Chasing her dream of becoming a Country music star has been full of ups and downs for Audacy Launch artist, KassiAshton. Through the highest of highs and lowest of lows, the 30-year-old says being in therapy through it all has helped tremendously.

“I’ve been in therapy for six years [and] I love my therapist — I would give a lot of things up before I gave her up,” Ashton said before sharing just how much the work she’s put in has benefitted her. “I feel like I’m a completely different person than I was six years ago — socially, friendship-wise, how I handle things, how I react.”

While therapy is viewed as a positive thing by Ashton, she realized that’s not the norm as many people view asking for help as a sign of weakness.

“I feel like there’s such a negative stigma, that there’s something wrong with you if you go,” she said. “It’s just like, ‘Hey, there’s nothing wrong with me, I just have to learn how to navigate myself'… I’m like, ‘I go to make myself easier for me. I need help with me. I don’t want to be my own worst nightmare, I don’t want to be my own barrier to cross when the time comes.’”

Hear more about Ashton’s own journey with mental health and how much therapy has helped by checking out her conversation with Audacy’s KatieNeal above in recognition of Audacy’s I’m Listening Initiative.

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 Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

Chasing her dream of becoming a Country music star has been full of ups and downs for Audacy Launch artist, Kassi Ashton. Through the highest of highs and lowest of lows, the 30-year-old says being in therapy through it all has helped tremendously.
“I’ve been in therapy for six years [and] I love my therapist — I would give a lot of things up before I gave her up,” Ashton said before sharing just how much the work she’s put in has benefitted her. “I feel like I’m a completely different person than I was six years ago — socially, friendship-wise, how I handle things, how I react.”
While therapy is viewed as a positive thing by Ashton, she realized that’s not the norm as many people view asking for help as a sign of weakness.
“I feel like there’s such a negative stigma, that there’s something wrong with you if you go,” she said. “It’s just like, ‘Hey, there’s nothing wrong with me, I just have to learn how to navigate myself'… I’m like, ‘I go to make myself easier for me. I need help with me. I don’t want to be my own worst nightmare, I don’t want to be my own barrier to cross when the time comes.’”
Hear more about Ashton’s own journey with mental health and how much therapy has helped by checking out her conversation with Audacy’s Katie Neal above in recognition of Audacy’s I’m Listening Initiative.
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 Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal

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.

Kassi Ashton on Therapy and Mental Health

The following article and accompanying audio include discussions of mental health and suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, call 988. 

In partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), Audacy presents I'm Listening: Talk Away the Dark, a limited series with host David O'Leary featuring intimate conversations on grief, loss, and suicide. For the latest discussion in the series, David is joined by Victor Armstrong, AFSP Vice President of Health Equity and Engagement, and Michell Clark, father, husband, entrepreneur, writer and podcaster in the mental wellness space.

May is mental health awareness month, but really any month is a good month, and any time is a good time to be having an open and honest conversation about mental health and suicide. So that we can let those who may be struggling know that they are not alone, and that there is hope.

Working for the AFSP for many years, first as a volunteer and now on staff, Victor Armstrong aims to shut down the stigma that often accompanies conversations around mental health.

Passionate about helping those searching for peace and creating inspirational art, Michell Clark is the author of Eyes on the Road, a book designed to help you accept your past, embrace the present moment, and get excited about the future. Clark is also the host of the After You Fail podcast, where he has spoken powerfully about his struggles financially and career-wise, and reaching out at that time to others.

Noting how being so open about his struggles didn’t come easily, Michell said, “You know, being a man, being the quote unquote head of the household, being somebody who was raised to seek out and want to be independent and to feel powerful in certain ways, it’s tough when you don't feel like you have the independence and the power and the story that you want,” he shared. “And so, yeah, I've experienced a number of different seasons where I have felt, not like myself, I have felt not powerful. I have felt weak and inadequate and that has been very difficult for me to navigate.”

“I think my natural tendency is to keep that inside and to tell myself that I'll be able to figure it out, I'll be able to make a way and to make it make sense, myself, which is not always the best approach. It sounds great, but there are a lot of moments when I eventually humble myself and realize that it's actually better to let somebody in to talk about what I'm experiencing and to not try to tackle both the feelings and the actual problem by myself.”

Relating to Michell’s “natural tendency,” Vic added, “so much of what I think happens with us, especially as men… plays out different and even more so in different communities.”

“A lot of what we feel like is our natural instinct to want to do things, it's really where we've been socialized to believe that we're supposed to act. This whole notion that we're supposed to be strong and we're supposed to not show vulnerability. Those are things we've been socialized to believe and especially in black and brown communities.”

“I know growing up as a Black male in rural North Carolina and being the son of a preacher, there were some things that were instilled in me about — this is how you are supposed to navigate life,” Vic shared. “And when we don't do those things, when we can't navigate those things and show up the way that we've been socialized to believe we're supposed to, that becomes additional baggage that we carry because we feel like we're not measuring up.”

As David noted, “I think that the therapists and the psychologist, the clinicians call it core constructs.” Pointing out that “certainly as men, it's one of the populations, middle-aged men particularly, that show elevated risk for suicide. Because, well, for a variety of reasons, but certainly because it's difficult to talk about mental health and suicide. It’s getting better, we’ve made steps, but there's still a long way to a long way to go.”

Going on to discuss how having a conversation about suicide may happen in different communities, the common thread among all, was the importance that the conversation is had.

“That conversation can show up differently in different communities,” Victor noted. “But the overarching fact is that we first have to understand that suicide is preventable. It is a public health issue and we do believe that the way to combat suicide is by learning the risks and the warning signs.”

“If we can learn those risks and warning signs,” he added, “then if we can engage people in conversation, there's a way that this works in any community, we just have to get past the notion that we're somehow infringing on a person's privacy by asking them if they're thinking about suicide.”

“If you see someone that you think is struggling, we encourage you to ask them clearly concisely confidently, if they're thinking about suicide. We do encourage that if you're gonna do that, you know, try to try to talk to that person privately. Listen more so than you talk, but we do encourage it if you think someone is struggling have the conversation with them. And that holds true for any community.”

And if there’s a fear that you’re “gonna make someone suicidal by asking them if they're thinking about suicide,” David pointed out “research shows otherwise.”

“By asking them about it, you can give them the space to open up and talk about what they're going through.” Victor added. “So you may actually save a life by asking the question.”

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 Maia Kedem Interview by David O'Leary

The following article and accompanying audio include discussions of mental health and suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, call 988. 
In partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), Audacy presents I'm Listening: Talk Away the Dark, a limited series with host David O'Leary featuring intimate conversations on grief, loss, and suicide. For the latest discussion in the series, David is joined by Victor Armstrong, AFSP Vice President of Health Equity and Engagement, and Michell Clark, father, husband, entrepreneur, writer and podcaster in the mental wellness space.
May is mental health awareness month, but really any month is a good month, and any time is a good time to be having an open and honest conversation about mental health and suicide. So that we can let those who may be struggling know that they are not alone, and that there is hope.
Working for the AFSP for many years, first as a volunteer and now on staff, Victor Armstrong aims to shut down the stigma that often accompanies conversations around mental health.
Passionate about helping those searching for peace and creating inspirational art, Michell Clark is the author of Eyes on the Road, a book designed to help you accept your past, embrace the present moment, and get excited about the future. Clark is also the host of the After You Fail podcast, where he has spoken powerfully about his struggles financially and career-wise, and reaching out at that time to others.
Noting how being so open about his struggles didn’t come easily, Michell said, “You know, being a man, being the quote unquote head of the household, being somebody who was raised to seek out and want to be independent and to feel powerful in certain ways, it’s tough when you don't feel like you have the independence and the power and the story that you want,” he shared. “And so, yeah, I've experienced a number of different seasons where I have felt, not like myself, I have felt not powerful. I have felt weak and inadequate and that has been very difficult for me to navigate.”
“I think my natural tendency is to keep that inside and to tell myself that I'll be able to figure it out, I'll be able to make a way and to make it make sense, myself, which is not always the best approach. It sounds great, but there are a lot of moments when I eventually humble myself and realize that it's actually better to let somebody in to talk about what I'm experiencing and to not try to tackle both the feelings and the actual problem by myself.”
Relating to Michell’s “natural tendency,” Vic added, “so much of what I think happens with us, especially as men… plays out different and even more so in different communities.”
“A lot of what we feel like is our natural instinct to want to do things, it's really where we've been socialized to believe that we're supposed to act. This whole notion that we're supposed to be strong and we're supposed to not show vulnerability. Those are things we've been socialized to believe and especially in black and brown communities.”
“I know growing up as a Black male in rural North Carolina and being the son of a preacher, there were some things that were instilled in me about — this is how you are supposed to navigate life,” Vic shared. “And when we don't do those things, when we can't navigate those things and show up the way that we've been socialized to believe we're supposed to, that becomes additional baggage that we carry because we feel like we're not measuring up.”
As David noted, “I think that the therapists and the psychologist, the clinicians call it core constructs.” Pointing out that “certainly as men, it's one of the populations, middle-aged men particularly, that show elevated risk for suicide. Because, well, for a variety of reasons, but certainly because it's difficult to talk about mental health and suicide. It’s getting better, we’ve made steps, but there's still a long way to a long way to go.”
Going on to discuss how having a conversation about suicide may happen in different communities, the common thread among all, was the importance that the conversation is had.
“That conversation can show up differently in different communities,” Victor noted. “But the overarching fact is that we first have to understand that suicide is preventable. It is a public health issue and we do believe that the way to combat suicide is by learning the risks and the warning signs.”
“If we can learn those risks and warning signs,” he added, “then if we can engage people in conversation, there's a way that this works in any community, we just have to get past the notion that we're somehow infringing on a person's privacy by asking them if they're thinking about suicide.”
“If you see someone that you think is struggling, we encourage you to ask them clearly concisely confidently, if they're thinking about suicide. We do encourage that if you're gonna do that, you know, try to try to talk to that person privately. Listen more so than you talk, but we do encourage it if you think someone is struggling have the conversation with them. And that holds true for any community.”
And if there’s a fear that you’re “gonna make someone suicidal by asking them if they're thinking about suicide,” David pointed out “research shows otherwise.”
“By asking them about it, you can give them the space to open up and talk about what they're going through.” Victor added. “So you may actually save a life by asking the question.”
<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 Maia Kedem Interview by David O'Leary

Talk Away The Dark: Being There For Your Community

Continuing with our I'm listening initiative designed to destigmatize conversations around mental health, Audacy’s Katie Neal speaks with country duo John and TJ Osborne of Brothers Osborne about how therapy has remained a guiding light in both of their lives.

“Therapy is very important,” John Osborne says bluntly. “Everyone should absolutely do it because -- which leads me to the second thing that you should do for mental health -- is just talk about it. The more you talk about it, the less you internalize it, the smaller your mental struggles become. They'll always be there,” he adds, “that's just part of being a human. It's OK. That's just purely natural, but the less you talk about it and the less you confront it, the more of a big scary monster in a dark room it feels like.”

“So talking about it, talking about it to your friends, talking about it to your family and talking about it to a proper therapist is really good,” Osborne believes, “because you can say anything to these people and it's like -- that's what they're there for.” Opening up allowed him the space to truly tackle one hill at a time. “I swept it under the rug for years and years and years until it became, you know, the Swiss Alps with the tiny rug sitting on top of it -- and then talking about it, it's just shrunken down to just a little grain of sand.”

“You know, whenever we have like a physical ailment, like if we broke our thumb, we would just go get it fixed, right? We would tell somebody, ‘Oh I broke my thumb.’ It's no different,” Osborne says. “The mental side is just like the physical side. You just gotta talk about it, seek help. It's there.”

“People want help,” he believes. “There is a stigma around it, but that's all a construct. I have never had one person over the years of me talking about it to hundreds of people roll their eyes. I would say 100% of the time they lean in and go, ’Tell me more… I struggle with this or my significant other struggles with this and I'm wide open about it.’ That’s the number one thing: Just talk about it as much as you can.”

“There's so many different types of mental things that are challenging,” TJ adds, “but the thing [that is] really unfortunate about it is it’s expensive to get therapy. It's also really challenging to make it work into some people's schedules -- and some people are a little embarrassed about it and don't want to talk about it. It can be challenging. One of the first things I feel like therapy taught me was -- and sometimes what helps us -- is instead of coming in with explaining what someone did wrong or like, ‘You do this, you do that,’ just explaining how whatever happened made you feel…  it really brings people in.”

Keeping things to yourself, John reiterates, is “like carrying like bricks, and the more you talk about it, you just take a brick and you put it on the ground. You take another brick, you put it on the ground… and you'll always have a brick or two. It's just part of being human, but, you know, holding on to an entire pallet of bricks gets really heavy after a while.”

“I'm telling you, if you're a person out there listening and you're like, ‘I don't need therapy, I already know what's wrong with me,’ you're the prime candidate for someone that needs therapy -- because we all need it.”

“Even if it's a friend, a confidant, or a partner," TJ says, “just to talk about it a little bit, that will do wonders.”

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Katie Neal

Continuing with our I'm listening initiative designed to destigmatize conversations around mental health, Audacy’s Katie Neal speaks with country duo John and TJ Osborne of Brothers Osborne about how therapy has remained a guiding light in both of their lives.
“Therapy is very important,” John Osborne says bluntly. “Everyone should absolutely do it because -- which leads me to the second thing that you should do for mental health -- is just talk about it. The more you talk about it, the less you internalize it, the smaller your mental struggles become. They'll always be there,” he adds, “that's just part of being a human. It's OK. That's just purely natural, but the less you talk about it and the less you confront it, the more of a big scary monster in a dark room it feels like.”
“So talking about it, talking about it to your friends, talking about it to your family and talking about it to a proper therapist is really good,” Osborne believes, “because you can say anything to these people and it's like -- that's what they're there for.” Opening up allowed him the space to truly tackle one hill at a time. “I swept it under the rug for years and years and years until it became, you know, the Swiss Alps with the tiny rug sitting on top of it -- and then talking about it, it's just shrunken down to just a little grain of sand.”
“You know, whenever we have like a physical ailment, like if we broke our thumb, we would just go get it fixed, right? We would tell somebody, ‘Oh I broke my thumb.’ It's no different,” Osborne says. “The mental side is just like the physical side. You just gotta talk about it, seek help. It's there.”
“People want help,” he believes. “There is a stigma around it, but that's all a construct. I have never had one person over the years of me talking about it to hundreds of people roll their eyes. I would say 100% of the time they lean in and go, ’Tell me more… I struggle with this or my significant other struggles with this and I'm wide open about it.’ That’s the number one thing: Just talk about it as much as you can.”
“There's so many different types of mental things that are challenging,” TJ adds, “but the thing [that is] really unfortunate about it is it’s expensive to get therapy. It's also really challenging to make it work into some people's schedules -- and some people are a little embarrassed about it and don't want to talk about it. It can be challenging. One of the first things I feel like therapy taught me was -- and sometimes what helps us -- is instead of coming in with explaining what someone did wrong or like, ‘You do this, you do that,’ just explaining how whatever happened made you feel…  it really brings people in.”
Keeping things to yourself, John reiterates, is “like carrying like bricks, and the more you talk about it, you just take a brick and you put it on the ground. You take another brick, you put it on the ground… and you'll always have a brick or two. It's just part of being human, but, you know, holding on to an entire pallet of bricks gets really heavy after a while.”
“I'm telling you, if you're a person out there listening and you're like, ‘I don't need therapy, I already know what's wrong with me,’ you're the prime candidate for someone that needs therapy -- because we all need it.”
“Even if it's a friend, a confidant, or a partner," TJ says, “just to talk about it a little bit, that will do wonders.”
Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Katie Neal

Brothers Osborne on the Importance of Therapy

During his recent stop by Audacy’s Hot 104.1 St.Louis studios for a chat with Shae Bae, Chingy opened up about mental heath, sharing in what ways he believes that not shying away from the topic can help himself and others.

“It's about people's stories, you know," Chingy expressed, referencing his recent Unsung episode for an example. “Let’s say a kid who's going through some depression because his career is not going the way he wants. You know what I'm saying? Or his music career is not prospering because he ain't got the record deal he wanted or, you know, all these avenues is not going his way.”

The rapper continued, “He can look at that 'Unsung' episode and pretty much just get some strength from it through learning about my journey. It was a long journey, it was a hard journey, but I stuck to it, I kept faith. I knew in myself, not believe, I knew… that I was gonna do that.”

Chingy also went on to plug his new audio book and ebook, Conscious Creation to Manifestation, “which deals with my five principles… thought, projection, action, materialization of the ideal, and reprogramming your subconscious mind with balanced thoughts to manifest those ideas that you have.” Noting the project was created “for kids like 7 and up to learn how to mentally set these things in motion and attack them.”

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 Maia Kedem Interview by Shae Bae

During his recent stop by Audacy’s Hot 104.1 St.Louis studios for a chat with Shae Bae, Chingy opened up about mental heath, sharing in what ways he believes that not shying away from the topic can help himself and others.
“It's about people's stories, you know," Chingy expressed, referencing his recent Unsung episode for an example. “Let’s say a kid who's going through some depression because his career is not going the way he wants. You know what I'm saying? Or his music career is not prospering because he ain't got the record deal he wanted or, you know, all these avenues is not going his way.”
The rapper continued, “He can look at that 'Unsung' episode and pretty much just get some strength from it through learning about my journey. It was a long journey, it was a hard journey, but I stuck to it, I kept faith. I knew in myself, not believe, I knew… that I was gonna do that.”
Chingy also went on to plug his new audio book and ebook, Conscious Creation to Manifestation, “which deals with my five principles… thought, projection, action, materialization of the ideal, and reprogramming your subconscious mind with balanced thoughts to manifest those ideas that you have.” Noting the project was created “for kids like 7 and up to learn how to mentally set these things in motion and attack them.”
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 Maia Kedem Interview by Shae Bae

Kassi Ashton on Therapy and Mental Health

In 1 playlist(s)

I'm Listening

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips