All The Wiser: Shattering Mental Health Stigma One Story At A Time With Kimi Culp

Brave Women at Work

I’m going to start being personal and vulnerable today. When I went through burnout in 2019, I went through the dark muck of depression and anxiety. I had no idea how to leave that place, so I am thankful for medication and therapy. While I went through this experience, I also felt a little weird and secretive about it at the time because I didn’t want my team to think that I was less than them. I didn’t want them to wonder if I could still do the job or lead the team. I didn’t come forward with my story until this podcast and my first book, Brave Women at Work: Stories of Resilience. I realized that sharing the story was a braver thing to do than keeping it hidden.

My guest today, Kimi Culp, also brings a similar, yet different, story to the show.

During my chat with Kimi, we discussed:

● More about her backstory and her career in film and television production.

● Her experience working with Oprah and the OWN Network in its heyday.

● What led Kimi to keep her bipolar disorder hidden throughout her career and to begin talking about it publicly.

● The reaction of the public and her friends, family, and colleagues after she shared her personal story.

● How we can be compassionate with others that may be silently struggling with mental illness or other challenges.

● And what led Kimi to start her podcast, All the Wiser.

I’m doing this show today because it’s real, it’s honest, and so many of us are facing mental health challenges. I’m confident that if we bring this out in the open, it will be less and less stigmatized. It will be an act of bravery to say that you have a mental illness. It will be an act of love towards others who may be suffering silently. And it will make our workplaces more inclusive and drive a sense of psychological safety that many of us yearn for at work.