Just a reminder … this podcast was created for those of us living and loving someone with an illness ... whether it be mental or physical.  Caring for them can take toll on our own mental health… right?   

My goal is hoping someone else’s story will help you to feel not so alone and spark some peace in you.

That’s why I invited on Jolona Kinlaw, my new friend from Instagram. Yes!  You can really find nice people on there.  I’m on there.  Let’s be friends too!

Back to Jolona. She has a blog out justjoblog.com.  I asked her on because she has a 7 year-old son, Caden who has autism. He doesn’t speak and can’t do many things for himself yet even though he’s been working with specialists. He has a lot of meltdowns and kicks and screams. She has her work cut out for her many days.

Jolona’s blog is about overcoming autism, the struggles of having a child with autism and the everyday struggles of being a mom. And how she keeps her peace … or not sometimes!

Through a lot of prayer and asking God to help her find a way to cure Caden, a friend introduced her to controversial therapy. She’ll explain what that is too.

Would love to connect with you. Reach out by emailing me at [email protected].

Please share with your friends and subscribe! Share your comments too.

Love,

April Norris

Of Course.. They Make Me Crazy!

Podcast Host

**Language Not Suitable For Children**

What do you think of that podcast title? Well, it is what it is!  Exactly!

The last couple of months, I really focused on teens and what to say and do when they’re having suicidal thoughts.    

This week I want to lighten it up and bring you back to my roots with some of my crazy family stories.  

In this episode, I’m taking you back as I reminisce when my former best friend and I decided to do spring break at my gay nudist grandpa’s house who was an alcoholic.  And, my then boyfriend at the time, Dan, decided to show up as a surprise and almost got shot by my short lil’ old shriveled up naked as a jay bird grandpa who was three sheets to the wind.

What are you going to get out of this episode by listening?  … just time to disconnect from your problems and laugh about someone else's. You think your family has problems?  Well, They probably do!  The point is, you’re not alone in your frustrations with them.  If you can find something to laugh about in your situation ...do it.  I promise you'll be laughing and cringing through this entire episode! Disclaimer - Your jaw will hurt!  

How about this?  Does your grandpa's boyfriend have a penis piercing?  Bet ya ... you have never been ask that before! LOL. If you have ... then we need to talk! And, if he did ...would you know about it?  Probably not! But, I got to see that first hand.  Not a shining moment in my life. But a funny one now that its over!

Or, would your grandpa accuse you of trying to kill him because you didn't put vodka is his morning orange juice?  Possibly!  If he was friends with my grandpa!  

Come on!  Put your headphones on and listen!  Make sure your children can't hear this for obvious reasons.

If there is a moral to this story it's that you're not who you come from.  You are your own person. They have their story and you will create your own!

Would love to connect with you.  

Reach out by emailing me at [email protected].  

Please share with your friends and subscribe!   Share your comments too!

Love, April Norris Of Course .. The Make Me Crazy! Podcast Host.

This episode is a continuation to the episode called How Maneuver Self-Destructive Teen Behaviors.

During this episode, you’re going to get tactical head on scenarios and advice on what to say to your child if he or she threatens to harm themselves. Dr. Daniel Lobel is joining me again.  He is a clinical psychologist with more than 25 years of experience.  He’s also written two books titled When Your Daughter Has B-P-D and When Your Mother Has Borderline Personality Disorder.

We touched on many things last episode, so I would encourage you to go back and listen to that one.

If not, that’s totally ok!  We got you covered during this one too!

Dr. Lobel made a point to say that suicidal thoughts don’t discriminate. They can creep up on any one of us at any time. 

It’s especially true for teens dealing with hormonal changes, social media pressure, making good grades and living up to the expectations of parents, teammates and coaches.

Many of us can shrug and say to ourselves, “My teen is just bummed out and having another bad day.”  But that is a dangerous thing for you to do. We sometimes don’t realize that their bad feelings have been building up over a long period of time.

If you’re child is threatening to harm themselves out of manipulation or their serious … what do you say and do?

If you need guidance on this, please listen.

Would love to connect with you.   Reach out by emailing me at [email protected].

Please share with your friends and subscribe!

Share your comments too!

Love,

April Norris

Of Course .. The Make Me Crazy! Podcast Host

Losing your child is probably your worst nightmare. Losing them to suicide is beyond gut wrenching!

How do you know when their serious or using their threats as manipulation?

That’s what we’re talking about on this episode Of Course.. They Make Me Crazy!

Dr. Daniel Lobel is the guest speaker. He is a clinical psychologist with more than 25 years of experience. He’s also written two books titled - When Your Daughter Has B-P-D and When Your Mother Has Borderline Personality Disorder.

I decided to have Dr. Lobel on after talking with Mike Donahue on from Value Up.Org. The father of five children talked about getting your kids to value themselves. He stressed how important that is. He also mentioned that more teen suicides are happening in affluent homes because the kids grow up not wanting to rock the boat of the perfect lifestyle their parents have created for them.

What? That’s hard to hear, I get it.

You should go back and listen to that episode too!

I wanted to bring Dr. Lobel on because you could probably use more insight into teens and their suicidal thoughts and threats. And, that's exactly what you'll get when you listen.

There is a chapter in one of Dr. Lobel’s books called Boundaries with Self-Destructive Behavior. He writes self-destructive behaviors encompass a large spectrum of acts that convey different feelings and meanings.

He’ll take us through what those behaviors are and what to look out for if you have a teen at home that you’re worrying about.

Would love to connect with you! Please share with your friends and subscribe.

Reach out by email - [email protected] Or, on Instagram @ofcoursetheymakemecrazy.

Share your comments!

You can find more about Dr. Lobel a www.mysideofthecouch.com.

This might surprise you or maybe not. Teen suicide rate is up 25% nationally.

 

That’s crazy scary!

 

The United Health Foundation came out with that stat. UHF ranks health among teens.

 

If you’re a parent, aunt, uncle, a teacher, mentor or even a babysitter…you should listen to this! Without a doubt … you’re going to look at the kids in your life differently.

 

You might not agree with what it said. Whether you do or don’t … let us know why!

 

By us … I mean myself and my guest Mike Donahue. Donahue, helped established a school program called Value Up in 2016. He goes into schools and talks about all issues concerning teens - drugs, anxiety, anger, loneliness, social media. More importantly he helps teens find value in themselves and the importance of it.

 

Donahue created Value UP with Craig Scott. Scott was a student at Columbine High School during the massacre in 1999. He was under a library table with two friends during the shooting ...both killed. His sister Rachel was the first killed that day.

 

You might have already heard them speak. They have spoken to millions. Been keynotes for the American Association of School Administrators, The National Education Association and The National PTA Conference. They have done countless media interviews with Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America … and now thankfully with me, April Norris.

 

Donahue wrote a book titled, "Talking To Brick Walls." Anyone that has ever tried to communicate with a teenager on drugs, alcohol, sex or bullying knows that it can be very difficult.

 

In his book, he shares secrets with you on how to get through to them. In a chapter he says, “Pain is a key ingredient to learning. And when we take that away we are hurting our children.”

 

Do you think we’re teaching kids how to be victims? I say, "Hell yes!" It's not intentional, but it's happening.

 

I have been wanting to do this podcast on this subject since I moved to Douglas County, Colorado. It's an affluent area. The average household income is nearly 120K! That’s double the U.S. average! I was astounded by the teen suici

If you’re listening this episode, chances are you’re trying to heal after being in a relationship with a narcissist. 

It’s gut wrenching. Our goal is to help you understand why they do the things they do and how to get on the path to healing and feeling like yourself again. Narcissists can sometimes rip strongest person apart. So, stop being mad at yourself!   

 Joy Larkin, April’s guest this week, is the founder of Live Narc Free.  She has been an online coach for narcissistic abuse since 2016.  

Larkin tells April when she was a teenager she had to move in with her aunt.  Living with her aunt was the first time she experienced a narcissist. She says, “It felt like I was being put on a pedestal then pulled off because I was not worthy of anything anymore.” 

Larkin calls what her aunt did the Love Bomb, Devalue and Discard move.  It’s what most narcissists do so they can continue to control you.  Once they discard, you’re left feeling lost and heartbroken. You’re left to feel like you did something wrong even though that’s not the case.  Then they’ll come back to you, put you on the pedestal again only to tear you off.  It’s a vicious cycle they put you through.   

It got so bad at Larkin’s house, she decided to leave.  With nowhere else to go, she had to live in her car for a month until she figured something else out.

We want this episode to show you, you can go through a really bad situation and still be happy and move on with your life. It might not feel like it right now, but you can!

 ***Both April Norris and Joy Larkin go through some of their own coping skills in hopes to help you move forward!***

Would love to connect with you! Please share with your friends and subscribe. Reach out by email - [email protected]

SIDE NOTE  - Some might feel that narcs are just people who thinking highly of themselves. There’s so much more to it.  The Mayo clinic calls it Nacissistic Personality Disorder.  They say it affects more males than females and it normally begins in early adulthood.

Although the cause of narcissistic personality disorder isn't known, some researchers think that in biologically vulnerable children, parenting styles that are overprotective or neglectful may have an impact. Genetics and neurobiology also may play a role in development of narcissistic personality disorder.

The goal of this episode is to help you find your “Fighter Spirit” or regain it. It doesn’t matter what your fight is!

My good friend, Nicole Moses shares her story of finding herself after living through what she calls a mentally and physically abusive relationship.

She says her boyfriend at the time who's job still is to save lives threatened to cut her body into pieces.

She's so honest with her emotions and what she struggled with in her mind while trying to stay alive.

Her story will help so many of you start treating yourselves kinder and to listen to your gut!

Nicole recently posted this message on her Facebook page -

“Life can change. We can change. Dark times don’t last. But the journey, the fight, the belief and the hope led me here to today, and by gosh am I grateful to dance and smile, be goofy and love again! She signed off with #FighterSpirit.

That’s why I’m calling this podcast Finding Your Fighter Spirit.

Once a sex offender .. always an offender?

We dive deep into this top this week on the podcast Of Course, They Make Me Crazy!

Dr. Jeffrey Freiden is our guest.  He has 20 years of experience providing expert court testimony across multiple states for defense attorneys in protecting their clients.  

Do you have children or a little sneaky suspicion someone in your inner or outer circle could be a creepy sex offender?   You need to listen to this! 

Dr. Freiden says you have a 50/50 chance your intuition could be right.  If you can help it, you don’t want anyone like that around your children, right? 

Dr. Freiden gives us insight and science studies into an offender’s brain activity.

What if the offender is your loved one?  How does anyone go back to living a healthy lifestyle after dealing with that kind of tragedy?  Is it even possible?  Dr. Freiden gives us insight on that as well.

If you have any questions for him … You can find him at drjeffreyfreiden.com.

Last week, I touched on the Kanye West and Kim Kardashian situation.

Kanye had a public episode exposing family secrets between himself and Kim.  Or he lied.   Who knows and it doesn’t matter, right?   

Afterwards, Kim Kardashian wrote a lengthy statement on social media asking for "compassion and empathy" for her family and touching on her husband's mental health issues, including his bipolar disorder.

She also mentioned how hard the disorder is to understand.  And, she is so so so right.

If you have lived with someone with bipolar, addicted to drugs, or something similar, you know the pain Kanye is going through and the pain his actions are causing his family.

I asked Dr. Casey Delmara, founder of the Mental Health Hacker, to join me this week to talk about how to protect your own feelings when loving someone like Kanye West.

Dr. Casey explains what bipolar disorder is, but more importantly how to handle the episodes many of them have. 

Believe me, I know how hard it is! Been there and done that with my mother.  They can start behaving so badly that you want to just drop kick them!  I know you would never do that!  I wouldn’t either!  But it doesn’t take the urge away.

It’s sad and unfortunate.  I wish this disorder didn’t exist.  If I had any enemies… I wouldn’t wish Bipolar on my worst one!

Dr. Delmara will help you understand that your loved one who suffers from the disorder doesn’t do what they do to hurt you.  I think we all need that constant reminder because it can certainly feel like they do.   

She helped me to look at the situation with more compassion.  I know she can help you too. 

Even if you have heard the advice before … it’s good to keep reminding yourself.  Reminders help you to protect your own happiness.  Protecting your happiness will also help to keep some peace in your home.

 The entire episode is only 24 minutes long…. so go listen to it.  I want you to feel better.

 Love,

April Norris/OfCourseTheyMakeMeCrazy Podcast Host

Would love to connect with you! Email me [email protected]

Want to touch on the Kanye West and Kim Kardashian situation. Two mega stars.

 

This podcast is about those of us living with people with mental illness and how we have a lot of shit to deal with too.

 

Obviously, Kanye has been having episodes of unusual behavior even for him.

 

Many of us are sitting back with that EEECK kind of look on our face. Like dude … really?!

 

And, it’s sad to see. It’s sad because I know the pain he’s causing his family.

 

Last week, Kim put out a lengthy statement on social media asking for "compassion and empathy" for her family and touching on her husband's mental health issues, including his bipolar disorder.

 

And, if you have lived with someone or you’re still living with them that has bipolar, addicted to drugs, or something similar … you know the pain he’s causing too.

 

This is what happens when they don’t take their medication, over take it or don’t take it all.

 

Kim stated – His condition, "Does not diminish or invalidate his dreams and his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some. That is part of his genius and as we have all witnessed, many of his dreams have come true."

 

She continued , "We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give it to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most."

 

In a different statement – ***And, this is the one that got to my heart!*** She said – “I’ve never spoken publicly about how this has affecte