Our Turn to Talk w/Anastasia Vlasova

A dirt bike accident changed MaDarrius Burgo’s life forever, but it didn’t diminish his spirit. Hear this 20-year-old’s story of coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), living life in a wheelchair and how music and poetry restored his faith in life when he felt like he lost everything. A member of the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, MaDarrius takes us along to one of the tribe’s traditional “healing fires.” This ritual reveals ...

Faith and spirituality are sources of comfort at times of loss. But what happens when that faith is shaken? 20-year-old Aliyah Green from Downingtown, Pennsylvania shares her story through grief after her younger brother died suddenly. She tells us how she struggled to understand the meaning of such a loss, and how it impacted her relationship with God. We hear from grief expert Dr. Heidi Horsely on the trauma of losing a family me...

Jada Bromberg, an 18-year-old musician from Fairfax, Virginia, wrote a very special song about what she imagines the last moments were like with her biological mother. It’s a time she doesn’t remember in her home country, China. She tells us her adoption story, shares her diagnosis of clinical depression and explains how she struggles with her cultural identity. We explore the role music plays in her mental well-being and hear from...

19-year-old Delaney Reilly from Windemere, Florida shares how an obsession with being thin became a diagnosis of anorexia, but it was never about food or weight. She tells us how she developed an eating disorder after suffering from anxiety nearly her whole life. We hear from Laurelee Roark, director of the eating disorder non-profit, Beyond Hunger, on ways we can prevent eating disorders before they begin through proper education ...

16-year-old hockey star Morgan Urso has a message for young athletes: Talking about mental health doesn’t make you less tough, it just makes you human. Hear Morgan’s story of being ostracized from her hockey team when she opened up about her mental health struggles to her coach, an experience that turned her into an activist for mental health awareness in the world of competitive sports. 

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Ryver Evans, a 16-year-old transgender teen from Nashville, North Carolina, tells us her story of coming out to her parents and peers in a small, conservative, southern town. Her father, Anthony Evans, shares his experience with his daughter’s transition. We also explore gender dysphoria with Rae Sweet, Education Coordinator with the nonprofit, It Gets Better Project which helps empower and connect LGBTQ+ youth around the glob...

16-year-old Abigayle Scully, a dancer and cheerleader from Slidell, Louisiana, always felt safe at school until the day she was sexually assaulted - at school, during school hours. Hear how this painful event triggered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and an eating disorder. We explore the ways Abi has found healing through her close-knit dance community and professional help, including EMDR, a specialized form of trauma ...

Young Elder, a 19-year-old musician and activist from Baltimore, Maryland, is working to heal her city from community trauma. She has seen first-hand how violence and racism have impacted both individuals and her entire community. . These events can cause a collective scar and have long-standing negative consequences on physical, mental, and emotional health. As the youngest member of Baltimore’s Trauma-Informed Care Task Forc...

Our host, 19-year-old Anastasia Vlasova, opens Season One by sharing her own mental health story and why she’s so passionate about starting this podcast. From her internship with This Is My Brave, Inc. (TIMB), to starting her freshman year at New York University, Anastasia understands how mental health affects her generation, and she’s ready to do something about it. She’s especially motivated by new research by Dr. Kristin Kosyluk...

OUR TURN TO TALK 

SEASON 1 PRESENTED BY THIS IS MY BRAVE

Season 1 of Our Turn to Talk is presented by This Is My Brave, Inc. (TIMB) a national nonprofit whose vision is to one day live in a world where we don't have to call it "brave" to talk openly about mental illness, we'll simply call it talking. Join host Anastasia Vlasova, former TIMB Intern, as she has raw, honest conversations with TIMB participants and takes a deepe...