The Depression Files

In this episode, Al interviews Ricky Sapp, former NFL Linebacker and current inspirational speaker (recorded 1-6-22). Ricky speaks of the challenges he had in school as a young boy. Kicked out of high school, Ricky ended up in an alternative high school his Sophomore year. Having found a coach who believed in him, football and basketball helped him get through high school.

Ricky was recruited heavily out of high school and joined the Clemson Tigers in 2006. This was a huge change from high school and Ricky started to experience a great deal of anxiety and depression, even throwing up before games. At one point, Ricky even experienced suicidal thoughts and nearly left college to return home.

In 2010, Ricky was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. At this point, Ricky was still dealing with anxiety and depression. Prior to signing on with the NY Jets in 2011, Coach Rex Ryan required Ricky to first meet with a psychologist. After signing, he was required to continue with weekly therapy. This was the first time that Ricky actually opened up to a therapist and even began taking medication.

Hear about the incredible work Ricky now does through the Ricky Sapp Foundation, encouraging youth to "Dream Big, Live Big". In addition to his public speaking, The Ricky Sapp Foundation has provided hundreds of kids with support such as backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, new shoes and more.

In addition to his foundation's website, you'll find Ricky on Instagram at rsappfoundation, on Facebook at RickySapp, on Twitter @sapp91, and on Youtube at Ricky Sapp. He also has a website at rickysapp.com and a podcast called "Talk to Me Tuesday", which you can find on just iTunes, Spotify, and other podcast hosting sites.

If you have listened and feel that you have received some value from the podcast, please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patron at patreon.com/thedepressionfiles. You can begin to support the show with as little as $1.00/month!

In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with Al as a coach or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, please subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Lesley Moffat, author, classroom high school band teacher, public speaker, and mom (recorded 11-17-21). Leslie shares her story of being an overwhelmed teacher and the consequences it had on her mental and physical health. After multiple surgeries, a regimen of fourteen different prescription medications a day, and dealing with depression, she decided she needed to make some serious life changes!

Hear how she learned to change her lifestyle through various means to improve both her mental and physical health. A teacher at heart, she has designed her own program to help people who find themselves chronically sick due to excess stress and exhaustion to reclaim their health so they can reclaim their lives.

Her current books include: I Love My Job, But It's Killing Me and Love the Job, Lose the Stress. You can find out more about Lesley and her work at mpowerededucator.com.

If you have listened and feel that you have received some value from the podcast, please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patron at patreon.com/thedepressionfiles. You can begin to support the show with as little as $1.00/month!

In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with Al as a coach or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, please subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Michele Rosenthal, trauma recovery specialist, author, and mental health advocate (recorded 10-25-21). Michele speaks candidly about an incredibly traumatic experience she had at the age of thirteen. For a typical infection, she was given a typical antibiotic that caused a reaction that was anything but typical. Her body had a reaction to the antibiotic and had to rid itself of the medicine any way it could, which was through the skin. The reaction turned her into a full-body burn victim. She lost 100% of the first two layers of skin and had a near death experience.

For the next twenty-four years she struggled with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and many mysterious physical illnesses that no specialist in Manhattan could diagnose -- and the absolute inability to speak about what happened to me.

After five years of talk therapy, she had a complete physical and mental breakdown. She decided to take recovery into her own hands. She researched and trained and finally created her own trauma recovery protocol. She has now written three books and spends her life supporting others on their recovery path from trauma.

Her three books are: "Your Life After Trauma: Powerful Practices to Reclaim Your Identity", "Heal Your PTSD: Dynamic Strategies that Work", and "Before the World Intruded: Conquering the Past and Creating the Future, a Memoir".

You can find out more about Michele and how to work with her by visiting her website at: MyTraumaCoach.com. You'll also find her on Twitter @MyTraumaCoach and Facebook @MyTraumaCoach and LinkedIn and on Instagram at Michele.Rosenthal.

If you have listened and feel that you have received some value from the podcast, please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patron at patreon.com/thedepressionfiles. You can begin to support the show with as little as $1.00/month!

In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with Al as a coach or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, please subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Anne Moss Rogers, public speaker, certified suicide prevention trainer, NAMI Virginia Board Member, and an award-winning author (recorded 10-6-21). She is also the mother of Charles, a young man who lived with depression and addiction and died by suicide.

Anne Moss talks very candidly about her son, Charles, who died by suicide at the young age of twenty on June 5, 2015. She describes the many years of chaos in the household due to Charles' substance abuse and mental illness. She talks about the ways she and her family tried to support Charles...and the signs of his suicidal ideation that they may have missed.

Anne Moss describes the challenges of getting Charles to get accept more professional help later in his life in a system for which he had become jaded; jaded due to the shaming he, and his mother, had received by professionals around his substance abuse.

Now Anne Moss has turned this tragedy into a mission to save the lives of others who may be considering suicide. She has authored two books: Diary of a Broken Mind: A Mother's Story, a Son's Suicide, and the Haunting Lyrics He Left Behind and Emotionally Naked: A Teacher's Guide to Preventing Suicide and Recognizing Students at Risk.

You can learn more about Anne Moss on her website annemossrogers.com and you can read her blog posts and more on her site titled, emotionallynaked.com. You'll also find Anne Moss on Twitter @annemossrogers, on Facebook at AnneMoss Nimocks Rogers, and on Instagram @AnneMossRogers.

If you have listened and feel that you have received some value from the podcast, please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patron at patreon.com/thedepressionfiles. You can begin to support the show with as little as $1.00/month!

In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with Al as a coach or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, please subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Tracey Bear, a PhD student who is on a joint venture with Massey University and Reddit Institute and Plant and Food Research (part of a wider research program looking at how nutrition can impact well-being), on the topic of the Gut-Brain Axis and depression (recorded 8-25-21).

Tracey describes the Gut-Brain Axis and the recent research that shows that this axis may play a key role in the regulation of brain function and behavior. She shares the types of foods that are best for our body and our mind and describes inflammation and how it impacts our health.  

Tracey describes the makeup of the gut flora and its microbiome. Tracey goes on to describe the various microbiota that are present in the gut and how dietary intervention may prevent, or possibly assist in the recovery of, depression.

If you have listened and feel that you have received some value from the podcast, please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patron at patreon.com/thedepressionfiles. You can begin to support the show with as little as $1.00/month!

In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with Al as a coach or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, please subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Victor Janzen, a telecommunications project manager and mental illness activist (recorded 8-11-21). Victor speaks very candidly about the ongoing childhood trauma that he endured at the hands of his family members.

Victor was eventually diagnosed with severe complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), and dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder. 

Victor has at least twenty different alters, some threatening and violent to himself. Victor has attempted suicide five times and been hospitalized many times. He typically calls a crisis line on a daily basis. Victor also believes his previous therapist and CMHA have "weaponized" his diagnoses against him, with CMHA going as far as banning him from using their crisis line.

Victor now speaks publicly about the challenges he has faced and is advocating for changes to the mental health system. You can find, and connect with, Victor on Twitter @victorjanzen

If you have listened and feel that you have received some value from the podcast, please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patron at patreon.com/thedepressionfiles. You can begin to support the show with as little as $1.00/month!

In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with Al as a coach or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, please subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Sarah Hancock, former professor of clinical psychiatric rehabilitation counseling at San Diego State University and a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor, on the topic of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) (recorded 7-1-21).

Sarah received 17 years of treatment consisting of thirty-seven combinations of more than five medication classifications, 116 ECT treatments, multiple hospitalizations, and was institutionalized for thirteen months...all for a misdiagnosed mental illness that was determined to actually be fungal hepatic encephalopathy.

Sarah now advocates for more regulations, safety testing, electrical dosing standards, injury assessment, and fully informed consent regarding ECT. Listen as we discuss possible consequences to receiving ECT, the limited training most psychiatrists receive in administering ECT,  the lack of proper assessment of possible negative consequences of patients receiving ECT, the research around ECT, and much more.

To learn more about Sarah and ECT, check out her personal website at PsychRecoveryAndRehab.com, or LifeAfterECT.com, which is an educational resource created by a coalition of advocates concerned with ECT. You'll also find Sarah tweeting @PsychRecovery.

If you have listened and feel that you have received some value from the podcast, please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patron at patreon.com/thedepressionfiles. You can begin to support the show with as little as $1.00/month!

In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with Al as a coach or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, please subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Dr. Joyce Baptist, a professor in the Couple and Family Therapy Program at Kansas State University, on the topic of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy (recorded 6-7-21).

Dr. Baptist's current work focuses on examining the efficacy of clinical interventions to mitigate suffering from traumatic childhood events using EMDR. Dr. Baptist describes EMDR and shares how a therapist uses EMDR to work with their clients.

Although EMDR is typically thought of as a therapy that is used for patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Dr. Baptist has conducted some very promising research on the use of EMDR for the treatment of depression.

Learn more about Dr. Baptist by visiting her page on the Kansas State University website. You can learn more about EMDR by visiting the EMDR International Association website.

If you have listened and feel that you have received some value from the podcast, please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patron at patreon.com/thedepressionfiles.

You can begin to support the show with as little as $1.00/month! In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with Al as a coach or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, please subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.  

In this episode, Al interviews Dr. Damon Ashworth, clinical psychologist and expert in the field of sleep and treatments for insomnia, on the topic of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-i) (recorded 4-29-21).

Dr. Ashworth helps listeners understand the definition of CBT-i and insomnia. He shares the critical elements of CBT-i and explains what one could expect if going to a therapist to receive this type of treatment. He also describes his randomized clinical trail that significantly reduced insomnia AND depression severity of participants across only four sessions of CBT-i.

You can learn more about Dr. Ashworth by checking out his website at damonashworthpsychology.com. Questions about CBT-i, sleep, or psychology? Feel free to email him at [email protected].

If you have listened and feel that you have received some value from the podcast, please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patron at patreon.com/thedepressionfiles. You can begin to support the show with as little as $1.00/month!

In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with Al as a coach or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, please subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Sam Morris, founder of The Unbreakable Human Collective and Managing Director - Head of Culture at Five to Flow (recorded 11-2-21). Sam was always dedicated to tennis. This allowed him to have an excuse to avoid high school and college parties that caused him great social anxiety. An off-season ACL tear gave Sam his longest break from tennis in the previous fifteen years.

A break from tennis gave Sam a glimpse of life without the demands of being a high-level athlete. This also created time for Sam to explore more of a social life. However, he realized that alcohol helped relieve his social anxiety. Years of partying, drinking, and doing coke led to four DUIs, jail time, and multiple stints in rehab.

Hear these stories and how Sam finally was able to turn his life around. He is now on a personal mission to impact one billion humans. Through retreats, workshops, and coaching, Sam helps men fight toxic masculinity and talk feelings!

You can learn more about Sam at themanunbreakable.com. You'll also find Sam on Instagram @samgibbsmorris and on LinkedIn at Sam Morris.

If you have listened and feel that you have received some value from the podcast, please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patron at patreon.com/thedepressionfiles. You can begin to support the show with as little as $1.00/month!

In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with Al as a coach or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, please subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.