I’ve long held the belief that a small portion of extremists, about 10% on both sides, have hijacked our political system. They are the loudest and most vocal. They are driven by anger and other emotions. The traditional media cater to their behaviors because they add to the perception that America is greatly divided. That divisiveness and negativity fuel the ad revenue in the clickbate era. The politicians that would otherwise be pragmatic, moderate and level-headed feel like hostages to this loud minority. They stoke the anger and distrust which adds to the division. Because of this, they get the most airtime on the networks. This visibility brings in campaign contributions and name recognition making it nearly impossible for anyone to beat them. It’s all a game. But if we the 80% of normal good hearted people would band together and reject the fringe lunatics and take back our political process we can restore sanity and honor to the country.

This episode discusses the tragic death of Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, who died last week due to Covid-19 at 41 years of age. He leaves behind a beautiful young wife and two young adorable children. This news hit me hard, probably because of the striking similarities between me and him. I also discuss some comments that irked me after this news was made known.

You may vehemently disagree with someone, but if you know they are being their complete authentic self, respect that. Because today that is increasingly rare.

The more we value and reward authenticity, the less fake, spineless “leaders” we will have. You aren’t going to agree 100% of the time with anyone that is being completely authentic. That’s ok, that’s normal.

If you do somehow find yourself agreeing with say a political figure on everything all the time, then look in the mirror, because one of you aren’t being completely honest or authentic.

The terms mental health, treatment, therapy, or rehab have had a negative connotation in this country for as long as they have been in our lexicon. This is a shame because in reality seeking some sort of mental health care is no different than seeking physical health care. At least it shouldn’t be.

Americans have historically been terribly unhealthy. We eat the wrong things, we don’t get enough sleep, we don’t exercise and so on. We then develop symptoms that are a consequence of those decisions. This is well known and accepted as normal. But we also neglect our emotional health just as much if not more. We hear about someone seeking to better themselves in some sort of mental health therapy and we immediately think, “wow their life must be so messed up if they have to get mental help.”

The reality is, we all need help. We all need therapy, we all have struggles and battles that we fight. We all suffer from depression at times, we all develop grief and anxiety. We all experience traumatic events or periods of great loss. Most of us don’t cope well with any of those things because we simply don’t have the tools to deal with them. Instead, we suppress the feelings. We soldier on, we stay quiet, we fear what others will think if they knew the kind of things we are struggling with. The shame and stigma is overwhelming. Especially in a small town or within a small community of friends or church members. We feel the need to outwardly portray perfection or even just “normal” lives.

Not realizing that what we are really going through is normal, it is in fact no different than what our neighbors and relatives are also dealing with. The biggest problem is that we constantly compare ourselves with others. But what we see from the outside looking in, is almost never accurate. My current struggles might be different than yours, but I guarantee you’ve had just as worse trials in the past and most likely you will in the future. So let’s shatter the stigma around mental health, let’s look at it the same way we do physical ailments, let’s work to expand mental health coverage for insurance plans and let’s stop judging what we don’t understand and just choose to be kind and considerate. Compassion and sympathy is a choice.

We must shatter the stigma surrounding mental health issues. I don’t care who you are, we all struggle with emotional pain, unprocessed trauma throughout our lives. During hard times such as this, an increasing number of people find themselves living unmanageable lives. We need to get to a place in society where it’s ok to admit things aren’t so perfect behind the scenes. Whether you suffer from an addiction to hard drugs like heroin or meth, or you just struggle with common things like depression, anxiety, anger, and so on, we can all greatly benefit from processing therapy. A deep dive into each stage of your life, a searching and fearless inventory to find experiences that brought hurt and pain. Most often, we suppress those feelings and keep them hidden until circumstances arise that make them burst out. Therapy does not make one weak. In fact, being vulnerable enough to admit faults and struggles and actively taking steps to improve your life is where true strength emerges. THERAPY. GET SOME. SHATTER THE STIGMA.

I hold these truths to be self evident. Here are just a few things that I know to be true. Some of these beliefs are considered controversial. If that is the case, then so be it. I don’t care who I offend with these hot takes on some of today’s most hot button issues. Follow me on Social Media:

Twitter- https://twitter.com/taylor4arizona

Facebook- https://facebook.com/taylorforarizona

Instagram- https://instagram.com/taylorforarizona

Please leave a rating on this podcast and if you can, write a short review.

This episode is dedicated to the loving memory of my favorite amazing therapist Christine Loeber. Go to https://www.christinemloeberfoundation.org/christinesstory to learn about her wonderful life. Several traumatic experiences in High School lead to early bouts with opioid addiction, which I managed to keep at bay while answering a generational call to wartime service. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I enlisted in the US Army, surviving extensive Combat action during two tours in Afghanistan with the most elite Special Operations Forces. Transition to civilian life brought severe struggles with Post-Traumatic Stress and a vicious reemergence of my addiction.

I fought through seemingly insurmountable obstacles that included waiting months to see a mental health professional after being placed on the Phoenix VA’s scandalous secret waiting list. An outrageous arrest and incarceration on grossly unwarranted criminal charges preceded the first of several rock bottom experiences. 

This episode dives deep into the Menlo Park Chronicles. Narrowly escaping limb amputation and death from a serious bacterial infection caused by IV drug use, that spread throughout my body, gave way to miraculous redemption through the grace of Jesus Christ. Follow me on Social Media:

Twitter- https://twitter.com/taylor4arizona

Facebook- https://facebook.com/taylorforarizona

Instagram- https://instagram.com/taylorforarizona

Please leave a rating on this podcast and if you can, write a short review.

I’m excited to announce that my family and I are featured in an upcoming high-impact-Major release documentary project by a well-known film crew who has many successful and widely distributed films on Netflix, Amazon, PBS, The History Channel, and many more. They have filmed countless hours and have been shadowing our family through ups and downs these past 9 months.

I’m also pleased to announce I am putting the finishing touches/editing a memoir book I authored titled “The Hero(in) Me; an Amazing Tale of Survival and Never-Ending Cycle of Triumph and Crushing Despair." I’m currently in the process of signing with a book agent/shopping it to publishers. Some very promising prospects on that front. Nothing to report quite yet, but stay tuned! 

Check out some of the documentary crew's current wildly successful films here: 

"Is Your Story Making You Sick?" - https://www.story.movie/ 

"The Long Shadow."- http://thelongshadowfilm.com/

Follow me on Social Media:

Twitter- https://twitter.com/taylor4arizona

Facebook- https://facebook.com/taylorforarizona

Instagram- https://instagram.com/taylorforarizona

Please leave a rating on this podcast and if you can, write a short review.

***Title Picture is of my tentative book cover.***

A follow-up of episode #18 and deeper dive into parts of the story that were not explored or glossed over for sake of length and time of episode #18.

The kids are asleep, the wife is asleep. It is Black Friday late night and I am in the studio with an urge to drop a truth bomb on anyone willing to listen.