Above Ground Podcast

"We don't get drunk in the moment or get waterlogged in the ocean, of it." says Jeff Brisbin about his son Josh. Jeff's family lost Josh ten years ago to suicide. Josh lives on in their memory and under the Joshua Tree. They share the same old moon. 

Jeff Brisbin, a Singer/Songwriter from Saratoga Springs, NY is our guest this week. Jeff's youngest of three sons and second to youngest child died by suicide nearly ten years ago. Jeff was the first person to kiss his son coming into this world and upon his departure. 

Community Hospice offered the Brisbin family grief counseling. If you are struggling, click the link for the hospice grief support information to find your county. 

You can find Jeff online at www.jeffbrisbin.com

You can stream Jeff Brisbin on Spotify

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It sucks to be honest and it hurts to be real. Shadow Days are never behind us. They are quietly waiting under the water like a great white, waiting to attack it’s next meal and leaving our psyche in tatters on the floor. 

Carl Jung coined the concept of the shadow. The shadow consists of all the parts of ourselves we don’t like. We push those parts deep into our unconscious psyches. Until a wave of projection finds us surfing in anger, jealousy or guilt. 

Until we face the shadow, we will bring to life what we don't like.. We must friend the parts of ourselves we do not like. A human divided cannot stand. We are all yin/yang. We must confront the shadow and bring to light its darkness and bond with the black.

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Everyone experiences the Symptoms of the Universe. Hannah Stainer realized that depression is an electrifying enemy, but standing up for yourself is swimming into a magic ocean. 

Hannah is the creator of Psykhe Mental Wellbeing Podcast. She is a Wellbeing Coach, Teacher, Podcaster, Mental Health Advocate & Artist. This week she speaks with Will & TPP about depression, life, suicide, empathy, Black Sabbath and podcasting. 

You can find Hannah's episodes twice weekly on Apple Podcasts Spotify  & Google Podcasts 

You can connect with Hannah on the socials Facebook, Instagram & Twitter 

Thank you for listening to this episode. If you're liking what you hear please consider making a donation via our PayPal.me at Above Ground Podcast

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Until we meet again, be well be safe be ABOVE

When you’re tired of having to be strong  for strength’s sake and feeling overwhelmed, we can become reluctant to hear the calling of the hero in our story. 

Heroes don’t all wear capes and come from every where. F.E.A.R. keeps us stuck and comfort is a cozy place where dreams go to die. Our dreams. Our trials become endurance building exercises. 

Will is a necessary tool to possess in your bat belt. The willingness to do something can defeat the monsters of reluctance and resistance. Slay your dragons. 

This episode covers a lot of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. It was the source of everything we love about so many of of our favorite movies. 

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Silence only strengthens stigma, but Rob Leathen  is here to dowse that fire with a hose full of truth and experience. He speaks openly and honestly about his struggles and the source of pain for many of our dispatchers who simply just can’t un-hear things people should not hear.

We often think of the first line response we see on a fire or accident call. We forget there are human beings answering these calls to send teams where they need to go. We forget the first voice we hear in a distress call is voice of a trained individual who’s job it is to stay cool and perform under pressure to relieve our pain. But, who relieves their issues when they keep hearing horrendous fear and despair. 

Rob has 28 years of service. Starting out in dispatch outside of Toronto, Ontario Canada. He has been a firefighter, captain and became platoon chief of Central York Fire Services. 

Therapy, art and writing have helped Rob get his PTSD and depression in check and though he still has bad days, the good days are greater in number.  He is minimizing his distress with EMDR. 

You can find Rob’s visceral visuals at 

Leathen.ca 

It's not always about you. Holding space is not judging, fixing, or adding your experience. The Space Between is making it about someone else, because I have all the time for you, love. 

We have a lot of trouble in not making it about ourselves. It is especially hard to make a non-judgmental place for an individual that has placed a burden on you. We are wired to take, want and seek from others. We enter with judgements, views and the urge to have our needs filled. 

SPMIs often make a mountain out of an ant hill. As peers we are often asked to just be there for someone. It is often easier to make room for strangers that don't play a role in your show. It is at times easier said than done. 

Vulnerability is a trait necessary to open oneself without making it about you. Uncomfortable feelings often arise. But, we don't have to be afraid or think we need the answers. No answers are a prerequisite. Heather Plett, wrote a seminal book, The Art of Holding Space. Her blog post, What it Means to Hold Space was an eye opener for us during this episode. 

This episode ends abruptly, following the air being sucked out of the room, but more so because of a technical issue. It's not you, it's us.

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Are you ready for real conversations about mental wellness, mental illness and everything in between? We are Will & TPP! Welcome to Above Ground Podcast.

A weekly conversation between two not so normal dudes, talking about not so normal things. Normalizing things like suicide, mental health, depression, anxiety and all of the spectrum that covers mental wellness to mental illness.

We are giving the PEERspective, not the PROspective. Join us every Wednesday for a new episode everywhere you pod.

Be well, be safe be Above...

Victoria, B.C.'s Kelly Conrad is a blogger, BeachBody enthusiast and complex PTSD 'thriver'. The universe dumped the trash bin of her life, forcing her to pick up and examine every piece. We hear her story of overcoming the Negative Olympics to living a grateful, healed and purposeful life.

Complex PTSD can develop in response to prolonged, repeated experience of interpersonal trauma. Causing difficulty controlling emotions, feeling very angry or distrustful to the world. 

Following a severe traumatic brain injury in 2017, she experienced grave emotional dysregulation. We hear about a vicious attack, the loss of a pregnancy and a marriage. Forced to confront traumatic experiences from childhood that amplified attachment issues and in need of answers, she made the decision to do the work.

With the help of EMDR, Shaun T's Fitness program and the writings of Brené Brown, Kelly picked up the pieces and wandered her way into health and healing. 

We talk about secure attachment or lack thereof. We introduce you to the Fab Four of mental illness; bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder and complex PTSD. Kelly introduces us to a new, necessary read by psychotherapist, educator and author Ross Rosenburg titled, The Human Magnet Syndrome. 

The world is full of landmines and a lack of self love can lead us into being a dissociative disaster. Kelly is an example of recycling trash into a work of art. Kelly blogs at

https://iwontgospeechless.wordpress.com

If you are digging what you hear every week, you can support us by purchasing a tee or hoodie from our friends at Close Knit Co. Dan and Natalie are screen printing some cool one of a kind tees, crops, tanks and hoodies. Check them out and tell them you heard it here.

You can also donate via our PayPalMe page. All the donations go to keeping us releasing new episodes and will allow us to grow. We thank all those who have supported us thus far. We are forever grateful.

Until we meet again...be Well, be Safe, be ABOVE

This week Will & TPP hold the line and discuss boundaries. Boundaries are lines that are created by you for you. Guidelines or limits we create to identify more reasonable ways for people to treat us. Boundaries can be flexible and help foster self esteem. 

There are intellectual, physical and emotional types of boundaries. Not everyone will adhere to your boundaries. You may not, either. Communication is paramount and self awareness is a warm coat to wear in the storm of crossing those plains. 

You can help support the pod through our PayPal Me account or you pick up some swag from Close Knit Co. and where your show love anywhere with our black tee or grey hoodie. We are quickly approaching episode 100. Hard to believe. Keep an eye out as we get closer. Until we meet again be Well, be Safe, be ABOVE

'Tori', our guest this week. has lost a daughter, only after a few weeks of life. Survived cancer. With her son, humor, community and love of life helping her tread and fight her way back to shore. 

 Tori talks openly about her mental health. The feelings of shame and malfunction. The door into the long hall of grief that leads to a window looking out at sunflowers under a glorious, warm sunshine. 

In times of great agony, and grief, drowning is not an option. Humor can buoy us, but for only so long. The human condition tries dragging us into the depths. Tori has played many characters in this tragic comedy of life. She has swum with the sharks. 

Tori wishes to give a huge shout out to the Pediatric Palliative Care Team at the Albany Medical Center.  Dr. Joanne Porter and her team were integral members of Tori's care team. 

Thank you to our listeners. We appreciate you checking out the episodes. You can now support the show via a donation on our Above Ground Podcast/PayPal 

be Well, be Safe, be Above