Recovery Diaries In Depth

Recovery Diaries
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Biweekly

Welcome to Recovery Diaries In Depth; a mental health podcast that creates a warm, empathic, and engaging space for discussions around mental health, empowerment, and change. Executive Director and podcast host Gabe Nathan brings a unique combination of lived experience with mental health challenges, years of independent mental health and suicide awareness advocacy, and an understanding of the inpatient psychiatric millieu as a former staff member at a psychiatric hospital. This extensive background helps him navigate complex and nuanced conversations with a diverse array of guests, all of whom are vulnerable and engaged; doing their utmost to eradicate mental health stigma through advocacy, storytelling, and open conversation.  Guests who have previously contributed a mental health personal essay read their essays aloud during the podcast and then chat with Gabe about what has changed in their lives since their essays were published on the site. By engaging in deep discussions with people living with mental health challenges like bipolar disorder, trauma histories, addiction issues, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive or eating disorders, Recovery Diaries in Depth further carries out Recovery Diaries' mission to #buststigma by showing people that they are not alone, instead of just telling them. This mental health podcast features guests from all over the world and, while their own personal experiences are unique, the human experience is what unites, inspires, and connects. Subscribe, like, share, and enjoy! Recovery Diaries In Depth is supported in full by the van Ameringen Foundation.

  1. Until There’s a Cure for Mental Illness, There’s NAMI-Man: Nick Emeigh | RDID; 214

    May 18

    Until There’s a Cure for Mental Illness, There’s NAMI-Man: Nick Emeigh | RDID; 214

    Send us Fan Mail Recovery Diaries in Depth guest Nick Emeigh and our show's host Gabe Nathan are old friends, both of whom live with mental health challenges. They're both passionate, compassionate, vulnerable, and unafraid (while simultaneously being afraid of pretty much everything). That's a lot of what makes them good friends, and so much of what makes this interview a must-hear.  Right out of the gate, their conversation goes right towards suicide. And it's no accident that it happens that way: Nick just came to this interview from a Bucks County school that recently lost a young man to suicide. Nick helps people in Bucks County every single day who are contemplating suicide, have attempted, family and community members who have suffered a suicide loss. He lives and breathes mental illness and suicide every single day as Executive Director of NAMI-Bucks County, PA. Nick has survived multiple suicide attempts, he is in addiction recovery, he is a peer, an advocate, a mental health superhero (watch this film to be acquainted with the coolest guy in tights since Peter Pan) and he never stops urging politicians, changemakers, and community members to pay attention, to listen. To listen to stories. To his story.  Nick shares that story with refreshing honesty: a tale of intense bullying and early suicidal thoughts, an eating disorder shaped by control and approval, addiction, psychosis, trauma and grief. But what makes recovery sustainable or even possible? Therapy, medication, self-care, peer support, and the work of building NAMI Bucks County into a network that reaches tens of thousands through school education, support groups, and a warm line; and it's so, so much more. It's Nick's irrepressible personality that is heartwarming, sincere, and worthy of attention. So pull up a chair alongside these two old friends and listen. And share. And feel. Conversations like the ones on this podcast can sometimes be hard, but they’re always necessary. If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider visiting wannatalkaboutit.com. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call, text, or chat 988. https://recoverydiaries.org/

    1h 23m
  2. Anxiety, OCD, and a Brain That Tries to Protect: Kayla Ackelson | RDID; 213

    Apr 20

    Anxiety, OCD, and a Brain That Tries to Protect: Kayla Ackelson | RDID; 213

    Send us Fan Mail Today, Kayla Ackelson lives, breathes, and thrives through independent expressive, mixed media artistry. But it wasn't always that way. For years, she struggled with incessant worries-- about everything, from swimming to sleepovers, movies, the dark (where people often watch movies), to people she loved dying. Never fear, though; she had maladaptive coping strategies to "help" her through all of those unrelenting anxieties. Afraid your partner will leave you? Cling on tighter! Scared of things; just ratchet up the hypervigilence! Check on everyone, all the time. Check, check, check. Then, check again; just to be sure. Kayla knew living this way was unsustainable; she would hide at work, trying to pull herself together through her tears. It couldn't go on like this. Gradually, slowly, with therapy, with insight, with help; from herself and from others, she started to turn the corner. Medication, meditation, journaling, neuroplasticity, and the practical mental health habits that actually support recovery: sleep, hydration, easing up on caffeine, and making room for quiet came along for the ride, and now, she's in a better place. She's writing, creating, and is the host of her own podcast, Unhurried. She encourages you to pause, unwind, maybe have a cup of (not thoroughly caffeinated) tea, and listen. We extend that invitation to you, too. We're so grateful to Kayla for coming on as a guest to talk about her mental health, her life, and her recovery. She reads her lovely essay, "It Was Cute Until It Wasn’t Anymore – My OCD, Anxiety, and Depression" aloud on the show, and it's a treat.  If you’ve ever felt alone in your own mind, we hope this brings language, comfort, and a next step. Subscribe for more Recovery Diaries In Depth, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find these mental health stories. Conversations like the ones on this podcast can sometimes be hard, but they’re always necessary. If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider visiting wannatalkaboutit.com. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call, text, or chat 988. https://recoverydiaries.org/

    47 min
  3. From Wanting to Die to Yearning to Live; in Conversation with Levi Mericle | RDID; 212

    Apr 6

    From Wanting to Die to Yearning to Live; in Conversation with Levi Mericle | RDID; 212

    Send us Fan Mail From ages 13-19, Levi Mericle wanted to die, pretty much every day. There was reckless, impulsive behavior, suicide attempts, hospital stays, agonizing torment for Levi and assuredly endless nights of the most intense anxiety possible for his devoted parents, who struggled to understand what was happening to their previously happy-go-lucky boy.  Serious and persistent mental illness can often rip families apart. Our Executive Director and podcast host, Gabriel Nathan, has seen it in his years working at a locked, inpatient psychiatric hospital; parents absolutely at their wits end after years and years of destructive behavior by children, sometimes despairing and bereft of resources and support, child/parent bonds can become fractured, marriages can be obliterated-- mental illness is the ultimate wrecking ball. But Levi's bipolar disorder was no match for his parent's love; they refused to watch their son succumb to this illness, which tempted Levi to end his life by his own hand countless times. Neither would Levi's family let their strong Christian faith sway them from seeking urgent psychiatric help for their son. As Levi says in his interview, many Christians view mental illness as either not real, or something that needs to be "given to God", to the exclusion of potentially lifesaving medications and crisis interventions. Levi is an eternally grateful son, citing the love of his family as the main reason why he is still here, singing the songs life wants to hear.  Our interview with Levi is wide-ranging and passionate; he is an ardently sensitive and introspective soul who spares no detail in discussing his incredibly dark adolescence and young adulthood, and what helped him turn the corner to finding purpose, meaning, and a yearning to live.  Levi closes our time together by reading his poem “The Corner In A Dark Room,” a stark, accurate portrait of depression’s numbness and time distortion.  If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with someone who needs hope today, and leave a review so more people can find Recovery Diaries In Depth. Conversations like the ones on this podcast can sometimes be hard, but they’re always necessary. If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider visiting wannatalkaboutit.com. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call, text, or chat 988. https://recoverydiaries.org/

    56 min
  4. A Black Woman's Experience with Mental Health; Jacquese Armstrong | RDID; 211

    Mar 23

    A Black Woman's Experience with Mental Health; Jacquese Armstrong | RDID; 211

    Send us Fan Mail For decades, Jacquese Armstrong let others write her story. She was labeled, marginalized, medicated, and was essentially given a life sentence by physicians who spent no more time with her than you spend with the clerk at a 7-Eleven. She was told she'd never work. She was told. Now, she tells. And the story she tells is one of boundless creativity, advocacy, a passionate engagement in the expressive arts. She speaks about the system that subjugated her; pigeon-holed her, overdiagnosed and overmedicated her, took away her agency and her hope.  Jacquese challenges herself and us to not accept culturally incompetent care, to not lay down and accept whatever is thrown at us by the medical model, a system that routinely fails to see people as complex and nuanced human beings. She holds fast to her faith, her compassion for herself, and her love of creating. Jacquese is an award-winning poet and memoirist who has rebuilt her life following decades of medications that stunted and blunted her. She still struggles, and she is open about that as she is about so much; ageism, misogyny, psychiatric harm, injustice; she pours out her heart in articles, essays, poems, and her forthcoming book.  Jacquese has worked ceaselessly to help others, and to build the ladder, rung by rung, she uses to climb out of the pit she found herself in. Her mental health challenges may always be there, but she is learning to live and fight for herself and her dignity and her rights, every day; doing so artfully and gracefully.  If you’ve ever felt mislabeled, unseen, or stuck in a system that talks over you, Jacquese Armstrong offers validation, direction, and hope. Her extraordinary and moving book, fabricating a home 'cause you never had one, is available for purchase here. Conversations like the ones on this podcast can sometimes be hard, but they’re always necessary. If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider visiting wannatalkaboutit.com. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call, text, or chat 988. https://recoverydiaries.org/

    56 min
  5. Excuse Her While She Obsesses; Unpacking OCD with Manndi Maphies | RDID; 210

    Mar 9

    Excuse Her While She Obsesses; Unpacking OCD with Manndi Maphies | RDID; 210

    Send us Fan Mail Manndi Maphies lives with obsessive compulsive disorder. It was undoubtedly present in her childhood, where she exhibited behaviors that could be perhaps described as "quirky" but her OCD caught fire following a miscarriage, followed by a new pregnancy. Manndi was, understandably, terrified that she miscarried because of something she "did", and she was absolutely not going to let that happen again; so OCD obligingly took over, letting Manndi know that she needed to compulsively wash her hands, be frightened of certain foods, watch every move she made... in order to keep her unborn child "safe."  Fortunately, Manndi's doctor convinced her that medication, while it carried some small risks, might very well do less harm to her unborn child than her out-of-control OCD was doing, in the form of extreme stress, compulsive behaviors, and unmanaged anxiety. Manndi listened, and got help that helped. In Manndi's wonderful essay, "Excuse Me While I Obsess; Learning to Manage my Lifelong Struggle with OCD", she writes about her mental health and her recovery. She has been through divorce, unexpected loss, and blending families, where stress briefly outpaced her tools. But Manndi doesn't fall apart; she regroups and she falls almost effortlessly into new seasons of her life, finding joy, creating and connecting.  Manndi finds comfort in faith, humor, and community. She is using her voice and her writing to help others find hope and help. We are so grateful that she was our guest here on Recovery Diaries in Depth, and we are lucky to share her wisdom and kindness with you.  If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who needs language for what they’re feeling, then subscribe, leave a review, and join our mailing list at recoverydiaries.org so you never miss new stories, essays, and films.  Conversations like the ones on this podcast can sometimes be hard, but they’re always necessary. If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider visiting wannatalkaboutit.com. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call, text, or chat 988. https://recoverydiaries.org/

    44 min
  6. Refusing to Disappear: Life with Schizoaffective Disorder with Sarah An Myers | RDID; 209

    Feb 23

    Refusing to Disappear: Life with Schizoaffective Disorder with Sarah An Myers | RDID; 209

    Send us Fan Mail “If I don’t communicate, I feel like I’m disappearing.”  This is a bedrock principle that guides Sarah An Myers in her advocacy for schizoaffective disorder, her writing, and her life. She refuses to disappear, she refuses to be silent, she refuses to let others speak for her. Sarah An Myers lives with schizoaffective disorder, a mental illness that combines aspects of a thought disorder (hallucinations, delusions, psychosis) with symptoms of a mood disorder (mood instability, depressive or manic episodes).  While schizoaffective disorder is an undeniable component of who Sarah is, she is so, so much more than her mental illness. She writes constantly, giving people a window into her unique and nuanced perspectives about mental illness and other topics, she lives independently, she cares for her dog, she takes fencing lessons, she travels around the world. Sarah's life is as bold and vibrant as the striking pink coat she wears in the film we made about her called "Thriving with Schizoaffective Disorder".  In this episode of Recovery Diaries in Depth, our host, Gabriel Nathan, is joined not just by Sarah An Myers, but by filmmaker Glenn Holsten who directed that film about Sarah's life with schizoaffective disorder. In this vulnerable, intriguing three-way conversation, Gabe, Glenn, and Sarah talk about the creative process of documentary filmmaking, and Recovery Diaries' collaborative approach to creating a piece like "Thriving with Schizoaffective Disorder." Glenn and Sarah really worked as a team, both in pre-production conversations and during the shoot to create moments that felt authentic to Sarah's experience, like a subway shoot to let viewers see and hear what it is like to hallucinate, and an in-studio recording session where actors read aloud some of Sarah's auditory hallucinations. Sarah speaks openly about what the experience was like, both making the film and then her anxiety upon its release. She also shares some of her very important views about the infantilization of psychiatric patients, the role medication has played in her life and recovery, and the work she is doing now. You won't want to miss this conversation with some extraordinary and creative human beings, doing vital work to de-stigmatize mental illness in new, original ways. About Sarah: Sarah An Myers is a writer, mental health advocate, and creative living in New York City. She writes a column on Psychology Today about psychotic disorders, reporting on the latest and cutting-edge research to combat stigma. She has written for human rights, freethinking, psychiatry, and literary publications including Free Inquiry, The Brooklyn Rail, Open Minds Quarterly, Psychiatry at the Margins, and more. She earned her MA in behavioral neuroscience from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and her MFA in creative nonfiction from The New School. She recently finished a literary memoir on living with schizoaffective disorder and is looking for an agent. Find her on social media @sarahanmy.  Conversations like the ones on this podcast can sometimes be hard, but they’re always necessary. If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider visiting wannatalkaboutit.com. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call, text, or chat 988. https://recoverydiaries.org/

    1h 2m
  7. Bipolar, Books, Breakdown; in conversation with Erika Nichols-Frazer | RDID; 208

    Feb 16

    Bipolar, Books, Breakdown; in conversation with Erika Nichols-Frazer | RDID; 208

    Send us Fan Mail Erika Nichols-Frazer joins us today as our guest. She's an old friend of Recovery Diaries, having published three essays with us; Lies Mania Has Told Me, A Double-Edged Sword: Facing the Grief of Miscarriage with Bipolar Disorder, and the essay we're privileged to have her read aloud during this episode, Manic MFA: How My Degree Almost Cost Me My Sanity. While Erika is now a profilic writer, "Manic MFA" was, in fact, the very first time Erika had every written publicly about her bipolar diagnosis, a fact we at Recovery Diaries are very proud of. Erika speaks openly and candidly about her decision to write about the pressures and triggers she was experiencing during her MFA program, and the impact her mental illness and its symptoms of mania had on her relationship with her husband.  Our interview with Erika is expansive and hopeful; covering how women with mental illness are treated in literature, and #irl, how her relationship with food has evolved over the years, where she has been in the early days of her bipolar diagnosis, and where she is now. Erika is thoughtful, insightful, and easy to talk and listen to; we think you'll find our conversation with her illuminating and impactful. She has a lot to say about mental health storytelling, and advice for anyone considering putting pen to paper with a mental health narrative of their own. We're so grateful to Erika for taking some time to talk with us on "Recovery Diaries in Depth." Like our conversations? If you find them helpful and hopeful, chances are someone you love will, too. So share us with someone who needs us, and leave a review to help more listeners find stories that help. About our guest: Erika Nichols-Frazer (she/her) is the author of the memoir, Feed Me: A Story of Food, Love and Mental Illness and the poetry collection, Staring Too Closely. She has two books forthcoming in 2026, the poetry chapbook, Can you see her, the moon? and the short story collection, No One Will Ever Hear You. Erika's work has been published in numerous literary magazines and venues such as HuffPost Personal, River Teeth's Beautiful Things, Emerge Literary Journal, and others. She has an MFA in Fiction from the Bennington Writing Seminars. She lives in Vermont and works at Vermont State University. Conversations like the ones on this podcast can sometimes be hard, but they’re always necessary. If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider visiting wannatalkaboutit.com. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call, text, or chat 988. https://recoverydiaries.org/

    56 min
  8. Manning Up Means Getting Help with Suicidal Thoughts: Chris Russell | RDID; 207

    Jan 26

    Manning Up Means Getting Help with Suicidal Thoughts: Chris Russell | RDID; 207

    Send us Fan Mail Today, Chris Russell is a grounded, hopeful human being who helps others navigate suicidal ideation as a volunteer for the Suicide/Crisis Lifeline. He definitely still has his struggles with symptoms related to his bipolar ii diagnosis, but he is managing his mental health in a way that was inconceivable to him not too long ago, where he was struggling with intense, unmanaged anger, impulsiveness, incessant thoughts of taking his own life. In this moving and heartfelt interview, Chris opens up to host Gabe Nathan, who struggles with many of the same issues Chris does, about his mental illness, how it has impacted his work as an actor, writer, and teacher, and where he was in his mind the night that he finally reached out for help, to what was then the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It wasn't perfect or without frustrations (after all, Chris was 44th in the queue) but it was enough to keep Chris from killing himself, it was enough for him to slowly move towards recovery, to share what he was experiencing with others, to give them the opportunity to give him understanding and support, to feel seen and heard. A chance to start encouraging other men like him to shed their archaic armor and be vulnerable. Chris is an extraordinary human being, volunteering to take calls from people in the throes of suicidality and other psychiatric emergencies, as part of his own recovery, as a way to honor himself and his mother, as a way to give something back. We are so grateful for his strength, his creativity, his openness, and his courage; and we're excited to share this conversation with you. Please share it with someone you love; you'll be glad you did. Conversations like the ones on this podcast can sometimes be hard, but they’re always necessary. If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider visiting wannatalkaboutit.com. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call, text, or chat 988. https://recoverydiaries.org/

    1h 1m
See All (38)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to Recovery Diaries In Depth; a mental health podcast that creates a warm, empathic, and engaging space for discussions around mental health, empowerment, and change. Executive Director and podcast host Gabe Nathan brings a unique combination of lived experience with mental health challenges, years of independent mental health and suicide awareness advocacy, and an understanding of the inpatient psychiatric millieu as a former staff member at a psychiatric hospital. This extensive background helps him navigate complex and nuanced conversations with a diverse array of guests, all of whom are vulnerable and engaged; doing their utmost to eradicate mental health stigma through advocacy, storytelling, and open conversation.  Guests who have previously contributed a mental health personal essay read their essays aloud during the podcast and then chat with Gabe about what has changed in their lives since their essays were published on the site. By engaging in deep discussions with people living with mental health challenges like bipolar disorder, trauma histories, addiction issues, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive or eating disorders, Recovery Diaries in Depth further carries out Recovery Diaries' mission to #buststigma by showing people that they are not alone, instead of just telling them. This mental health podcast features guests from all over the world and, while their own personal experiences are unique, the human experience is what unites, inspires, and connects. Subscribe, like, share, and enjoy! Recovery Diaries In Depth is supported in full by the van Ameringen Foundation.

Information

  • Creator
    Recovery Diaries
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Recovery Diaries In Depth
  • Show Website
    Recovery Diaries In Depth