As part of Audacy’s I’m Listening initiative, representatives from the Home Base Foundation and Wounded Warriors joined us this month to share valuable resources for veterans and validate that struggling does not equal defeat.

To address the heightened rate of veteran suicides, Audacy’s David O’Leary interviewed two major non-profit organizations that aid veterans with all wounds, whether physical, emotional, or mental. Brigadier General (Ret.) Jack Hammond, on behalf of Home Base Veteran and Family Care, began by acknowledging that the hardest step in a veteran’s mental health journey may be knowing when help is truly needed. Referencing his own training, Hammond said, “If you're hurt, you have to suck it up. If you are injured, you require medical attention. And too often people confuse the two when it comes to mental health.” He continued, “Where there's no physical injury that's visible, people assume a mental health issue, you're just a little bit hurt. And you're not injured. So that goes on for a little bit, and when it doesn't get better, it does get worse. And the longer you deal with it without treating it or responding to it, the more problems you have.”

In particular, Hammond believes that a veteran’s over-familiarity with what he calls “no failure situations” makes them more prone to barrel through any mental health struggles without seeking help. “That's kind of our mantra, right? Never accept defeat, failure is not an option” he noted. “So on a personal side, when you're not able to cope with something, you're not able to overcome it, it feels like a failure. And nobody wants to admit defeat on that.”

If you or a veteran you know is struggling, please refer to our list of further mental health resources. You are not alone; Home Base Veteran and Family Care, Wounded Warrior Project, Veterans Crisis Line, Vets4Warriors, Veterans Affairs Get Help, Veterans Affairs Mental Health Toolkit , Veteran Affairs Transition Training, Veteran Affairs on Mental Health.

Audacy's I’m Listeninginitiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources here.

Words by Isabella Eaton Interview by David O’Leary

As part of Audacy’s I’m Listening initiative, representatives from the Home Base Foundation and Wounded Warriors joined us this month to share valuable resources for veterans and validate that struggling does not equal defeat.
To address the heightened rate of veteran suicides, Audacy’s David O’Leary interviewed two major non-profit organizations that aid veterans with all wounds, whether physical, emotional, or mental. Brigadier General (Ret.) Jack Hammond, on behalf of Home Base Veteran and Family Care, began by acknowledging that the hardest step in a veteran’s mental health journey may be knowing when help is truly needed. Referencing his own training, Hammond said, “If you're hurt, you have to suck it up. If you are injured, you require medical attention. And too often people confuse the two when it comes to mental health.” He continued, “Where there's no physical injury that's visible, people assume a mental health issue, you're just a little bit hurt. And you're not injured. So that goes on for a little bit, and when it doesn't get better, it does get worse. And the longer you deal with it without treating it or responding to it, the more problems you have.”
In particular, Hammond believes that a veteran’s over-familiarity with what he calls “no failure situations” makes them more prone to barrel through any mental health struggles without seeking help. “That's kind of our mantra, right? Never accept defeat, failure is not an option” he noted. “So on a personal side, when you're not able to cope with something, you're not able to overcome it, it feels like a failure. And nobody wants to admit defeat on that.”
If you or a veteran you know is struggling, please refer to <a href="https://www.audacy.com/im-listening/im-listening-take-control-of-your-mental-health-today">our list</a> of further mental health resources. You are not alone; <a href="https://homebase.org/">Home Base Veteran and Family Care</a>, <a href="https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/">Wounded Warrior Project</a>, <a href="https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/">Veterans Crisis Line</a>, <a href="https://vets4warriors.com/">Vets4Warriors</a>, <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/get-help/index.asp">Veterans Affairs Get Help</a>, <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/communityproviders/#sthash.nJKjSafq.OiF8WL9S.dpbs">Veterans Affairs Mental Health Toolkit </a>, <a href="https://www.veterantraining.va.gov/">Veteran Affairs Transition Training</a>, <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/">Veteran Affairs on Mental Health</a>.
Audacy's <a href="https://www.audacy.com/im-listening">I’m Listening</a> initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources <a href="https://www.audacy.com/im-listening/im-listening-take-control-of-your-mental-health-today">here</a>.
Words by Isabella Eaton Interview by David O’Leary

It’s okay to not be OK. We know the power of talk can save lives. Audacy's I’m Listening aims to share valuable resources for those who need to connect, heal and share their own stories. Audacy's I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources here.

It’s okay to not be OK. We know the power of talk can save lives. Audacy's I’m Listening aims to share valuable resources for those who need to connect, heal and share their own stories. Audacy's I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources <a href="https://www.audacy.com/im-listening/im-listening-take-control-of-your-mental-health-today">here</a>.

I'm Listening

It’s okay to not be OK. We know the power of talk can save lives. Audacy's I’m Listening aims to share valuable resources for those who need to connect, heal and share their own stories. I'm Listeningis a 365-day-a-year initiative that aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there.

It’s okay to not be OK. We know the power of talk can save lives. Audacy's I’m Listening aims to share valuable resources for those who need to connect, heal and share their own stories. I'm Listening is a 365-day-a-year initiative that aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there.

I'm Listening: Brigadier General (Ret.) Jack Hammond

Having an outlet such as writing and creating music has become, for so many artists, a way to process and work through emotions, circumstances, and life events that have impacted their mental health in a myriad of ways.

“I think I've been able to be so lucky to have an outlet like that to put my feelings into,” singer Teddy Swims tells us.

His latest single, “The Door,” Teddy says, came from a place of feeling as though he was “in a toxic relationship… I was kind of stuck there,” he admits. “It was literally killing me in a sense, and I felt once you're in a situation like that, it's very hard to ever see the outside of it.”

“I feel like I'm so grateful to have an outlet to be able to talk about these things that I'm going through, and also for people to listen to them. It always gives me a place of, I guess freedom and healing that I don't ever feel alone -- when somebody responds to it in a way that's like, you know, ‘I understand it.’”

“It feels like I have a safe place to talk about my feelings, and it also does a lot for me when I hear stories about how it's affected people too,” Teddy adds. “Just by speaking on my own circumstances, I feel like I've also been able to be healed and give healing to other people. It's been the coolest thing in the world. I think what's so beautiful about it is that because I was willing to speak openly about and vulnerably and honestly, about what I went through, I think it has in turn helped people that are going through that.”

“It helped me find my tribe,” Teddy continues, “as well as making me feel not so alone. I think it's helped people also not feel alone… I think the biggest thing is when you're going through something, you have to speak because there's no way else to get it out. You can't keep that locked in -- and it's the only way to find your tribe.”

“There you can help somebody from going through that, or you can help somebody through what they're going through,” he says. “Just being vulnerable and honest about your feelings -- we should not be running away from the vulnerability. It's the biggest strength. It's not a weakness at all to me.”

Audacy's I’m Listeninginitiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources here.

Words by Joe Cingrana

Having an outlet such as writing and creating music has become, for so many artists, a way to process and work through emotions, circumstances, and life events that have impacted their mental health in a myriad of ways.
“I think I've been able to be so lucky to have an outlet like that to put my feelings into,” singer Teddy Swims tells us.
His latest single, “The Door,” Teddy says, came from a place of feeling as though he was “in a toxic relationship… I was kind of stuck there,” he admits. “It was literally killing me in a sense, and I felt once you're in a situation like that, it's very hard to ever see the outside of it.”
“I feel like I'm so grateful to have an outlet to be able to talk about these things that I'm going through, and also for people to listen to them. It always gives me a place of, I guess freedom and healing that I don't ever feel alone -- when somebody responds to it in a way that's like, you know, ‘I understand it.’”
“It feels like I have a safe place to talk about my feelings, and it also does a lot for me when I hear stories about how it's affected people too,” Teddy adds. “Just by speaking on my own circumstances, I feel like I've also been able to be healed and give healing to other people. It's been the coolest thing in the world. I think what's so beautiful about it is that because I was willing to speak openly about and vulnerably and honestly, about what I went through, I think it has in turn helped people that are going through that.”
“It helped me find my tribe,” Teddy continues, “as well as making me feel not so alone. I think it's helped people also not feel alone… I think the biggest thing is when you're going through something, you have to speak because there's no way else to get it out. You can't keep that locked in -- and it's the only way to find your tribe.”
“There you can help somebody from going through that, or you can help somebody through what they're going through,” he says. “Just being vulnerable and honest about your feelings -- we should not be running away from the vulnerability. It's the biggest strength. It's not a weakness at all to me.”
Audacy's <a href="https://www.audacy.com/im-listening">I’m Listening</a> initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources <a href="https://www.audacy.com/im-listening/im-listening-take-control-of-your-mental-health-today">here</a>.
Words by Joe Cingrana

Teddy Swims on the Power of Vulnerability

In partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), Audacy presents a new episode in our I'm Listening: Talk Away the Dark limited series featuring host Dr. Maria Boynton, along with her guests, Vic Armstrong and Sarah Dixon-Hackey.

Dr. Boynton is a recipient of the Obama and Biden Presidential Lifetime Achievement Awards which honor those in our nation who exhibit outstanding character, work ethic, and dedication to their communities. Dr. Boynton is also a member of the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and is named among Atlanta's Top 100 Black Women of Influence by the Atlanta Business League.

In this episode, Dr. Boynton is joined by AFSP Expert Vic Armstrong, and Sarah Dixon-Hackey, M.B.A. who currently serves as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Liaison for Clay County Public Health working to identify and bridge health gaps for under-served populations. She is an approved Trainer for the AFSP’s “More Than Sad” suicide prevention training for parents and educators and is a certified Mental Health First Aid Trainer, a nationally recognized program by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

“We're starting to see some progress, but there's still a long way to go,” Armstrong says about how he has witnessed the community’s acceptance blossom around mental health discussions. “I grew up in a community where both my Black community and my faith-based community really kind of ingrained in me that suicide and mental health challenges were not things that impacted my community and that if they did impact my community, as a person of faith, my remedy should be more faith that I should be able to pray about it, that I should be able to talk to God about it. But there was never a conversation about talk of mental health professionals.”

“I think one of the things that I've come to learn later though, now that I am in this space is that while there was the narrative within my community that was reinforced by my community about mental health and suicide not being things that impacted us, there was also a reinforcement of that message coming from outside the community by the simple fact that the organizations that specialized in this field -- the organizations that specialize in suicide prevention, the organizations that specialize in mental health -- were not reaching into my community saying ‘No, this is about you.’ We want to provide resources that are relevant to your community. And so what that tended to do was that it reinforced that my message must be correct, my narrative must be correct, and my narrative was a narrative that really was based on misinformation or lack of information.”

“Part of what I've learned since then too is that if you want to break a lot of that stigma, institutions like faith-based organizations and Black and Brown communities can be very instrumental in doing that and I think really have a responsibility because of the relationship to the community, to help us to really fix a lot of those historical challenges that our communities have faced.”

“I think there's a couple of different experiences,” Dixon-Hackey adds. Recalling her own small town upbringing she says, “I would look at one from… a racial minority kind of perspective because I lived and was raised by a white family. And so a lot of their values or all their values are really passed on to me and much of that was based around the church. And I think just our community in general is a small town, but I think because of that we really live by this principle of not really talking about our issues, not really addressing or acknowledging those deeper emotional kind of themes. That really translated into how I saw mental health, even with my own personal struggles… it really shaped how I address things until much later in life.”

“I think for me personally,” Sarah admits, “a lot of my values came from this idea of keeping everything… in the dark very much, keeping it to yourself and knowing that we don't deal with those things in public. Those are private, behind the closed doors -- and you certainly don't talk about them with anyone else.”

“I still am struggling,” she says, “finding, I think, a sense of what the Asian community's perspective is because I was so isolated in my own experience. I can literally count on one hand the number of minorities that I was raised around in my young time. I truly believe that it wasn't until I hit my thirties that I saw this acknowledgment of even wanting to look outside of the majority because I spent so much time really wanting to be part of the larger majority, wanting to be part of, and fall into, that group.”

“We look at the US as making a lot of progress as we have this openness of conversation and using the phrases mental health,” she adds, “and I think we have to be mindful of the fact that other communities, including those that are Asian, are not at that same point.”

“I think it is getting better,” Armstrong says, “partly because we are seeing more willingness for high-profile individuals to talk about their mental health challenge. We're seeing more celebrities, more athletes -- we're also being more thoughtful about how we reach different communities. For example, we have a partnership at AFSP with Megan the Stallion because we know that she reaches young people. So it's really thinking about those kinds of things, and how we reach the communities that way. We're also thinking differently about who are the influencers in communities, who already have that trusted relationship with the community.”

AFSP and Audacy’s Talk Away the Dark series aims to give real-world insight into how having brave and caring conversations with loved ones about mental health and suicide prevention can help save lives. Through a series of open and honest discussions with influencers and mental health experts, we’ll demonstrate the importance of talking to people directly about suicide and show how those conversations help provide hope.

Audacy's I’m Listeninginitiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources here.

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Dr. Maria Boynton

In partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), Audacy presents a new episode in our I'm Listening: Talk Away the Dark limited series featuring host Dr. Maria Boynton, along with her guests, Vic Armstrong and Sarah Dixon-Hackey.
Dr. Boynton is a recipient of the Obama and Biden Presidential Lifetime Achievement Awards which honor those in our nation who exhibit outstanding character, work ethic, and dedication to their communities. Dr. Boynton is also a member of the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and is named among Atlanta's Top 100 Black Women of Influence by the Atlanta Business League.
In this episode, Dr. Boynton is joined by AFSP Expert Vic Armstrong, and Sarah Dixon-Hackey, M.B.A. who currently serves as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Liaison for Clay County Public Health working to identify and bridge health gaps for under-served populations. She is an approved Trainer for the AFSP’s “More Than Sad” suicide prevention training for parents and educators and is a certified Mental Health First Aid Trainer, a nationally recognized program by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.
“We're starting to see some progress, but there's still a long way to go,” Armstrong says about how he has witnessed the community’s acceptance blossom around mental health discussions. “I grew up in a community where both my Black community and my faith-based community really kind of ingrained in me that suicide and mental health challenges were not things that impacted my community and that if they did impact my community, as a person of faith, my remedy should be more faith that I should be able to pray about it, that I should be able to talk to God about it. But there was never a conversation about talk of mental health professionals.”
“I think one of the things that I've come to learn later though, now that I am in this space is that while there was the narrative within my community that was reinforced by my community about mental health and suicide not being things that impacted us, there was also a reinforcement of that message coming from outside the community by the simple fact that the organizations that specialized in this field -- the organizations that specialize in suicide prevention, the organizations that specialize in mental health -- were not reaching into my community saying ‘No, this is about you.’ We want to provide resources that are relevant to your community. And so what that tended to do was that it reinforced that my message must be correct, my narrative must be correct, and my narrative was a narrative that really was based on misinformation or lack of information.”
“Part of what I've learned since then too is that if you want to break a lot of that stigma, institutions like faith-based organizations and Black and Brown communities can be very instrumental in doing that and I think really have a responsibility because of the relationship to the community, to help us to really fix a lot of those historical challenges that our communities have faced.”
“I think there's a couple of different experiences,” Dixon-Hackey adds. Recalling her own small town upbringing she says, “I would look at one from… a racial minority kind of perspective because I lived and was raised by a white family. And so a lot of their values or all their values are really passed on to me and much of that was based around the church. And I think just our community in general is a small town, but I think because of that we really live by this principle of not really talking about our issues, not really addressing or acknowledging those deeper emotional kind of themes. That really translated into how I saw mental health, even with my own personal struggles… it really shaped how I address things until much later in life.”
“I think for me personally,” Sarah admits, “a lot of my values came from this idea of keeping everything… in the dark very much, keeping it to yourself and knowing that we don't deal with those things in public. Those are private, behind the closed doors -- and you certainly don't talk about them with anyone else.”
“I still am struggling,” she says, “finding, I think, a sense of what the Asian community's perspective is because I was so isolated in my own experience. I can literally count on one hand the number of minorities that I was raised around in my young time. I truly believe that it wasn't until I hit my thirties that I saw this acknowledgment of even wanting to look outside of the majority because I spent so much time really wanting to be part of the larger majority, wanting to be part of, and fall into, that group.”
“We look at the US as making a lot of progress as we have this openness of conversation and using the phrases mental health,” she adds, “and I think we have to be mindful of the fact that other communities, including those that are Asian, are not at that same point.”
“I think it is getting better,” Armstrong says, “partly because we are seeing more willingness for high-profile individuals to talk about their mental health challenge. We're seeing more celebrities, more athletes -- we're also being more thoughtful about how we reach different communities. For example, we have a partnership at AFSP with Megan the Stallion because we know that she reaches young people. So it's really thinking about those kinds of things, and how we reach the communities that way. We're also thinking differently about who are the influencers in communities, who already have that trusted relationship with the community.”
<a href="https://afsp.org/">AFSP</a> and Audacy’s Talk Away the Dark series aims to give real-world insight into how having brave and caring conversations with loved ones about mental health and suicide prevention can help save lives. Through a series of open and honest discussions with influencers and mental health experts, we’ll demonstrate the importance of talking to people directly about suicide and show how those conversations help provide hope.
Audacy's <a href="https://www.audacy.com/im-listening">I’m Listening</a> initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources <a href="https://www.audacy.com/im-listening/im-listening-take-control-of-your-mental-health-today">here</a>.
Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Dr. Maria Boynton

Talk Away the Dark: Mental Health and Suicide Prevention during Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

“You have given me purpose and a place to sing and dance,” frontman Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons stated when announcing their 2024 album, LOOM. “I always and only hope that it helps you feel less alone. It brings you joy. makes you cry. makes you angry. makes you dance. makes you FEEL something.”

“I've just spent a lot of my life numb,” he tells us. “I had a hard time expressing myself. That's why I turned to music in the first place -- I found that it was something I could always turn to and feel any emotion."

"I'm kind of one of those people who doesn't cry for a long time and then when you cry, you just cry really hard in a long time," he admits. "Or, when you get angry, you're really angry because you've been holding it in, and that's really unhealthy. I did that for a long time,” he admits.

“Now I'm just angry all the time, I cry all the time,” he laughs. “But only a little bit angry,” bassist Ben McGee adds.

In this age of escapism, taking just a little bit of time to feel all of the feels, understand, and process our emotions can sometimes make all the difference.

Audacy's I’m Listeninginitiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources here.

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Megan Holiday

“You have given me purpose and a place to sing and dance,” frontman Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons stated when announcing their 2024 album, LOOM. “I always and only hope that it helps you feel less alone. It brings you joy. makes you cry. makes you angry. makes you dance. makes you FEEL something.”
“I've just spent a lot of my life numb,” he tells us. “I had a hard time expressing myself. That's why I turned to music in the first place -- I found that it was something I could always turn to and feel any emotion."
"I'm kind of one of those people who doesn't cry for a long time and then when you cry, you just cry really hard in a long time," he admits. "Or, when you get angry, you're really angry because you've been holding it in, and that's really unhealthy. I did that for a long time,” he admits.
“Now I'm just angry all the time, I cry all the time,” he laughs. “But only a little bit angry,” bassist Ben McGee adds.
In this age of escapism, taking just a little bit of time to feel all of the feels, understand, and process our emotions can sometimes make all the difference.
Audacy's I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources here.
Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Megan Holiday

I'm Listening: Brigadier General (Ret.) Jack Hammond

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