Brian Leonard - I See You!

I’ve known Brian since he started as a standup in San Francisco. I SEE YOU is a documentary he made about connecting with elders suffering from Alzheimer’s and Dementia through Art Therapy! www.Brian-Leonard.com. Brian lost his father in-law, who was an artist; to Alzheimer’s. His daughter volunteered at a senior center where Art Therapist Erin Partridge used Art to connect with Alzheimer’s patients and people came to life. We also talk about The Hero’s Journey, what to do when you get stuck and the two-way conversation you can have with your thoughts and feelings. Excuse these rambling notes, because Lord, I was Born a Ramblin’ Man. In addition to comedy; Brian is a creative director, writer, and director who has worked with global influencers, clients and companies. We talk about growing up in the Midwest and how he learned to keep his emotions in a duffle bag under a Lucite paperwieight of anxiety and resentment. In this episode, we go all over the mental health map, starting with loneliness and facing feelings, accepting what you’re feeling. Loneliness and isolation are the engines of mental health problems. There’s a feeling of shame in even saying “I’m Lonely.” Jennifer and I also quickly role play how to respond to the voice of Anxiety, that one that tells you everything sucks, you suck and things will never change. Brian also talks about dealing with depression and experiences in therapy, early on dating a therapist who would clinically label his behavior. We also talk about what makes a good therapist, and how a good therapist; is someone who meets you where you are right now. We talk about being real in therapy and how we both have tried to do some entertaining and performing in therapy. And then we talk about storytelling and The Hero’s Journey. Brian uses this concept to teach brands and others how to tell stories in media. How you answer and respond to your own issues in life, that’s a kind of Hero’s Journey; also how finding a mentor can help. This is all Hero’s Journey stuff, and it is the journey of almost every movie. Here’s Joseph Campbell on The Hero’s Jounrney: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIY7eexaGCo, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s28rwnz18j4, What do you do if you feel you feel stuck? Talk to yourself, where thoughts go energy flows. Talk to anxiety, talk to the thoughts, think about general things that you like or love, can change the direction of your thoughts, take a conscious break, walk, move to a different room… all is temporary and all answers are within and stuff. Find more Brian here: www.Brian-Leonard.com and more Jennifer here: https://connectedparenting.com/ subscribe and socialize, and find us on our new network here: https://bleav.com/podcast-show/mental-health-comedy/ https://www.facebook.com/mentalhealthcomedypodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/thementalhealthcomedypodcast/ write us here: [email protected] And have a great week!