This is the 15 Minutes Share Your Voice Podcast, where we feature community leaders sharing what the rest of us should know but likely don't.
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Communityleaders Podcasts
The Relationships Make Money Show is for coaches and entrepreneurs who know they want to build a highly engaged and profitable business, without sacrificing connection or community. Many people know they can do something they love and they can do something that makes money, but they think they must sacrifice one for the other. That’s not true! You can build connections and focus on the community doing what you love, making a difference in the world while making money and building genuine bus ...
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Embracing Autism/Mental Health WorldwideAutism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition affecting millions worldwide, characterized by challenges in social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors. Despite increasing recognition, there remains a lack of understanding and awareness about the condition.Mental health encompasses a range of conditions impacting emotional, psychological, and social well-being, affecting millions globally. It includes disorders like anxiety, depressio ...
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Rachelle Vartanian: From Special Education Teacher to CommunityLeader
27:45
27:45
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27:45Empowering Adults with Special Needs: One Woman’s Journey In this episode, we hear an inspiring story of a former special education teacher who founded a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting adults with special needs. Initially serving individuals with autism, the organization's services have expanded to anyone needing support, regardless…
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Keshawn Williams Mission : Breaking Stereotypes in Mental Health
31:18
31:18
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31:18Keshawn Williams shares his inspiring journey and dedication to mental health and trauma-informed care. Williams, a graduate student pursuing a master's degree in social work, aims to become a trauma-focused psychotherapist. He recounts his diverse experiences from studying criminal justice and interning with the New Jersey State Parole Board to wo…
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Cynthia Ray:: Autism, Incarceration, and a Sister's Fight for Compassionate Release"
29:51
29:51
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29:51Cynthia Ray shares the deeply moving story of her brother Philip's tumultuous journey. Diagnosed with autism later in life, Philip's association with a con artist led to his incarceration and a subsequent prostate cancer diagnosis that went untreated for a year. Cynthia recounts Philip's early challenges, his strong belief in his inventions, and th…
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Dianne Greeley: Redefining Advocacy for mental health reform
24:38
24:38
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24:38In this episode of 'Why Not Me,' Tony Mantor hosts Dianne Greeley, who shares her firsthand experiences and challenges in advocating for mental health reform. Dianne recounts the struggles her loved one faced with severe mental illness and the inadequate support from health and legal systems. She discusses the journey from personal caretaker to pas…
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Amira Martin:Believe in Yourself: A Social Worker's Journey to Breaking Barriers
27:43
27:43
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27:43Description 2 We explore the mission and approach of MA Therapy with founder Amira Martin, whose practice focuses on providing bias-free psychotherapy to women of color while also mentoring therapists to establish their own practices. • Amira's personal journey overcoming limited representation in professional fields through her sister's encouragem…
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Victoria Lenormand: Cacao, Crystals, and Courage: Unconventional Autism Support
25:41
25:41
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25:41Description 2 Victoria Lenormand shares her transformative journey from police officer to autism advocate after her son's diagnosis, revealing how unconventional choices led to unexpected healing and growth for her entire family. • Former police officer whose life changed when her son was diagnosed with autism at age three • Faced impossible demand…
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Janet Hays: Healing Minds NOLA journey to reform mental health systems
31:13
31:13
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31:13Janet Hayes shares her journey as a severe mental illness advocate reshaping New Orleans through innovative care systems for those with serious mental health challenges. • Started advocacy after Hurricane Katrina when untreated mental illness led to criminalization • Witnessed a friend die in custody due to inadequate mental health and medical care…
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Danielle Terrell: From Kenya to Dubai: One Advocate's Journey to Empower the Autistic Community
28:23
28:23
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28:23Danielle Terrell shares her journey as the US Healthcare Development Director at the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) and her passion for improving healthcare accessibility for autistic individuals around the world. • IBCCES provides specialized training and certification for healthcare providers, hel…
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When Systems Fail: Maria shares a Sister's Fight for Her Brother with Severe Mental Illness
30:24
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30:24Maria shares her journey advocating for mental healthcare, from working in a medical facility helping patients navigate services to struggling with the complex systems while trying to help her brother with severe mental illness. Her powerful story reveals critical gaps in our mental health and legal systems that prevent timely intervention for thos…
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Melody Guy: Finding Connection Through Autism and Artistry
27:25
27:25
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27:25Melody Guy shares her extraordinary journey as an autistic singer-songwriter who has traveled over two million miles despite the challenges of sensory issues and PTSD. She reveals how music became both her shelter and her bridge to connecting with others when words failed. • Diagnosed with autism as an adult around the same time as her son • Surviv…
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Leanna May Franklin: Love Without Structure:Navigating Serious Mental Illness as a Family
29:13
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29:13Leanna May Franklin shares her journey as a mental health advocate after her son experienced a psychotic break at age 19, revealing the challenges of navigating care even with resources and professional expertise. • Experienced a life-changing moment when her son had a psychotic breakdown during a family gathering • Recognized signs that she initia…
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Why Not Me ? The Power of Shared Experiences in Autism and Mental Health
2:53
2:53
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2:53Send us a text "Why Not Me?" podcast expands its mission to embrace both autism and mental health worldwide, creating a platform for raw, authentic storytelling that inspires and connects. Host Tony Mantor welcomes listeners to join a global movement fostering awareness, acceptance, and understanding through powerful personal narratives. • Broadcas…
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Cindee Murphy: When the System Fails:Tristan Murphy's Story Changes Florida Law
40:31
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40:31Send us a text Cindy Murphy shares the heartbreaking story of her son Tristan, who struggled with schizophrenia and died by suicide while incarcerated after being handed a chainsaw during a prison work detail. Through her grief, Cindy has become a powerful advocate for mental health reform in the criminal justice system, working to pass the Tristan…
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Send us a text Ann Corcoran, Executive Director of the National Shattering Silence Coalition, discusses the broken systems that fail those with serious mental illness and their families through discriminatory practices and neglect. She shares powerful stories of families desperately seeking help for loved ones in psychosis, highlighting how outdate…
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Laura Craciun: A Son's Mental Illness and a System That Failed Him
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27:07Send us a text Laura Craciun shares her son's harrowing journey with serious mental illness and the systemic failures that criminalize mental health conditions instead of treating them. Her story highlights the urgent need for better policies to support individuals with psychosis and their families. • Laura's son was misdiagnosed with ADHD before e…
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Lynn Nanos: Navigating Psychosis: A Mobile Crisis Worker's Perspective
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27:34Send us a text Lynn Nanos, a mobile psychiatric emergency social worker with 15+ years experience, shares insights on evaluating and helping people with serious mental illness in crisis situations. Her work bridges the gap between law enforcement and mental healthcare, providing crucial interventions for individuals experiencing psychosis and other…
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Jerri Clark: A Mother's Journey Through Loss and Advocacy
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30:29Send us a text Geri Clark, Resource and Advocacy Manager at Treatment Advocacy Center, shares her devastating journey of losing her son to severe mental illness while navigating a broken treatment system that wouldn't help until it was too late. She reveals critical gaps in our mental health system and explains how legal barriers, misunderstood med…
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Sheriff Donna Buckley:How One Sheriff is Reducing Recidivism Through Compassion
28:54
28:54
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28:54Send us a text Sheriff Donna Buckley shares her journey from attorney to becoming the first female sheriff in Barnstable County's 333-year history, along with her innovative approach to transforming incarceration through mental health support, comprehensive case management, and post-release services. • Buckley's background as legal counsel represen…
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Jason MacKenzie:Healing After Unimaginable Loss
27:10
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27:10Send us a text Jason McKenzie shares his heart-wrenching journey through grief after losing his wife to suicide and his daughter to trauma-induced mental health struggles. His story reveals how childhood trauma ripples through generations and how he found healing through sobriety, purposeful grief work, and helping others. • Lost his police officer…
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Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder
28:22
28:22
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28:22Send us a text Eric Diaz shares his journey of living with schizoaffective disorder and becoming an advocate for those with serious mental illness. Through finding the right medication, supportive communities, and creative outlets, Eric transformed from someone who couldn't leave his house to a published author helping others navigate similar chall…
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Crystal Fox: One Mothers Journey Through Tragedy
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31:08Send us a text Crystal Fox shares her heartbreaking journey as the mother of a son with schizophrenia and co-founder of Arizona Mad Moms, an organization supporting families of loved ones with degenerative brain illnesses causing psychosis. Through her dual perspective as both a parent and a psychiatric nurse with 30 years of experience, Crystal il…
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Cohen Miles-Rath: How One Man Transformed Crisis into a Call for Change
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29:53Send us a text Cohen Miles-Rath shares his powerful journey from psychosis and incarceration to becoming a mental health advocate and author. His story reveals how proper support systems and personal determination transformed a life-altering crisis into a mission of education and advocacy that's changing how we approach mental health treatment. • S…
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Sherri Witwer: Rethinking How We help People in Mental Health Crisis
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28:17
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28:17Send us a text Sherry Witwer, board president for CIT Utah, shares her insights on improving crisis response systems for people experiencing mental health emergencies and creating alternatives to incarceration through specialized training and community partnerships. • CIT (Crisis Intervention Team) training provides law enforcement with tools to ef…
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Darrell Herrmann : Straight Talk About Living With A Severe Mental Illness
27:27
27:27
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27:27Send us a text Darrell Herrmann, a retired US Army captain and former computer programmer, shares his remarkable journey of living with schizophrenia since 1984 and his mission to help others with severe mental illness live better lives. • Former US Army captain specializing in field artillery and nuclear weapons before developing schizophrenia • E…
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Send us a text Pete Early shares his journey from Washington Post journalist to mental health advocate after his son developed bipolar disorder, revealing how a broken system forces families into crisis before providing help. • Diagnosis came during his son Kevin's college years with warning signs like "food doesn't taste good" and confusion about …
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Colleen Scott: One Mother's Journey Through Schizophrenia
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29:35Send us a text A mother shares her 18-year journey supporting a son with schizophrenia through mental health system failures, incarceration, and experimental brain surgery. • Colleen Scott's son started showing signs of schizophrenia at age 17, withdrawing socially and exhibiting erratic behavior • A prosecutor advised having her son arrested "to g…
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Stephanie Beilin: Mother's Journey Through Mental Illness and Incarceration
26:56
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26:56Send us a text A mother and clinical social worker shares her heartbreaking journey navigating the legal system after her high-achieving son developed serious mental illness, revealing how our justice system criminalizes rather than treats mental health conditions. • Licensed independent clinical social worker with 40+ years experience working with…
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Justin Volpe : How Peer Support Changes Lives
28:20
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28:20Send us a text Justin Volpe shares his journey from being diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and incarcerated to becoming a certified recovery peer specialist who has trained over 3,500 police officers in crisis intervention. His story demonstrates how individuals with lived experience can transform systems and save lives by bridging gaps betw…
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Jessica Ferguson : Brother in Crisis: A Family's Desperate Fight for Mental Health Support
28:24
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28:24Send us a text Jessica Ferguson shares the deeply personal story of her brother's struggle with serious mental illness and how systemic failures led to his incarceration after being accused of a triple homicide when he should have been in psychiatric care. • Her brother had been stable with his mental illness for a decade before showing concerning …
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Jhilam Biswas Reveals Paths to Mental Health Reform From Forensic Hospitals to Freedom
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31:24Send us a text Dr. Jhilam Biswas, a board-certified adult and forensic psychiatrist, discusses how mental health issues intersect with the criminal justice system and the urgent need for reform. She shares insights from her research and clinical experience working with incarcerated individuals with mental illness, explaining why mental health care …
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Eric Smith: From Music Prodigy to Mental Health Advocate
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30:47Send us a text Eric Smith shares his remarkable journey from child piano prodigy to mental health advocate after battling psychosis and addiction. His story reveals how finding the right medication after a decade of failed treatments transformed his life from hospitalization and FBI involvement to becoming a Texas Judicial Commissioner on Mental He…
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Seth Kahan's Journey Transforms Mental Health Advocacy in America
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29:38Send us a text Seth Kahan shares his journey from personal tragedy to leading a national movement against mental health stigma after his mother developed schizophrenia when he was 10 years old. His experience pioneering frameworks for grand challenges led him to launch Stop Stigma Together, a collaborative initiative uniting major mental health org…
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Sylvia Mignon: When Your Expertise Can't Save Your Child
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30:01Send us a text Sylvia Mignon, licensed clinical social worker and professor of criminal justice, shares her heartbreaking journey navigating the mental health system while trying to secure proper care for her son with schizoaffective disorder. Despite her professional expertise, she's experienced nine years of struggling against bureaucracies that …
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Jack Wood:: A Father's Fight for Mental Health Reform
27:59
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27:59Send us a text Jack Wood shares his son Jonathan's journey through Florida's mental health system, revealing how management failure rather than lack of resources creates catastrophic outcomes for those with severe mental illnesses. • Jonathan's early life included kidney disorder requiring powerful medications including cancer drugs • At 18, Jonath…
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Justyna Rzewinski : A Whistleblower's Fight for Mental Health in Prisons
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28:07Send us a text Justyna Rzewinski shares her experience as a whistleblower after working at Rikers Island and her ongoing advocacy for criminal justice reform focusing on mental health treatment. • Working with different organizations to close Rikers Island and advocating for better treatment of mentally ill inmates • Fighting for smaller borough-ba…
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Leslie Carpenter: Breaking the Mental Health Crisis Cycle
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29:25Send us a text Leslie Carpenter, co-founder of Iowa Mental Health Advocacy and Legislative Advocacy Manager at the Treatment Advocacy Center, shares her journey from concerned mother to dedicated mental health advocate after her son was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder 19 years ago. She discusses the barriers families face when seeking help …
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Joel Corcoran: Welcome, Needed, and Valued: The Clubhouse Approach
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29:10Send us a text Clubhouse International is transforming lives through intentional communities where people with mental illness rebuild their lives after disruption and isolation. Joel Corcoran joins us to tell the Clubhouse story. • Clubhouse International operates 377 clubhouses across 32 countries using a specific 37-standard model • Members volun…
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Send us a text Denise Paley shares the harrowing story of her son's sudden onset schizophrenia at age 18 and his subsequent five-year imprisonment without sentencing, revealing critical failures in how our justice system handles mental illness. • Son Ellis was an honor roll student with a bright future before experiencing first-episode psychosis • …
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Judge Milton Mack's Mission to Reform Mental Healthcare
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27:14Send us a text Judge Milton Mack shares his mission to reform the mental health system by moving from crisis intervention to early treatment and prevention. His groundbreaking work in Michigan demonstrates how changing laws and procedures can dramatically improve outcomes while reducing costs. • Moving from an inpatient model to an outpatient world…
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From Diagnosis to Detention: How Schizophrenia Changed Two Lives Forever
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24:04Send us a text Carly, a licensed clinical social worker and mother, shares her 30-year journey navigating her son's schizophrenia diagnosis and the healthcare system's failures that led to his year-long incarceration. • Son diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 17, now 47 years old • Early signs included not wanting to get out of bed, not going to sc…
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Send us a text Ashley Smith, an advocate, author, and speaker, shares her powerful journey of recovery from schizophrenia and how she transformed a legal crisis into a platform for mental health advocacy. Through her blog "Overcoming Schizophrenia," seven self-published books, and work with organizations like NAMI and the Curious Foundation, Ashley…
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Katie R. Dale's Mental Health Story: Living Beyond Crazy
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27:30Send us a text Katie R. Dale shares her journey from hospital patient to mental health author and advocate, offering insights into living with bipolar disorder type 1 with psychotic features and how writing became her path to healing and helping others. • Started blogging in 2014 after hospitalization as self-therapy before expanding into professio…
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Tim Murphy's Fight for Mental Health Reform
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30:22Send us a text Tim Murphy, former congressman and psychologist, shares his journey advocating for mental health reform through the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act and highlights the systemic failures in America's approach to serious mental illness. • Serious mental illness requires different treatment approaches than general mental hea…
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Haley Graham : A Conversation on Mental Health, Autism, and Finding Your Way
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26:05Send us a text Psychotherapist Haley Graham shares her journey from pharmacist to mental health advocate after her son's struggle with school led her to found the Bounce Brighter Futures Foundation. Her personal experience with neurodivergence drives her passion for supporting children, parents, and teachers through therapeutic storytelling and com…
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Patrick Kennedy on Autism,Mental Health, Addiction, and Political Change
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33:15Send us a text Patrick Kennedy shares his journey from Congressman to mental health advocate, revealing how his family history and personal struggles with addiction shaped his mission to transform America's approach to mental health care. • Passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act by attaching it to the 2008 bank bailout bill • Advo…
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Judge Liefman: Breaking the Cycle of Autism and Mental Illness in Criminal Justice
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31:40Send us a text Judge Steven Leifman shares his remarkable journey from witnessing horrific conditions in a state psychiatric hospital as a teenager to becoming a leading judicial advocate for mental health reform. His work in Miami-Dade County has transformed how the criminal justice system handles people with mental illness, saving millions of dol…
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Christine Vester: Humanity Over Handcuffs: Protecting Autistic Lives in Legal Battles
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16:59Send us a text Christine Vester shares her mission with Humanity Over Handcuffs, a national advocacy movement protecting autistic individuals from being criminalized by the justice system. Her organization supports families, educates legal professionals, and works toward reforming a system that often treats neurological differences as criminal beha…
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Carol Nesteikis: Autism and the Justice System
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25:06Send us a text Carol Nistakis shares her family's painful journey through the justice system after her autistic son was manipulated into illegal activity by a neighbor. Her decade-long fight for justice led her to cofound D3, an organization helping families navigate the unique challenges autistic individuals face in legal proceedings. • Began advo…
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Areva Martin: How One Mother Became an Everyday Autism Advocate
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27:19Send us a text CNN contributor and civil rights attorney Areva Martin shares her personal journey of raising an autistic son while becoming a powerful advocate for disability rights and creating systemic change. • Son Marty's autism diagnosis at age two prompted an intensive learning journey • Navigated overwhelming and often inaccurate information…
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Ruth Johnston: Autism and Schizophrenia: A Mother's Fight for Change
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30:55Send us a text Ruth Johnston shares her harrowing journey as the mother of an autistic son who developed schizophrenia, and how this experience drove her to advocate for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania following a family tragedy. • Ruth's son was diagnosed with autism as a teenager, after she had already been h…
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