Giving Voice to Depression

A single conversation can change the course of your life. 

A single person stepping in to say "You are not yourself. I am worried about you"  can change the course of your life and recovery.

That's the story Chloe shares in this remixed episode. The school year may be ending, but the need to tune in, step in and care most certainly is not.

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https://givingvoicetodepression.com/

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What does it feel like to experience true happiness after the lowest lows of depression? In this moving and deeply honest episode, Cara McErlain from Belfast, Northern Ireland, offers a rare and powerful glimpse into the lived experience of depression—and the unexpected joy that can follow.

Cara speaks with unflinching honesty about her darkest moments, the numbness and hopelessness that once felt permanent, and the night that pushe...

Did you know depression doesn’t just bring sadness—it can steal your memories of joy?

In this 30-minute episode, we explore the deeply disorienting and isolating experience of how depression alters memory. Not through scientific jargon, but through lived experience. Writer and mental health advocate Natasha Tracy joins us to discuss how depression can convince you that you’ve never been happy—robbing you of the very memories that mi...

"You’re supposed to be happy." That’s what Isabelle kept hearing when she was pregnant. Married, financially stable, expecting a deeply wanted baby — her life looked “perfect” from the outside. But inside, she was fighting an overwhelming darkness that few people talk about: antepartum depression, or depression during pregnancy.

In this honest and powerful conversation, Isabelle joins Terry and Bridget to share what it fel...

 Trina Kennedy joins Giving Voice to Depression to share her experience growing up in a household where emotional needs were often dismissed or misunderstood.

 She reflects on how unacknowledged pain shaped her early struggles with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts—and how therapy, connection, and time allowed her to begin unpacking the emotional weight she carried. 

Through the lens of trauma, Trina explores what it means t...

In this episode of Giving Voice to Depression, guest Ari Cohen shares her powerful and deeply personal mental health journey. Diagnosed with depression at the age of 11, Ari describes how her identity was once entirely wrapped up in her diagnosis. Initially, her motivation to get better was externally driven—whether to attend summer camp, to avoid causing pain to her family, or to meet others' expectations.

A turning point came...

In this episode, Giving Voice explores how mental health conversations—especially those aimed at men—need a major rebrand in order to be more effective and approachable. Their guest is Ethan Getchell, a former business student whose career path took a sharp turn after the loss of his brother to suicide. That moment of grief reshaped Ethan’s values and inspired him to pursue a career in mental health counseling, with a focus on reac...

After nearly a decade of feeling “stuck halfway out of depression’s pit,” Lori bravely took a step she never thought would help: she tried one more treatment option. In this powerful follow-up conversation, Lori shares the subtle yet transformative shifts that began to open her mind, soften her shame, and let in small but meaningful glimmers of hope.

Through heartfelt metaphors—like the difference between carrying life in a heavy ba...

Living at 60% : A Raw Look at Persistent Depression

In this deeply personal and eye-opening episode, Terry and Dr. Anita Sanz explore Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD)—a lesser-known but profoundly impactful form of chronic depression. Unlike major depressive episodes that ebb and flow, PDD lingers, casting a long, gray shadow over daily life.

You’ll meet Lori, a woman who has lived with chronic depression for nearly a decade. Thr...

In the podcast episode, we explore the crucial distinction between feeling sad and experiencing clinical depression:  Sadness is a common emotional state often triggered by specific events. Depression is a pervasive mental illness that significantly impacts daily life and can last for extended periods.

The episode features insights from three experts: Dr. Robert Duff, who clarifies that clinical depression involves a consistent patt...

In this podcast episode, our guest, Jessie, shares her journey, revealing how growing up in a family open about mental illness, yet burdened by it, influenced her understanding of her own struggles. Through candid conversations with her parents about their battles, she learned early on that mental illness is not a secret or a fault but a condition to be managed.

Our discussion spotlights the significant, generational impact of hones...

In this practical, inspirational and bittersweet episode, co-host Dr. Anita Sanz, a therapist with over two decades of experience, shares three life-changing questions that she has refined over the years to help people navigate depression and challenging situations. 

These questions, deeply rooted in neuroscience and psychology, are designed to shake up the mental patterns that keep us stuck.

Together, Anita and Terry explore how the...

In this real and hopeful episode, we continue our conversation with Matt Weedon of the Tors, the UK-based indie band behind the hit song Anything Can Happen. Written in the wake of Matt’s struggles with depression and anxiety, the song has struck a deep emotional chord with millions worldwide—its raw lyrics capturing the weight of mental illness and the slow, steady journey toward healing.

In this episode, Matt shares the deeply per...

There's a saying: "When you're happy, you enjoy the music, but when you're sad, you understand the lyrics." That sentiment resonates deeply in this episode as we sit down with singer-songwriter Matt Weedon of The Tors, the UK-based indie band behind the hauntingly beautiful song, Anything Can Happen.

Matt opens up about the song’s unintentional origins—written in the depths of his own struggle with depressio...

In this powerful 30-minute continuation of last week's conversation, Johnny Crowder—vocalist for the metal bands Dark Sermon and Prison, as well as a dedicated mental health advocate—shares how he navigates life with multiple mental health diagnoses. From severe anxiety and OCD to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, Johnny reflects on how these conditions intertwined, with depression standing out as the most debilitating force...

What happens when everything falls apart at once? 

Musician and mental health advocate Johnny Crowder recently faced that exact reality—losing his home, his band, and his relationship (with the woman he expected to marry,) all within days.

In this 25-minute episode, he talks about the depression that followed ("a bear he has wrestled many times before,") and the mindset shift that helped him rebuild and reconnect with hope....

If you live with a partner, children or friend with depression, odds are you could use some practical tips for how to care for both them and  yourself. This 28-minute episode offers both. 

Gwen shares openly and articulately about the challenges and strategies she uses  to maintain hope and connection when depression affects her household. Gwen shares how she and her husband navigate tough times by intentionally finding &q...

This Giving Voice to Depression episode explores the challenges and complexities of supporting a loved one with depression, focusing on the experiences of caregivers. The episode responds to a listener, Margaret, who shared her struggles in last week's episode about often feeling disconnected in her marriage due to her husband's treatment-resistant depression.

To provide insight, the hosts interview Gwen, a woman who has b...

Episode 346 - How Do You Do It? (Rerun)

In this deeply personal episode, we hear from Margaret, a GVTD podcast listener who bravely shares the challenges of parenting and maintaining a partnership with a spouse living with treatment-resistant depression. With honesty and vulnerability, she speaks about the loneliness, the frustrations, and the love that keep her searching for ways to make it work.

Margaret’s story is one that many ca...