July 01, 2025

A Mental Health Journey: Sobriety, Panic Attacks & Finding Purpose

1 hour 15 minutes

Ep. 55 | Climbing Mental Mountains: One Man’s Mission to Make Mental Health Help More Accessible

Warning: This episode includes discussion of depression, suicidal thoughts, and mental health struggles. It's raw and real, but also filled with hope, healing, and the power of showing up for yourself (and others).

We’re talking about climbing mental mountains, the kind you don’t see on a map.

In this episode, my friend Keith Batenhorst shares his experience with scaling mountains, from panic attacks and self-medication to scaling Grand Teton, Mount Whitney, and Kilimanjaro.

But this isn’t just about the peaks. It’s about the valleys in between and how Keith found his purpose in building the Mental Mountains Project, a nonprofit that helps others access life-saving therapy by covering the costs.

We talk about what it means to show up when everything inside you says to quit, and how choosing vulnerability and community over perfection can change the entire trajectory of a life. Or in Keith’s case, many lives.

🎧In this episode:
[03:30] Mental health journey begins: Panic attacks, isolation & self-medication
[20:45] The turning point: A mentor, a goal, and Grand Teton
[50:00] Reaching the summit… and waking up the next day
[58:30] From pain to purpose: The Mental Mountain Project
[1:12:15] Miles for Mental Health + fundraising with heart

If you’ve ever felt lost, stuck, or unsure how to keep going, this one’s for you.

It’s about the grit that lives inside all of us. The kind that doesn’t just conquer mountains, it climbs them again and again; not because it’s easy, but because it matters.

BIO:
Keith is the founder of the non-profit Mental Mountains Project, an organization that raises money and awareness for those who can’t afford therapy services. Keith is an aspiring endurance athlete who entered the mountaineering and endurance world in an effort to overcome his own self-limiting beliefs on what he was capable of, while inspiring a community of people burdened by their own self-doubts that they’re capable of still pursuing their dreams. Keith lives by the motto of “showing up,” believing that by consistently choosing his attitude and effort, he can help create a world where all things are possible—for himself and for others.

🌄 Learn More + Get Involved
👉 Follow Keith’s journey and support the mission:
🌐 www.mentalmountainsproject.org
📸 Instagram: www.instagram.com/keithbatenhorst
💸 Donate or join the Miles for Mental Health movement: mentalmountainsproject.org/miles-4-mental-health

Episode webpage: jenhellerlifestyle.com/2025/07/01/a-mental-health-journey-sobriety-panic-attacks-finding-purpose/