Episode 2 was so special! We talked with Justin Perry about his story, rooted here in Charlotte - that has blossomed into a beautiful and important service to our community. The pursuit of Mental Health. It affects all of us, individually and collectively. Our deepest thanks to Justin for embracing this with us.Justin is a licensed therapist, owner of a local multi-practitioner therapy firm, advocate for affordable housing & community healing. We’ve been big fans for a long time

Episode Outline

0:42 Welcome Back!

1:53 Intro to Justin Perry

7:14 Who encouraged Justin to go to Therapy

15:22 Justin drops a gem - "I never believed in the idea that someone is too old to change"

16:00 Liz shares the first time she got into therapy

19:47 Courtney shares her background working in Counseling and her personal journey in therapy

25:22 Maya gives kudos to Justin and Courtney, then shares what led her to choose the path of therapy for her personal healing

29:05 Justin shares resources to where listeners can find a therapist if they are feeling a nudge

1. Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
2. Perry Counseling, Recovery and Healing. https://justinperrycounseling.com/

30:38 Justin drops a gem "I think if we are going to destigmatize mental health, then we actually have to normalize it in our conversations"

34:37 What it means to 'Man Up" and how Justin is helping to challenge the narrative, change the language, and highlight men in the mental health space

1. Men leads in death by suicide
2. Men leads in death by homicide
3. Men leads in death heart attack
4. Men commits the most mass shootings
5. Men leads in widespread substance abuse challenges
6. Women on average live seven years longer than men

40:17 Justin gives us his 3 versions of the Serenity Prayer

1. Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage the change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference
2. Grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the person I can, and the wisdom to know that it's me
3. Grant me the serenity to accept the past that I cannot change, the courage to change the future that I can, and the wisdom to know that it starts today

43:48 Justin shares his self-care practices

49:21 Liz drops gems, "Creating healthier humans, really creates healthier communities"/"Healing is at our fingertips"

51:25 Justin pulls an affirmation card…"My happiness is a direct reflection of my level of faith in the universe". It resonated!