Of Course.. They Make Me Crazy! The Trailer.

Doing something a bit different. Awhile back I was a guest on Justine Carino’s podcast called Thoughts from The Couch. She was a recent guest of mine as well. Justine is a licensed mental health therapist who interviewed me on what it means to stay resilient when it seems everyone else’s mental health around you is going to hell in a handbasket. My hope is that you gain some positive perspective listening to what I went through and how I dealt with the ups and downs of being raised by a teenage mother who was later diagnosed with bipolar. Reach April - ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com IG @ofcoursetheymakemecrazy April's Recommendation for Bipolar Support Books https://theymakemecrazy.club/bipolarb... Download April's 4 Sanity Saving Tips Guide to lift your mood & change your perspective. https://theymakemecrazy.club/Guide If you like this, PLEASE subscribe & leave a comment.

Justine Carino is joining Of Course, They Make Me Crazy host April Norris to talk about teens and young adults living with mentally ill parents. Justine Carino is a licensed mental health counselor working in Westchester County New York. She also has a great podcast called Thoughts from The Couch. April says, “We're discussing teens and young adults managing living with with a parent who has a mental health illness like bipolar or borderline personality disorder just to name a few. Before we get into that, Justine. Why did you get into your line of work?” Justine answers saying, “I think there's probably two different layers to it. The first layer is I've always been really interested in why people do the things that they do, why they act the way they act, and the stories behind their lives and their choices. Everybody has a story. And once we start to learn that story, they make more sense to us. Right? Their decisions, the way they interact with their relationship styles makes so much more sense when we get to know their story. So, everyone has some kind of story. I'm so intrigued and interested in that. I think that was the first part of it. I started feeling that curiosity in high school. I took a Psychology 101 class as a senior. I loved it. In my mind, I thought I'm going to be a psychiatrist. I went to college pre-med, and quickly dropped out of the pr-emed program because it was so scientific. It was so challenging. I cried before every test, I said, you know what? Let me still explore psychology in a different way. And I majored in psychology and went to graduate school to become a therapist after that. So, I had one route, but it turned to the other, and I've loved it. And the other part of it is I'm an adult child of an alcoholic. I also come from a divorced family system. I think looking back also, I struggled with anxiety as a child and as an adult from time to time. But I think there's also some personal layers to the decision to choose this career.” April says, “And what you're doing is now helping dysfunctional families essentially come back to each other. I think that that speaks volumes, and it's huge. And we need so many of you out there.” April asks, “Regarding the teenagers you treat ... what is their biggest struggle? What do they come to you with?” Justine replies, “The teenagers that I see that are seeking therapy, I treat mostly anxiety and depression. I also have a subspecialty in grief. I support teenagers that lost a mother or a father or a sibling. But also it comes down to family dynamics as well. I do a lot of family therapy. I'm looking at these unhelpful patterns between parents and teenagers that lead to conflict and kind of get them all in the room and unpack these patterns and understand why they're happening and what we can do to correct them. But when we're talking about a teenager that has a parent with a mental illness, there's another layer to it. They might be dealing with different family dynamics because of their parent’s mental illness. There are a few things that are really challenging. One is that there's a lot of feelings of shame and isolation, embarrassment and feelings of disconnection. When you have a parent with a mental illness, you may grow up with that mental illness, not really realizing that your parent was different in any way. But then there's this moment as a teenager, you start to explore, like, Wait a minute. This isn't so normal or something's a little off here. And once you discover that it's hard to share that with other people. As a teenager, as an adolescent, we are so insecure at a baseline, we don't want to be different. Being different is scary for a teenager at that time of development. When you have a parent who might be different in mental health perspective, it's hard to admit that and talk about it with your friends or your peer

I felt compelled to talk about dating or living with a spouse who has been diagnosed with bipolar because it comes up a lot in Bipolar Family Support groups. I’m talking about this because there was a girl who recently posted in one of these groups about feeling upset and unsupported. She said that when someone posts about the hard times they’re having with their boyfriend or girlfriend, everyone suggests just to run while you can! She went on to say she loves her boyfriend who has bipolar disorder very much. She doesn’t want to run. She wants to make it work and she’s looking for advice on how to cope during his bad days. My heart went out to her. I thought what if my stepfather just ran from my mom when she was having one of her depressive and narcotic episodes? If he didn’t stay, I can’t imagine what our lives would have been like. They would have been a mess. There’s something to be said for people like my pops. He saw passed her illness. They were married for 25 years. It was challenging, but they still held hands, talked, and ate dinner together. She passed away 5 years ago. We all miss her more than you can imagine. Back to the Bipolar Support group. Many different comments started firing up after the girl posted that she felt unsupported. Many said they’re sorry. But one lady spent time on her response, and I want to share it with you. It said – “It is sad that everyone is telling you to run. I think I know why though. Every man in my family is/was manic bipolar. My grandpa, father, and brother. Since the day I was born I’ve learned how to deal with this manic behavior. In 2018 I ended my marriage, and in 2020 I started dating someone new. This person was manic, bipolar. It one day got pointed out to me by someone we were hanging out with, what a “great job” I do with this man, and how nobody else has ever been “able” to deal with his manic behavior. Then it hit me, I had been choosing to do what I was forced to do my entire life. Put me, my wants, my needs, my feelings in my pocket and tuck it away, because everything revolves around someone else and their behavior, their reactions. Your entire life is solely based on how someone is going to act and what can you do to avoid an episode, or how can you help. In time doing this will damage you. It will cause you to literally not care about or do anything for yourself, and what makes you happy. When you revolve your entire being around someone else’s behavior, you lose who you even are as a person. I never knew this. As I did it my entire life. Now my grandpa, and my dad have passed, my brother and I do not speak, and I ultimately broke up with the BF, and I sit back and realize so so much how damaging their behavior was in my life. Just because I know how to placate a situation and I know how to deal with out of control men, doesn’t mean I should have to. Doesn’t mean I should pick someone over me, doesn’t mean I should tuck my wants and needs away. You don’t realize how damaging dealing with people like that are to you. Now I feel like I push people away constantly, or I test them right off the bat to see how far they will go, and it’s not fair to people that I do that. It’s not fair to me that I do that. I literally have to unlearn all the toxic behaviors and try to let my guard down that I put up. People call me cold, that I don’t have a heart, because I have this hard exterior and literally got to the point that n

Ok, I’m going to share 4 Sanity Savings Tips for the Holidays, so you don’t lose your shit while trying to juggle buying presents while working, getting dinner prepared, and caring for your loved one with a mental illness! For many of us, we’re excited about the holidays and the new year celebrations. A lot of you will be getting all gussied up to go to parties or have people over because we couldn’t really do that last year with covid. But it can also be a tricky too, right? You’re cringing thinking, “Uncle Freaky Fred is coming over. God, he’s gross. I know he’s going to get drunk and say stupid shit. But I’m excited to hang with all my cousins.” Whatever your thought process is. My name is April Norris. I created the podcast Of Course, They Make Me Crazy! It’s for those who love someone with a mental illness. This time of year can be tricky for all of us. There’s a lot of emotions floating around like pretty little snowflakes. But those snowflakes can turn into a blizzard – a shit storm. The holiday hustle and bustle can trigger those living with bipolar, schizophrenia and depression. Many of you already know that I grew up with a bipolar mom addicted to pain pills. She loved Christmas when I was younger. She would put the tree up early. It was decorated like something you would see in the Christmas Hallmark movies. All of us kids had to have the same number of gifts to open, and our presents looked like they were professionally wrapped. She beamed while baking and decorating Christmas cookies with us. Then as she got sicker, her holiday sparkle dulled. Our full family tree was replaced with a tiny one because she didn’t have the energy to decorate anymore. The worst part is she would become manic anticipating all of us coming home for the holidays. She wouldn’t sleep for days leading up to our arrival. When we all got there, she would crash. One year she locked herself upstairs in a bedroom and didn’t come out at all, expect to kiss us goodbye. My brother and I came in from out of state. My dad had to take her up a plate of food. It was like feeding a bear, he placed the plate down and quickly closed the door so he wouldn’t get growled at. It was confusing because I would have conversations with her on the phone prior thinking, “Mom sounds great. She’s alert and seems excited to see us. She might just have her Christmas spirit back this year.” I always held onto hope. To make matters worse because her nerves were on edge, she took more medication thinking that would help. And, that issue became a fight between her and my dad. Merry F-ing Christmas! A National Alliance on Mental Illness study shows 64% of people with a mental illness report holidays make their condition worse. 1 in 25 Americans lives with a serious mental illness. That means there is added stress for all their family and friends. Their caregivers need support too! So, lets dive into these tips with jingle bells on! Reminder, they don’t intend to hurt you even though it feels like it. We all have emotions, but theirs are on another spectrum. Did my mom NOT come out of the bedroom because she hates her kids and wanted us to feel unloved? No. We should remind ourselves that they’re experiencing extreme mood disorders. They’re struggling more with themselves than they are with you. They live in fear … so do we because we worry about them. They have a lot of feelings around guilt, shame, and hopelessness. It’s not easy for any of us. Apply that old saying that works so well in this scenario… hurt p

I’m April Norris… Thank you for joining me on the podcast Of Course, They Make Me Crazy! Last week author and comedian Dave Mowry joined me. He lives with bipolar disorder. He wrote the book entitled OMG That’s Me! It blossomed from blog posts he wrote about him living with bipolar. He quickly gained a huge following. His mission in life is to use humor to tell his story and shatter the stigma by making it comfortable to talk about the uncomfortable. If you listened to last week’s episode, you heard us mention that he trained other people struggling with mental illness to do stand-up comedy and that we were going to play some of their acts for you. Well, that is what’s about to happen! Dave is from Portland and that is where they did their show. I’m going to set the comedians up for you because many of you are listening instead of watching on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. So, we’ll start with Dave himself. He has a line in his portion that says something like, “Those of us with a mental illness even share a special handshake.” What you won’t see … is him putting his hand out and making it tremble. You’ll have to envision that. It makes the joke! Three very talented and brave women then follow Dave’s comedy act. Margaret will kick off by talking about growing up with a mother who was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. She steps out on stage wearing a tiara on her head that she made. She teased that she suffers from PDQSD – Post Drama Queen Stress Disorder. Second up is Maeve who works in the mental health field and lives with anxiety. She talks about being a lesbian too. She feels buying a girl a beer is cheaper than her therapy co-pay. To round out all these talented folks is Lorayne. She’s an older lady who says she takes so many meds that she needs to take a med to help her to remember to take all of her other meds. I’m so grateful to have found Dave and his quick-witted friends. When you think of the trials they have been through and then see them get up on stage to make light of them … to me it shows how strong they truly are. Yes, they might struggle and probably have caused some scary scenarios for their loved ones! But how many of us could get up on stage and poke fun at our deepest pain? Not many. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. FYI - OMG That's Me! was named one of the best bipolar disorder books of all time by Book Authority. OMG 2 was released in September. OMG 3 will be out in December. You can get them on Amazon!

Hey There! I’m April Norris. Thank you for joining me on the podcast Of Course, They Make Me Crazy! Joining me is Dave Mowry. He lives with bipolar disorder. He’s been a businessman, a politician, a peer support specialist, and a millionaire who lost it all. He went from being homeless in 1997 for a year to now a best-selling author in 2021. He’s also a comedian! His book is entitled OMG That's Me! It blossomed from blog posts he wrote about him living with bipolar. He quickly gained a huge following. Many of his fans would write him and say, “Omg that’s me you’re talking about!” That’s when he knew he had to write a book. His mission in life is to use humor to tell his story and shatter the stigma by making it comfortable to talk about the uncomfortable. He’s my kind of man! In this episode you will learn a new perspective about those who live with bipolar. If you’re having hard time caring for a loved one with bipolar, please listen to this. I know you need to laugh. And I know you’re hurting, and your stomach is in knots, and you feel it’s just not possible. But if Dave can find a little humor in all his pain, so can you. Laughing or even a little smile does your heart and soul good. Truthfully, I teared up listening to him talk because I know my bipolar mom who died 5 years ago would have loved his sick sense of humor. She and my grandma both had a twisted sense of humor which is where I get it from. LOL! I hope you enjoy this episode. Dave has comedy acts that he emailed to me. If you like what you hear today … just know I will be uploading more of his comedy in a couple of days. Dave has collaborated with international bestselling author Julie Fast on OMG That's Me! 2, and co-author of OMG That's Me! 3. So there’s more to come! Julie Fast was the original consultant for actress Claire Danes and her TV series Homeland on Showtime. You contact Dave by going to davemowry.com.

Of Course, They Make Me Crazy Podcast host April Norris talks with Kyle Mitchell about teens struggling with social anxiety. Kyle is a mental health advocate, speaker, podcast host, and social media influencer (@Social_Anxiety_Kyle) who is passionate about solving the problems associated with poor mental health in the world and the impact they have on our communities, especially teens and youth. Having struggled and conquered his own social anxiety after a 10-year battle, he has found his calling and purpose to impact the lives of others on a global scale. Kyle’s mission is to help 1 million teens go from socially anxious to socially confident, collaborating with teens, educators, parents, nonprofits, and other organizations to change the narrative and stigma that currently exists. Kyle is a member of NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illnesses) Louisville and is a certified Ending the Silence Speaker for NAMI where he goes to schools and spreads his message about mental health. He is very effective at connecting with his audience by being vulnerable and sharing the struggles he has had with his own mental health. If you like this, please subscribe and leave a comment!

This is the second season Of Course, They Make Me Crazy! April is so excited to have wellbeing strategist and passionate mental health advocate Michelle E. Dickinson. Michelle is a TEDx Speaker and a published author. She is also doing great work by partnering with different company leaders to bring them a psychological resilience program that she created. But April first wants to talk about why other people’s well-being is so important to Michelle. It comes from Michelle being a caregiver to her bipolar mother. That is also what her memoir entitled “Breaking Into My Life” is about. April asks, “please tell us about your early life with your mom.” Michelle starts by saying, “Life was this strain. And maybe her past trauma caused my mom to start exhibiting signs of bipolar disorder. I guess at the age of four and on, I remember her starting to be manic. She would sit on the couch crying for hours. It was a bit of a roller coaster for me. As you might know as a child, the one thing we need is consistency and predictability and routine. And my mom was anything but consistent. I never knew the mother I would come home to. Some days she would be in a good mood. Some days she would be angry with me, and I didn't know why. But that shaped me because it taught me compassion. It also taught me firsthand what it's like to love someone and how punishing it can be to love someone with a mental illness. How we put our own needs on the back burner so that we can do whatever we can to keep peace in the home. And that was my life. That was my childhood, my young adult life, and even my adult life just trying to do what I can to help her.” Michelle continued to explain after telling her story on the TEDx Stage she realized that something beautiful happens when telling your story. That is what led her to write her memoir. April asks, “How was living at home with her?” Michelle responded by saying, “It was our job to keep peace in the home, walk on eggshells, not to get her upset, not create a nervous breakdown, to do whatever we needed to try to keep peace in the home. So, my needs would go by the wayside. And then I hit those rebellious teen years and that was a whole other can of worms.” Michelle said her mom was emotionally and physically abusive to her. She harbored a lot of anger and resentment until she started working on herself. She went through clinical therapy and a lot of self-discovery work through Tony Robbins and Landmark. Michelle says, “I was able to reach a place of forgiveness and compassion. To try to step into what life would have been like for her to try to raise a daughter and navigate a mental illness. In the back of my book, there's an epilogue about how ultimately all of this now serves me in the work I do. But I couldn't see it for the longest time because I was so focused on the effects that her mental illness and her behavior was having on me. When you focus on the effects of that, there's no space for compassion or to try to understand what life is like for her.” April added to what Michelle just explained. April said, “Later in life I realized that my mom who was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder did the best that she was able to do at that time. She was doing the best that she was able to do at that moment. What they do has nothing to do with us even though it feels like it.” April shared a story about how she drove 14 hours from Memphis, Tennessee to Cleveland, Ohio after working all week because her mom called her crying about how lonely she was. And when April arrived her mom slept the entire. She only woke up to say goodbye. Michelle explained that story resonated with her because her mom did the same thing, &ld

Thank you for joining me for another episode on the podcast Of Course.. They Make Me Crazy! I’m the host & creator April Norris. Guess who is joining me again?! The one and only Dr. Daniel Lobel. He’s back to talk more about Borderline Personality Disorder. I wanted to have him on again because our first Borderline Personality Disorder conversation was downloaded the most of out of all the other episodes recorded this past year! I invited him back to help me close out SEASON ONE of this podcast. It’s the one-year anniversary on June 12, 2021! Ironically, it will also be the 5th year anniversary of my mom’s death. It’s ironic because I didn’t plan those dates. I believe it’s her way of saying – APRIL, I APPROVE! She is why I started this podcast for you. My mom, Joni suffered from Bipolar Disorder and other illnesses. It was magical growing up with her, but it could be miserable too. However, even on her darkest days, she would give her last penny to anyone who needed it. She was giving and loving but her mental illness and pain pill addiction won out. My hope is our stories will help you know that you’re not alone when living or loving someone with a mental illness. I say our stories because if Mom we’re alive, she would be by my side driving me fucking crazy but supporting this journey. My biggest regret is that I didn’t have the idea to do this while she was still here. I invited Dr. Lobel to join me because he’s spent nearly 30 years helping families who suffer from BPD. He’s written 2 books called When Your Daughter Has BPD and When Your Mother Has Borderline Personality Disorder. He has a 3rd book coming out in January available on Amazon titled Stop Walking on Eggshells for Parents: How to Help Your Child with Borderline Personality Disorder Without Losing Yourself. I also wanted to invite him on because of a “somewhat negative” email I got a few weeks ago referring to the first BPD episode we did nearly a year ago. Our conversation kicks off with what she wrote. She wrote: I felt compelled to reach out and let you know that I really wish you’d have treated the BPD episode with compassion. I have BPD because of complex PTSD due persistent childhood trauma. My mother has dissociative identity disorder and was in a mental institution the majority of my early life. And I have a father who was too preoccupied to give a dang about the emotional needs of his kids. I never had a chance to develop a healthy sense of self. No one was available to teach me to relate to others in a healthy way. How about you talk about that on your show? That those who have BPD probably ended up with it from some sort of childhood trauma and that we should treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion. Everyone deserves that, right? Even those with BPD. Not cool, guys. It ends there. It’s never our intent to disrespect anyone. Dr. Lobel addresses her email but more importantly some of the issues surrounding her situation. One being defragmentation of identity. He explains how someone can start to detach from their identity and start forming other identities to help them cope from the current abusive situation their in. You will find t

Hey There, Thank you for joining me on the podcast Of Course.. They Make Me Crazy! I’m April Norris. Coming up on June 12th will be the one-year anniversary of this podcast. That’s crazy to me! Strangely, June 12th will also be the 5th anniversary of my mom, Joni’s death, which is also crazy to me! It’s crazy to me because I don’t remember launching this podcast specifically on that date on purpose. So, I messaged my sister, Amanda to see if she remembers us doing that on purpose or if it’s just a coincidence. She doesn’t remember either. Good God! It’s only been one-year and we can’t remember. When I first started this, she was on helping me out by sharing our family stories too. When I got the nudge in my soul to start this podcast, I called her and said, “Hey, I have all these little stories written down about our crazy family stories. I’m starting a podcast and you’re going to be my sidekick. Don’t worry, I’ll do all the work. You come along and add perspective and what you remember. And we’re recording in 2 days.” She was like, ok. That was a big deal because Amanda is shy. We’re 10 years apart and total opposites. She had fun though. We live in different time zones and have different schedules, so I went solo. Anyway, seeing that the podcast launch date is also the date of my mom’s death sort of creeped me out a bit. In a good way! The universe works in mysterious way. Many of you already know that I started this podcast in my mom’s honor. She grew up with an alcoholic dad who left his six kids and wife for a man he met at a nudist beach. Her mom lost it after that and went down a dark path of popping pills. My mom got pregnant with me at 15.5 years old with a physically abusive boyfriend. And the doctor that delivered me essentially became her drug dealer. He gave her almost every addictive narcotic on the market to help her deal. With all that, she was an amazing mom. But that trauma caught up with her. Her mind and body broke down. She was diagnosed with bipolar. She stopped taking care of herself. The only thing she cared about was taking pills in hopes of not feeling the pain and sadness as much. I felt her story needed to be told. And, that my story growing up with her needed to be told too. Hoping our stories resonate with you and in some strange way help you. Have you seen the movie, Hillbilly Elegy? It’s based off of J.D. Vance’s memoir. It’s about the hard times of him growi

Welcome to the podcast Of Course, They Make Me Crazy! I’m excited for this episode! My bestie Nicole Morris is joining me today. Yay! I’m April Norris. It’s like we’re almost sisters in so many weird ways. You probably feel the same way about your best friend. Nicole and I have essentially known each other since we were in second grade. But I moved away when we were little girls. I then came back during my junior year of high school. We graduated from a small town about an hour outside of Cleveland, Ohio called Huron. We never kept in contact all those years because we were so young. But we instantly rekindled our friendship on my first day back at high school. Nicole always heard or even experienced some of my crazy family stories. And, during all of that I always thought she had the perfect family. But, come to find out years later as adults …she didn’t. What we hope you get out of this is episode is that you know or start to realize … who you come from doesn't define you! Your parents birthed you, but you choose your own life! You can always reach out to me – April Norris. Instagram @ofcoursetheymakemecrazy. Clubhouse @theymakemecrazy Or email ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com. Think about joining the private Facebook Group I created. Just send me an email and I’ll send you the link! Would really love to connect with you.

This is Part II of Growing Up with A Bipolar Mother. Dalia Deleon, my guest, shared her stories of growing up as little girl totally confused by her mother’s explosive and abusive behavior. Dalia explained that it upset her mom when she decided to have a relationship with her biological father. Why is that so bad? Well, Dalia said her father physically abused her mother and that he went to prison for it. She continued to explain when her father got out, he learned his wife was doing the same thing to the kids. Dalia said her father tried to make things right by trying to get her and her siblings out of that situation. I left off by asking Dalia how that played out. That’s where this next episode Part II picks up. Even though this is a tough topic, we also laugh about several things. We hope our stories will help you smile and get through anything you might be working on too. You can reach out to Dalia at www.daliadeleon.com. You can always reach out to me – April Norris. Instagram @ofcoursetheymakemecrazy. Clubhouse @theymakemecrazy Or email ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com. Think about joining the private Facebook Group I created. Just send me an email and I’ll send you the link! Would really love to connect with you and others going through the same thing!

Thank you for joining me on Of Course They Make Me Crazy! I have been popping on this new app called ClubHouse! It’s totally addicting. If you love podcasts and breathing new light into your soul, constantly learning new things, and connecting with people from around the world then you should be on it with me! If you’re interested, email me. I will make sure to invite you onto it. As of now, it’s invite only and you must have an iphone. Clubhouse is like several live radio shows or podcasts going on all at once. You scroll through and find the topic that interests you and then click into a room that interests you most. I mention this because that is where I met Dalia Deleon my guest for this episode. Dalia and I clicked into a room of networking women. I explained that I have a podcast for those who love and live with someone who has a mental illness. We connected because she also has a mother who was bipolar. Dalia’s mom was a bit different than mine. Both of our mother’s had the bipolar disorder. Mine was addicted to pain pills and very loving to us kids even though she experienced severe physical abuse from my biological father who we escaped from. Dalia’s mom was not addicted to pills. She says her mom’s bipolar sickness came through in the way that she had this persona of being a wonderfully nice person at work or in the community and then came home as an angry abusive person. Dalia says her biological father went to prison for trying to kill her mother. And, that her mom then became mentally and physically abusive to her and her siblings. Together we talk about our experiences growing up in an unsettling environment and what we learned from it. Even though this is a tough topic, we also laugh about several things. We hope our stories will help you smile and get through anything you might be working on too. You can reach out to Dalia at www.daliadeleon.com. You can always reach out to me – April Norris. Instagram @ofcoursetheymakemecrazy. Clubhouse @theymakemecrazy Or email ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com. Think about joining the private Facebook Group I created. Just send me an email and I’ll send you the link! Would really love to connect with you!

Hey There … You’re not alone! Depression hits all of us. Brian, one of the hosts of The Zero Dark Nerdy Podcast talks to April Norris about living with depression. He's the host of a peppy podcast known as the World’s Most Notorious POP Culture Podcast covering Movies, Video Games, Cosplay, Toys and Music ... but it's not always fun and games for him. He shares how he deals with his dark days. He’s coming to us with his own personal perspective and struggles. We both hope you know you are loved by so many and better days are ahead. You can reach out to Brian on IG @zdn_podcast or email zdnpodcast@gmail.com You can always reach out to me - April Norris on IG @ofcoursetheymakemecrazy Or email ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com. If you’re on clubhouse @theymakemecrazy Think about joining the private Facebook Group I created. Just send me an email and I’ll send you the link! Would really love to connect with you! You can also listen to all the podcasts at www.ofcoursetheymakemecrazy.com

Hey Everyone! Thank You for joining me on Of Course They Make Me Crazy! I’m the host, April Norris. Joining me for this episode is Warren. He recently started co-hosting a podcast with his friend Graham called The Flawed Dads Guide To Parenting. The two of them talk about their struggles of raising their children. Two men trying not to play it cool! So, refreshing, right? They discuss parenting topics and the idea that none of us are perfect parents, but we can always be better ones. Warren started the podcast as a response to one of his daughters suffering from the desire to commit suicide and how he was struggling as a parent to reconcile how to deal with the situation. He and Graham believe recognizing that no parent, including themselves is perfect and that is the first step to improvement. Whether you’re a dad or mom… you should listen to listen to this… for your own peace of mind! Warren’s daughter is only 8 years-old having suicidal thoughts. There have been other 8 year-old children in the U.S. that have gone through with the threat! It’s scary to think about, but with all the technology at their fingertips, this topic is something none of us can ignore! You can reach out to Warren on IG @flaweddadpodcast or email flaweddadpodcast@gmail.com You can always reach out to me April Norris on IG @ofcoursetheymakemecrazy Or email ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com. If you’re on clubhouse @theymakemecrazy Think about joining the private Facebook Group I created. Just send me an email and I’ll send you the link! You can also listen to all the podcasts at www.ofcoursetheymakemecrazy.com. Love, April Norris #Mentalhealthpodcast #Crazyfamilystories

Hi There! Thank you so much for joining me for the podcast, Of Course .. They Make Me Crazy! I’m the host April Norris. This episode hits my heart. Many of you know, I started this podcast because I grew up with a bipolar mother. When you live with someone with a mental illness.. it can cause havoc in everyone’s life. My beautiful mom, Joni was a victim to that too. She grew up with many ill people around her. One being my biological father. They met and had me at 15 years-old. She stayed with him as long as she could and he beat her. I witnessed it as a little girl. I say this episode hits my heart, because joining me for this episode is this strong young woman named Clara Baldwin. Baldwin just published a book titled - Peace Over Pieces Anthology. It contains 16 stories from real domestic abuse survivors, including her own story. There's a line that she writes in it saying, "I feel it’s needed to stop the stigma of why she or he just doesn't leave.” In the situation of abuse, it’s not the victim's fault, and abuse can be a much more complex and suffocating than people realize. I relate to that because for many years I held judgement on my mom for not leaving or not turning around and inflicting as much pain on my biological father as he did on her. I can have pretty twisted thoughts sometimes! Even if you weren't the one being abused ... the trauma of witnessing it is still horrific. Clara Baldwin shares her story of growing up with an abusive father. And, she's grown up to do amazing things. It goes to show you things can get better! Whether your living in an abusive household now or have ... we believe hearing this episode might give you mental strength you need. You can find Clara Baldwin and her book at www.peace-over-pieces.org. Please reach out to me at ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com. Think about joining the private Facebook Group I created. Just send me an email and I’ll send you the link. It’s also in the IG bio page on @ofcoursetheymakecrazy. And, you can listen to all the podcasts at www.ofcoursetheymakemecrazy.com Love, April Norris #Mentalhealthpodcast​​ #Crazyfamilystories​

Three ladies named Dr. Alyssa, Nikki and Heidi share a unique bond of finding out their husbands are transgender women. They're sharing their journey with April Norris of finding their bright lights of friendship during their darkest days. Yep, like a Caitlyn Jenner situation! As you’re listening … April truly hopes you will find some sort of energy to keep going in whatever trauma you’re dealing with. Hearing their stories of being able to move forward (albeit they still have their struggles) from this major life blow that doesn’t only involve them, but their family, friends and children. They all raise children together. All three have boys and the boys all have new mommy's. Hear how they met their then husbands, how they came out to their families and how everyone is doing today. Dr. Alyssa, Nikki and Heidi have their own podcast called Thanks, It's The Trauma. You can find them on Apple podcasts, Instagram and on their website thanksitsthetrauma.com. Please reach out to me at ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com. Think about joining the private Facebook Group I created. Just send me an email and I’ll send you the link. It’s also in the IG bio page on @ofcoursetheymakecrazy. And, you can listen to all the podcasts at www.ofcoursetheymakemecrazy.com Love, April Norris #MentalHealthPodcast #CrazyFamilyStories

Hi There! This is April! Happy New Year! Ok, so what you’re about to listen to is a conversation between myself and my friend Jolona Kinlaw. She has a blog called JustJoBlog.com. She’s a licensed clinical mental health counselor who writes about the struggles of having a child with autism. We did a podcast about that topic awhile back, but then we kept talking about everything else under the sun. The podcast became too long so I had to cut a lot out. We were just being gabby girls … but we talk about somethings that might be helpful to you! We talked about the internal fight we have with ourselves in the morning … are we going to put on our positive panties or be negative nellies. It’s so much easier to be negative, so what do you do to snap out of that? Gotta exercise that mental muscle! Talk about having to tip toeing around old friends not really understanding your new ways .., and how that puts pressure on you. Don’t let people tell you how to live. And, talking to God … even challenging him! It’s a quick 13 minutes. Hope you enjoy. If you want to reach Jolona … you can also find her on Instagram @j_u_s_t_jo As always, I hope you find love and peace in your day! Think about joining my private Facebook Group “Of Course.. They Make Me Crazy! Venters!” Pop on my website www.ofcoursetheymakemecrazy.com and send me a message. I’ll send you the link. It’s also on the IG Bio page @ofcoursetheymakecrazy Love, April Norris Of Course … They Make Me Crazy Podcast Host #mentalhealthpodcast #crazyfamilystories

Happy New Year! Well, how do you all feel now that 2020 is behind us? I know we’re all relieved. But we can’t fool ourselves, things will carry over. Although, I do think we’re better equipped to handle hard things because of it! 2020 was a big wake-up call that many of us needed to learn to appreciate what we have because it’s not always guaranteed. Or, to appreciate what we didn’t have! Flipping through Instagram you see so many funny things. Someone asked, “What did Covid give or do for you?” There was a comment saying, “It gave me a fat ass and a zitty face! And to make it worse, it also gave me a fat face and a zitty ass!” Thought that was hysterical! But, the struggle is real! Well, for me last year, allowed me to start this podcast while I was furloughed during the first shut down. My first episode uploaded on June 12, 2020. I’m grateful I was able to have that time to start this. Truthfully, I wish I had more time to spend on it. I work a full-time job and have other responsibilities which can get exhausting. You know? Last week, I started thinking about pausing the podcast for a bit. I’m in the process of designing a website for it and I really need to get new equipment and learn new things which takes up so much damn time! Ugh! I thought that might be my best option. And, then to make things worse, I was listening to Ed Mylett’s podcast and one of his guests posed the most annoying question! Well, it’s the most annoying question to me. His guest asked the listeners, “Do you know your WHY?” I thought, “God Bless America! Here we go!” I didn’t turn it off though. Even though I hate to hear it, I know it’s important. I think I find it so annoying because the next thing “they” normally say is, “You must know your WHY before doing anything else!” Like don’t move! Freeze! If you know your why then you’re free to go. If not, you’re a loser and get to work, dammit! Here’s the thing, I know my WHY! Still annoys me though. This podcast is about my WHY! You’re probably thinking, “April, why should I give a shit about your why?” Well, you shouldn’t! But I want you to know your WHY! Ask yourself that question. Ask, “why do I do the things I do?” And then grab a pen and paper and just start writing. Don’t even think about what you’re writing … just write. Maybe start by writing the names of everyone that is important to you. It helps you understand yourself … well hopefully! If it doesn’t… ask why! I know I’m the one being annoying now! I bring this up because I was in bed staring at the ceiling a few nights ago contemplating pausing this podcast so I can catch my breath. And, as I was seriously considering it … my WHY popped in my head. But then so did another thing Ed Myletts’s guest mentioned in that same episode. He said, “now write your WHY to your avatar person.” Truthfully, I had to look up what avatar meant. LOL! I was like, “Great just another thing to do and what the hell does avatar even mean?” In case you’re a dumb ass too … avatar is a figure representing a person. I’m just kidding. This haunted me all day. I listen to Ed Mylett on my way to work in the morning and I was still thinking about it at night. He said, “Who would benefit from your why”? I thought, “Ok, this will be a great way for me to start 2021 and maybe give me my podcasting mojo back. Perfect, I’ll make up an avatar and speak to her.”

Welcome to our Merry Christmas episode, Sugar Plums! April says, “Christmas was our mom’s favorite holiday. She always made it special. My sister Amanda and I want to take you down memory lane with us as we talk about our holiday household shenanigans!” So … on Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen … hop on our sleigh and press play! Would love for you to share your family memories with us too. Comment on our YouTube channel under April Norris Of Course.. They Make Me Crazy! Or simply email April ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com I would love for you to join my Free Facebook Group too! It’s called Of Course.. They Make Me Crazy Venters! You can find the link to that on Of Course.. They Make Me Crazy‘s Instagram bio page. Happy Holidays! XOXO April Norris

Just a reminder … this podcast was created for those of us living and loving someone with an illness ... whether it be mental or physical. Caring for them can take toll on our own mental health… right? My goal is hoping someone else’s story will help you to feel not so alone and spark some peace in you. That’s why I invited on Jolona Kinlaw, my new friend from Instagram. Yes! You can really find nice people on there. I’m on there. Let’s be friends too! Back to Jolona. She has a blog out justjoblog.com. I asked her on because she has a 7 year-old son, Caden who has autism. He doesn’t speak and can’t do many things for himself yet even though he’s been working with specialists. He has a lot of meltdowns and kicks and screams. She has her work cut out for her many days. Jolona’s blog is about overcoming autism, the struggles of having a child with autism and the everyday struggles of being a mom. And how she keeps her peace … or not sometimes! Through a lot of prayer and asking God to help her find a way to cure Caden, a friend introduced her to controversial therapy. She’ll explain what that is too. Would love to connect with you. Reach out by emailing me at ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com. Please share with your friends and subscribe! Share your comments too. Love, April Norris Of Course.. They Make Me Crazy! Podcast Host

**Language Not Suitable For Children** What do you think of that podcast title? Well, it is what it is! Exactly! The last couple of months, I really focused on teens and what to say and do when they’re having suicidal thoughts. This week I want to lighten it up and bring you back to my roots with some of my crazy family stories. In this episode, I’m taking you back as I reminisce when my former best friend and I decided to do spring break at my gay nudist grandpa’s house who was an alcoholic. And, my then boyfriend at the time, Dan, decided to show up as a surprise and almost got shot by my short lil’ old shriveled up naked as a jay bird grandpa who was three sheets to the wind. What are you going to get out of this episode by listening? … just time to disconnect from your problems and laugh about someone else's. You think your family has problems? Well, They probably do! The point is, you’re not alone in your frustrations with them. If you can find something to laugh about in your situation ...do it. I promise you'll be laughing and cringing through this entire episode! Disclaimer - Your jaw will hurt! How about this? Does your grandpa's boyfriend have a penis piercing? Bet ya ... you have never been ask that before! LOL. If you have ... then we need to talk! And, if he did ...would you know about it? Probably not! But, I got to see that first hand. Not a shining moment in my life. But a funny one now that its over! Or, would your grandpa accuse you of trying to kill him because you didn't put vodka is his morning orange juice? Possibly! If he was friends with my grandpa! Come on! Put your headphones on and listen! Make sure your children can't hear this for obvious reasons. If there is a moral to this story it's that you're not who you come from. You are your own person. They have their story and you will create your own! Would love to connect with you. Reach out by emailing me at ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com. Please share with your friends and subscribe! Share your comments too! Love, April Norris Of Course .. The Make Me Crazy! Podcast Host.

This episode is a continuation to the episode called How Maneuver Self-Destructive Teen Behaviors. During this episode, you’re going to get tactical head on scenarios and advice on what to say to your child if he or she threatens to harm themselves. Dr. Daniel Lobel is joining me again. He is a clinical psychologist with more than 25 years of experience. He’s also written two books titled When Your Daughter Has B-P-D and When Your Mother Has Borderline Personality Disorder. We touched on many things last episode, so I would encourage you to go back and listen to that one. If not, that’s totally ok! We got you covered during this one too! Dr. Lobel made a point to say that suicidal thoughts don’t discriminate. They can creep up on any one of us at any time. It’s especially true for teens dealing with hormonal changes, social media pressure, making good grades and living up to the expectations of parents, teammates and coaches. Many of us can shrug and say to ourselves, “My teen is just bummed out and having another bad day.” But that is a dangerous thing for you to do. We sometimes don’t realize that their bad feelings have been building up over a long period of time. If you’re child is threatening to harm themselves out of manipulation or their serious … what do you say and do? If you need guidance on this, please listen. Would love to connect with you. Reach out by emailing me at ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com. Please share with your friends and subscribe! Share your comments too! Love, April Norris Of Course .. The Make Me Crazy! Podcast Host

Losing your child is probably your worst nightmare. Losing them to suicide is beyond gut wrenching! How do you know when their serious or using their threats as manipulation? That’s what we’re talking about on this episode Of Course.. They Make Me Crazy! Dr. Daniel Lobel is the guest speaker. He is a clinical psychologist with more than 25 years of experience. He’s also written two books titled - When Your Daughter Has B-P-D and When Your Mother Has Borderline Personality Disorder. I decided to have Dr. Lobel on after talking with Mike Donahue on from Value Up.Org. The father of five children talked about getting your kids to value themselves. He stressed how important that is. He also mentioned that more teen suicides are happening in affluent homes because the kids grow up not wanting to rock the boat of the perfect lifestyle their parents have created for them. What? That’s hard to hear, I get it. You should go back and listen to that episode too! I wanted to bring Dr. Lobel on because you could probably use more insight into teens and their suicidal thoughts and threats. And, that's exactly what you'll get when you listen. There is a chapter in one of Dr. Lobel’s books called Boundaries with Self-Destructive Behavior. He writes self-destructive behaviors encompass a large spectrum of acts that convey different feelings and meanings. He’ll take us through what those behaviors are and what to look out for if you have a teen at home that you’re worrying about. Would love to connect with you! Please share with your friends and subscribe. Reach out by email - ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com Or, on Instagram @ofcoursetheymakemecrazy. Share your comments! You can find more about Dr. Lobel a www.mysideofthecouch.com.

This might surprise you or maybe not. Teen suicide rate is up 25% nationally. That’s crazy scary! The United Health Foundation came out with that stat. UHF ranks health among teens. If you’re a parent, aunt, uncle, a teacher, mentor or even a babysitter…you should listen to this! Without a doubt … you’re going to look at the kids in your life differently. You might not agree with what it said. Whether you do or don’t … let us know why! By us … I mean myself and my guest Mike Donahue. Donahue, helped established a school program called Value Up in 2016. He goes into schools and talks about all issues concerning teens - drugs, anxiety, anger, loneliness, social media. More importantly he helps teens find value in themselves and the importance of it. Donahue created Value UP with Craig Scott. Scott was a student at Columbine High School during the massacre in 1999. He was under a library table with two friends during the shooting ...both killed. His sister Rachel was the first killed that day. You might have already heard them speak. They have spoken to millions. Been keynotes for the American Association of School Administrators, The National Education Association and The National PTA Conference. They have done countless media interviews with Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America … and now thankfully with me, April Norris. Donahue wrote a book titled, "Talking To Brick Walls." Anyone that has ever tried to communicate with a teenager on drugs, alcohol, sex or bullying knows that it can be very difficult. In his book, he shares secrets with you on how to get through to them. In a chapter he says, “Pain is a key ingredient to learning. And when we take that away we are hurting our children.” Do you think we’re teaching kids how to be victims? I say, "Hell yes!" It's not intentional, but it's happening. I have been wanting to do this podcast on this subject since I moved to Douglas County, Colorado. It's an affluent area. The average household income is nearly 120K! That’s double the U.S. average! I was astounded by the teen suici

If you’re listening this episode, chances are you’re trying to heal after being in a relationship with a narcissist. It’s gut wrenching. Our goal is to help you understand why they do the things they do and how to get on the path to healing and feeling like yourself again. Narcissists can sometimes rip strongest person apart. So, stop being mad at yourself! Joy Larkin, April’s guest this week, is the founder of Live Narc Free. She has been an online coach for narcissistic abuse since 2016. Larkin tells April when she was a teenager she had to move in with her aunt. Living with her aunt was the first time she experienced a narcissist. She says, “It felt like I was being put on a pedestal then pulled off because I was not worthy of anything anymore.” Larkin calls what her aunt did the Love Bomb, Devalue and Discard move. It’s what most narcissists do so they can continue to control you. Once they discard, you’re left feeling lost and heartbroken. You’re left to feel like you did something wrong even though that’s not the case. Then they’ll come back to you, put you on the pedestal again only to tear you off. It’s a vicious cycle they put you through. It got so bad at Larkin’s house, she decided to leave. With nowhere else to go, she had to live in her car for a month until she figured something else out. We want this episode to show you, you can go through a really bad situation and still be happy and move on with your life. It might not feel like it right now, but you can! ***Both April Norris and Joy Larkin go through some of their own coping skills in hopes to help you move forward!*** Would love to connect with you! Please share with your friends and subscribe. Reach out by email - ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com SIDE NOTE - Some might feel that narcs are just people who thinking highly of themselves. There’s so much more to it. The Mayo clinic calls it Nacissistic Personality Disorder. They say it affects more males than females and it normally begins in early adulthood. Although the cause of narcissistic personality disorder isn't known, some researchers think that in biologically vulnerable children, parenting styles that are overprotective or neglectful may have an impact. Genetics and neurobiology also may play a role in development of narcissistic personality disorder.

The goal of this episode is to help you find your “Fighter Spirit” or regain it. It doesn’t matter what your fight is! My good friend, Nicole Moses shares her story of finding herself after living through what she calls a mentally and physically abusive relationship. She says her boyfriend at the time who's job still is to save lives threatened to cut her body into pieces. She's so honest with her emotions and what she struggled with in her mind while trying to stay alive. Her story will help so many of you start treating yourselves kinder and to listen to your gut! Nicole recently posted this message on her Facebook page - “Life can change. We can change. Dark times don’t last. But the journey, the fight, the belief and the hope led me here to today, and by gosh am I grateful to dance and smile, be goofy and love again! She signed off with #FighterSpirit. That’s why I’m calling this podcast Finding Your Fighter Spirit.

Once a sex offender .. always an offender? We dive deep into this top this week on the podcast Of Course, They Make Me Crazy! Dr. Jeffrey Freiden is our guest. He has 20 years of experience providing expert court testimony across multiple states for defense attorneys in protecting their clients. Do you have children or a little sneaky suspicion someone in your inner or outer circle could be a creepy sex offender? You need to listen to this! Dr. Freiden says you have a 50/50 chance your intuition could be right. If you can help it, you don’t want anyone like that around your children, right? Dr. Freiden gives us insight and science studies into an offender’s brain activity. What if the offender is your loved one? How does anyone go back to living a healthy lifestyle after dealing with that kind of tragedy? Is it even possible? Dr. Freiden gives us insight on that as well. If you have any questions for him … You can find him at drjeffreyfreiden.com.

Last week, I touched on the Kanye West and Kim Kardashian situation. Kanye had a public episode exposing family secrets between himself and Kim. Or he lied. Who knows and it doesn’t matter, right? Afterwards, Kim Kardashian wrote a lengthy statement on social media asking for "compassion and empathy" for her family and touching on her husband's mental health issues, including his bipolar disorder. She also mentioned how hard the disorder is to understand. And, she is so so so right. If you have lived with someone with bipolar, addicted to drugs, or something similar, you know the pain Kanye is going through and the pain his actions are causing his family. I asked Dr. Casey Delmara, founder of the Mental Health Hacker, to join me this week to talk about how to protect your own feelings when loving someone like Kanye West. Dr. Casey explains what bipolar disorder is, but more importantly how to handle the episodes many of them have. Believe me, I know how hard it is! Been there and done that with my mother. They can start behaving so badly that you want to just drop kick them! I know you would never do that! I wouldn’t either! But it doesn’t take the urge away. It’s sad and unfortunate. I wish this disorder didn’t exist. If I had any enemies… I wouldn’t wish Bipolar on my worst one! Dr. Delmara will help you understand that your loved one who suffers from the disorder doesn’t do what they do to hurt you. I think we all need that constant reminder because it can certainly feel like they do. She helped me to look at the situation with more compassion. I know she can help you too. Even if you have heard the advice before … it’s good to keep reminding yourself. Reminders help you to protect your own happiness. Protecting your happiness will also help to keep some peace in your home. The entire episode is only 24 minutes long…. so go listen to it. I want you to feel better. Love, April Norris/OfCourseTheyMakeMeCrazy Podcast Host Would love to connect with you! Email me ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com

Want to touch on the Kanye West and Kim Kardashian situation. Two mega stars. This podcast is about those of us living with people with mental illness and how we have a lot of shit to deal with too. Obviously, Kanye has been having episodes of unusual behavior even for him. Many of us are sitting back with that EEECK kind of look on our face. Like dude … really?! And, it’s sad to see. It’s sad because I know the pain he’s causing his family. Last week, Kim put out a lengthy statement on social media asking for "compassion and empathy" for her family and touching on her husband's mental health issues, including his bipolar disorder. And, if you have lived with someone or you’re still living with them that has bipolar, addicted to drugs, or something similar … you know the pain he’s causing too. This is what happens when they don’t take their medication, over take it or don’t take it all. Kim stated – His condition, "Does not diminish or invalidate his dreams and his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some. That is part of his genius and as we have all witnessed, many of his dreams have come true." She continued , "We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give it to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most." In a different statement – ***And, this is the one that got to my heart!*** She said – “I’ve never spoken publicly about how this has affecte

*Probably not suitable for children* Have you had anyone in your life that gets upset over small things and can be self-destructive? They come up with outlandish shit like blaming you because they overslept. It's your fault because you should have woken them up! Or, it wasn't their fault they got a DUI. The police officer is just a jerk and was out to arrest him/her the moment they got pulled over. Why are you taking the police officer's side?! Sound familiar? Dr. Daniel Lobel, a clinical psychologist based out of New York with more than 25 years of experience is joining us to talk about Borderline Personality Disorder - BPD. We can easily become enablers when dealing with someone with BPD because we don't want to upset them. Dr. Lobel explains why you're just making their condition worse and making life harder for you. He'll explain what Borderline Personalty is exactly, behaviors of those who have it and how to escape their tricks. Most importantly, he'll give tips on how to handle them. Yes! You need to hear this! SIDE NOTE: Has your child ever asked you, "Mom, can I sleep over at my friends tonight or Mom, can I have dessert before dinner?" And, you say, "Let me ask your father." Then your child says, "Well, if dad says, yes ... can I?" How do you answer that or how SHOULD you answer that? He'll talk about that too! Dr. Daniel Lobel has his own private practice and is also an assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in the department of Psychiatry. Would love your feedback! Email ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com

Crazy family stories! We all have them! April is talking to a friend who grew up with a bipolar grandma who had major road rage. She would ram her car into people just for getting in her way! Say what? Yep! She apparently had a real mean streak in her. She also believed there were caverns in her basement even though the family tried to convince her otherwise. But, you also hear a story about her brother in law. He recently went to prison for killing his girlfriend because she was stopping him from aligning the plants! Lord, give us strength! Just because you come from a tree of nuts... doesn’t mean you are! We can’t help who are family is... but we can help the way we process their behaviors. Hope you join me for this very interesting conversion with Tracy. She is an amazing woman in how she’s dealt with some very tough situations. You'll be entertained and fascinated with her story! Would love your feedback! Email us at ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ofcoursetheymakemecrazy/message

We're happy to be talkin' about a tough topic. Steps to get out of a depression! Founder of the Mental Health Hacker - Dr. Casey Delmara will explain the process that helped her ... she calls it "Chunk It." Dr. Delmara or she also likes you just to call her Casey decided to get in to her line of work after being trapped in her bedroom for 3 months. No, no one locked her in! It was her mind and thoughts that kept her there. She starting shutting herself off from the world and didn't understand what was happening. She says, "I didn't have a real trigger that led to my depression like most people." This was something she never thought or anticipated would happen to her. She'll explain what it took to get her life back in order. You might not have experienced something as extreme as Casey, but what she has to say in this podcast will help you pick yourself up and get movin' and groovin' again. And, if you're close to locking yourself out from the world then you have nothing to lose by listening to this! Don't wait till you get to a point of a very hard return. Learn from those who have been through a thing or two. Let's get you back on track! If you're not the one experiencing the hardship, it's your loved one ... YOU ALSO NEED TO HEAR THIS! You can find Dr. Casey Delmara at www.mentalhealthhacker.com Also, if you want to ask her a question ... you can call us at 720-600-4634 or email ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com We encourage you to reach out to us! We're a no judgement zone and want to help anyway we can! Would love your feedback! Email ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ofcoursetheymakemecrazy/message

*Language not suitable for children* Can you imagine losing two of your loved ones to suicide? This episode we're introducing you to a man named Eric. He lost his father and wife to suicide. He had to endure that unbearable pain two separate times in his life. Needless to say he's had to deal with a lot of shit in his life. He's also created a lot of shit in his life. Eric isn't shy about telling you he's also a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. But, smashed between two shit storms, he somehow pulled himself out of all that darkness and got help. That help led him to sober up and that's when the magic started for him and the community he now serves. As the old saying goes, it's not what happens to you but how you handle it. He got a handle on his life and put his efforts into creating Dr1ven Industries. At Dr1ven Industries, they assist people to reach their full potential despite their battle with mental illness, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse. If you have a young loved one struggling or you're battling with something yourself ... you should check Dr1ven out. Eric has a huge social media following on Instagram, Tik Tok and Youtube. The guy puts himself out there for people. He's talking to us about his experiences and switching off negative self-talk. We also made sure to ask, "how should a parent, spouse or a child help their loved one dealing with similar struggles?" Having been on both sides, he gives us a very real answer. It might not be easy for you to hear! But, it might be what you need to hear! Would love your feedback! Email ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ofcoursetheymakemecrazy/message

*Language not suitable for children* It’s terrifying to watch someone you love fade away mentally. If you have never experienced anything like it, then consider yourself truly blessed. If you have, then you understand the gut wrenching stress and pain that comes with it. I (April) spent years hoping and praying that Mom would get better. There were days I thought my prayers were answered. I would say, “Yes! Thank you Jesus! I knew this day would come!” Have you ever had that conversation with yourself? I would think, "Finally she’s back to normal! She has to be … she’s talking and laughing again. She’s up cleaning and making dinner. Thank you, God!" Then a week or so would go by and I realized ... Nope. That was just a good week. I (April) grew up knowing Mom before the bipolar disorder started to take over her life. It was confusing for me to watch her change. Amanda grew up with Mom's illness. No matter what, I believe you should never give up hope. I’m talking about hope for yourself. Otherwise, you will quickly lose yourself in their world. You have to do everything you can to get into a good place. Go grab a drink with friends, workout, go see a movie and laugh. Be selfish and go do something that makes you feel good. Just GO! I’m not saying to leave them if you think their life is in jeopardy, but get away enough to save your own life and sanity. In this episode, we talk about some of Mom's strange behaviors and how we maneuvered around them. She would take a handful of pills, get in the car to run errands and crash. One day she picked Amanda up from a friends house and seemed totally fine. All of a sudden, Mom passed out at the wheel going 35 mph down the road with Amanda in the passenger seat. Amanda wasn't old enough drive. Our dad had no other choice, but to lock her medicine up and not allow her to drive anymore. You might think, "that settles that." But, not when you're dealing with our Mom. The hell if anyone was going to tell her how to live! I got so mad at her. I told her, "You better hope nothing happens to our dad (My step-dad/Amanda's dad). Because if something does, I will send you back to the funny farm faster than you can light a cigarette. " Dealing with this kind of shit is not for sissies. You might disagree with me, but I think it’s okay to be pissed off at them. I don’t mean get totally ugly with them like I did Mom. But don’t hide your frustrations. What's that going to do for you? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ofcoursetheymakemecrazy/message

*Language not suitable for children* Last time episode, we talked about our Grandpa who left his 6 kids and wife for his gay lover he met at a nudie beach. The news set Mom, her siblings and our grandmother on a very unstable path. It was a life changer for all of them. We spent so much time on Grandpa last episode that we wanted to come back and share stories about our Grams … who was not your typical grandma. Not typical in that she worked in a factory, cracked dirty jokes, had a stash of playgirl magazines, rented porn on VHS tapes and didn’t cook, clean or bake. We thought she was the best Grams ever! She was fun and very loving. But, things took a little turn after she retired. She fell into a slump. Grams started to make those around her feel guilty when we couldn’t fulfill her needs. Know anyone like that? Remember the song? No one loves me, everybody hates me, I guess I’ll go eat worms and die. Grams started to get that mentality for sure. We share funny stories of her renting an apartment for "singles only" so she could find a man to her renting the movie, "When Harry Does Sally" instead of "When Harry Met Sally." She would do all sorts of hysterical things like ask Amanda to iron her girdle. Grams had to iron everything including her stretchy jeans. LOL. But, we also talk about the times Grams and Mom started to feed off of each other. You know that old saying - misery loves company. Well, that was the two of them. They slept all day. When they weren't sleeping, they were smoking and swapping pills. They became a mess for our family to deal with. How do you handle two bad eggs who happen to be the matriarch's of the family? It wasn't easy. But, we got through it without any blood shed. It was a lot of walking on egg shells though. Sound familiar? Walking on egg shells gets old, doesn't it? Especially when you're the one not doing anything wrong! STOP LETTING THEM DO THAT TO YOU! YOU DESERVE BETTER. You can't change them, but you CAN change you. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ofcoursetheymakemecrazy/message

*Language not suitable for children* Last week, we shared that we grew up with a Mom who suffered from Bipolar Disorder. In the 80’s when we were growing up, mental illness wasn’t discussed. Thankfully times have changed. More of you feel comfortable saying you suffer from a mental illness. And, many of you living with them can openly talk about your struggles too. It's no longer a deep dark secret. Or, it doesn't have to be. Please, talk about it with someone. This week, we're discussing one of the two freaky deaky people responsible for bringing our Mom into this world - our Grandfather. Speaking of secrets, Mom had to keep a deep dark one for a long time. If she revealed it, it would tear her family apart. When she was a high school freshman, she came home to find her father in bed with one of her male classmates. In the same bed he shared with our grandma and created six kids in. Yes, the kid was underage. Her father asked her no to tell anyone, so she didn't. At least, not right away. Some time after that, he left the family for his lover that he met at a nudist beach. He met Jack, while vacationing with the family. Yes, our grandfather took his family to a nudie beach for vacation. WTF! Who does that? As you can imagine, there's so much more packed into this podcast! What did our grandma do? She was left to raise six kids on her own. You would think that would have been a time that our Mom would have started popping pills. There was a total shit storm circling around her. Her family was torn apart. She was at a vulnerable age. She became pregnant with me (April) and had to drop out of high school. My father became abusive to her. They were teenagers. (Amanda and I have different dads.) But, she didn't break. GOD - THE UNIVERSE - whatever you call it gives you super powers when you need it most! That is when she found her strength. What are you doing to find your strength? If she could do it, so can you. Whenever I think I'm down and out, I think of Mom during that time. She didn't have any money, a high school education or support. Everyone else was dealing with the own messes. But, she was able to weather that shit storm. Would love your feedback! Email ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ofcoursetheymakemecrazy/message

*Language not suitable for children* This is where you’re going to learn why I decided to create this podcast with my sister, Amanda. Yep, all the good, ugly and straight up strange reasons. I want to get into a little our family background. Amanda and I have the same mother, but different biological fathers. I'm 10 years older than her. Mom had me at 15 and half years-old. And, about a year later she had my brother. Mom’s family had a whole mess of their own problems. They ran off to deal with those themselves, so she didn’t have any help. We'll get more into their messes as these podcasts progress. But, she was able to make it on her own by dropping out of school and getting a job at a truck stop cleaning toilets. This was back in the 70’s. Even with the weight of the world on her shoulders, she was a fun and loving person. I say that because while she was surviving and barely old enough to work, she was also getting the shit kicked out her by MY biological dad. Even through all of that, I grew up seeing her smile. She beamed. She had vibrant energy. I feel blessed because I got to experience a hard working and joyful Mom. I’m breezing over a lot right now. You'll have to listen to hear all the nitty gritty. Mom ended up marrying an amazing man who would do anything for her, that’s Amanda’s dad. But, about the time Amanda turned 5 years-old, Mom started to change. She became depressed. She wouldn’t shower or get off the couch for days. That was huge because she was the kind of woman who made sure her hair was curled and makeup on everyday! She started taking a shit ton of medication. Seeing her change was very confusing for me. I didn’t understand it. Amanda grew up only knowing her dark side. Now, I don’t want you to think this is going to be all doom and gloom. We have some funny and yes, silly stories that hopefully will enlighten you and make you realize YOU'RE NOT ALONE trying navigate their ups and downs. Would love your feedback. Email us at ofcoursetheymakemecrazy@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ofcoursetheymakemecrazy/message

This is the first season of - Of Course, They Make Me Crazy! The first two episodes have been launched at the same time. A new episode will dropped every two weeks on the first and third Tuesday of each month. You can follow us on instagram @ofcoursetheymakemecrazy to get sneak peeks into what is coming up. We would just love to connect with you there too! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ofcoursetheymakemecrazy/message