In recognition of National Mental Awareness Month, Kim and Jackie talk to one brave woman who has used her experience with mental illness to help educate and empower others. Plus, the creator of a popular new app shares her secret to better health and mental well being.

From the White House: During National Mental Health Awareness Month, we recognize those Americans who live with mental illness and substance use disorders, and we pledge solidarity with their families who need our support as well.  Let us strive to ensure people living with mental health conditions know that they are not alone, that hope exists, and that the possibility of healing and thriving is real.  Together, we can help everyone get the support they need to recover as they continue along the journey to get well.

Nearly 44 million American adults, and millions of children, experience mental health conditions each year, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress.  Linda Baron Katz shares her own family's experience with mental illness through writing a book for children.

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About our guests:

Linda Baron Katz: Through the years, Linda was faced with challenges that were difficult to

overcome, but worked hard to achieve recovery. As part of her recovery from mental illness, she became active and volunteered for a variety of mental health organizations.

Linda became a member of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness or formerly called National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) and published articles about her life in New York City Voices, a newspaper for people with mental illness to share their personal recovery stories. Both of these agencies helped fight against stigma and other issues pertaining to mental illness. Soon after, Linda found employment working for agencies that help others with mental illness reach their goals and dreams. Today, Linda is happily married, an author who has published two books.

One is titled Surviving Mental Illness: My Story which won a Silver Medal Award by Readers Favorite for best non-fiction/autobiography and came in First Place and won the Life Journeys Award for best memoir/biography from Readers Views. Through this book she describes all of her challenges that she dealt with while having a mental illness and how she found her way back towards establishing a wellness by staying mentally and physically strong. The second book, titled Peter & Lisa, A Mental Illness Story, which she co-authored with her husband Charles Katz, is about two adults who struggle with mental illness and get better with medication and necessary support by family and friends. It is a story that children will love and understand that with help people can recover from mental illness. Linda wrote these two books to show that mental illness is not something to be afraid of and that anyone can overcome life's challenges and achieve a happy life. 

About Lynne Goldberg After a quick series of devastating life blows including the loss of twin baby girls, her mother, her marriage, and her job, coupled with years of infertility treatment and multiple failed adoptions, she counted on copious amounts of work and wine to help her survive. But in the quiet moments she was forced to face the fact that, ultimately, she was still alone, unhappy, unfulfilled, and disconnected. Something—in fact, everything—was missing. Dragged kicking and screaming by a friend to a yoga retreat, Lynne reluctantly abided by the meat-free, alcohol-free diet and sat through the meditations simply because there was nowhere else to go. But as she found her stress and anxiety slowly dissipating, the reluctance transformed into acceptance, and acceptance into appreciation and outright enjoyment. There was no denying the transformative effects this balanced, healthy approach was having on her life. She felt calm, capable, and in control.

Lynne course-corrected her life onto a path to understa...