Hope Starts With Us

In this key episode, NAMI explores how becoming a parent brings many changes to anyone’s life. To add to the changes, balancing new or forthcoming parenthood with mental health conditions might feel difficult. 

Guest host Barb Solish, NAMI’s National Director of Innovation, is joined by Kate Kennedy-Lynch, NAMI Director of External Relations, and Alessandra Torresani, actress, podcast host, and NAMI Ambassador. They discuss their own lived experiences navigating mental health conditions before, during, and after their pregnancies, sharing what they’ve learned throughout their mental health journeys. Finally, they share ways they’ve found to balance mental health and parenthood for Mental Health Awareness Month and Maternal Mental Health Month.

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. 

Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.

Joshua Bassett, popular musician and actor best known for his role in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” joins the podcast for an exploration into coming of age under constant evaluation. Joshua’s new book, “Rookie: My Public, Private, and Secret Life,” was released this week, published as Mental Health Awareness Month begins. As a young person struggling with anxiety and addiction, Joshua learned that the journey to recovery is often not linear. In this episode, listeners will hear NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. and Joshua discuss the keys to Joshua’s recovery, how acting in a high-profile show impacted his identity and growth, the ways art surpasses performance and becomes survival, the role of hope in his healing journey, and more. 

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. 

Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.

This episode of “Hope Starts With Us” features NAMI’s Director of Field Resource Development Mary Sorensen. Through this conversation, listeners will learn about NAMIWalks, NAMI’s community-driven fundraising event happening nationwide. This discussion will highlight the importance of community mental health events, the power of coming together with our neighbors, how to get involved, and more. 

 Sign up for a NAMIWalks near you today!

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. 

Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.

For the 100th episode of “Hope Starts With Us,” NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. is joined by outgoing Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ken Duckworth and Dr. Christine Crawford, our incoming chief medical officer. Together, the trio explores the past and future of mental health care. During their conversation, they cover pressing topics in mental health care today, the futures they hope for, and how NAMI is guiding the path forward. 

Listeners can find both "You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health" by Dr. Ken Duckworth and "You Are Not Alone For Parents and Caregivers: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Your Child’s Mental Health" by Dr. Christine Crawford online via NAMI's website. 

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. 

Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.

In this two-part episode, we explore the experience of living with bipolar disorder in recognition of World Bipolar Day on March 30. NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. talks with four incredible people with bipolar disorder diagnoses to understand how they manage their mental health, how it fuels their work, and ways they push against mental health stigma. In part one, we’re joined by filmmaker Paul Dalio and NAMI Board of Directors Treasurer Barbara Ricci. After a short break, part two features a conversation with author and filmmaker Sara Schley alongside Dr. Devika Bhushan, also a member of NAMI’s board of directors. Through this episode, we hope that listeners learn about bipolar disorder and engage with the art discussed throughout these conversations.   

Learn more about Paul Dalio’s work at https://pauldalio.com/ 

Find out how to catch “BrainStorm” for World Bipolar Day at https://brainstormthefilm.com/ 

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. 

Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.

NAMI released its third annual workplace mental health poll yesterday. In this episode, NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison Jr. is joined by Brit Wanstrath, manager of workplace mental health for NAMI. As they explore the key findings from the poll release, listeners will find out what makes employees feel comfortable talking about mental health at work, the scale of burnout impacting American workers, the importance of mental health workplace trainings, and more. With the information from this year’s NAMI-Ipsos Workplace Mental Health poll, companies can begin making plans for increased support for their employees. 

Learn more at nami.org/MentalHealthAtWork2026

Find the new NAMI StigmaFree workplace training, You Can Ask by NAMI, online now. 

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. 

Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.

In honor of National Criminal Justice Month, “Hope Starts With Us” is guest hosted by NAMI’s Chief Advocacy Officer Hannah Wesolowski in conversation with NAMI’s Director of Criminal Justice Policy and Initiatives Shannon Scully. The two explore NAMI’s advocacy to end the criminalization of mental illness and creating avenues for help, not handcuffs. Through this episode, listeners will learn about our criminal justice policy priorities, the need for more support and resources, how to get involved in NAMI’s National Criminal Justice Month and Overlooked campaigns, plus the brand-new resource “Navigating the Criminal Justice System.” Listen now and learn how you can get involved today.

Episode links:

• National Criminal Justice Month
• NAMI's Overlooked campaign
• NAMI's new resource: "Navigating the Criminal Justice System"

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. 

Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.

From February 23 through March 1, 2026, NAMI joins the National Alliance for Eating Disorders in challenging stigma about eating disorders and supporting recovery. In this episode, NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. is joined by McCall Dempsey, founder of Southern Smash, and Alexandra Miles, Founder and CEO of Project Blackbird. They will explore the connections between their work engaging young people, embracing self-acceptance as part of recovery, and what it means to shed shame about mental health and eating disorders. This episode highlights lived experiences with eating disorders and stigma reduction efforts. 

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. 

Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.

At this year’s Big Game, NAMI extended our partnership with Dan Marino’s Stay Healthy Zone and announced a new yearlong partnership with Off The Field NFL Wives Association. In this episode, NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison Jr. talks with President of Off The Field NFL Wives Association, Tenisha Patterson Brown. They discuss what led her to mental health advocacy, the unique experiences of NFL players and their spouses, caregiving for a loved one with mental health conditions, and more. 

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. 

Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.

At NAMI, we know that sharing stories about mental health conditions helps reduce stigma still held by far too many. In this episode, NAMI CEO Dan Gillison is joined by award-winning documentary producer-writer-director Frank Kosa. Frank is also an executive producer of the podcast “Brain Stories,” which demonstrates commitment to changing mainstream culture by creating awareness and caring for people living with mental health conditions. During Dan and Frank’s conversation, listeners will hear about NAMI family education courses, the impact of sharing stories, and how storytelling can change minds and culture. 

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. 

Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.