Mark MI words

Too many times, I open the comments on Mark MI Words and see the same thing: men telling me I’m weak. You’d think we’d be past that by now — past the idea that a man has to be unbreakable, silent, stone‑faced to count as strong. But day after day, it still shows up.

In this episode, I dig into the difference between being vulnerable and being weak, and why so many people still confuse the two. I talk about what it costs to show up h...

This week, I want to talk a couple of conversations that have stayed with me in a way I can’t shake. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve spoken with people living with mental illness who have survived significant abuse. And in both conversations, the most disturbing moment wasn’t the trauma they described — it was when they told me they believed it was their fault.Hearing that hit me hard. Even though I’ve never experienced abuse mys...

This week, I want to talk a couple of conversations that have stayed with me in a way I can’t shake. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve spoken with people living with mental illness who have survived significant abuse. And in both conversations, the most disturbing moment wasn’t the trauma they described — it was when they told me they believed it was their fault.

Hearing that hit me hard. Even though I’ve never experienced abuse mys...

In this episode, I dive deep into the brutal power of negative self‑talk — the constant voice that tells people with mental illness they’re worthless, hopeless, or broken. I share my own battles with self‑criticism, suicidal ideation, and the lies my mind tells me daily, and how mindfulness, awareness, and connection have helped me fight back.

This isn’t about “thinking positive.” It’s about survival — learning to challenge the thou...

In this episode, I dive deep into the brutal power of negative self‑talk — the constant voice that tells people with mental illness they’re worthless, hopeless, or broken. I share my own battles with self‑criticism, suicidal ideation, and the lies my mind tells me daily, and how mindfulness, awareness, and connection have helped me fight back.

This isn’t about “thinking positive.” It’s about survival — learning to challenge the thou...

SO DO I - Bipolar without shame - Professor Pakesta Washington | Mark MI WordsIn this episode, I sit down with Professor Pakesta Washington, a nurse educator and powerful mental‑health advocate who lives with bipolar disorder. Our conversation moves through her childhood, her diagnosis, and the extraordinary determination that carried her into nursing and academia. She speaks openly about medication, stigma, cultural silence, and t...

SO DO I - Bipolar without shame - Professor Pakesta Washington | Mark MI WordsIn this episode, I sit down with Professor Pakesta Washington, a nurse educator and powerful mental‑health advocate who lives with bipolar disorder. Our conversation moves through her childhood, her diagnosis, and the extraordinary determination that carried her into nursing and academia. She speaks openly about medication, stigma, cultural silence, and t...

Ian Baker is a retired soldier and proud RAEME veteran. As an ASM and WO1, he was a senior leader in his Corps — but leadership came with a cost. Eventually, Ian had to confront the mental toll his years of service had taken.

RAEME soldiers are some of the most misunderstood in our Defense Forces. They work in the same danger zones as frontline troops, but with the added pressure of keeping every piece of equipment battle‑ready. The...

Ian Baker is a retired soldier and proud RAEME veteran. As an ASM and WO1, he was a senior leader in his Corps — but leadership came with a cost. Eventually, Ian had to confront the mental toll his years of service had taken.

RAEME soldiers are some of the most misunderstood in our Defense Forces. They work in the same danger zones as frontline troops, but with the added pressure of keeping every piece of equipment battle‑ready. The...

The nightmare of being told to 'get over it' | Mark MI WordsAnyone living with mental illness has heard it at some point: “You need to get over it.”

It’s a comment people throw out casually, often without realising how painful or dismissive it can feel.

Today, we'll explore why that phrase cuts so deep — and what it reveals about how misunderstood mental illness still is. Let’s dive in and see where this takes us.

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Anyone living with mental illness has heard it at some point: “You need to get over it.”

It’s a comment people throw out casually, often without realising how painful or dismissive it can feel.

Today, we'll explore why that phrase cuts so deep — and what it reveals about how misunderstood mental illness still is. Let’s dive in and see where this takes us.

▶ WATCH MORE VIDEOS…✅ Anger and mental illness | Mark MI Words 👉 This Vid...

Growing up in poverty without a stable home environment and parents that struggled with addiction, could have been the end of Devin's story.

A tough induction into the army and many setbacks and traumatic events, could also have been the end of his story.

However, with courage and tenacity, he made it through. His story tells us that there is life after mental illness.

By addressing his trauma, and engaging in mental health recove...

Anger and mental illness | Mark MI Words

Do you feel sometimes that, because you have a mental illness that you are not allowed to be angry- ever?

So many times, I have been dismissed for being angry or upset because people know about my issues.

If i do get angry, I'm told that I need to be mindful and that it's my issue. Those around me are able to dismiss my emotions as being unreasonable or 'just his PTSD.

In doing so t...

Do you feel sometimes that, because you have a mental illness that you are not allowed to be angry- ever?

So many times, I have been dismissed for being angry or upset because people know about my issues.

If i do get angry, I'm told that I need to be mindful and that it's my issue. Those around me are able to dismiss my emotions as being unreasonable or 'just his PTSD'.

In doing so they can excuse their own bad behavio...

When you live with a mental illness and you don’t sleep, you’re not just tired—you’re torturing yourself. It’s one of the most overlooked forms of self-harm, and it happens quietly, night after night.

Today, we’re talking about sleep torture: what it is, what it does to your mind, and why sleep should be the first thing you check—whether you’re living with mental illness or supporting someone who is. Because without rest, everything...

When you live with a mental illness and you don’t sleep, you’re not just tired—you’re torturing yourself. It’s one of the most overlooked forms of self-harm, and it happens quietly, night after night.

Today, we’re talking about sleep torture: what it is, what it does to your mind, and why sleep should be the first thing you check—whether you’re living with mental illness or supporting someone who is. Because without rest, everything...

When his partner Karen died by suicide in 2000, Queensland police officer Todd Maguire’s world caved in. Grief hollowed him out. When he was given the chance to step into the undercover world, he didn’t hesitate. He was not chasing glory but trying to outrun the trauma and grief inside his own head. 

Thus begins an incredible story, out of which has come a man with the courage to tell his story of living with and rebuilding his life...

When his partner Karen died by suicide in 2000, Queensland police officer Todd Maguire’s world caved in. Grief hollowed him out. When he was given the chance to step into the undercover world, he didn’t hesitate. He was not chasing glory but trying to outrun the trauma and grief inside his own head. 

Thus begins an incredible story, out of which has come a man with the courage to tell his story of living with and rebuilding his life...

A wounded combat veteran, Keith A Cole, Marine and Vietnam Veteran, shares his story of surviving trauma and loss, only to finally reach a place where he felt he couldn't go on.

His dramatic cry for help was answered in a way he never expected.

We discuss his journey and his book 'Burnout: God's Recovery Plan: A Marine's Story of Trauma, Surrender, and Healing through Faith' today on Mark MI Words.

You can learn mo...