Ways To Dismantle The Stigma Around Mental Illness To Promote Mental Wellness

My name is Lorilee Binstock, Host of A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast. I am a recovering trauma survivor, but I like to call myself a Trauma Survivor Thriver. For more than 20 years, I've lived with the secret and shame of childhood sexual abuse that I thought I was going to take to my grave. This secret manifested in severe anxiety, depression, a bi-polar misdiagnosis, and several suicide attempts.

After seeking treatment with my husband's help, I finally realized I didn't have to suffer through this trauma. Facing your demons head-on is a choice. It's a hard choice, and many people don't even know where to begin. I am here to do my best to provide resources through interviews with mental health experts, survivors turn thrivers, and my own personal experience.

While in partial hospitalization for my PTSD, I realized how powerful my voice was when I spoke my truth about my childhood sexual abuse in group therapy. Because after my group therapy, I was approached by others who had experienced similar abuse but never talked about it in front of others. My voice caused a ripple effect for others to begin their recovery. Soon I began thinking about ways to leverage my voice. I am a former radio/TV journalist but I had been out of the business for more than a decade. I realized using my experience in both journalism and mental health combined passions of mine that manifested in a podcast. The idea came to me in mid-June of 2020 and my first episode was published July 15, 2020, about a month later. However, I was not a podcast listener so I did as much research as I could. I had no intentions of this podcast being more than a resource to help maybe a few people, but as soon as it was published, people from all over the world began reaching out with their own personal stories of adversity or trauma. It was assisting in my own personal recovery.

I release a new episode weekly, with Season 2 ramping up on January 13, 2020. It took me less than a day to produce my first episode, mainly because I was getting used to the software I was using, which was all free. I am a stay at home mom with two children. I was lucky because while I was in treatment, and due to Covid, I received extra help from my mother-in-law and my husband. This is a podcast I fund myself through savings on a very minimal budget.

I have not taken any sponsorship. This was a podcast that began on a whim, with no financial incentive. When I began this journey, I didn't know how or if there was any money in it, it was for my own therapeutic interests. In my first month of the podcast series, I received just over 1,000 downloads.

I record my interview via zoom with an AKG mic, I edit my audio through GarageBand and my video through iMovie. For my first season, I reached out to the many people I met in treatment. Towards the end of the season, some people began contacting me via Instagram and my website. For Season 2, many have reached out through publishers. When I have my guests lined up, I put together a script and questions. Because of the sensitive topic of trauma, I want to make sure my guests are comfortable addressing my questions. The one thing I try to avoid is triggering a guest in a vulnerable position.

I focus on social media and newsletters to get the word out about my podcast. My latest endeavor includes a monthly magazine.

Apple Podcasts 59.96%
Spotify 8.41%
Google Chrome 4.62%
Safari 3.06%
Podbean 2.91%
CastBox 2.36%
iTunes 2.14%
The Podcast App 1.5%
Stitcher 1.32%
Overcast 1.28%
Mobile Safari UIWebView 0.89%
ffmpeg 0.67%
Facebook Ap 0.58%
BeyondPod 0.03%
Castro 0.03%
Chrome 0.03%
Opera 0.03%
RSS Radio 0.03%
WhatsApp 0.03%
Others 6.33%

My journey in treatment and with my podcast has made me realize that there is a need especially during a pandemic for mental health resources, and I more than ever want to help others find their voice like I found mine. A voice that helps others is a terrible thing to waste. For more information about my podcast, please visit atstpodcast.com

linktr.ee/Lorilee.Binstock