It's with no small amount of gratitude that I wish you all the best for the holiday season.

So, it's been 4 years and 250 episodes.

When you have a mental illness, milestones can be an important tool to track your progress.

For me it doesn't feel like 4 years and 250 episodes. Inside my mind it's been a bleak wasteland of self-doubt and self-stigma that i have to challenge every day.

But it's been awesome. I have a record of my journey of recovery spanning for 208 weeks that I can reflect on and be proud of.

And along the way I've helped some people.

But it wouldn't have happened without Torrien, Kevin and Lorraine.

Most importantly it wouldn't have happened without Meredith, my wife and best friend.

If you're like me, you often chide yourself as being lazy or overusing the phrase 'I don't want to'.

However sometimes 'I don't want to' needs to be replaced with 'I CAN'T'!

Learning that sometimes I have to say 'I can't do this' has been one of the hardest things I have to do.

I have to fight the feeling that I'm letting people down.

I need to realize that saying 'I can't' is the safest thing for me to do.

Mentoring Men needs you!

At a time when more and more men end their lives Mentoring Men is needed now more than ever.

An organization with a proven track record of supporting thousands of men, Mentoring Men needs your help.

While money is always needed (and accepted with gratitude), Mentoring Men needs your INFLUENCE.

There is over 1 Million dollars of pre-allocated money for suicide prevention, that Mentoring Men is eligible for, sitting in government coffers right now.

Listen to the full interview!

SUPPORT US NOW. See below for how. Buy the book https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09BC229P1/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=shattered+the+book&qid=1627454085&sr=8-14  Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3BVQmO16Isxhu8ra2DTwPQ Anchor https://anchor.fm/mark-brosnan iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/shattered-the-podcast/id1551737334 You tube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZvR1KH1rufN3lX2IMzozfg https://twitter.com/ShatteredThePo1 https://www.instagram.com/shatteredthepodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/shatteredpc https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20360507

What does burnout look like?

Can you recover from burnout?

Most of us would assume that 'NO' is the answer to these questions.

Michelle is here to challenge that way of thinking.

Living with Neuro-diversity and mental illness AND working in a very male-dominated workforce, Michelle's story of recovering from breakdown is incredible and truly inspiring.

SUPPORT US NOW. See below for how. Buy the book https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09BC229P1/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=shattered+the+book&qid=1627454085&sr=8-14  Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3BVQmO16Isxhu8ra2DTwPQ Anchor https://anchor.fm/mark-brosnan iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/shattered-the-podcast/id1551737334 You tube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZvR1KH1rufN3lX2IMzozfg https://twitter.com/ShatteredThePo1 https://www.instagram.com/shatteredthepodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/shatteredpc https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20360507

How did you get PTSD?

Why can't you just get over it?

How long have you had a MI?

How do i fix my...?

Every week we get comments and questions from listeners.

I have to be careful with the comments as they can be a source of frustration and anger that can affect my mental health.

But I do care. And I do appreciate the people that choose to reach out. When I am healthy, I read all the comments.

So here are some of the questions I'd like to answer and some I'd rather not, but I'm doing it anyway.

After I was hurt was when i began to understand what it was like to be an introvert.

I always assumed that an introvert was basically an unmotivated extrovert. Someone who could meet social challenges the way i did if that were forced to.

I did not understand what it was like to be socially anxious or constantly unsure.

I still am an extrovert- but it's more complicated now.

I discuss this on today's Mark MI Words.

For someone like me, living with CPTSD, hope is hard to find.

Hell, it's even hard to recognize hope.

In my journey I have learned to recognize hope for what it is

I have moved from a place where i hated the concept of 'hope' and found it my own way.

When I was first hurt, I never would have imagined that I could ever be a public speaker about the fact that I live with mental illness. I never thought I would have a podcast. I never thought I would speak in schools and workplaces and training places about my lived experience.

In fact, I hated even telling the story to my psychs & doctors. I hated the thought of dredging all this stuff up and having to go through it once again.

The thing that has amazed me though, is that I have spoken to over 250 rooms of people, simply telling my story.

Telling my story has helped me in many ways, i want to share how with you today.