A2A – A Podcast With Jeff Bell

After a lifelong struggle with mental illness, Bill Bernat used his background in stand-up comedy to return to the stage with a new mission: to share his mental health journey and make people laugh at the same time. Now Bill uses storytelling and public workshops to normalize mental illness and teach others how to relate to loved ones who may be struggling.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Rex Butler, whose younger brother Bill died of an accidental overdose of medication prescribed for his chronic back pain. After being trained by the National Safety Council Advocacy Program, Rex began sharing his brother’s story to educate people and save lives.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell Spotlights Norma Loeb, whose mother Lillian suffered from Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) for 18 years and was misdiagnosed multiple times. Loeb is the founder of the Lewy Body Dementia Resource Center which provides support for people impacted by LBD.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell Spotlights Susan Munsey, who was trafficked by a much older boyfriend when she was fifteen. Munsey is the founder of the non-profit GenerateHope, which provides housing, medical care, therapy and education for victims of sex trafficking.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Due Quach, founder of the non-profit The Collective Success Network. The organization supports first generation college students who experience culture shock. Prior to settling in Philadelphia, Due and her family lived in a refugee camp for two years after fleeing Vietnam. 

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights LeDerick Horne, who was diagnosed with a learning disability in the third grade. Today Horne is a disability advocate, poet, public speaker and author who challenges people with disabilities to live their dreams.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Jesse Billauer, whose spinal cord was severed in a surfing accident when he was only 17-years-old. Jesse is the founder of the Life Rolls On Foundation which provides people with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities the opportunity to surf and skateboard.

After having a daughter with special needs, Julie Lyles Carr realized there were few activities that her whole family could participate in. Today her organization 2dance2dream provides fun, free services to individuals with special needs.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell Spotlights Angela Grojean who underwent a double mastectomy in 2018. During her recovery Angela received a hoodie with inside pockets that held her post surgery drain tubes securely and comfortably. Today Angela offers other mastectomy survivors free ‘Abundant Pocket Hoodies,’ to make their recovery easier and more comfortable.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Dr. Haidi Demain, the founder of Allergy Safe Kids (ASK): a non-profit that trains school nurses and teachers to recognize and treat severe food allergies. Dr. Demain started ASK shortly after her two-year-old daughter had a very severe reaction to salmon that required emergency room treatment.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell Spotlights Nicole Hughes, the founder of Water Guardians (Levi’s Legacy), a non-profit dedicated to preventing childhood drowning and teaching water safety. Nicole says she is turning her anger and grief into action.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell Spotlights Melanie Goldring, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes just before her 12th birthday. As a teen she volunteered at AYUDA (American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad) as a mentor in the Dominican Republic for three summers. Today, she is the organization’s Program Director. 

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell Spotlights Dr. Helen Egger, a co-founder of The Autoimmune Encephalitis Alliance. Dr. Egger’s son Sasha was first diagnosed with AE when he was 13. The rare and difficult to diagnose illness is often confused with schizophrenia but does not respond to the same treatment protocol.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell Spotlights Ruth White, who was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder when she was 40. In addition to teaching at USC, Ruth is a speaker, blogger and the author of several books including “Bipolar 101.”

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Darius Baxter, co-founder of GOOD Projects, a community based nonprofit whose mission is to help youth and their families live free of poverty and violence. Baxter, whose father was murdered when he was nine years old, knows firsthand how difficult it can be for at-risk youth. 

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Dr. Allison Litton, the founder of Meals OnCol. After three close friends were diagnosed with late stage cancer Litton developed a line of meals specifically designed to help alleviate the side effects of cancer treatment.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Agnes McKeen, who lost her teenage son Harrison to suicide in 2015. Agnes founded Just Talk Suicide Prevention, a non-profit that promotes healing, hope and suicide prevention awareness.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Zack Burton who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2017. In an effort to fight the stigma of mental illness, Zack and his girlfriend Elisa Hofmeister created "The Manic Monologues,” a powerful play of stories of mental illness similar to the “Vagina Monologues.”

Jeff Bell, KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and founder of the Adversity 2 Advocacy Alliance spotlights Wesley Hamilton, founder of the nonprofit Disabled But Not Really (DBNR). Having difficulty adjusting to life in a wheelchair, Wesley was inspired to be a better person by his daughter Nevaeh. Today, Wesley wants to bring positivity and hope to the disabled community and beyond. 

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights DeAnna Pursai, the co-founder of The College of Adaptive Arts. Her younger sister Angel, who has Down Syndrome, helped DeAnna realize that special needs adults could thrive in a creative higher educational program geared to them.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Justin Birckbichler, who at 26 battled metastasized testicular cancer.  Now in remission, Justin helps raise awareness of men's health issues and testicular cancer through his website and blog A Ballsy Sense of Tumor.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Ella Casano who has received regular IV infusions since she was 7, when she was diagnosed with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP). The young entrepreneur is the founder of the non-profit Medi-Teddy, which donates cute Teddy Bear covers for IV bags to pediatric patients to help make their treatments less intimidating.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Mara Wilson, who was diagnosed with OCD when she was 12 years old. Mara shares her story to help fight the stigma of mental illness and make a difference in the lives of others living with OCD.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Nicholas Carlisle, the founder of the nonprofit No Bully. The No Bully program, which is in over 250 schools, teaches students to be more compassionate and kind.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Asha Brown, a type 1 diabetic who at 14 began manipulating her insulin intake as a way to control her weight. After successfully being treated for her diabulimia she founded We Are Diabetes, a nonprofit devoted to supporting other type 1 diabetics who have an eating disorder.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Kareemah Batts, disability and diversity advocate and paraclimbing pioneer. Batts is the founder of the non-profit Adaptive Climbing Group, which provides people with disabilities accessibility to the sport of climbing.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Christy Silva, the founder of the non-profit Aidan’s Heart Foundation. The organization was created to honor her son Aidan who died of Sudden Cardiac Arrest, and to create heart-safe communities for youth so that other families don’t experience a similar tragedy.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Eliza Factor author and founder of the non-profit Extreme Kids & Crew. Eliza was inspired to create the arts and play spaces by her son Felix who has multiple disabilities.

KCBS Radio anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Leo McCarthy, whose daughter Mariah was killed by an underage drunk driver when she was fourteen. McCarthy started the non-profit Mariah’s Challenge to reward students who pledge not to drink and drive with scholarships.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Connie Siskowski, who founded The American Association of Caregiving Youth to support the over 1.3 million youth between 8 to 18-years-old who are the primary caregivers for chronically ill, elderly and disabled family members.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder spotlights Candis Welch, a disability advocate and blogger. Candis was diagnosed with SMA, a rare neuromuscular genetic disorder when she was 18-months-old. She has been in a wheelchair since she was 11. Candis hopes to be a role model and inspire others with disabilities through her blog CanCan on Wheelz.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Ilene Lainer, the co-founder and President of NEXT for Autism. Ilene’s son Ari was diagnosed with autism over twenty years ago when there were inadequate educational, social and recreational services available to them. Along with NEXT co-founder Laura Slatkin, she created innovative programs to meet the needs of children and their families living with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Duncan Campbell, an extremely successful timber investment entrepreneur who grew up in poverty and was neglected by his alcoholic parents. Campbell is the founder of the non-profit Friends of the Children, which provides vulnerable children with a professional mentor from kindergarten until they graduate from high school.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Alex Bernadotte, who immigrated to the US from Haiti when she was 8 years old. Alex, who holds a degree from both Dartmouth and Stanford, found that there were many young people like herself who make it to college but have difficulties succeeding and overcoming difficult challenges. Through her non-profit Beyond 12, Alex gives these students the tools to help them achieve their goals.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A Alliance founder Jeff Bell spotlights Rebecca Brown and her work to help formerly incarcerated women through LEAP. Brown first heard of the organization when she applied for it as an inmate, and now sits on the other side.

KCBS Radio afternoon news anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights award-winning paraglidler and founder of the non-profit Project Airtime, Chris Santacroce. Chris describes his recovery from a paragliding accident that temporarily left him in a wheelchair as 125%, because he emerged a better person. Before the accident Chris said that he had a ”look at me” attitude and after his focus shifted to helping others. Through Project Airtime Chris takes people with with brain and spinal cord injuries, special needs, illness, the elderly and veterans on tandem paragliding flights.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Robert Lee, whose Korean immigrant parents struggled to feed their family. Robert is the founder of Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, which has served 2.6 million meals to the hungry and rescued 3 million pounds of food that would have otherwise gone to waste.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Jen Sanregret, a mother of a special needs child. Jen’s oldest son Vance has Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease that makes breathing difficult and causes lung infections. Jen and her husband Grant donate a portion of the sales of their  “cups of happiness” (lemonade) to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. 

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Dalila Castillo Brown, who was born with Cerebral Palsy but didn't learn of her diagnosis until her mid-twenties. Brown works closely with the Cerebral Palsy Foundation (CPF) and founded the organization’s Young Professional Committee, so that she could be part of a community where she can give and get support.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Sean Baumstark, who at 25 was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA), a rare progressive disease that causes nerve damage and affects muscle control, speech and more. In 2013 Sean founded de:terminence (determination and resilence), a non-profit with the mission of helping others live beyond a life changing diagonis by facilitating competitive sports like cycling, mountain climbing and running. Sean’s participation in an extremely challenging cycling event is featured in a documentary called The Race Across America.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights ALS advocate Osiel Mendoza. Osiel was diagnosed with ALS in 2016 when he was 21 years old, just three days after proposing to his longtime girlfriend Bella. Since his diagnosis Osiel has graduated college, married Bella and become an ambassador for ALS TDI, a non-profit biotech lab focused exclusively on ALS research.

KCBS Radio afternoon anchor and A2A founder Jeff Bell spotlights Victoria Jackson and the work she and her family are doing to find a cure for Neuromyelitis  Optica (NMO), a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the nervous system and can be fatal. In 2008 Victoria’s 14-year-old daughter Ali was diagnosed with NMO. Today Ali is an author, successful entrepreneur, activist and advocate.