E009 Michael Herman Mental Illness Self-stigma 1
Let’s Be Well Together Podcast – Episode 9
Date: March 29, 2022
Participants: John Webster, Julie Wilson, Sammy Damaren, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster
Guests: Michael Herman (interview) and Zach Gerber (Adventures of the Starving Artist)
Start times and Segments:
[0:00:19] What’s On Your Mind: Julie sat down to do a Move That Body segment and noticed her coffee mug said “They are all perfect”. She asked John what it meant and they ended up recording a What’s on Your Mind about how we are all perfect (imperfectly so).
[0:09:56] Expanding Minds Interview: [Mental Wellness] Part 1 - Established lawyer Michael Herman talk about mental illness, the stigma he imposed on himself, moving past it and finding a way forward.
[0:29:33] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Zach Gerber of Skytracks Studio (recording studio) and Cameron recount salvaging a recording session when hit by a blackout, and capturing that moment in time.
[0:35:10 ] Move That Body: It’s am amazing transition when exercise moves from being a grim duty to being something truly enjoyable.
[0:40:56] Running Popup: How many times have we been told to enjoy the journey and not focus on the destination?
[0:44:31] Flipside of the Coin: How do we connect Spiritualist Mahatria Ra and comedian Ricky Gervais? By adding life to days (rather than vice versa) and appreciating how lucky we are to be alive, at this moment.
Mahatria Ra’s 2016 “Be A Gift to the World” Presentation at Rotary International Convention in Seoul, Korea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbSBMIVQegI&ab_channel=MahatriaRa
Quotes and Take-Aways:
John – The fact that we are alive right now, and we are human beings who can have rational thought make us some of the luckiest beings in the entire universe and yet we don’t think about that.
Michael – It was in that moment that I realized that the issues I was dealing with primarily were mental issues, and that I was I the midst of some sort of severe depression. That led to a change in mindset, which led to an entire shift in what I started to look towards to try to recover, to try and get better.
Michael – It’s hard for me to describe what depression felt like. I ask people to imagine as if they wake up every morning and immediately feel as if they are being sucked into a deep, dark hole into which no light enters and from which there is no escape. It’s as if you are falling into an abyss every single day.
Michael – For anybody who is a leader out there, I can’t overstate how important the support that I got from the firm was to my recovery, on so many levels. It was crucial that I knew that I still belonged to that work community, and that it was a place I could go back to if I was ever ready to go back.
Bulletin Board Quote brought to you by Zach: This is a bit of a nerd tangent.
Guest Information: Michael Herman is a lawyer with and General Counsel to Canadian offices of international law firm Gowling WLG. As General Counsel, Michael provides legal advice to the law firm, and plays many important roles within Gowling WLG. With more than 30 years of experience, he’s is also highly regarded as a strategic adviser to a broad range of clients. For example, he advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, corporate development, corporate finance and other complex business matters. Michael spent a number of years in senior executive positions at multi-national public corporations, where he was responsible for strategic planning, strategic partnerships, corporate governance and other marketing and investor relations activities.
Zach Gerber – He’s the primary contact at Skytrack Studios.
Skytrack Studios website: https://www.skytrackstudios.com
Skytrack Studios Instagram: @skytrackstudios
Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lets.Be.Well.Together
Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila and Julie