Beyond Well with Sheila Hamilton

This is a "No Stone Unturned" episode we recorded in 2019 with filmaker Lucy Winer.

On June 21, 1967, at the age of 17, Lucy Winer was committed to the female violent ward of Kings Park State Hospital following a series of failed suicide attempts. Over 30 years later, now a veteran documentary filmmaker, Lucy returned to Kings Park for the first time since her discharge. Her meetings with other former patients, their families, and the hospital staff reveal the painful legacy of our state hospital system and the crisis left by its demise.

We speak to Lucy about her project "Unlocked stories of mental health care".

Enjoy.

No Stone unturned.

This episode was originally released in September 2019.

Sarah Smith is an activist with Mind Freedom International championing human rights in the mental health system.

Enjoy.

This is a fun revisit from 2019.

It's part of the "No Stone Unturned" series where we listen back to an episode from days of yore. This one is with Kiah Stern.

Kiah Stern was (and is) an actress working out of Portland, New York, Chicago and L.A.

Kiah joined us in studio with Dr. Goff and Dr. LeJune and speaks candidly about the jumping headlong into a career that can be tough on one's ego and self esteem.

Enjoy.

This is a "No Stone Untruned" episode from 2019 with the amazing C. Lamar Frizzell. An expert in the field of behavioral healthcare for over 20 years.

When we caught up with him, C. Lamar Frizzell was CEO of Cedar Hills Hospital. Before that, he held a similar role at Willow Creek Behavioral Health located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Oakwood Springs, Perimeter Behavioral Hospital of Jackson... the list goes on. As we speak today in 2025, he has just been named CEO of Recovery Centers of America in the Capitol region located in Maryland.

Frizzell brings practical experience as a line-staff member and is educated in the fields of both Mental Health and Divinity In this interview, Sheila talks with Frizzell about the enormous pressure facing psychiatric hospitals because of an explosion of people in crisis. There are never enough beds, care is complicated, and psychiatric doctors and nurses are in short supply. Frizzell’s personal history growing up in a home where mental health problems were abundant informs his compassion and empathy for people in crisis.

As part of our "No Stone Unturned" series, we present to you a great interview from 2019 with our guest Lindy West.

Lindy West is an American writer, comedian, and activist. She is the author of the essay collections Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman and The Witches Are Coming and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times. Topics she writes about include feminism, popular culture, and the fat acceptance movement.

Enjoy.

Dr. Leigh Vinocur spent years in emergency rooms listening to people complain of heart trouble, stomach distress, and difficulty breathing. Often times, the patient never recognized the culprit: sustained and toxic stress. In Dr. Vinocur’s new book, Never Let Them See you Sweat, she breaks down the physical impact of years of toxic stress on the body and mind.

• Stress isn’t always a villain. Dr. Vinocur talks about how stress can sometimes help us—and when it starts to hurt us.

• What actually happens to our brains when we’re under long-term stress.

• A lot of people think stress is just a mental thing—but how does it show up in our bodies.

• How long-term stress plays into mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, or burnout.

• The ‘double whammy’ of being sick and stressed.

• The mind body connection—what does that mean about reversing stress?

• Evidence based ways to reduce stress in your life.

This is a revisit from 2019.

In this episode we spoke in studio to Author Lidia Yuknavitch about her life, the shadow of trauma, and the life of an artist/writer.

Lidia also talks about her memoir, “The Chronology of Water" and how small acts of creating saved her life.

At the time, Lidia dropped the secret that the film was going to be directed by Kristen Stewart and starring Imogen Poots as Lidia. 

Well, this year the film dropped at the Cannes film festival to much acclaim. The film follows Lidia's journey from childhood trauma and abuse to finding her voice through writing.

Since you'll be seeing the movie soon, we thought it might be fun to revist this show.

Enjoy.

A No Stone Untruned episode from 2019.

Leslie Barber, Grief Warrior.

Fear of death is natural, fear of grief shouldn't be.

Our culture is not good at handling grief. We have a habit of denying death and pretending it won't happen to us. We suggest that people move on, buck up, and forget. Grief is a misunderstood emotion, especially when it happens to us.

When you eliminate the assumptions of grief, and build respect for its process, you recognize and respect grief for its natural state. You become a Grief Warrior.

Author Laura Stanfill joins Beyond Well to talk about

how our mental health is impacted by our creative outlets.

Laura is the publisher of Forest Avenue press as well as two books; Imagine a door., A writers guide to unlocking your story, and Singing Lessons for the Stylish Canary.

You will love her insight on creativity during turmoil, knowing the interior of our minds and how to settle in to creativity as a grounding, life-sustaining force.

Enjoy.

This show is from 2019.

No Stone Unturned.

Laryssa Birdseye offers a fresh sound with a timeless presentation, a seamless mix of pop and jazz, with a palpable Hip Hop feel.

Enjoy.