-GUEST BIOGRAPHY-

Makaylah is a passionate mental health advocate and speaker who creates spaces that bring down walls, deepen connection and foster empathy. Makaylah is a neurodivergent, queer, non-binary, trauma survivor with a raw, yet relatable approach. They share stories that humanize hard truths, make us laugh and bring us together.

Their advocacy work spans vital topics such as anxiety & depression, mental illness, neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ education, suicide prevention, sexual violence and more. By breaking stigma and fostering open conversations, Makaylah envisions a world where everyone feels a sense of belonging and safety. As a social impact entrepreneur, Makaylah co-owns two businesses with their wife, Fia- Lynn Crandall (she/her).

Through their first, Scale Naturally, they work with socially conscious organisations to maximize impact by nurturing the unique potential of leaders and teams. Through their innovative approach to Inclusive Leadership and Diversity initiatives, they help cultivate a Culture of Care where everyone can contribute authentically, leading to enhanced productivity and wellbeing.

Additionally, their business Frankie D's Donuts is on a mission to reduce loneliness… one Donut at a time. Their made-from-scratch Donuts serve as a conduit for connection among people, emphasizing the importance of community and fostering meaningful connections. They run workshops with their Donuts acting as an important ingredient for real change.

-EPISODE SUMMARY-

PRACTICES: 

• Throw out the rule book of what joy or play should look like. 
• Allow yourself to start with small actions. 
• Think about something that meets you where you are at. 
• Reflect on who you are, what you like, what you don’t like and what joy actually looks like to you. This will take some experimentation. 
• Each day do one thing that brings you joy. 
• At the beginning of the day think about how you will have joy that day (ex. what you will do for yourself or how you will take care of yourself) 
• At the end of the day reflect on something that felt good and one thing that didn’t feel good. 
• Set up preventative measures with friends ahead of time. 
• Find solutions with friends where everyone’s needs are met. 

IDEAS: 

• Joy and play can also be masks or coping mechanisms. 
• You can’t see mental illness. 
• Part of healing is knowing what you like, your feelings, and your needs, and how to communicate those things to other people. 
• The goal of therapy is not to get fixed, but rather to find, love and care for yourself. 
• Everyone has physical and mental health. Mental health is like chronic physical disease. 
• We need to take time to recharge our battery. 
• All emotions are normal and valid. 
• A lot of self-care practices come from a privileged lense. 
• Allow yourself to add nuance in your understanding of joy. 
• Images of joy that we are shown are often unattainable. 
• We can have gratitude for our coping mechanisms. 
• Have self-compassion and acceptance for our coping mechanisms. 
• Feeling less alone is the first step.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.