The Depression Files Al Levin

In this episode, Al interviews John MacPhee, CEO of The Jed Foundation (recorded 8-9-23). John describes his own mental health challenges and how they impacted him as a Division I college basketball player.
John also describes the work of The Jed Foundation that supports students and young adults around mental health, resiliency, and suicide prevention. You'll hear about the work that The Jed Foundation is doing not only in colleges and universities, but in high schools and with superintendents in supporting all students within K-12 schools.
John shares how The Jed Foundation works alongside of their partners to create a comprehensive plan to put systems, programs, and policies in place to create a culture of caring that protects student mental health, builds life skills, and makes it more likely students will seek help and struggling students will be recognized, connected to mental health care, and supported.
To learn more about John and The Jed Foundation, or to become a partner school, visit jedfoundation.org.
If you find value in the podcast, please consider buying Al a cup of coffee at buymeacoffee.com/allevin. There, you can buy Al a one-time cup (or cups) of coffee or become a member to purchase coffee for him monthly. Not only will this help to caffeinate him up, but it will also help to offset the cost of the podcast hosting site, maintain and update his equipment and support the amount of time that it takes in order to produce the show.
In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with him as a coach/consultant or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, it would be greatly appreciated if you would subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Dr. Mark Harper, attending anesthesiologist in the UK and Norway, researcher, and author (recorded 7-18-23). Dr. Harper describes how, although keeping patients warm during surgery was a significant part of his job, he drew a fascination towards cold-water swimming and its impact on one's mental health.
Dr. Harper describes the research that he has been a part of in the area of cold-water swimming and the future of the research. He describes the benefits, as well as the precautions, of cold-water swimming. Dr. Harper also shares with the listeners about Mental Health Swims, a mental health peer support community that hosts free, safe, and inclusive swim meet ups and Chill UK, a nonprofit that provides courses in cold-water swimming to improve mental health.
Finally, Dr. Harper describes his book: Chill: The Cold Water Swim Cure. To learn more about Dr. Harper, check out his website at drmarkharper.com. You'll can also find Dr. Harper on Twitter @WildSwimDoctor and Instagram @TheWildSwimDoctor.
If you find value in the podcast, please consider buying Al a cup of coffee at buymeacoffee.com/allevin. There, you can buy Al a one-time cup (or cups) of coffee or become a member to purchase coffee for him monthly. Not only will this help to caffeinate him up, but it will also help to offset the cost of the podcast hosting site, maintain and update his equipment and support the amount of time that it takes in order to produce the show.
In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with him as a coach/consultant or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, it would be greatly appreciated if you would subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Shannon Walker, founder and CEO of Northwest Battle Buddies (recorded 7-11-23). Shannon describes her passion for training dogs and how she came to train service dogs for military veterans who are living with PTSD.
Shannon explains the process; from five months of training the dogs, to receiving detailed information on the veterans seeking service dogs, to pairing the dog with a veteran, and finally an additional five weeks of training the veteran and their new service dog together.
Hear how these dogs have changed the lives of the veterans. You'll hear about how a service dog may pull a veteran out of a panic attack or even disrupt the veteran's suicidal thoughts and much more. To learn more about Shannon and Northwest Battle Buddies, please check out their website at northwestbattlebuddies.org.
If you find value in the podcast, please consider buying Al a cup of coffee at buymeacoffee.com/allevin. There, you can buy Al a one-time cup (or cups) of coffee or become a member to purchase coffee for him monthly. Not only will this help to caffeinate him up, but it will also help to offset the cost of the podcast hosting site, maintain and update his equipment and support the amount of time that it takes in order to produce the show.
In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with him as a coach/consultant or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, it would be greatly appreciated if you would subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Craig Stanland, former account manager of a large tech company, formerly incarcerated in federal prison, and now a Reinvention Architect (recorded 6-7-23). Craig describes how he had it all; a wonderful wife, a fantastic job, multiple homes, beautiful cars, expensive watches. Craig would spend most days shopping at extravagant stores and bouncing into fancy restaurants for meals and drinks. He was a VIP at some of the best restaurants in Greenwich and Manhattan. But this wasn't enough. He wanted more.
Craig saw his financial numbers falling as he was paying less attention to his large clients than his flashy, materialistic lifestyle. He had to make a choice and he saw only one option: commit fraud against one of the largest technology companies in the world. Hear how this path led to fifteen FBI agents at his front door, a sentence of twenty-four months of federal prison, three years of supervised release, and $834,307 in restitution.
Craig shares the struggles of losing absolutely everything and spending time in federal prison. He describes a vision of suicide that he couldn't shake for months and wasn't able to share. Hear how he then realizes what's most important and how he completely changed his life for the better.
As an author, a public speaker, and a coach (a Reinvention Architect), he now supports others in making positive changes in their lives! You can find out more about Craig and connect with him on his website at craigstanland.com. You can find his memoir, Blank Canvas: How I Reinvented My Life After Prison on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. In addition, you can find Craig on LinkedIn and Instagram.
If you find value in the podcast, please consider buying Al a cup of coffee at buymeacoffee.com/allevin. There, you can buy Al a one-time cup (or cups) of coffee or become a member to purchase coffee for him monthly. Not only will this help to caffeinate him up, but it will also help to offset the cost of the podcast hosting site, maintain and update his equipment and support the amount of time that it takes in order to produce the show.
In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with him as a coach/consultant or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, it would be greatly appreciated if you would subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Hal Hughes, former police officer, former MMA fighter, and current psychotherapist (recorded 4-16-23). Hal shares his story of two separate work-related traumatic brain injuries (TBI) that led him into a deep, dark depression, an opioid addiction, and a diagnosis of both post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and bipolar disorder.
At one point, Hal was on eight psychiatric medications and underwent electric shock therapy (ECT). He was also desperate enough to do whatever he needed to in order to get his hands on opioids. It wasn't until he heard his young child say, "I want my old daddy back" that Hal got serious about his recovery.
Hear how he changed the trajectory of his recovery and then jumped on an unconventional path to become a psychotherapist. Hal is incredibly knowledgeable, down-to-earth, and inspirational. Check out HalHughes.com to find out more about Hal, the services he provides, or even to reach out to him. Don't miss this episode!
If you find value in the podcast, please consider buying Al a cup of coffee at buymeacoffee.com/allevin. There, you can buy Al a one-time cup (or cups) of coffee or become a member to purchase coffee for him monthly. Not only will this help to caffeinate him up, but it will also help to offset the cost of the podcast hosting site, maintain and update his equipment and support the amount of time that it takes in order to produce the show.
In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with him as a coach/consultant or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, it would be greatly appreciated if you would subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.

In this episode, Al interviews Dr. Mark Horowitz, a doctor in the neurobiology of depression and the pharmacology of antidepressants at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King's College London, a research fellow in the National Health Service in England and a co-founder of Outro on the topic of weaning antidepressants (recorded 2-12-23).
Dr. Horowitz describes, in detail, how antidepressants impact every system of our body, rather than simply the brain. He describes his own personal challenges of weaning off of antidepressants and explains how, and why, online support groups were more beneficial to him than any doctor or any of his academic studies.
Dr. Horowitz also describes how Outro, soon to be launched in the US, is supporting people in the process of weaning off of their antidepressants.
This episode is a must for anybody who is on an antidepressant, considering an antidepressant, or contemplating weaning off of an antidepressant.
To find out more about Dr. Horowitz, check out his website at markhorowitz.org. There, you'll find his academic papers, videos, a blog, and much more. Find out more about Outro at outro.com.
If you find value in my podcast, please consider buying me a cup of coffee at buymeacoffee.com/allevin. There, you can buy me a one-time  cup (or cups) of coffee or become a member to purchase coffee for me monthly. Not only will this help to caffeinate me up, but it will also help to offset the cost of the podcast hosting site, maintain and update my equipment and support the amount of time that it takes in order to produce the show.
In addition to The Depression Files podcast, you can find Al's blog at TheDepressionFiles.com. There, you can also find out how to work with Al as a coach or schedule him for a public speaking event. You will also find Al on Twitter @allevin18. Lastly, it would be greatly appreciated if you would subscribe to the show and take just a minute to leave a review and rating.