I'll Go First® with Jessica Minhas

For many of us, our early 20s are a time to find ourselves and figure out where we fit in this world. But Jennifer and Kevin Saunders didn’t have that chance. At age 23 years old, Jennifer gave birth to her first son, Isaiah, at 23 weeks - four months preterm. This meant she and her husband, Kevin, Founder of KS4Inspiration, spent the first three years of their son’s life living at the hospital. Literally. Nine years later, Jennifer and Kevin share their journey through overwhelm, anxiety, depression, and compassion fatigue. They are candid and open about how they made their marriage work despite the demands of raising a child with cerebral palsy and ultimately how they found their noble goals in the midst of all it. Jennifer also shares available resources for parents and loved ones that have helped them raise their special needs child and why going to therapy was the right choice for her and her family. 

Goodies from this episode: 

Keep up with Jennifer and Kevin's organization, KS4Inspiration: https://www.ks4inspiration.com/

Watch Kevin's spoken word poem, "The Design": https://youtu.be/MNWin2IbnBU 

Connect with Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-saunders1

Need support now? Text GOFIRST to 741741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7 for free. 

Have a suggestion? Don't be shy! Say "Hi" at [email protected]

Matthew Zachary, Founder of Stupid Cancer, and Off Scrip Media, was only 21-years old when he was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer. Matthew walks us through his journey of how his life changed after his diagnosis, how he started the largest young adult cancer organization, Stupid Cancer, and how having no control over our lives gives us the perspective we need to find peace. 

Goodies from this episode: 

Listen to Matt's podcast, "Out of Patients": https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feed/id1482032829

Check out Matt's podcast network, Off Scrip Media: https://offscrip.com/page/

Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewzachary

Have a suggestion? Don't be shy! Say "Hi" at [email protected]

Need support now? Text GOFIRST to 741741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7 for free. 

In this episode, Michelle Ross, Founder of One Worry Less, speaks honestly and candidly about her experience of surviving childhood sexual abuse. She shares how she’s found healing, made meaning of her story and how we can see the signs and keep our children safe. This is a hard conversation so please be advised, while we don’t go into detail, we speak frankly about the impact of childhood sexual abuse in our lives. Check-in with yourself and please be considerate of those who may be listening around you.

Goodies from this episode:

Support for survivors of child sexual abuse:

https://www.rainn.org/articles/adult-survivors-child-sexual-abuse

Need support now? Text GOFIRST to 741741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7 for free. 

Have a suggestion? Don't be shy! We'd love to hear from you. Say "Hello" at [email protected]

Depression can be overwhelming, and all-consuming. But it’s not the end of our stories. J Caleb Perkins, Founder of the Remedy Network, sits down with us to discuss his journey from college graduation, through depression to ultimately finding his purpose in criminal justice reform. After learning about Kalief Browder’s story Perkins realized how powerful our voices are - both for our own stories - and changing the lives of others. Learn how he overcame depression, boldly stepped into his calling, and how you can cultivate your purpose too.

Goodies from this episode:

Connect with J Caleb Perkins here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/j-caleb-perkins-aa557b53/

Follow J Caleb Perkins here: https://www.instagram.com/jcaleb/

Purchase J Caleb Perkin's book,  Remedy Network: A Millennial's Journey on Connecting New York City Through Stories, here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1984030914/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Learn about and support Remedy Network here: http://www.remedynetwork.com/

Listen to more I'll Go First podcast episodes at: https://www.illgofirst.com/podcast

P.S. Have an idea for us? Don’t be shy. We want to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected]

How do we care for ourselves while caring for others? Ruth Reader is a journalist for Fast Company and a NY Times published author. She grew up in a household of addiction and alcoholism. As soon as Ruth began her career, the unexpected happened. Her mother was dying from cancer. She takes us on her journey of caring for her abusive mother in her final days and how she learned to love herself in spite of tragedy.  

Goodies from this episode: 

Read Ruth's work at www.ruthreader.com

Follow Ruth on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ruthreader

Connect with Ruth at: www.linkedin.com/in/ruthreader

Listen to more I'll Go First podcast episodes at www.illgofirst.com/podcast

P.S. Have an idea for us? Don’t be shy. We want to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected]

Think back to the moment that changed everything for you. What was it like? And what happened after? Kyle Mengelkamp is a brain aneurysm survivor. He’s also the Founder of the Brain Bar and Share Your Stroke of Genius. On this episode, he joins us to talk about how his stroke gave him a new life and how you can find your moment of triumph.

Goodies mentioned in this episode: 

Find Share Your Stroke of Genius online: https://www.shareyourstrokeofgenius.org/

Share Your Stroke of Genius on Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/shareyourstrokeofgenius

Attend The Brain Bar: https://www.instagram.com/The_Brain_Bar

Find Kyle Mengelkamp on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylemengelkamp 

In crisis? Text GOFIRST to speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7 for free. 

P.S. Have an idea for us? Don’t be shy. We want to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected]

Who would shut down your online dating profile if you died today? After losing her father to cancer when she was nine, Liz cultivated a unique ability to talk about taboo topics with ease. Founder of Lantern, an end-of-life planning tool, Liz shares with us how to heal from loss and plan for death.

Books mentioned in this episode:

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

Connect with Liz at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-eddy-6664ba27

Learn more about Lantern at:

https://www.lantern.co

https://www.instagram.com/followlantern/

Learn more about I'll Go First at https://www.illgofirst.com/podcast

In crisis? Text GOFIRST to speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7 for free. 

Have a suggestion? Don't be shy! Say "Hi" at [email protected]

Hip Hop Therapy? Yup, it's a real thing! In this episode, clinical psychologist, Elliot Gann, Psy.D joins us. He the Founder of Today's Future Sound which provides beat-making trauma therapy. We talk about how hip hop therapy works, what led him into the field of psychology and what the future holds for alternative modalities for trauma care.

Connect with Dr. Gann at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-gann-psy-d-17463030/

You can learn more about Dr. Gann's work at

Today's Future Soun: https://todaysfuturesound.org/

Learn more about I'll Go First at https://www.illgofirst.com/podcast

In crisis? Text GOFIRST to speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7 for free. 

Have a suggestion? Don't be shy. Say hi at [email protected]

Amanda Burrill was told she was suffering from depression and anxiety for over a decade. What she was really suffering from was a misdiagnosis. In this episode, Amanda, a veteran Navy officer, and professional endurance athlete, teaches us the importance of fighting for your right to live a healthy life. We discuss what to do when we are told our symptoms and experiences aren’t real, how to get the help you need and deserve, and how Amanda's perspective on what success looks like has changed following her injuries. 

Goodies from this episode:

Connect with Amanda at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandaburrill/ 

Follow Amanda's adventures at: https://www.instagram.com/amandauncharted

Learn more about I'll Go First at https://www.illgofirst.com/podcast

Have a suggestion? Don't be shy. Say "Hi" at [email protected]

Welcome to I’ll Go First! We are so excited to have Derrick Reyes joining us for our very first episode! They are the Founder of Queerly Health, a New York City-based digital health startup on a mission to democratize access to LGBTQ health and wellness care. Today’s conversation is vulnerable and inspiring. Derrick shares what finding their identity as a non-gender-confirming person has looked like and how they have learned to carry themselves with confidence. Derrick shares what motivated them to start Queerly Health and how to have important conversations on delicate subjects with the loved ones in your lives. 

Goodies from this episode: 

You can learn more about Derrick's work: https://www.queerly.health/about

Find support: https://www.thetrevorproject.org 

In crisis? Text GOFIRST to 741741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor for free 24/7.

Have an idea for an episode? Someone we should interview? Something we should be talking about? Say hi! [email protected]