iampossibleshow's podcast

Mariagrazia Buttitta talks about her work with blindness and low vision non-profit Eye2Eye, her life as a legally blind person, her mental health, and provides hope and resources for others experiencing blindness and low vision. 1:28 Guest Mariagrazia Buttitta introduces herself. 2:55 At Eye2Eye the peer support experience involves blind or low/impaired vision peers serving and helping those who are blind or who have low/impaired vision with services and emotional and moral support to help them live productive and fulfilling lives. 5:02 Eye2Eye also works with family members of blind or low/impaired vision people. 5:36 People often want someone to listen for support and to tell them everything is going to be okay. 6:06 Eye2Eye's number is 833.932.3931 8:30 There is a significant percentage of adults in the U.S. who are visually impaired, have low vision, or are blind. There isn't one kind of blindness. 9:30 Maria experiences ignorance and stigma from others because she's legally blind and can see some shapes and shadows, and some people unfairly feel the need to question her visual abilities. 11:38 Maria finds that paying attention to her mental health is important as a person and as a legally blind person. 12:20 A support system is huge when coping with mental health struggles, and at times, blindness. 13:30 Blind/low vision/visually impaired people are not always aware of the emotional and physical repercussions and tools to assist them (which is why peer support is so important in this space). 14:30 Eye professionals often diagnose and discuss the physical and scientific side of vision impairment and blindness, but often do not provide a bedside manner around the emotional side of the diagnosis.  16:30 Stigma is prevalent in and against the blind community, and storytelling is a big way that we can fight against that stigma. 20:30 Don't assume anything about anyone. Ask questions. 21:00 It's great if/when you want to learn about something you don't know, but we have to reframe some of the questions we ask. Maybe introduce yourself first before you start asking questions (or find a way to establish a rapport). 21:50 Read the room, timing is everything, and when asking someone about something that's different from you (e.g., a disability) try not to "other" them (aka refer to the difference as weird or exotic—after all, it's normal to them). 25:30 Ask permission from someone before you start asking questions about their life, disability, or eyesight. If it's a no, then stop. If a yes, then go. Treat other people the way THEY want to be treated (the platinum rule). 26:30 There are numerous national organizations that advocate for blind people in the United States, but as far as service are concerned it depends on the state and area or city you live in. Eye2Eye is a nationwide organization that provides services to people who are blind and of low or impaired vision. 27:25 Eye2Eye is working on putting together virtual peer to peer support groups. 27:45 Blindness is not a curse and you can overcome the challenges that come with it and live a normal life. 30:00 The more we share our stories, the more impactful we can be. --- A native Sicilian-Italian speaker, Mariagrazia Buttitta is a National Certified Counselor (NCC), an author, a motivational speaker, a wellness and health enthusiast, and a passionate mental health and disability advocate. Mariagrazia holds a Master's Degree of Arts in Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The College of New Jersey. The author of "Now I See: How I Battled Blindness, Mental Illness, an Espresso Habit and Lived to Tell the Tale," Mariagrazia also been featured on the Huffington Post, Medium, Writers Digest, Counseling Today (a publication of the American Counseling Association), and many other outlets.  In 2020, Mariagrazia joined Rutgers Eye2Eye Peer Support Program for Vision Loss as a program promotion, outreach, and peer support specialist. Mariagrazia is a tireless advocate who regularly educates and speaks to college students and organizations about her blindness and her long-term battle with depression and anxiety. When not working, Mariagrazia loves spending quality time with her mother, family, and friends, writing, riding her bike, exercising, shopping, hanging out with her Shih Tzu furry friend, Happy, and embarking on life's adventures. Her one true weakness—espresso … and lots of it. If you want to book, collaborate, or get in touch with Mariagrazia, visit her website at wwww.embracingyourdifferences.com, follow her on social media. Or email her at: [email protected] Follow Mariagrazia on Twitter: @eyeonacure Instagram: @embracingdifferenceseyeonacure or @mariagrazia.buttitta Facebook: facebook.com/embracingyourdifferences YouTube: Mariagrazia Buttitta LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariagraziabuttitta

Real estate agent and domestic violence prevention advocate, Tina Perkins, talks about her experience as a DV survivor, cultivating self-love, supporting people in need, motherhood, and learning to develop one's mind and thought life.

Adam McNeill, executive director of the Forest Warren Mental Health Association, discusses his love of nature and how it crosses over into mental health, trauma informed care, the foster care system, and the need to practice self-care as a professional carer/helper

Rudy Caseres talks about his bipolar diagnosis, hitting rock bottom and what recovery looks like for him, and how he became a mental health advocate

Rick Strait discusses his experience making a suicide attempt as a young man, his work as a mental health professional, and beating back stigma and disclosing his past suicide attempt in an effort to help others

Holly Bertone, talks about being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 39, the ups and treatment, surviving and thriving and helping others through breast cancer

Kristin Vernon, a counseling therapist in Kansas, talks about how her life has been affected by loss of her father to suicide and how it's impacted her work as a counselor and in the field of suicide prevention

Deeatra Kajfosz, executive director of LiFE of Hope, talks about hitting rock bottom in her mid-twenties and attempting suicide—despite having two little boys; her recovery, and how she now lives a LiFE of Hope

Efrem Epstein talks about his period of suicidality in 2006, how he recovered and how he used his experience to found the organization Elijah's Journey, a Jewish Response to Suicide Awareness/Prevention

Mariagrazia Buttitta talks about her blindness and how she battles depression, anxiety, and an espresso habit; and uses her obstacles for good

Nate Crawford, a midwestern boy and PhD in theology discusses fatherhood, being a stay at home dad, his childhood, and how his bipolar has affected his life—the good, the bad, the ugly

Al Levin, a father, husband, and administrator talks about the onset of his first major depression at age 40, how it affected himself, his job, and his family, and how he uses his story to help staff and students alike in his school district

Israel Zyskind, an NYC pediatrician discusses the difficulties his patients and their families have receiving help for mental illness—and some innovative ways he's working to change that

Betsy Blanks discusses being the sister of a person who struggles with drug addiction and all the layers that go with that and how it affects and informs her work as a worker in the mental health field

Elaina talks about finally getting her dream job and then being smacked in the face by bipolar, losing that dream job after a suicide attempt, and how she manages to live each day

Mae L'Heureux talks about her struggles with mental illness, a suicide attempt in college, medication management—and how now, at age 25 she uses her experiences to better the world around her

Miriam Ament talks about her depression and being rejected by a best friend while in a psych ward, how she lives and manages today and how she uses her past and present to help others

Jennifer Haussler Garing talks about attempting suicide as young as 13, struggling with depression and suicidality, and how she lives and manages her mental illnesses while helping others

Molly discusses the multiple mental illnesses she lives with, how she struggled as a young person, and how she now gives back to people living with mental illness

Actor and solo show artist Walker Vreeland discusses his suicidality at age 11, his breakdown at 25, which then led him to a 10 year career as a radio host on Long Island, and a battle with cancer that led him to his true calling  

Benjamin Tyler talks about his lifelong search for significance, childhood emotional neglect, alcoholism and hitting rock bottom, and how he uses his past to help others and entrepreneurs live a life of true significance

Bob Brader discusses his abusive childhood, the negative voices that cloud his mind, how he pushes past, and how he uses all of it to create impactful theatre

Ethan Fisher pours his heart out about his past struggles with depression, suicide, alcohol abuse, and serving time in prison for vehicular homicide. Find out how Ethan has turned his life around and how he helps young people all around the country

Nate Morell talks about his depression and anxiety, his former career as a photographer; and how his struggles and former career inform his work as a college counselor

Rachel tells us about being prescribed an antibiotic Levaquin and how it has caused 11 tendon ruptures in 11 years, brain loss, and more…and how she copes in the aftermath

Jill talks about her childhood trauma being kidnapped at gun point, how it's affected her life into adulthood, how she copes and works to overcome

Monica shares about some big obstacles in her life that led to even bigger issues: the incarceration of her father and the death of her mother, which triggered anxiety and panic attacks. Monica is talks about how she overcame and manages her mental health

Suzanne Bachner discusses the triumphs and trauma about being adopted, searching for her bio family, and working to understand her identity in the face of it all

Susie Reynolds Reece discusses growing up biracial (Korean and Caucasian), the difficulties that brought about, losing her father to suicide at a young age, and how she copes and manages as an adult in the aftermath

Susan Ashby talks about the tragedy of losing her son Jay to mental illness, how treatment and education was limited when trying to help Jay, and how she and her husband Hank use the loss of Jay to help other families like themselves

Victoria Alonso talks about running away from home as a teen, the onset of her schizophrenia, how she manages and what she does to live life to the fullest

Danielle Hark shares about the multitude of mental illnesses she lives with and how she manages and overcomes by using photography and other forms of creativity

Barb Smith talks about losing her brother to suicide and channeling her grief to help her heal and to help the world around her

Matthew Shaffer shares about the great obstacle of his life, once being ashamed of being gay and being inauthentic. He turns the liability of his former shame into an asset by telling others that it's okay to be you and to live your truth … and here's how

Gina Walker, talks about her battle with the life-threatening condition, accreta, that she developed with her last child. After nearly dying and losing her baby, her life changed focus and she tells us how.

Shannon Ackerman, a junior in high school talks about the grief process after a suicide loss; the anxiety, bulimia, and suicidal thoughts that she suffered with in the aftermath; how she overcame; and how she uses her experiences to help others

Matt Pappas discusses surviving his past as a sexual abuse survivor and how he thrives as an advocate and ally for men and women who have had to deal with similar traumatic experiences

Mike Veny talks about some of his difficulties of living with clinical depression and how it has informed his work as a drummer/artist and as an advocate

New Zealander Lotta Dann discusses the great obstacle of her alcoholism, going sober and staying sober, and living an authentic life

Dese'Rae Stage of LiveThroughThis.org talks about the difficulties that led up to her suicide attempt in 2006, how she overcame, and what she does to help others in the aftermath of her pain. She now thrives in life and shares her blueprint.