You, Me, Empathy: Sharing Our Mental Health Stories

On episode 9 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with illustrator, video creator and podcaster, Sophie Ansari (Podcrushed) to explore the culture of curiosity in the Bahá'í faith, having a life partner who is open to learning, naughty things we did as teenagers and being a hopeful teenager, and why we're mirrors for each other. Helpful things mentioned during this episode: @scribbledbysophiePodcrushed podcastBirth Fund How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast: Leave a 5-star ratingWe Can't Do It AloneThe Feely CardsBookshop.orgAmazonBarnes & Noble Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

On episode 8 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with comedian, actor and writer Daniel Van Kirk to explore human adaptability, why helping is an unspoken part of a single-parent home, the importance of celebrating while we're still in it, and why working hard and being kind gets you the second job. According to Nōn, Daniel is a sweetie pie, even if he might look like he can rough you up. Helpful things mentioned during this episode: Daniel Van Kirk@danielvankirkRose GoldWine ClubPatreonAppleThe Midnight AirDumb People Town How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast: Leave a 5-star ratingWe Can't Do It AloneShare your helpers with Nōn hereThe Feely CardsBookshop.orgAmazonBarnes & Noble Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

On episode 7 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Ess Crossley (he/they) to explore our new project The Feely Cards (out October 22*), how helping sometimes looks like people educating us even if it feels uncomfortable, Ess's transformation from their "women phase" to their beautiful nonbinary trans little bean world, and how our capacity for love, patience, helping, and even being human is rekindled by community. Helpful things mentioned during this episode: @itskindaokOrder The Feely CardsVictoria Native Friendship Centre About Ess: Ess Crossley (he/they) is a tattoo artist, co-founder of the Fruity Ceramic Studio, illustrator, and co-creator of The Feely Cards. They are a beautiful non-binary trans little bean who Nōn cherishes deeply. Connect with Ess on Instagram at @itskindaok. How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast: We Can't Do It AloneShare your helpers with Nōn hereThe Feely CardsBookshop.orgAmazonBarnes & Noble@wecantdoitalone Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

On episode 6 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Eric Dorsa to talk about their experience as a queer person in recovery (eating disorder, substance), how we silence or diminish parts of ourselves when things are disordered, what it's like to reclaim space in a world where you've felt unseen and unsupported, and how Eric embraces drag as a medium for bringing more inclusivity and equitable care in the recovery realm. Helpful things mentioned during this episode: @fkdragProject HealEating Recovery CenterTrans Lifeline About Eric: Eric Dorsa (they/she/elle/ella) is a drag performer (Fonda Koxx), podcaster, makeup artist, and mental health advocate with Eating Recovery Center and Project Heal. They are an activist who uses drag as a way to bring awareness to the inequities and inaccessibility in eating recovery spaces for folks of color, queer people, trans folks, and other marginalized identities. They are a gem of a human being who Nōn cares for deeply. How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast: We Can't Do It AloneShare your helpers with Nōn hereThe Feely CardsBookshop.orgAmazonBarnes & Noble@wecantdoitalone Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

On episode 5 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Sam Robertson to explore the ripple effect of helping, why reading is the best way to strengthen your empathy muscles, why stories are the core of humanity, Sam's experience as an owner of an independent bookshop, and why bookstores are the heart of community. Helpful things mentioned during this episode: Arvida Book Co.@arvidabookcoThe Arvida ReviewMultiracial Americans of Southern California About Sam: Sam Robertson is the co-owner of Arvida Book Co., a magical independent bookstore in the heart of downtown Tustin, California. Sam is also the editor-in-chief of The Arvida Review, a community-oriented short fiction publication that provides a platform for new and diverse voices. She finds joy in the company of her daughters Abby and Ellie, her husband Mike, as well as indulging in the pleasures of reading, gardening, and dedicating time to serving her community. How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast: We Can't Do It AloneShare your helpers with Nōn hereThe Feely CardsBookshop.orgAmazonBarnes & Noble@wecantdoitalone Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

On episode 4 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Bill Cole to explore coming of age during the AIDS crisis, queer representation in film, the particularly heinous stigma around AIDS, how someone you've never met can be a helper, and the lasting legacy of AIDS activist icon, Stephen Gendin. Helpful things mentioned during this episode: @billcolebillcoleThe AIDS MemorialBroadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS About Bill: After growing up on the beaches of Southern California, this highly sensitive creative soul put his talents as an artist, designer, and decorator to use for almost four decades in theater, film, television, and event production. Bill has also been a visible figure in the L.A. nightlife scene as the omnipresent doorman at the legendary neighborhood gay bar, Akbar. Bill is a big fan of history, especially LGBTQ+ history. For the past decade, Bill has been on a personal journey of emotional healing and self discovery. The next chapter of his life puts him in the deserts of Southern California, focusing on some more personal creative projects like his photo journal Instagram page, @mailslotboys, which documents a particular aspect of gay nightlife culture from a unique perspective. He hopes to have prints ready for a gallery show soon! How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast: We Can't Do It AloneShare your helpers with Nōn hereThe Feely CardsAmazonBarnes & NobleBookshop.org@wecantdoitalone Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

On episode 3 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with 20-something neurodivergent queer disabled writer, Zee Zelinski, to explore why we're mosaics of everything and everyone we've ever interacted with, the particular grief of help and helping as a disabled person, gender identity, feeling seen as a little queer kid, and Zee's love letter to poet Andrea Gibson. Helpful things mentioned during this episode: @thebeautifulgodsYour Life To Write Love On Her Arms Zee (they/them) is an intersectional writer and advocate residing in Washington State. Their work highlights their experiences in being a queer, neurodivergent, disabled 20-something in today's society. You can connect with Zee on Instagram @thebeautifulgods. How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast: We Can't Do It AloneShare your helpers with Nōn hereThe Feely CardsAmazonBarnes & NobleBookshop.org@wecantdoitalone Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

On episode 2 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with NY Times bestselling author Frederick Joseph to explore the craft and respite of writing poetry, Black boys and men being whole beings capable of being strong and soft, collective liberation, and how we feel collective care should look like: I am yours and you are mine. Frederick is the author of the heart-stirring poetry collection, We Alive, Beloved. Helpful things mentioned during this episode: Frederick Joseph@fredtjosephWe Alive, BelovedTrans Defense Fund LA Frederick Joseph is a Westchester raised two-time New York Times bestselling author, and a “genius across genres.” His books include a poetry collection, We Alive, Beloved, two books of nonfiction, Patriarchy Blues, and The Black Friend, a collaboration, Better Than We Found It, and a children’s book, The Courage to Dream, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Joseph’s books have been named an Amazon Editors’ Pick, notable by the International Literacy Association, Best Children’s Book of the Year by Bank Street College, a Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice selection, Booklist Editors’ Choice, and more. He has written for The Boston Globe, Essence, Huffington Post, AdWeek, and Cosmopolitan, and won both the Letter Review Poetry prize and a Letter Review Essay prize. His most recent writing on politics and culture can be found on his Substack. He lives with his wife Porsche and dog Stokely in New York City. How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast: We Can't Do It AloneShare your helpers with Nōn hereThe Feely CardsAmazonBarnes & NobleBookshop.org@wecantdoitalone Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

On episode 1 of We Can't Do It Alone, Nōn sits down with Giselle Vriesen to explore being a first-time author, forgetting oneself in pursuit of creating, holding the darkness and the light, and letting people in to allow them to help us. Giselle is the author of Why We Play With Fire, a mythological adventure story that I absolutely adored. Helpful things mentioned during this episode: Why We Play With FireThe Moon In You: A Period Guide for GirlsAffirmations for Black Women: a JournalHappiness Is Overrated@gisellevriesen@wandering.moons Giselle Vriesen (she/they) is a 23-year-old author living on Halalt First Nations land on Vancouver Island Canada. Her debut YA fantasy novel Why We Play With Fire released in February of 2024 through Row House Publishing, distributed by S&S, her sequel is upcoming in 2026. Giselle is also the co-creator of the Anti-Racism Course for Educators, teaches a writing course that facilitates decolonized and embodied storytelling, and has been a professional tarot reader for the past eight years. How you can support Nōn and this independently-run podcast: We Can't Do It AloneShare your helpers with Nōn hereThe Feely CardsAmazonBarnes & NobleBookshop.org Connect with Nōn and the podcast: @wecantdoitalone @youmeempathywecantdoitalone.com Thank you for listening to We Can't Do It Alone! Don't forget about the helpers. We all need help. Even you.

A little update from Nōn, and a new podcast called We Can't Do It Alone coming July 12!

On episode 262 of You, Me, Empathy, Emi Nietfeld and I explore society’s obsession with resilience, what happened when Emi edited mental illness out of her college applications, the attachments we have to achievement and ambition, and Emi’s wonderful memoir, Acceptance. Join the Feely Human membership community: feelyhuman.co/membership

On episode 261 of You, Me, Empathy, Dr. Jamie Marich (she/they) and I explore why safety is never guaranteed, being cool with Jesus but not cool with what the church has done to Jesus, “I don’t know” as one the most spiritual phrases in our vocabulary, and an in-depth look at Dissociative Identity Disorder and why it’s normal to dissociate. Read the full show notes. Join the Feely Human membership community: feelyhuman.co/membership

On episode 260 of You, Me, Empathy, traci kato-kiriyama (they/she) and I explore the empathy rooted in multidisciplinary art spaces, revitalizing and uplifting of Asian-American community and history, facing death every day and the opportunity within death moments, and what it takes to bring people together. Read the full show notes! Join the feely human membership community at feelyhuman.co/membership!

On episode 259 of You, Me, Empathy, Christina McKelvy and I explore the type of self-care that looks like an abandonment of community, how to embrace your heart rather than your head, living open enough to be heartbroken, and the hypervigilance, anxiety, and burden of the caretaker. Read the full show notes. Join the Feely Human membership community at feelyhuman.co/membership!

On episode 258 of You, Me, Empathy, Jake Crawford and I explore life-changing friendships, growing up as a gay kid in a conservative town, what we do when the people who are supposed to love us don’t accept us, and finding a voice on the stage. Read the full show notes here. Join the Feely Human membership community: feelyhuman.co/membership

On episode 257 of You, Me, Empathy, Jane Lui (Surrija) and I explore the grief of having to go outside your family to find the affection and love you need, Jane’s magical experience being the opera voice for Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All At Once, why we’re bound to lose ourselves and find ourselves again and again, and the keys to living porously. Read the full show notes here. Join the membership community: feelyhuman.co/membership

On episode 256 of You, Me, Empathy, Brandi Stanley and I explore the inclination to share the stuff that lights us up, why our aliveness can’t be at the expense of another person’s aliveness, cutting off parts of ourselves in order to belong (and feel safe), and the mysterious, magical, and paradoxical beauty that exists in the space between things. Join the Feely Human membership community at FeelyHuman.co/membership!

On episode 256 of You, Me, Empathy, Brandi Stanley and I explore the inclination to share the stuff that lights us up, why our aliveness can’t be at the expense of another person’s aliveness, cutting off parts of ourselves in order to belong (and feel safe), and the mysterious, magical, and paradoxical beauty that exists in the space between things. Read the full show notes here. Join the Feely Human membership community at FeelyHuman.co/membership.

On episode 255 of You, Me, Empathy, Traci Medeiros-Bagan (she/they) and I explore developing trust in our resiliency, examining our own proximity to power, how compartmentalization is its own privilege (and necessity), and sparking compassionate revolts in our hearts and in our communities. Read the full show notes here. Join the membership community: feelyhuman.co/membership

On episode 254 of You, Me, Empathy, Susie Boggess and I explore the early (and bumpy) days of sharing our mental health stories, knowing how to have conversations where we feel safe, and Party Freud, the card game for people who probably need therapy. Read the full show notes. Join the membership community: https://feelyhuman.co/membership