June 24, 2026 • 32 mins
Kody Green joins “Hope Starts With Us” to share his story of living with schizophrenia. From diagnosis to incarceration to his thriving present-day life, this episode will explore the impact of Kody’s experiences on how he has evolved over the years. As a content creator with a following of two million across platforms, Kody’s story resonates with so many who want to feel community with someone who lives with mental illness and learn more about what it’s like to navigate schizophrenia.
Learn more about Kody’s experiences with schizophrenia through his social media. Find him @schizophrenichippie on Instagram and TikTok.
You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.
"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr.
Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Just because someone has a mental illnessor has schizophrenia
doesn't mean they're inherently violentor inherently a bad person.
I think schizophrenia still hasa very negative stigma surrounding it.
A lot of people view it in a very scary,negative way.
Welcome toHope Starts With Us, a podcast by NAMI,
the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
(00:20):
I'm Dan Gillison, NAMI's CEO.
NAMI started this podcast becausewe believe that hope starts with us.
Hope starts with ustalking about mental health.
Hope starts with us making informationaccessible.
Hope starts with usproviding resources and practical advice.
Hope starts with us sharing our stories,and hope starts
(00:42):
with us breaking the stigma.
If you or a loved one is strugglingwith a mental health condition
and have been looking for hope,we made this podcast for you.
Hope starts with all of us.
Hope is a collective.
We hope that each episodewith each conversation brings
you into that collectiveso you know you are not alone.
So today's guest, Kody Green.
(01:05):
He is the author of Minds OverMeetings: A Personal Perspective
on Wellness in the Workplace.
Kody is a motivational speaker.
He is a content creatorwith over 2 million
followers across social media platforms.
He is deeply involved inNAMI Southeast Wisconsin and
he is a person living with schizophrenia.
Now, the other thingthat we want to make sure that you know
(01:27):
is that this is not Kody's first timejoining us for an episode of Hope Starts
with Us.
Kody joined us for episode35 of this podcast.
For our listeners who weren't aware, Kody,you have an incredible story.
For listeners who might not haveheard it in our previous episode,
would you please share your storyof being diagnosed with schizophrenia?
(01:49):
Yeah, absolutely.
I was diagnosed with schizophreniaat 21 years old.
I started experiencing symptoms at 18,in my first year of college,
and before that I was raised by a motherwith schizoaffective disorder.
So schizophrenia and mental illnesshas kind of always been a part of my life.
I grew up in a small rural communitywhere people didn't
(02:11):
really talk about mental healthor mental illness.
And so it wasn't until after my owndiagnosis that I was able to get the help
and resources I need to--needed to live a full and functional life.
I was someone whounfortunately didn't get the help
I needed right away and struggledwith addiction and eventually
was incarcerated because of my illness.
(02:33):
But once I got out, got sober,and got diagnosed,
I was able to,with the help of family advocates
and people aroundme, really turned my life around
and be able to become an advocateand start sharing my story
and seeing the importance of storytellingthat could help not just me with coping,
(02:55):
but also help other peoplewho are early on in their own diagnosis.
Kody, you know, we want to say thank youfor how frequently you share your story.
And we always say, you know,you are not alone.
You sharing your story helpsso many people realize they are not alone.
And I just want to mentionthat as we continue our conversation.
(03:16):
So Kody,many people living with mental illnesses
experience involvementwith the criminal justice system
based on our National Criminal JusticeMonth work earlier this year in March,
we know that every yearabout 2 million people
with mental illness are booked into jails,and roughly 2 in 5 who are incarcerated
have a history of mental illness.
What was your experience?
(03:36):
What was the experience,excuse me, of being incarcerated
while living with schizophrenia,like for you?
For me,it was very telling because I remember
going through the process undiagnosed.
No medication, no treatment,really struggling to understand
what was going on.
But once I was finally incarcerated,I realized
(03:59):
that a lot of the people who were injail were very similar to me.
They either were undiagnosedwith severe mental illness,
or they were struggling with addiction.
I didn't meet a lot of peoplewho were bad people.
It was people who needed helpthat they didn't get.
And I think that really shapedmy understanding
of not just the criminal justice system,but how much people aren't able
(04:22):
to get accessto treatment, medication and insurance
things they need to live fulland functional lives.
You know, Kody, as you're mentioning this,and as our audience
that's listening will knowwe have some prescribed questions.
But I want to interact withsome of the things that you're saying.
And, you know, asyou observed in your experience,
(04:44):
there were people there that needed helpand they needed medication.
They needed a lot of different things,but they,
some of them didn't know they needed it.
And it was just so observant of you,of what you saw when you were there.
I want to go back to also,you said you grew up in rural America.
You go around the country speaking.
(05:05):
What have you seen, Kody,in terms of the similarities
from a major city community,if you will, versus a rural community?
What have you seen that's similar?
And then what have you seen that'sso very different from rural
to, you know, say a larger,larger community?
Yeah, I think something I've noticedthat's similar is
(05:29):
mental illness doesn't discriminate.
So it is in every community.
It affects people all over the country.
And no matter where you go,there are people struggling
who need help or need to knowthey're not alone.
I think some of the differencesI've noticed is growing up
in a rural area, there's a lot lessresources, there's a lot less nonprofits
(05:50):
that might be able to help with diagnosisor with other aspects of care.
And there's a harder timegetting in to see medical professionals,
which can make it more difficultfor someone to get a proper diagnosis.
Kind of like what happened in my case.
But that being said, even with,you know, rural communities
(06:11):
having a lack of resource, I think one ofthe really special things about small
rural communities is a sense of communitythat you just don't see in big areas.
And my biggest,my biggest frustration is knowing that
in small communities there is this senseof like knowing and understanding
(06:32):
your neighbor until it becomesan uncomfortable conversation.
So people had a really hard timetalking about
mental health, mental illness,things like that.
Even thoughlike they really tried to look out
for their neighbors, their communities.
And so a lot of the advocacyI do in rural communities
now is trying to get peoplejust to better understand, so
(06:54):
they aren't judgmentaland realize that they can help
if they really are striving to make surethat people in their community are safe.
There are ways they can do thatthrough advocacy and awareness.
You know, Kody, again,I'm going to-- you're going to hear
these two wordsmultiple times during this conversation.
Thank you.
Because you'remaking such a huge difference.
(07:16):
You know, we just had our conventionand the theme for our convention
was Community, Connection, and Care.
And that's what you just spoke to interms of what it looks like
in terms of community and connection.
So thanks for sharing that.
And may I ask you,based on your experience
in the criminal justice system, Kody,what do you wish
other people knew about mental illnessand incarceration?
(07:40):
I think for me,the biggest thing was I wish people knew
that just because someonehas a mental illness or has schizophrenia
doesn't mean they're inherently violentor inherently a bad person.
I think schizophrenia still hasa very negative stigma surrounding it,
and I think a lot of people view it ina very scary, negative way.
(08:02):
And a large reason for that isa lot of people haven't met someone
with schizophrenia, or they don't realizethey've met someone with schizophrenia
who's living a normal life.
And so they-- the only ideathey have about schizophrenia,
the only representation they've seen iswhat's appeared on TV shows or movies,
(08:22):
which unfortunatelyjust isn't always accurate to what
it's really liketo live with this diagnosis.
Yeah, yeah. Thank you.
So, Kody, when you returnto your community after incarceration,
what led you to becoming a speakerand a content creator?
I mean, you could have just navigatedyour experience and said, okay,
(08:44):
I'm going to reboot it.
I'm going to do this.
But you decided to use your voice.
What led you to becoming a speakerand a content creator?
My main goalwhen I started making content was just
to be the advocate that I neededwhen I was first diagnosed.
I felt very alone when I was originallydiagnosed with schizophrenia.
And I don't say this to sound dramatic,but my diagnosis felt
(09:07):
like a death sentencebecause I had never seen anyone living
a normal, functional lifewith schizophrenia,
and so I didn't have any hopefor any sort of future.
I was being told by people around me,I would never get to have a normal life.
I'd never get to live,you know, like everyone else.
I remember a few,a few months after I was diagnosed,
(09:28):
I actually had a doctor tell me thatI would never be able to work again.
And it wasn't a question,it was a statement.
He said that I should get usedto being on disability,
because I would never be ableto work in a traditional workplace,
and one of my proudest momentsas an advocate was bringing him a signed
copy of my book about mental healthand mental illness in the workplace.
(09:49):
In the workplace.
Oh yeah. In the workplace.
Yeah.
So is that part of why you, you know,you decided--
and that's a question later and here.
But I'm going to go to it nowin terms of wellness in the workplace,
what drove you to yourthe title of the book
and electing to focus on the workplace,Kody?
(10:09):
Well,I think similar--you just asked about
like becoming a speakerand a content creator.
And I think, I really do believe thatyou don't really choose
to be a mental health advocate.
You fall into health advocacy.
You know, it's like if it's somethingyou're passionate about, if it's something
that's greatly affected your lifeor the lives of the people around you,
(10:31):
it's something that you want to share moreabout and help people understand.
And so that was advocacyin general for me.
That's why I started social media.
That's why I started creating contentabout my diagnosis.
But it's also why I wrote my book, becauseI wanted people to better understand
that there is a very large numberof people with schizophrenia and serious
mental illness that are unable to work,and we've really looked at it
(10:55):
like it's a problem of the patientsor the people living with schizophrenia,
when a lot of the timesit's a problem of the workplace, it's
the problem of not willingor not being able to accommodate people.
It's all things that I struggled withwhen I was trying to reenter the workforce
and trying to figure out how I was goingto, you know, live a normal life and be
(11:17):
able to pay my bills and do all the thingsthat everyone else was doing.
So that and advocacy, it'sjust something that I felt the need
to talk about because whether I liked itor not, it was a part of my life.
Yeah, yeah.
And how long have you been doing itnow, Kody?
So I started making videoson social media,
(11:38):
specifically on TikTok in 2018.
So that's when my advocacy really started,and I didn't
really plan on being an advocate.
I just wanted to talk moreabout my diagnosis.
I wasn't able to share about itpublicly back then, just because
I was very afraid of like the backlash,what people would think.
(11:58):
I was ashamed of, of my diagnosis,like it was somehow my fault.
And so when I started making content,it was just to get some of it
off of my chest and try to findpeople who were also struggling
so I could feel less alone.
And it was during that timethat I also found a NAMI local peer
support group,and I started attending that,
and that was between social mediaand that NAMI support
(12:22):
group, that's largely what led to,you know, me becoming an advocate. Wow.
And so you've been doing this noweight years, and I'm so glad
that you found NAMI.
And NAMI has been a part of your work.
So going from diagnosis to incarcerationto motivational speaker,
that is an incredible journey, buddy.
(12:43):
What do you attributeyour recovery and continued
growth toand what has helped you along the way?
I mean, there's so many, so many things,I think, that were crucial in my recovery.
I always mention medicationbecause it was really what gave me
the stable foundationto focus on other things.
But I also had incredible family support.
(13:04):
I had a mom who went throughthe mental health system herself.
She's diagnosedwith schizoaffective disorder,
so she was able to help me navigatethat system a little bit easier
than I think most people.
And I also had,you know, my incredible supportive wife.
I had a community of people online.
I think that's largely what's keptme going over time as I've done advocacy.
(13:28):
I think there's somuch going on in the world, and
I feel really defeated a lot of the time.
But then I see my comment sectionand it's filled with patients
who are thanking mebecause my story helped them feel less
alone, and caregiverstelling me my stories
help them better understandtheir loved ones who are struggling.
I even have doctors and psychiatristsreach out thanking me
(13:50):
because my story helped them betterunderstand the patients they work with.
And so I see the need for the content.
But I also see the difference it makes.
And so I think a lot of what keepsme going, not just through my advocacy,
but through my recovery,is the communities that I've
not only thatI've built through social media,
but the communities that I surround myselfwith.
(14:11):
As you mentioned in my intro,I'm very involved with NAMI Wisconsin.
I'm on the board of directorsfor NAMI Wisconsin.
They've been incredible.
Mary Kay is our executive director.
She is so great and so I've founda community through them.
I found communities in the recoveryspace as well when I was getting sober.
(14:33):
And so I found all of these littlecommunities that together have kind of
built me up and given me such stabilityto be able to focus on
the things I need to, to not only survive,but thrive.
Yeah, it's almost like the constructof a quilt and all the different patches
that have brought the Kodyquilt together is amazing.
(14:54):
And all these different elementsyou just shared.
Wife, mother, Mary Kay Battaglia,you know, NAMI,
NAMI Wisconsin and all of the-- and evensome of the doctors that have reached out.
This is fantastic.
So, you know, Kody, you said somethingat the very onset that at 18 years old,
you started having symptomsand it was 21 years before you actually
(15:18):
were diagnosed, I think. So, 20 years.
So what was that 18th yearall the way until you were 21?
What did that look like for you, Kody?
Well, as soon as I went off to college,you know, I was, I was really excited
because I up until that point,I was a very neurotypical kid.
I had been a full time caregiver formy mother with schizoaffective disorder.
(15:40):
So I was very aware of what mental illnesslooked like,
what schizophrenia looked like.
But I myselfhadn't really experienced any of it.
And it wasn't until my first yearof college I moved away from home.
I don't know if it was the stressor what it was, but whatever
the environmental factorwas combined with my genetics,
it was that first year of college that I,that I started having my own symptoms.
(16:03):
It started with isolation, paranoia.
I started experiencing auditoryand visual hallucinations,
and then I was having delusions.
And so I quicklywent from, you know, a really high
functioning kid who was not only goingto school full time, but working
full time to someone who couldn'teven take care of myself anymore.
(16:24):
And the people around mehad a pretty good idea
of what was going onbecause of my family history.
But as soon as my symptoms started,I lost the awareness and insight
to really get the help I needed.
And so that's why it took almost threeyears for me to get a proper diagnosis.
And it wasn't until after,you know, I tried to use addiction
as a way to self-medicate.
(16:46):
And it wasn't until afterI ended up in jail and got out of jail
that I was able to get thatthat proper diagnosis.
Wow. Wow.
This is so incredibly importantfor everyone to hear.
And thank you for sharing that.
But something else you said thatI wanted to mention,
there was a pointwhen you were seeing medical
professionals and you, you know,based off of some of the feedback
(17:09):
they were giving youabout what you weren't
going to ever be able to do,you had no hope.
And I wrote that down because, you know,this podcast is called Hope Starts
with Us. So, you know,thank you for sharing that.
But that's very tellingfrom the standpoint of you
are in this place where you are like,what do you mean?
This is, this is my life.
(17:29):
You're telling me that there's--nowif you don't feel hopeful, Kody,
you feel hopeless.
So I really do appreciate you sharing thatand I'm, you know,
just trying to make sure that I'mcapturing some of the things that you're,
you're sharing with our listenersbecause it's very important.
So may I transition to the bookfor a second?
Yeah, absolutely.
(17:50):
All right.
Your book Minds Over (17:51):
A Personal Perspective on Wellness in the Workplace.
It explores mentalhealth in the workplace.
And that's a very important areafor NAMI as well.
What drove you to write about workplacemental health and
what do you hopepeople take away from the book, Kody?
I really wanted to make workplacessomething that we could be more open
(18:14):
about mental health and mental illness.
I think in previous yearswe've finally started having some of these
conversations, thanks to organizationslike NAMI and even the Society
for Human Resource Management has startedtalking about some of these things.
But there's still a lot of workplacesthat have yet to really dive
(18:37):
into the conversation, not just about,you know, general mental
health and burnout and things like that,but also trying to make sure that people
with severe mental illness or otherdisabilities
are able to be able to join a workplaceand be able to function
and be able to thrive.
I think, you know, it was important for mebecause not only do
(18:57):
I have severe mental illness,but every single person experiences
mental health, whether good or bad.
Every single person experiencesmental health, and workplace
burnoutis the most common type of burnout.
So I wanted to be able to talk to peoplenot only about severe mental illness
like schizophrenia,and figuring out how to work with,
(19:20):
you know, an illness like that.
But I also just wanted to talkabout general mental health
and how any single person could go fromsomeone who has no struggles
in the workplace,who is able to function and thrive,
to a person who might experiencea big life change, or might experience
a loss of a joband have to go to a new industry
and like literally anything could happenthat could make any person struggle
(19:43):
with mental health.
And so it's so important that we are openabout that conversation and realize
not only can it happen,it will happen at some point
in every single workplacewhere someone needs more assistance.
Yes, it will happen.
It's not a matter of it not happening.
It will happen. Kody, thank you for that.
(20:04):
And one of the things you saidis that every single person experiences
mental health.
And we think about what Dr.
David Satcher, the 16th SurgeonGeneral, said he actually coined
the phrase that is now used by the WorldHealth Organization.
"There is no physical health withoutmental health." You can't detach them.
And a lot of times that's what we do.
So, you know, thank you for sharing that.
(20:26):
It's so important that every single personexperiences mental health.
Mental health and physical healthare joined.
So, you know,you can't think of one without the other.
But many times that's what we do.
So thank you for thatand appreciate it, Kody.
Now you as a content creator,you touch so many lives,
(20:46):
at least 2 million, 2 million acrossmultiple platforms.
What does that reach mean to youand how do you hope
to use your platform going forward?
To me,it was such an important thing to realize.
Not only wasn't I alone,but that so many people cared
about what I was going through.
(21:07):
When I first started sharing my story,I just didn't think that that many people
would have to carewhat someone with a severe mental illness
or someone in recovery would have to say.
And so many people have joinedto not only be a part of my journey,
but to help me spread awarenessto schizophrenia.
And so for me,my main focus with the platform
(21:30):
is to continue helpingpeople like me feel less alone.
But I also want to make sure that I'musing my platform to amplify voices
of other patients, because not everyonewill be able to relate to my story.
I had a lot of luckand a lot of privilege in my story
that a lot of people don't have,and so I want to make sure that I'm,
(21:50):
you know,sharing the stories of other advocates.
I also want to make sure that my pageremains a place where people can trust
that,you know, the information they're getting
is based on personal experience,based on lived experience.
And try to make sure that I'm not addingto any medical misinformation
that might be out there.
I think in this day and age, combatingmisinformation is a huge thing.
(22:15):
And so I want to continue touse my platform
to make sure that patients,no matter where they are, can feel like
they understand that, you know,they're not alone and they have someone
that they can look to and realize thatno matter if they grow up in New York City
or Westby, Wisconsin, a town of 2000people like I grew up in that there's
someone out there that understands.
(22:38):
Yeah. And then that is so valuable.
And you're getting ready toto get on a plane
to go and help a communitytoday.
And you were so busy doing Mental HealthAwareness Month, the month of May.
Again, we're so proud to know youand so proud of what you're doing.
I have a couple of questions.
One, I want to ask you.
(22:59):
You know, you were an 18 year old.
You were starting college.
We're just coming up to,you know, a lot of graduations
across the countryand a lot of young people
that are going to be going off to collegeand a lot of parents that are
a little reticent about, you know, losing,losing their child to the world
and them going off to college.
What would you tell parents right now?
And that young person?
(23:20):
So two, two questions.
What would you tell the young personto kind of navigate or manage
or be aware of as they beginthat next, that next part
of their journey and the stressorsthat come with being away from home?
And then the flip of that, afterthat is the parent.
What would you tell the parentto be looking for?
(23:41):
Yeah, I think for the student,one of the best things
I think students can do is make sureyou're taking care of yourself.
It's so easy to jump into being an adultand forget to take care of yourself.
And, you know,I want to make sure that people,
whether they're, you know,really passionate about school
or their future career, you got to beable to take care of yourself
(24:03):
if you want to do those things long term.
So self-care is always so important.
But I also think educating yourself earlyon about mental health and mental illness
can really help when,if and when you start to struggle with
symptoms yourself, or if one of your closefriends starts to struggle,
which is kind of my next piece of advice.
(24:26):
Look out for people around youand hope that they will do the same.
Because I speak a lotnow to colleges all over the country,
because that's where I waswhen I had my first episode of psychosis.
And unfortunately,18 to 25 is the most common age
range for men to experiencea first episode of psychosis.
(24:47):
So it's a really crucial time to make surethat people are educated and looking out
for each other and looking outfor themselves and for parents.
I would kind of extend thatand say the same thing educate yourself
about mental health or mental illness,kind of know what early signs to look out
for, and also just make yourselfa safe space for your kid.
(25:07):
Make sure they feel comfortablecoming back
and having these conversations with you.
Like I said, I grew up in a ruralcommunity where, especially as a man,
I was kind of told to, you know,not burden people with any issues I had.
I was supposed to figure it outvery much that like pull yourself up
by your bootstraps mentality.
And so I never felt safegoing to friends or family about issues
(25:29):
that I started having, which is whyI think that's part of the reason
I didn't get early intervention,and I wasn't able to get help
until it was already kind of too late.
So I think, you know,make sure that if you're a parent,
you are not only havingthose conversations, but you're
educating yourself about mental illnessand mental health as well.
(25:52):
Kody, thank you.
And to our young people that are listeningand to the parents.
But tell the young people,if you're a parent, take care of yourself.
Make sure that you're not just focusedon the academics and this,
but whatever it isthat you enjoy doing that, that helps
you take care of yourself as you,you know, go off to college, do that.
(26:12):
The other thingis, look out for your close friends.
And also as you're, you know,navigating college, look for those safe
spaces where you can, you know, talkand associate with people that care.
Kody, before we get to the close,you mentioned something
about between the ages of 18 to 25.
(26:35):
That's the age when men I think you said,if you could go back
and repeat that,I'd love our listeners to hear this again.
Yeah.
So late teens to early20s are when men are most
typically experiencinga first episode of psychosis.
So it's largelywhen we see a lot of diagnosis of not
(26:56):
just schizophrenia, but bipolar disorderand other things like that.
So it's a really prevalent agefor people to experience
some of their first major mentalhealth issues.
And for women, it's a little bit later,but it's still in like,
I think mid 20s to early 30s for women.
(27:16):
And so it's still like such an importantage to make sure people are educated.
And you also mentioned likejust now you talked
about finding communities in college.
And I just want to shout outNAMI On Campus for anyone
who is going to college and wants to learnmore about mental health.
(27:36):
NAMI On Campuswas not available in my college
when I was first going to school,but when I went back to college
after I started advocacy, there is nowa NAMI On Campus at the school I went to,
and I can't talk about how importantI think that is for people
who might be going through a first episodeor seeing a friend go through it
(27:57):
to have an organizationlike that on campus.
Yeah, thank you for sharing that, becausethat's one of the resources that we have.
And as young people arematriculating into,
you know, that next stage of their livesand furthering their education,
NAMI On Campus is an incredible resource.
And the administration of universitiesand colleges, the more they know
(28:20):
that that's available as anasset for the students is fantastic.
So thanks for sharing that, Kody.
Really do appreciate it.
As we get to the wrap up, you know,we always like to ask a question
with every one of our podcast guests.
And you know this from the 35th episodethat you did for us
(28:41):
that we wrap up with this question,the world can be a difficult place,
and sometimes it's hardto hold on to hope.
That's why with each episode,we dedicate the last couple of minutes
of our podcast to a special segment calledHold On to Hope.
Kody, what helps you hold on to hope?
(29:01):
I think especially in recent years,what has helped me is being able
to connect with other patientswho are going through diagnosis.
And I'm ten years into my own diagnosis,but I get to meet
people who were weeksinto being diagnosed,
who I see hope in themthat I never had at that time, and seeing
(29:24):
that makes me hopeful, not only for myselfbut for the future of mental health.
I think Gen Z has become so goodabout having conversations
that my generation and previousgenerations were terrified to have,
and so I'm so hopefulthat we're getting ahead of some of this,
that we're actually we're not doingpreventative maintenance anymore.
(29:47):
We're getting ahead.
We're making surethat we can get to people before crisis.
And I think that's so crucial tomaking sure that
people get the helpthey need, get early intervention
and hopefully avoid some of the thingsthat we've seen in the past
with homelessness, incarcerationand addiction that me and several other
(30:10):
advocates and people with schizophreniaor mental illness have gone through.
I think there's so muchhope in the awareness that's being spread
and the awareness efforts out there.
And so I-- every day and findingnew things to be hopeful about.
This is fantastic, buddy.
We so appreciate youand are so proud of what you're doing
and what you've been doing foreight years.
(30:32):
So, you know, we're so happyto know you into our audience.
This is Kody Green.
Okay, Kody, how can people reach you?
I know we're going to put thaton the podcast, but if you'd like to share
any of the social media access,we want to give you that opportunity.
Yeah.
So you can find me on any platform.
My username is @schizophrenichippie.
(30:54):
Not one I chose.
It's one that my community chose for me.
You can also find my book, Minds OverMeetings.
And lastly, I have a podcast that I dowith a schizoaffective advocate
named Kit Wallace.
Our podcast is called Skitsand Giggles, talking
not only about schizophrenia,but finding humor in recovery.
This is fantastic and thank youand to your co-host for your podcast.
(31:17):
And it sounds like it is so cool.
So you know,thank you, Kody Green, for being you
and doing everything you doand sharing your story.
So as we as we wrap up, I just want to saythis has been Hope Starts
with Us, a podcast by NAMIthe National Alliance on Mental Illness.
If you're looking for mental healthresources, you are not alone.
(31:38):
To connect with the NAMI HelpLineand find local resources, visit
nami.org/help.
Text "NAMI" to 62640 or dial 800-950-NAMI.
Or if you're experiencingan immediate suicide, substance
use, or mental health crisis,please call or text 90
to speak with a trained supportspecialist or visit 988lifeline.org.
(32:03):
I'm Dan Gillison, your host.
Thanks for listening and be well.
Just because someone has a mental illnessor has schizophrenia
doesn't mean they're inherently violentor inherently a bad person.
I think schizophrenia still hasa very negative stigma surrounding it.
A lot of people view it in a very scary,negative way.
Welcome toHope Starts With Us, a podcast by NAMI,
the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
(00:20):
I'm Dan Gillison, NAMI's CEO.
NAMI started this podcast becausewe believe that hope starts with us.
Hope starts with ustalking about mental health.
Hope starts with us making informationaccessible.
Hope starts with usproviding resources and practical advice.
Hope starts with us sharing our stories,and hope starts
(00:42):
with us breaking the stigma.
If you or a loved one is strugglingwith a mental health condition
and have been looking for hope,we made this podcast for you.
Hope starts with all of us.
Hope is a collective.
We hope that each episodewith each conversation brings
you into that collectiveso you know you are not alone.
So today's guest, Kody Green.
(01:05):
He is the author of Minds OverMeetings: A Personal Perspective
on Wellness in the Workplace.
Kody is a motivational speaker.
He is a content creatorwith over 2 million
followers across social media platforms.
He is deeply involved inNAMI Southeast Wisconsin and
he is a person living with schizophrenia.
Now, the other thingthat we want to make sure that you know
(01:27):
is that this is not Kody's first timejoining us for an episode of Hope Starts
with Us.
Kody joined us for episode35 of this podcast.
For our listeners who weren't aware, Kody,you have an incredible story.
For listeners who might not haveheard it in our previous episode,
would you please share your storyof being diagnosed with schizophrenia?
(01:49):
Yeah, absolutely.
I was diagnosed with schizophreniaat 21 years old.
I started experiencing symptoms at 18,in my first year of college,
and before that I was raised by a motherwith schizoaffective disorder.
So schizophrenia and mental illnesshas kind of always been a part of my life.
I grew up in a small rural communitywhere people didn't
(02:11):
really talk about mental healthor mental illness.
And so it wasn't until after my owndiagnosis that I was able to get the help
and resources I need to--needed to live a full and functional life.
I was someone whounfortunately didn't get the help
I needed right away and struggledwith addiction and eventually
was incarcerated because of my illness.
(02:33):
But once I got out, got sober,and got diagnosed,
I was able to,with the help of family advocates
and people aroundme, really turned my life around
and be able to become an advocateand start sharing my story
and seeing the importance of storytellingthat could help not just me with coping,
(02:55):
but also help other peoplewho are early on in their own diagnosis.
Kody, you know, we want to say thank youfor how frequently you share your story.
And we always say, you know,you are not alone.
You sharing your story helpsso many people realize they are not alone.
And I just want to mentionthat as we continue our conversation.
(03:16):
So Kody,many people living with mental illnesses
experience involvementwith the criminal justice system
based on our National Criminal JusticeMonth work earlier this year in March,
we know that every yearabout 2 million people
with mental illness are booked into jails,and roughly 2 in 5 who are incarcerated
have a history of mental illness.
What was your experience?
(03:36):
What was the experience,excuse me, of being incarcerated
while living with schizophrenia,like for you?
For me,it was very telling because I remember
going through the process undiagnosed.
No medication, no treatment,really struggling to understand
what was going on.
But once I was finally incarcerated,I realized
(03:59):
that a lot of the people who were injail were very similar to me.
They either were undiagnosedwith severe mental illness,
or they were struggling with addiction.
I didn't meet a lot of peoplewho were bad people.
It was people who needed helpthat they didn't get.
And I think that really shapedmy understanding
of not just the criminal justice system,but how much people aren't able
(04:22):
to get accessto treatment, medication and insurance
things they need to live fulland functional lives.
You know, Kody, as you're mentioning this,and as our audience
that's listening will knowwe have some prescribed questions.
But I want to interact withsome of the things that you're saying.
And, you know, asyou observed in your experience,
(04:44):
there were people there that needed helpand they needed medication.
They needed a lot of different things,but they,
some of them didn't know they needed it.
And it was just so observant of you,of what you saw when you were there.
I want to go back to also,you said you grew up in rural America.
You go around the country speaking.
(05:05):
What have you seen, Kody,in terms of the similarities
from a major city community,if you will, versus a rural community?
What have you seen that's similar?
And then what have you seen that'sso very different from rural
to, you know, say a larger,larger community?
Yeah, I think something I've noticedthat's similar is
(05:29):
mental illness doesn't discriminate.
So it is in every community.
It affects people all over the country.
And no matter where you go,there are people struggling
who need help or need to knowthey're not alone.
I think some of the differencesI've noticed is growing up
in a rural area, there's a lot lessresources, there's a lot less nonprofits
(05:50):
that might be able to help with diagnosisor with other aspects of care.
And there's a harder timegetting in to see medical professionals,
which can make it more difficultfor someone to get a proper diagnosis.
Kind of like what happened in my case.
But that being said, even with,you know, rural communities
(06:11):
having a lack of resource, I think one ofthe really special things about small
rural communities is a sense of communitythat you just don't see in big areas.
And my biggest,my biggest frustration is knowing that
in small communities there is this senseof like knowing and understanding
(06:32):
your neighbor until it becomesan uncomfortable conversation.
So people had a really hard timetalking about
mental health, mental illness,things like that.
Even thoughlike they really tried to look out
for their neighbors, their communities.
And so a lot of the advocacyI do in rural communities
now is trying to get peoplejust to better understand, so
(06:54):
they aren't judgmentaland realize that they can help
if they really are striving to make surethat people in their community are safe.
There are ways they can do thatthrough advocacy and awareness.
You know, Kody, again,I'm going to-- you're going to hear
these two wordsmultiple times during this conversation.
Thank you.
Because you'remaking such a huge difference.
(07:16):
You know, we just had our conventionand the theme for our convention
was Community, Connection, and Care.
And that's what you just spoke to interms of what it looks like
in terms of community and connection.
So thanks for sharing that.
And may I ask you,based on your experience
in the criminal justice system, Kody,what do you wish
other people knew about mental illnessand incarceration?
(07:40):
I think for me,the biggest thing was I wish people knew
that just because someonehas a mental illness or has schizophrenia
doesn't mean they're inherently violentor inherently a bad person.
I think schizophrenia still hasa very negative stigma surrounding it,
and I think a lot of people view it ina very scary, negative way.
(08:02):
And a large reason for that isa lot of people haven't met someone
with schizophrenia, or they don't realizethey've met someone with schizophrenia
who's living a normal life.
And so they-- the only ideathey have about schizophrenia,
the only representation they've seen iswhat's appeared on TV shows or movies,
(08:22):
which unfortunatelyjust isn't always accurate to what
it's really liketo live with this diagnosis.
Yeah, yeah. Thank you.
So, Kody, when you returnto your community after incarceration,
what led you to becoming a speakerand a content creator?
I mean, you could have just navigatedyour experience and said, okay,
(08:44):
I'm going to reboot it.
I'm going to do this.
But you decided to use your voice.
What led you to becoming a speakerand a content creator?
My main goalwhen I started making content was just
to be the advocate that I neededwhen I was first diagnosed.
I felt very alone when I was originallydiagnosed with schizophrenia.
And I don't say this to sound dramatic,but my diagnosis felt
(09:07):
like a death sentencebecause I had never seen anyone living
a normal, functional lifewith schizophrenia,
and so I didn't have any hopefor any sort of future.
I was being told by people around me,I would never get to have a normal life.
I'd never get to live,you know, like everyone else.
I remember a few,a few months after I was diagnosed,
(09:28):
I actually had a doctor tell me thatI would never be able to work again.
And it wasn't a question,it was a statement.
He said that I should get usedto being on disability,
because I would never be ableto work in a traditional workplace,
and one of my proudest momentsas an advocate was bringing him a signed
copy of my book about mental healthand mental illness in the workplace.
(09:49):
In the workplace.
Oh yeah. In the workplace.
Yeah.
So is that part of why you, you know,you decided--
and that's a question later and here.
But I'm going to go to it nowin terms of wellness in the workplace,
what drove you to yourthe title of the book
and electing to focus on the workplace,Kody?
(10:09):
Well,I think similar--you just asked about
like becoming a speakerand a content creator.
And I think, I really do believe thatyou don't really choose
to be a mental health advocate.
You fall into health advocacy.
You know, it's like if it's somethingyou're passionate about, if it's something
that's greatly affected your lifeor the lives of the people around you,
(10:31):
it's something that you want to share moreabout and help people understand.
And so that was advocacyin general for me.
That's why I started social media.
That's why I started creating contentabout my diagnosis.
But it's also why I wrote my book, becauseI wanted people to better understand
that there is a very large numberof people with schizophrenia and serious
mental illness that are unable to work,and we've really looked at it
(10:55):
like it's a problem of the patientsor the people living with schizophrenia,
when a lot of the timesit's a problem of the workplace, it's
the problem of not willingor not being able to accommodate people.
It's all things that I struggled withwhen I was trying to reenter the workforce
and trying to figure out how I was goingto, you know, live a normal life and be
(11:17):
able to pay my bills and do all the thingsthat everyone else was doing.
So that and advocacy, it'sjust something that I felt the need
to talk about because whether I liked itor not, it was a part of my life.
Yeah, yeah.
And how long have you been doing itnow, Kody?
So I started making videoson social media,
(11:38):
specifically on TikTok in 2018.
So that's when my advocacy really started,and I didn't
really plan on being an advocate.
I just wanted to talk moreabout my diagnosis.
I wasn't able to share about itpublicly back then, just because
I was very afraid of like the backlash,what people would think.
(11:58):
I was ashamed of, of my diagnosis,like it was somehow my fault.
And so when I started making content,it was just to get some of it
off of my chest and try to findpeople who were also struggling
so I could feel less alone.
And it was during that timethat I also found a NAMI local peer
support group,and I started attending that,
and that was between social mediaand that NAMI support
(12:22):
group, that's largely what led to,you know, me becoming an advocate. Wow.
And so you've been doing this noweight years, and I'm so glad
that you found NAMI.
And NAMI has been a part of your work.
So going from diagnosis to incarcerationto motivational speaker,
that is an incredible journey, buddy.
(12:43):
What do you attributeyour recovery and continued
growth toand what has helped you along the way?
I mean, there's so many, so many things,I think, that were crucial in my recovery.
I always mention medicationbecause it was really what gave me
the stable foundationto focus on other things.
But I also had incredible family support.
(13:04):
I had a mom who went throughthe mental health system herself.
She's diagnosedwith schizoaffective disorder,
so she was able to help me navigatethat system a little bit easier
than I think most people.
And I also had,you know, my incredible supportive wife.
I had a community of people online.
I think that's largely what's keptme going over time as I've done advocacy.
(13:28):
I think there's somuch going on in the world, and
I feel really defeated a lot of the time.
But then I see my comment sectionand it's filled with patients
who are thanking mebecause my story helped them feel less
alone, and caregiverstelling me my stories
help them better understandtheir loved ones who are struggling.
I even have doctors and psychiatristsreach out thanking me
(13:50):
because my story helped them betterunderstand the patients they work with.
And so I see the need for the content.
But I also see the difference it makes.
And so I think a lot of what keepsme going, not just through my advocacy,
but through my recovery,is the communities that I've
not only thatI've built through social media,
but the communities that I surround myselfwith.
(14:11):
As you mentioned in my intro,I'm very involved with NAMI Wisconsin.
I'm on the board of directorsfor NAMI Wisconsin.
They've been incredible.
Mary Kay is our executive director.
She is so great and so I've founda community through them.
I found communities in the recoveryspace as well when I was getting sober.
(14:33):
And so I found all of these littlecommunities that together have kind of
built me up and given me such stabilityto be able to focus on
the things I need to, to not only survive,but thrive.
Yeah, it's almost like the constructof a quilt and all the different patches
that have brought the Kodyquilt together is amazing.
(14:54):
And all these different elementsyou just shared.
Wife, mother, Mary Kay Battaglia,you know, NAMI,
NAMI Wisconsin and all of the-- and evensome of the doctors that have reached out.
This is fantastic.
So, you know, Kody, you said somethingat the very onset that at 18 years old,
you started having symptomsand it was 21 years before you actually
(15:18):
were diagnosed, I think. So, 20 years.
So what was that 18th yearall the way until you were 21?
What did that look like for you, Kody?
Well, as soon as I went off to college,you know, I was, I was really excited
because I up until that point,I was a very neurotypical kid.
I had been a full time caregiver formy mother with schizoaffective disorder.
(15:40):
So I was very aware of what mental illnesslooked like,
what schizophrenia looked like.
But I myselfhadn't really experienced any of it.
And it wasn't until my first yearof college I moved away from home.
I don't know if it was the stressor what it was, but whatever
the environmental factorwas combined with my genetics,
it was that first year of college that I,that I started having my own symptoms.
(16:03):
It started with isolation, paranoia.
I started experiencing auditoryand visual hallucinations,
and then I was having delusions.
And so I quicklywent from, you know, a really high
functioning kid who was not only goingto school full time, but working
full time to someone who couldn'teven take care of myself anymore.
(16:24):
And the people around mehad a pretty good idea
of what was going onbecause of my family history.
But as soon as my symptoms started,I lost the awareness and insight
to really get the help I needed.
And so that's why it took almost threeyears for me to get a proper diagnosis.
And it wasn't until after,you know, I tried to use addiction
as a way to self-medicate.
(16:46):
And it wasn't until afterI ended up in jail and got out of jail
that I was able to get thatthat proper diagnosis.
Wow. Wow.
This is so incredibly importantfor everyone to hear.
And thank you for sharing that.
But something else you said thatI wanted to mention,
there was a pointwhen you were seeing medical
professionals and you, you know,based off of some of the feedback
(17:09):
they were giving youabout what you weren't
going to ever be able to do,you had no hope.
And I wrote that down because, you know,this podcast is called Hope Starts
with Us. So, you know,thank you for sharing that.
But that's very tellingfrom the standpoint of you
are in this place where you are like,what do you mean?
This is, this is my life.
(17:29):
You're telling me that there's--nowif you don't feel hopeful, Kody,
you feel hopeless.
So I really do appreciate you sharing thatand I'm, you know,
just trying to make sure that I'mcapturing some of the things that you're,
you're sharing with our listenersbecause it's very important.
So may I transition to the bookfor a second?
Yeah, absolutely.
(17:50):
All right.
Your book Minds Over (17:51):
A Personal Perspective on Wellness in the Workplace.
It explores mentalhealth in the workplace.
And that's a very important areafor NAMI as well.
What drove you to write about workplacemental health and
what do you hopepeople take away from the book, Kody?
I really wanted to make workplacessomething that we could be more open
(18:14):
about mental health and mental illness.
I think in previous yearswe've finally started having some of these
conversations, thanks to organizationslike NAMI and even the Society
for Human Resource Management has startedtalking about some of these things.
But there's still a lot of workplacesthat have yet to really dive
(18:37):
into the conversation, not just about,you know, general mental
health and burnout and things like that,but also trying to make sure that people
with severe mental illness or otherdisabilities
are able to be able to join a workplaceand be able to function
and be able to thrive.
I think, you know, it was important for mebecause not only do
(18:57):
I have severe mental illness,but every single person experiences
mental health, whether good or bad.
Every single person experiencesmental health, and workplace
burnoutis the most common type of burnout.
So I wanted to be able to talk to peoplenot only about severe mental illness
like schizophrenia,and figuring out how to work with,
(19:20):
you know, an illness like that.
But I also just wanted to talkabout general mental health
and how any single person could go fromsomeone who has no struggles
in the workplace,who is able to function and thrive,
to a person who might experiencea big life change, or might experience
a loss of a joband have to go to a new industry
and like literally anything could happenthat could make any person struggle
(19:43):
with mental health.
And so it's so important that we are openabout that conversation and realize
not only can it happen,it will happen at some point
in every single workplacewhere someone needs more assistance.
Yes, it will happen.
It's not a matter of it not happening.
It will happen. Kody, thank you for that.
(20:04):
And one of the things you saidis that every single person experiences
mental health.
And we think about what Dr.
David Satcher, the 16th SurgeonGeneral, said he actually coined
the phrase that is now used by the WorldHealth Organization.
"There is no physical health withoutmental health." You can't detach them.
And a lot of times that's what we do.
So, you know, thank you for sharing that.
(20:26):
It's so important that every single personexperiences mental health.
Mental health and physical healthare joined.
So, you know,you can't think of one without the other.
But many times that's what we do.
So thank you for thatand appreciate it, Kody.
Now you as a content creator,you touch so many lives,
(20:46):
at least 2 million, 2 million acrossmultiple platforms.
What does that reach mean to youand how do you hope
to use your platform going forward?
To me,it was such an important thing to realize.
Not only wasn't I alone,but that so many people cared
about what I was going through.
(21:07):
When I first started sharing my story,I just didn't think that that many people
would have to carewhat someone with a severe mental illness
or someone in recovery would have to say.
And so many people have joinedto not only be a part of my journey,
but to help me spread awarenessto schizophrenia.
And so for me,my main focus with the platform
(21:30):
is to continue helpingpeople like me feel less alone.
But I also want to make sure that I'musing my platform to amplify voices
of other patients, because not everyonewill be able to relate to my story.
I had a lot of luckand a lot of privilege in my story
that a lot of people don't have,and so I want to make sure that I'm,
(21:50):
you know,sharing the stories of other advocates.
I also want to make sure that my pageremains a place where people can trust
that,you know, the information they're getting
is based on personal experience,based on lived experience.
And try to make sure that I'm not addingto any medical misinformation
that might be out there.
I think in this day and age, combatingmisinformation is a huge thing.
(22:15):
And so I want to continue touse my platform
to make sure that patients,no matter where they are, can feel like
they understand that, you know,they're not alone and they have someone
that they can look to and realize thatno matter if they grow up in New York City
or Westby, Wisconsin, a town of 2000people like I grew up in that there's
someone out there that understands.
(22:38):
Yeah. And then that is so valuable.
And you're getting ready toto get on a plane
to go and help a communitytoday.
And you were so busy doing Mental HealthAwareness Month, the month of May.
Again, we're so proud to know youand so proud of what you're doing.
I have a couple of questions.
One, I want to ask you.
(22:59):
You know, you were an 18 year old.
You were starting college.
We're just coming up to,you know, a lot of graduations
across the countryand a lot of young people
that are going to be going off to collegeand a lot of parents that are
a little reticent about, you know, losing,losing their child to the world
and them going off to college.
What would you tell parents right now?
And that young person?
(23:20):
So two, two questions.
What would you tell the young personto kind of navigate or manage
or be aware of as they beginthat next, that next part
of their journey and the stressorsthat come with being away from home?
And then the flip of that, afterthat is the parent.
What would you tell the parentto be looking for?
(23:41):
Yeah, I think for the student,one of the best things
I think students can do is make sureyou're taking care of yourself.
It's so easy to jump into being an adultand forget to take care of yourself.
And, you know,I want to make sure that people,
whether they're, you know,really passionate about school
or their future career, you got to beable to take care of yourself
(24:03):
if you want to do those things long term.
So self-care is always so important.
But I also think educating yourself earlyon about mental health and mental illness
can really help when,if and when you start to struggle with
symptoms yourself, or if one of your closefriends starts to struggle,
which is kind of my next piece of advice.
(24:26):
Look out for people around youand hope that they will do the same.
Because I speak a lotnow to colleges all over the country,
because that's where I waswhen I had my first episode of psychosis.
And unfortunately,18 to 25 is the most common age
range for men to experiencea first episode of psychosis.
(24:47):
So it's a really crucial time to make surethat people are educated and looking out
for each other and looking outfor themselves and for parents.
I would kind of extend thatand say the same thing educate yourself
about mental health or mental illness,kind of know what early signs to look out
for, and also just make yourselfa safe space for your kid.
(25:07):
Make sure they feel comfortablecoming back
and having these conversations with you.
Like I said, I grew up in a ruralcommunity where, especially as a man,
I was kind of told to, you know,not burden people with any issues I had.
I was supposed to figure it outvery much that like pull yourself up
by your bootstraps mentality.
And so I never felt safegoing to friends or family about issues
(25:29):
that I started having, which is whyI think that's part of the reason
I didn't get early intervention,and I wasn't able to get help
until it was already kind of too late.
So I think, you know,make sure that if you're a parent,
you are not only havingthose conversations, but you're
educating yourself about mental illnessand mental health as well.
(25:52):
Kody, thank you.
And to our young people that are listeningand to the parents.
But tell the young people,if you're a parent, take care of yourself.
Make sure that you're not just focusedon the academics and this,
but whatever it isthat you enjoy doing that, that helps
you take care of yourself as you,you know, go off to college, do that.
(26:12):
The other thingis, look out for your close friends.
And also as you're, you know,navigating college, look for those safe
spaces where you can, you know, talkand associate with people that care.
Kody, before we get to the close,you mentioned something
about between the ages of 18 to 25.
(26:35):
That's the age when men I think you said,if you could go back
and repeat that,I'd love our listeners to hear this again.
Yeah.
So late teens to early20s are when men are most
typically experiencinga first episode of psychosis.
So it's largelywhen we see a lot of diagnosis of not
(26:56):
just schizophrenia, but bipolar disorderand other things like that.
So it's a really prevalent agefor people to experience
some of their first major mentalhealth issues.
And for women, it's a little bit later,but it's still in like,
I think mid 20s to early 30s for women.
(27:16):
And so it's still like such an importantage to make sure people are educated.
And you also mentioned likejust now you talked
about finding communities in college.
And I just want to shout outNAMI On Campus for anyone
who is going to college and wants to learnmore about mental health.
(27:36):
NAMI On Campuswas not available in my college
when I was first going to school,but when I went back to college
after I started advocacy, there is nowa NAMI On Campus at the school I went to,
and I can't talk about how importantI think that is for people
who might be going through a first episodeor seeing a friend go through it
(27:57):
to have an organizationlike that on campus.
Yeah, thank you for sharing that, becausethat's one of the resources that we have.
And as young people arematriculating into,
you know, that next stage of their livesand furthering their education,
NAMI On Campus is an incredible resource.
And the administration of universitiesand colleges, the more they know
(28:20):
that that's available as anasset for the students is fantastic.
So thanks for sharing that, Kody.
Really do appreciate it.
As we get to the wrap up, you know,we always like to ask a question
with every one of our podcast guests.
And you know this from the 35th episodethat you did for us
(28:41):
that we wrap up with this question,the world can be a difficult place,
and sometimes it's hardto hold on to hope.
That's why with each episode,we dedicate the last couple of minutes
of our podcast to a special segment calledHold On to Hope.
Kody, what helps you hold on to hope?
(29:01):
I think especially in recent years,what has helped me is being able
to connect with other patientswho are going through diagnosis.
And I'm ten years into my own diagnosis,but I get to meet
people who were weeksinto being diagnosed,
who I see hope in themthat I never had at that time, and seeing
(29:24):
that makes me hopeful, not only for myselfbut for the future of mental health.
I think Gen Z has become so goodabout having conversations
that my generation and previousgenerations were terrified to have,
and so I'm so hopefulthat we're getting ahead of some of this,
that we're actually we're not doingpreventative maintenance anymore.
(29:47):
We're getting ahead.
We're making surethat we can get to people before crisis.
And I think that's so crucial tomaking sure that
people get the helpthey need, get early intervention
and hopefully avoid some of the thingsthat we've seen in the past
with homelessness, incarcerationand addiction that me and several other
(30:10):
advocates and people with schizophreniaor mental illness have gone through.
I think there's so muchhope in the awareness that's being spread
and the awareness efforts out there.
And so I-- every day and findingnew things to be hopeful about.
This is fantastic, buddy.
We so appreciate youand are so proud of what you're doing
and what you've been doing foreight years.
(30:32):
So, you know, we're so happyto know you into our audience.
This is Kody Green.
Okay, Kody, how can people reach you?
I know we're going to put thaton the podcast, but if you'd like to share
any of the social media access,we want to give you that opportunity.
Yeah.
So you can find me on any platform.
My username is @schizophrenichippie.
(30:54):
Not one I chose.
It's one that my community chose for me.
You can also find my book, Minds OverMeetings.
And lastly, I have a podcast that I dowith a schizoaffective advocate
named Kit Wallace.
Our podcast is called Skitsand Giggles, talking
not only about schizophrenia,but finding humor in recovery.
This is fantastic and thank youand to your co-host for your podcast.
(31:17):
And it sounds like it is so cool.
So you know,thank you, Kody Green, for being you
and doing everything you doand sharing your story.
So as we as we wrap up, I just want to saythis has been Hope Starts
with Us, a podcast by NAMIthe National Alliance on Mental Illness.
If you're looking for mental healthresources, you are not alone.
(31:38):
To connect with the NAMI HelpLineand find local resources, visit
nami.org/help.
Text "NAMI" to 62640 or dial 800-950-NAMI.
Or if you're experiencingan immediate suicide, substance
use, or mental health crisis,please call or text 90
to speak with a trained supportspecialist or visit 988lifeline.org.
(32:03):
I'm Dan Gillison, your host.
Thanks for listening and be well.
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