A note before you listen: this episode contains an open conversation about childhood trauma, sexual assault, and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.

What does it actually look like to build a mentally healthy life when your own story includes some of the hardest things a person can go through? That is the question I brought to this conversation, and I am so glad I did.

I sat down with Niyc Pidgeon, founder of Unstoppable Success, Positive Psychologist MSc, and bestselling Hay House author, as part of the Truth to Triumph series on Let's Get Mental. Niyc opens up about a childhood suicide attempt at the age of 11 following severe bullying, a sexual assault at 25, and the years of compartmentalization that followed before she finally allowed herself to heal. She also shares how the science of positive psychology is not about being happy all the time, but about understanding what genuinely allows people and communities to thrive.

We get into the difference between passive suicidal ideation and active crisis and the exact questions to ask when you are worried about someone, the practical daily habits that keep Niyc mentally well, what it looks like to heal both alone and in relationship, and why triumph in Niyc's view is always collective rather than individual.

This is a conversation full of hard-won wisdom, genuine vulnerability, and the kind of hope that only comes from someone who has been through it.

Resources: The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available by calling or texting 988.

Connect with Niyc Pidgeon: www.niycpidgeon.com

Connect with Ligaya Wellness: www.ligaya-wellness.com

What does it actually take to come back from addiction, and why does shame keep so many people stuck in it long after the substance itself has stopped being the problem?

In this EXTENDED CUT of the first episode of the Truth and Triumph series, I sit down with Dr. Bob Weathers, a psychologist with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology who spent four decades training the next generation of mental health providers across Southern California, helping build nationally accredited addiction studies programs along the way. Then addiction cost him his tenured position and his license to practice. What he's built since then, as a recovery coach, comes from having lived on both sides of that line.

In this episode, you'll dive a little deeper into the actual clinical definition of addiction and why it has nothing to do with judgment, Dr. Bob's own story from tenured professor to losing everything to addiction, why shame is the most stigmatized part of recovery and the Johns Hopkins research behind it, what Dr. Bob calls his moment of grace inside a locked psychiatric unit, and how to actually support someone you love who's struggling, without tough love or abandonment.

Dr. Bob is also an author. His two most recent books, published through Cambridge University Press, address psychological resilience and what it actually takes to sustain a successful recovery. Today he maintains a private practice in Irvine, California, and provides recovery coaching internationally.

Connect with Dr. Bob at drbobweathers.com, where you can also find his books and resources, available on Amazon.

Postpartum psychosis is one of the most severe and least understood perinatal mental health conditions, and for too many women it arrives without warning and without a system equipped to help. Cassie Gardener Manjikian experienced it firsthand in 2016, navigating fragmented care, a traumatic hospitalization, and years of recovery that ultimately cost her $30,000 out of pocket and nearly cost her far more.

In this episode of Let's Get Mental, part of the Truth to Triumph series, host Ligaya Lang sits down with Cassie, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the California Perinatal Wellness Alliance, to talk about her personal journey through postpartum psychosis, the devastating gaps in the perinatal mental health system, and the statewide advocacy work she now leads to ensure that other women receive the screening, treatment, and follow-up care they deserve. They also get into SB 606, the landmark legislation CPWA is working to pass that would require care coordination so that a positive screening actually leads to diagnosis, treatment, and recovery rather than a piece of paper and a list of phone numbers.

This conversation covers the full arc of Cassie's story, from the most acute and terrifying moments of her illness to the EMDR therapy that allowed her to finally put it behind her, the coalition building that became CPWA, and the deeply personal belief that silence is more harmful than anything else when it comes to perinatal mental health. It also covers the resources, community supports, and policy changes that are moving the needle in California, and what every mother, partner, and provider needs to know about perinatal illness.

If you or someone you love has experienced perinatal mental health challenges, this one is for you.

What does it actually take to come back from addiction, and why does shame keep so many people stuck in it long after the substance itself has stopped being the problem?

In this first episode of the Truth and Triumph series, Ligaya sits down with Dr. Bob Weathers, a psychologist with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology who spent four decades training mental health providers across Southern California before addiction cost him his tenured position and his license to practice.

Together they talk through what addiction really is from a clinical standpoint, why it carries more stigma than almost any other mental health diagnosis, and how the fundamental attribution error keeps people trapped in shame long after they've stopped using.

Dr. Bob shares the story of the night everything changed for him, alone in a locked psychiatric unit, and what he calls a moment of grace that he still feels in his body today. The conversation moves into what recovery actually asks of a person, how to hold both truth and compassion when someone you love is struggling, and why perfection was never really the goal.

This is a conversation about addiction, recovery, and what it means to be whole rather than flawless.

Today Dr Bob maintains a private practice in Irvine, California, and provides recovery coaching internationally. He is an author with his two most recent books, published through Cambridge University Press, addressing psychological resilience and what it actually takes to sustain a successful recovery.

Connect with Dr. Bob at www.drbobweathers.com, where you can also find his books and resources, available on Amazon.

Social media burnout doesn’t always look like quitting your phone cold turkey. Sometimes it looks like doom-scrolling at midnight, obsessing over a post that didn’t perform, or quietly measuring your self-worth in likes and views without even realizing you’re doing it.

In this episode of Let’s Get Mental, I sits down with digital marketer and creator strategist Jordana Ripp from Unscrippted Creative, for an honest conversation about what social media burnout actually is, how the algorithm is engineered to manipulate your emotions, and why the pressure to maintain a polished online presence is taking a very real toll on mental health for creators, professionals, and everyday users alike.

We chat about why burnout is often a slow tipping point rather than a sudden crash, how understanding the algorithm as a business completely reframes how you relate to your own content and self-worth, the very real stakes for teenagers growing up in a world where every person with a social media account is essentially a brand, and practical steps for building a healthier relationship with your phone before burnout takes over.

If you’ve ever felt exhausted, overwhelmed, or quietly diminished by your own screen, this conversation is for you.

In the first episode of newly relaunched podcast Let’s Get Mental, host Ligaya Lange shares the personal experiences that inspired her journey into mental health advocacy and the launch of Ligaya Wellness.

Joined by her childhood friend Jordana, the conversation explores what it really means to be “high-functioning but struggling”, navigating anxiety and panic, postpartum mental health challenges, career pressure, divorce and single motherhood, and the expectation to hold it all together on the outside while struggling internally.

This episode is an honest and relatable conversation about mental health, overwhelm, resilience, the modern woman/mother, workplace stress, and learning when to ask for help.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed while still appearing fine to everyone around you, this conversation is for you.

I read about it, thought about it, I am it. Mom and parental fatigue is real! It is defined as: a type of exhaustion that can be caused by feeling overwhelmed by the physical and emotional demands of parenting. And why wouldn't we be tired? Most of us are juggling kids, marriages, careers, fitness (hopefully) and a social life (hopefully). So yeah, we're bound to hit a burnout more than once in the journey. How do we recognize and deal with it? Here's my take.

I'm back! And it's not my wedding anniversary. Three years ago at this exact time, I was at one of my lowest lows during my struggle with Postpartum Anxiety and OCD. This episode is an ode to that time- what I felt, what I did, and most of all, what I learned. I always say "Give yourself grace... You're exactly where you are supposed to be." I of all people know how hard those words are to live by in certain moments. But live through it, one must.

In this episode, I interview my guest and NAMI colleague Christopher Florendo about living with his diagnosis of Schizoaffective Disorder. Chris is unrelentingly raw and honest about what his journey has been like living with this illness and other co-ocurring mental health conditions over the past 20+ years. As many are still unfamiliar with this disorder, I want to bring awareness and as always, compassion.

It's time to transition. I appreciate everyone who has listened to "Ligaya Means Happiness" over the past 1.5 years and I'm now ready to broaden the conversation around mental health- to discuss more conditions, therapies, treatments and perspectives. I looks forward to welcoming new guests and discussing their lived experiences. While I will always honor and respect my postpartum journey, and will continue to discuss PP Anxiety and OCD as is appropriate, I look forward to discussing so much more, destigmatizing the conversation around mental illness, and welcoming new guests with diverse perspectives. Also, lastly, I touch on Matthew Perry and Ketamine in this episode, as I feel it's important to discuss and differentiate his case from what I spoke about in my last podcast. Welcome to a new day. Let's get mental!