Join us as Maryrose Mercurio and Moira Trachtenberg share about an exciting project that MHA has had the opportunity to get involved in. Maryrose is coordinating the Fair Street USA exhibition, and Moira is one of the artists helping to produce the art, which will be utilized to convey critical information about fair housing and discrimination. The…

Jim Coyle is the musician behind the incredible music you hear in Surfacing's intro and outro. In addition to his musical talent, he is also a dedicated employee of MHA's OnTrackNY program. He works with young adults newly experiencing symptoms of psychosis, supporting them in pursuing their educational and employment goals. His mission is to inspi…

Emily Grossman shares her powerful journey from struggling with bipolar disorder to thriving with bipolar disorder. In addition to sharing how her greatest struggle became a springboard to her best self, her story also demonstrates the importance of instilling hope that recovery is available to all. Her story illustrates how powerful the messages a…

Sharon McCarthy is the volunteer Program Coordinator at NAMI Westchester. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is an organization that provides support and education in the community to individuals and families impacted by mental health concerns. Sharon uses her own story of supporting her daughter through her recovery to illustrate the impac…

Mike Ahearn from Wellbridge Addiction Treatment and Research joins us today to discuss his journey to recovery and how this has influenced his career today. He covers a lot of ground during the episode, from his struggles with identity development in adolescence, to the challenges of entering adulthood, and how these and other factors contributed t…

China Darrington joins Jenna and Dillon today to share a powerful story of recovery that turned into a passion for advocacy. China is the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at Thrive Peer Recovery Services in Ohio, where she uses her knowledge, voice and passion to impact the larger systems that influence how behavioral healthcare is delivered.…

Dillon Browne is the Coordinator of Peer and Recovery Services at the Sterling Community Center, a program of MHA Westchester, which is located in White Plains, NY. Dillon came to MHA 7 years ago as an intern, and since then has dedicated his time to creating community amongst the participants of Sterling so that everyone can experience the transfo…

State Senator Chris Kolker was a prime sponsor of the 988 legislation that would implement the three digit number for crisis response services in Colorado, making the suicide prevention lifeline even more accessible for those experiencing a behavioral health crisis. While there was broad support for this legislation, hearing the story of why it is …

We have another amazing MHA employee on the podcast today, Eric Teitelbaum, a clinician in our Children’s Services division. It is always so inspiring to learn what drives a person to seek a career in helping others, and Eric’s story makes it clear why he’s so passionate about what he does. His story reflects the power of resilience and demonstrate…

Martin Gromulat, MHA Peer Specialist, shares the compelling journey that took him from lawyer, to environmental conservationist, to peer specialist. He shares how his own lived experience turned him into a fierce advocate for mental health. His passion for ensuring that those in mental health crisis receive the right care at the right time is what …

Christina McMurray, author of Live Laugh Fly: A Family's Journey Through Childhood Cancer, Unimaginable Grief, and the Realization that Love Never Dies, talks about the ways in which her life equipped her to cope through the unthinkable loss of her son. She shares just several of the many signs she has received since her son died that let her know …

Deb Faust, the Director of Family Engagement and Co-Director of Building Connections at The Mental Health Association in New York State, provides a powerful account of her life journey. She has faced much adversity and trauma, which she has used to fuel her life’s work, making an impact on the lives of countless individuals and families. She is a f…

Today we are joined by sisters Meredith Gallo and Courtney Hunter, who will share from their unique perspectives about a pivotal experience in their childhood. Meredith talks about her struggle with mental health and addiction, while Courtney shares the family perspective. Their insights about how these experiences shaped them are powerful, and the…

Reginald Howard is a mental health advocate and the founder of The Black Mental Health Podcast, which is dedicated to understanding and unraveling mental health issues in the African American community. He has used his own experience and showcases real life stories to create connection with people who feel alone in their struggles. He also shares t…

Melissa Bernstein, one of the founders of the Melissa and Doug toy company, joined MHA for a community conversation in September. She agreed to let us air this as a special podcast episode so that we could share it with a wider audience. Melissa shares a heartfelt reflection on her lifelong journey with anxiety and depression, and how developing a …

Jeanette Fairhurst and Pat White are both dynamic women and fierce advocates for mental health. They have unique and powerful stories that shaped who they are today. Hear from them directly and you’ll understand why Jeanette is our honoree for this year’s MHA Gala celebrating 75 years in the community. Pat is the Chair of the event, and we couldn’t…

Caroline Park and Neil Harman from Release Recovery join us for our final episode of Season 2. It was perfect timing for them to share their stories as National Recovery Month is wrapping up. They are both using their own lived experience to bring awareness to the strength and vitality of the recovery community and to eradicate stigma around substa…

Three extraordinary local high schoolers (entering their Junior and Senior year of HS) join the podcast to share their reflections on surviving the challenges of COVID as a teenager. They talk about what was unique about the experience for their age group, how they made the best of the lockdown, and most importantly, what they need from the adults …

MartinJon, Recovery Mentor, host of the podcast Recover Yourself, joins us today to share his story of recovery from addiction. He talks about how he discovered the key to his own recovery, which was recovering TO, rather than simply recovering FROM. He also talks about how important it is to recover your sense of self, which is a continual process…

David Richman, author of Cycle of Lives, joins Surfacing to talk about his 4,700-mile bike ride around the United States, during which he stopped to talk with individuals impacted by cancer in some way. He had spent years talking with these individuals and learning about their individual journeys. His book tells their stories in a way that is meant…

Derek Coy, Veterans’ Health Officer at the New York State Health Foundation and former Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps talks about how all of the experiences in his life, inside and outside the military, contributed to his life’s work and mission. He strives to normalize conversations about mental health and trauma to foster connection a…

Join Jenna and Dustin as they reflect on the development of the Surfacing podcast, what it takes to put it all together and how you can be a part of it! Whether you follow, share, rate, review, support or join us as a guest, there’s a role for everyone and we want you to join us. Reach out to us at: Podcast@mhawestchester.org Find out more about MH…

John Tessitore founded the JCK Foundation following the loss of his friend and mentor, John Kelly, to suicide. Tessitore had found a sense of belonging and connection with Kelly around a shared experience of dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Depression. This support provided him with the vision and understanding that connection and com…

Kenyah Miller, Founder and Executive Director of the Intellectus Preparatory Charter School, talks with Jenna and Dustin about the journey that led to the development of this charter school. She shares how she often traveled long distances to attend schools that challenged her appropriately and spurred her mission to provide a free charter school o…

We are so excited to have Ira and David Minot join the podcast today. Ira is the founder of Mental Health News Education and the publisher of Behavioral Health News. David, who is Ira’s son, is the Executive Director of Mental Health News Education and the publisher of Autism Spectrum News. Ira will talk about his own person struggles with mental h…

Michael Gilberg is a special education attorney with a passion for advocating for children with disabilities. He shares with us how his own experience growing up with an undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder fueled his drive to ensure that no child or family experiences what he did. Find out more about Michael here: https://www.michaelgilbergesq.com…

We are joined today by Kathleen Bonistall, one of MHA’s program directors. We know that her story is not easy for her to re-tell, so we appreciate that she does so for the sole purpose of connecting with and encouraging others. The loss of her daughter to a violent crime while in college, spurred Kathleen and her family to found Peace Outside Campu…

MHA’s own Emil D’Onofrio joins us today to share a bit of his recovery journey with us. He shares about the importance of tending our own emotional gardens and how important it was to his own wellness to accept the notion that it’s okay not to have the answers to everything and embrace the beauty and mystery around him. Find out more about MHA here…

Mikki Baloy is our guest today. She shares her personal story, starting as a 23-year-old aspiring actress living in NYC to becoming a Shamanic healer. This journey occurred in the aftermath of 9/11, as she processed her own trauma and grief, and created a new and unexpected path for her life as she made meaning from all that she had experienced. Fi…

Paula Ram joins the podcast today and shares her story of childhood adversity and how this has impacted her beliefs about herself. It is a story of hope and resilience, which I hope motivates others to create expectations of success for themselves. I also hope it’s a reminder to all that we can help set that bar for others, to never underestimate o…

Surfacing - The Meaning in the Story is back for season 2. Hosts Jenna Velez and Dustin Loughan quickly talk about season 2 and when to expect the first episode!By The Mental Health Association of Westchester

Ro Speight is a peer and recovery specialist with MHA in the CCBHC program. She shares many pearls of wisdom in this episode on how she learned to build a narrative around her mental health that was conducive to creating a thriving life. She shares specifically how interacting with others and establishing meaningful connections was a key to this pr…

Dwayne Mayes, MHA's Director of Recovery Network and Peer Training, joins Surfacing to share how Building Resilience has been one of his tools to thrive. He not only shares pieces of his mental health recovery journey but how the resilience he built during that time assisted him in navigating the past few years of medical illness and recovery.…

Todd Wittenberg, our first guest for the special Mental Health Month series, shares his personal journey of mental health recovery, reflecting on how helping others became one of his primary tools to thrive. He shares powerful anecdotes from his life to reflect on how he got to where he is now and offers inspiration to all of us about choosing kind…

Jenna and Dustin invited some special friends and supporters of the podcast to help them wrap up Season 1, talk through some of the themes that emerged, and reflect on the importance of story-telling in both personal growth and fighting stigma. Tune in to hear how we are pulling it all together and what the plans are for the future of Surfacing!…

Our producer Dustin has been sharing pieces of his story throughout this season, as he connects with the guests around some aspect of their stories. We thought it was time for him to surface the whole story, and we are thrilled that he was willing to share so openly for today’s episode. Our hope is that his experiences will inspire and motivate som…

Ben Zupnick shares his story of dealing with anxiety and depression throughout his life, what he has learned through that journey, and why he feels called to share his story to fight stigma. His story will be relatable to many, and we hope that it inspires you to never give up in figuring out what works for you! MHA Resources: http://www.mhawestche…

Ginger MacLeod is our guest today. She’s an MHA employee, volunteer and self-described “cheerleader” who has dedicated her life to helping others find meaning and joy in recovery. In the face of childhood adversity, toxic stress, and alcohol addiction, her journey reflects the powerful discovery of her own worth, which she now uses to help others f…

Shari Applebaum joins the podcast today to talk about her journey of healing through helping after her son, Miles, died by suicide. We want to acknowledge that hearing about suicide can be distressing for some and emphasize that help is ALWAYS just a phone call away and The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-TALK (8…

Today we talk with Ian Gray, a Peer Specialist with MHA Westchester, who shares how his lived experience has shaped his career path and the way in which he interacts with others experiencing mental health challenges. His story offers hope and also helpful tips on how to support others through connection. Find out more about the programs he works wi…

Stephanie Keegan joins the podcast today to share how her son, Daniel, lost his life to addiction while struggling to address the trauma of his combat experience. She tells us about Daniel’s desire to impact systems in order to improve the experience and outcomes of other soldiers with similar stories. Stephanie has committed her life to honoring D…

Join us today to hear from Joseph Engelhardt, principal of Alexander Hamilton High School in Elmsford, NY. He discusses how key experiences in his early life (including the loss of his friend to an overdose) led him to the field of education, where his mission is to create a safe learning environment for students that emphasizes wellness. Hear how …

Listen in as Stephanie Marquesano shares how reading a poem that her son wrote before he died of an accidental overdose propelled her into a journey of advocacy to bring awareness to co-occurring disorders. She is the founder of the harris project, which you can find out more about at the links below. Link to the poem can be found here Visit the ha…

An interview with Joanne Api, a mother of two, who lost her husband to COVID-19 in April 2020. She shares openly her grief and struggles alongside her efforts to bring meaning to her experience. The content of this episode is understandably intense and may be upsetting for those who have experienced loss due to COVID-19. Please see below for resour…

Emily Esfahani Smith, author of the Power of Meaning, joins us for the inaugural episode of the podcast. She talks about the pillars of a meaningful life and how reflecting on the experiences that shape us tell the story of who we become. This conversation sets the stage for the guests that will join us throughout the season, sharing their reflecti…

Welcome to Surfacing - The Meaning in the Story. Listen as your hosts Jenna Velez and Dustin Loughan give a brief introduction to what you can expect this season.By The Mental Health Association of Westchester