a podcastor who has open conversations and interviews to spread awareness on what people with CP go through.
Her podcast https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNvT5RjStoEXvgvn-xHwj_o8AqknLIiAd
And her TikTok is https://www.tiktok.com/@wheelchairwhit?_t=ZT-8vMZ9xVAo1b&_r=1
 

I always have time for myself

This episode is with Ryan Deachman. I met him on TikTok while scrolling through my feed. I came across this guy who struggles with mental health and his disabilities, yet he stands tall and advocates through his words and music. One of his disabilities, he survived a traumatic brain injury. He also works with people with disabilities and mental health challenges. 
You can follow him on TikTok/d3achy

Winning isn't easy

In her late teens, Nancy's father was diagnosed with leukemia. As someone who witnessed firsthand the devastating emotional and financial impact on both individuals and families that being disabled and filing for benefits can have, Nancy is not just an attorney, but an empathetic presence who understands what claimants are going through. She represents people across the United States in getting their Social Security and Long-Term Disability benefits. Nancy has spent her career working tirelessly on behalf of Americans who have not received fair treatment or promised benefits. In doing so, she has written many consumer-friendly guides to disability, including The Disability Insurance Claim Survival Guide for Professionals and Your Rights to Social Security Disability Benefits. She is a National Organization of Social Security Claims Representatives (NOSSCR) member. While she has a nationwide practice, she is licensed in Florida and the District of Columbia I had the opportunity to ask Nancy numerous questions regarding Social Security disability, and she was incredibly helpful throughout. Her answers were thorough, and clear, and demonstrated a deep understanding of the subject. She was patient and attentive, making sure all my concerns were addressed. Nancy's assistance truly made a complex topic much easier to navigate.
Website https://caveylaw.com
Listen to her podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/winning-isnt-easy-long-term-disability-erisa-claims/id1529937679
 

Hi Im Sam

This episode is with Samantha Vanalstyne. She is a disability advocate, author, and a good human overall. She talks about the inspiration for her books, living on her own, being a wheelchair, user, and much more. She was one of those people that caught my eye on TikTok, because she was being so open about her disability, and though she struggles as we all do, she refuses to let anything break her.
 
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=Nfe0GXn51tIJduBL5rM5bV7fyh5FfAZ8fkhiBLczap8
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=7hotO7WyeEQlFHjy4FbPUba59oNvMst94AoS0n5Po0f

Achieving mental health for real

Robert Adelman is a  65-year-old male with ADHD, OCD, severe depression, severe anxiety, and dyslexia. He struggled for 40 years working in the high-pressured Information technology field. Even though it was good money, his x-wife and he didn't have much luck in the financial department. ​In 1991, at the age of 33, was when the severe anxiety attack occurred, and the support system was not there to handle it. So, he checked himself in to a mental hospital in Piscataway, NJ. That started my long road to recovery. After the attack, he  severely depressed and anxious for 6 months. His childhood seemed normal to me, but I now know that he was born with ADHD and anxiety in the form of worry. he found many things scary. Even then he was an analyzer, he analyzed everybody and everything. ​I hope you really enjoy Bob story, because he's an absolute fighter, great person to talk to.
HIs website https://bobadleman.wixsite.com/otrmentalhealth

The one and only Miss Jackie

This episode is with someone I met at work, her name is Jacqueline Caesar and she's a very interesting person. When you first get to know her, you immediately know that she is her own individual, and there's no one like her. Take it or leave it she says how she really feels, and for someone like me I absolutely respect that. In the episode, we talk about the stroke she had, and how it has changed life for her. We talk about advocacy, mental health, it's so much more.

There's no hiding the chair

Tima is a guy I met through work. I heard a lot about him through other people, so I figured I'd try to introduce myself, and here he is. He was born in Russia, and he has spina bifida. In the episode, he talked about his condition, maintaining a decent weight, mental health, advocacy, independence, and more. Tima is a very strong individual, and I have so much respect for him as a person and a disability warrior.

You don't need vision to be a visionary.

With 40 years experience in the world of low vision and injury trauma, Bob Williams shares powerful and personal insights with those affected by visual impairments either directly or indirectly. Whether in the public domain or the private sector, Bob advocates for the sight loss community. He also advises and consults with organizations who want to be more inclusive of the visually impaired. Bob is a  survivor of a gun shot injury that caused the loss of his right eye and heavily damaged his left eye, Bob has spent over 40 years living in the half seen world of low vision. His experiences will help inform and connect persons interested and/or inflicted by visual impairment.
His website  https://www.resilientvisionconsulting.com