State Of Mind with Maurice Benard

Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis served 537 days in a Japanese prison after he lost consciousness while driving, resulting in a car accident that left two Japanese citizens dead. Japanese authorities denied Ridge access to a translator or legal counsel resulting in a prison sentence that was much longer than if this incident had occurred in the United States. Join me for a phenomenal conversation with Ridge and his best friend Andrew Eubanks, who along with Ridge's wife, Brittany, rallied to get him out of prison in a story that will leave you breathless. To learn more, please visit: https://www.instagram.com/bringridgehome

This week I'm joined by Carolyn Hennesy. Carolyn is an accomplished actress, NY Times Best Selling Author, Animal Advocate and believe it or not a Flying Trapeze Artist. You may know her best as lawyer Diane Miller on General Hospital, but Carolyn's appeared in recurring roles on hit television shows like True Blood, Dawson's Creek, Cougar Town, Revenge and won a Daytime Emmy Award for her role on the web series The Bay. Carolyn has stared in features films such as Click, Legally Blonde 2 and Terminator 3. As an author Carolyn has penned the popular “Pandora” children’s book series and the New York Times Bestseller “The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli." While we talk a lot today about acting and our first scenes together on General Hospital, Carolyn opened up to me about her father, his death and her achievement of being 21 years sober. We talk about Carolyn's dad, Dale Hennesy, who won an Oscar for Art Direction back in 1967 for Fantastic Voyage. Note: This episode was shot prior to my father's passing, so his illness is mentioned today.

In this episode of State Of Mind I'm joined by Sharon Lawrence.

In this episode of State Of Mind I'm joined by Castin Marion. Castin and her family have been friends of my family for many years; I've known her since she was a little girl. Years ago something happened to their family that changed their lives forever. Castin has had so much to deal with in her young life and she's hear to talk about that with me today.

In this episode of State Of Mind I'm joined by Réal Andrews. You'll hear a conversation between two friends that have known each other forever and yet there's still things we don't quite know about each other. It's raw, emotional, deep, funny, truthful, as we discuss anxiety, mental health, love, family! Don't forget to pick up Réal Andrews book 'Do You Want It? No Fear, No Limits, No Excuses'

In this episode of State Of Mind I'm joined by Preston Durnford. Preston is the author of Epic Journal; Owner and Founder of Epic Journey, Inc; and Founder of Fresh Start of California, which is a detox and residential treatment center. My daughter, Cailey, is the Clinical Director at Fresh Start working with Lindsey Centanni, the Chief Operating Offer, who has also been on State Of Mind. Preston and I talk about how he was able to harness the power of journaling to transform his life after battling heroin addiction, losing his father to suicide, and brother to drug overdose. He says the 'Epic Journal' is not just a writing tool, but an invitation to harness the transformative power of introspection to achieve one's fullest potential. https://theepicjournal.com

You won’t find a more driven, dedicated, and inspirational man than my guy Clark Bartram. And oh, did I mention his guns! Not the deadly kind, I’m talking his arms. You want to feel good, listen to Clark. You won’t regret it!

Mark Teschner has been the Casting Director at General Hospital since 1989 and has won ten Emmy Awards for Casting. Mark has unique ability to communicate with actors, encouraging them to deliver their best performances and he shares insight in his casting of Vanessa Marcil, Steve Burton and Michael Sutton. Maurice and Mark talk about the younger generation's outlet of being able to showcase their talent being on platforms like TikTok and Youtube and shows like American Idol and America's Got Talent.

Jillian Barberie (Good Day LA, Fox Sports, EX-treme Dating, American Idol Extra) Jillian is incredibly candid as she opens up about her life. She and Maurice talk about her incredible career, marriage and divorce, leaving Good Day LA, going to therapy, dealing with alcoholism, depression and anxiety and how she aggressively battled breast cancer. Through it all Jillian has always found a way to move forward.

Jordi Vilasuso (Young and The Restless, Guiding Light, All My Children, Days of our Lives). Jordi is Cuban-American, raised in Miami, Florida, and even with a family full of doctors he knew he wanted to be an actor at a young age. He talks about his childhood and when he moved to NYC and joined Guiding Light, but things get deep when Jordi opens up about his relationship with his wife Kaitlin. When things got tough, they sought out therapy and continue to put the work into their marriage. Jordi and Kaitlin have a new podcast called “Making It Work” where they candid about lessons they’ve learned in their own relationship and discover new ways of making it work in life, love & marriage. Socials: Youtube: mbstateofmind Instagram: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind Twitter: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind State Of Mind with Maurice Benard Merch: SHOP

Liz Vassey (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, All My Children, The Tick, Nikki & Nora) Liz began acting at the age of nine, performing in over fifty musicals and plays. She moved to New York at the age of sixteen to join the cast of All My Children and actually screen-tested with Maurice! It was during that time that her father left their family. Liz talks about what that was like and how that changed her relationships moving forward. An avid runner, Liz made her directorial debut with the documentary feature, The Human Race, which focuses on runners over the age of fifty. To find out more, and watch the film, visit: https://www.the-human-race.net. Socials: Youtube: mbstateofmind Instagram: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind Twitter: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind State Of Mind with Maurice Benard Merch: SHOP

Michael E. Knight (All My Children, General Hospital, Drop Dead Diva, Law & Order: SVU) Michael and Maurice laugh.. a lot! They reminisce about their friendship, younger years on All My Children and trips they've taken together, but things also get really deep. Michael talks in depth about his journeys with OCD and dysthymia, benefit of therapy and the ability to seek out help and medication when it’s needed. Socials: Youtube: mbstateofmind Instagram: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind Twitter: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind State Of Mind with Maurice Benard Merch: SHOP

In this episode of State Of Mind I'm joined by former Thai death row inmate Tyler Gerard, and his mom, Tracy Gerard. The Gerard Family and my family’s children went to school together. We have come to know and love them over the last decade, during the time when Tyler was falsely accused, arrested, and unlawfully imprisoned in Thailand. For six long years, he was on death row in Thailand for crimes he did not commit. Tyler and Tracy are here to share their story of survival—A young man facing relentless torture and mental anguish in an overseas prison. A family brought to their knees with the financial and emotional burdens of fighting to save their son’s life. Fortunately, with the help of an international nonprofit, Tyler was recently freed. He is now determined to now be an activist to help other prisoners and families facing unlawful prison sentences in Thailand and around the world. The Gerard Family - GoFundMe Socials: Youtube: mbstateofmind Instagram: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind Twitter: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind State Of Mind with Maurice Benard Merch: SHOP

Parry Shen. (General Hospital, Hatchet) Parry’s appeared in 350 film and television roles and his voiceover resume includes video games and audio books. Recently, he has co-created two graphic novels and produced the movie “Unidentified”, available on Amazon. When not acting, Parry strives to demystify the acting business and sharing his experiences as an Asian American in the media to college students across the country. Socials: Youtube: mbstateofmind Instagram: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind Twitter: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind State Of Mind with Maurice Benard Merch: SHOP

Vincent Irizarry. (Guiding Light, Santa Barbra, All My Children) Vincent and Maurice talk about what it means to find your passion and how, for Vincent, the decision to allow himself to dive into music and acting changed the course of his life. Vincent shares a very poignant story of losing his cousin Lauren to suicide and what that's meant to him and his daughter. Also discussed are Vincent's acting experiences in Heartbreak Ridge along side Clint Eastwood, Marie with Sissy Spacek and the Lucky Chances miniseries where had a starring role along side Sandra Bullock, Eric Braeden, Nicollette Sheridan and Michael Nader. Socials: Youtube: mbstateofmind Instagram: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind Twitter: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind State Of Mind with Maurice Benard Merch: SHOP

Jophielle "JoJo" Love. (Grey's Anatomy, General Hospital) She's a 7-year old talent, born in France to a mom who is a stunt woman and a dad who is a high-wire walker. They met 20 years ago while working with Cirque du Soleil so talent is in her DNA. Jophielle started acting at age 3, but she loves to perform her circus act balancing on her dad's hands, play guitar, piano and sing. Please enjoy Jophielle singing a song which she wrote, called "Walking in the Dark", at the end of the episode. Socials: Youtube: mbstateofmind Instagram: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind Twitter: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind State Of Mind with Maurice Benard Merch: SHOP

Laura Wright (General Hospital, Guiding Light, Loving). Laura is an Emmy award winning actress with a 30 year career in Daytime. Her vulnerability shines through as she opens up divorce, how she fought it with feelings of self-loathing and shame until she found a way through it with meditation and re-discovering herself. Laura opens about the loss of both her parents and how she was able find strength in the gifts that they gave her. She and Maurice also spend some time talking about General Hospital, where their characters have been off and on again since Laura joined the show back in 2005. Socials: Youtube: mbstateofmind Instagram: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind Twitter: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind State Of Mind with Maurice Benard Merch: SHOP

Eric Braeden (The Young and The Restless, Titanic). Born in Germany during WWII, with a life having been shaped by losing his father at age 12, Eric learned to channel his emotions into sports and later acting. Having immigrated to the US as a teenage, after college, Eric found roles in dozens of movies and television series. He shares few anxious moments before performances and how he was able to overcome it as we talk about what it was like working with Marlon Brando, his roles in Titanic and as Victor Newman The Young and The Restless. Socials: Youtube: mbstateofmind Instagram: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind Twitter: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind State Of Mind with Maurice Benard Merch: SHOP

Linsey Godfrey (The Bold and the Beautiful, Days Of Our Lives). Linsey shares her heroic story with Maurice of having survived not only cancer, but a debilitating car accident. She spent endless hours learning how to re-walk, just as her daughter was starting to learn to walk for this first time. Having been diagnosed with Bipolar II and Borderline Personality Disorder, Linsey is focused on de-stigmatizing mental health. Additionally, Linsey is an Ambassador for INARA, which is a non-profit that provides access to life-altering medical and mental health care to conflict impacted children. To learn more about INARA and how you can help, please visit: https://www.inara.org. Socials: Youtube: mbstateofmind Instagram: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind Twitter: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind State Of Mind with Maurice Benard Merch: SHOP

Maurice Benard is joined by actor, writer, producer, director Ronnie Marmo. Maurice and Ronnie share many laughs as they discuss their passions for their acting careers, roles on General Hospital and pursuing their dreams in LA. Ronnie tells his tale of being raised by a single mother. While she worked three jobs, he fell into the wrong crowd. At just 12 years old, he was selling and using drugs and alcohol. Thanks to his mother’s love and a mutual admiration of community theater, Ronnie turned his life around by the age of 21. Now, he can be seen performing as Lenny Bruce in “I’m not a Comedian…I’m Lenny Bruce”, which he also wrote. For more information on how you can see it live, please visit https://www.lennybruceonstage.com. Socials: Youtube: mbstateofmind Instagram: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind Twitter: @MauriceBenard @mbstateofmind State Of Mind with Maurice Benard Merch: SHOP