In this episode, Ana shares her story of being born in Queens, NY to Dominican parents: a loving mother who cared for her as best as she knew how and a father who abandoned her before she was born. She tells of her experience of growing up in an urban area on the North Shore of Massachusetts amidst the distractions of a bustling city and still challenging herself to strive in her academics to achieve the opportunity for a full scholarship to her reach school, Northeastern University! Throughout all of this, she struggled with and overcame PTSD before later launching a career as a clinical counselor and therapist, in the midst of successfully juggling the roles of being a wife and now a mother of 3.
Ana most recently published her first book, From Survival Mode to Greatness in which she details her experience of overcoming PTSD along with tips and resources for others, and she is also the host of her new podcast, The Community Well. Be sure to check out all of her handles at https://linktr.ee/anatibisayayobiojo
While neither myself, nor Ana are experienced medical professionals, Ana does share some resources for anyone looking for mental health support services during this time. I have no personal affiliation to any of these companies. Those resources are as follows:
Talkspace (www.talkspace.com)
Open path Counseling (https://openpathcollective.org/)
BetterHelp (https://www.betterhelp.com/)
Amwell for patients (www.amwell.com)
Center for Interactive Mental Health Solutions (https://cimhs.com/)
7 Cups (https://www.7cups.com/)
HealthSapiens (https://healthsapiens.com/)This episode was written, edited and produced by Charisse Alouidor. Music production and logo design are by Chris Theodat.