Mikkel Bondesen- Superman's Kryptonite is Anxiety- Extreme Sports/Extreme Anxiety
Release Date: 07/02/2019
The Rachels- Why Friendship is the New Marriage and Golden for Mental Health
Dear Family,
Rachel Winter and Rachel Steinman are best friends, co-authors, and co-hosts of this special collab between the with . Rachel Winter is a writer, director, and an Academy Award®-nominated producer for Dallas Buyers Club. She produced LeBron James’ biopic, Shooting Stars, and produced and directed the audio drama, Supreme: The Battle for Roe starring Maya Hawke and William H. Macy. It’s a nine-part series weaving together the incredible story of the young female lawyer who argued Roe V. Wade in front of the Supreme Court and the Justice who wrote the opinion. She made her...
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My So-Called High School Rank- Documenting Teenage Loneliness and College Admission Pressures through a Musical
Dear Family,
My So-Called High School Rank, premiering on HBO and HBO MAX, is a special documentary that gives an unfiltered view into the private loneliness and pressures of teenage life. This was especially true in March 2020 when students were forced to settle into new realities, feeling isolated and frustrated with so much out of their control. This timely documentary chronicles the creation of a musical theater production at Granite Bay High School in Sacramento, California, and is inspired by students’ stories of the constant pressures to achieve a top rank in every part of their lives to get ahead...
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Kevin Hines- Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Jumper Saved by a Sea Lion Becomes Inspirational Storyteller and Filmmaker with Message of Hope and Resilience
Dear Family,
Kevin Hines is a storyteller, best-selling author, global public speaker, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. In the Year 2000, Kevin threw himself off the Golden Gate Bridge in an attempt to end his life. He needed his immense mental pain to end but regretted his decision the moment he jumped. Many factors contributed to his miraculous survival including a sea lion who kept him afloat until the Coast Guard arrived and an amazing team of doctors. Kevin now travels the world sharing his story of hope, healing, and recovery while teaching people of all ages the art of wellness and the...
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Dr. Ran Anbar- Pediatric Pulmonologist Addresses Health Challenges with Hypnosis
Dear Family,
Dr. Ran Anbar is a pediatrician board certified in pulmonology who offers hypnosis and counseling services in La Jolla, California, and Syracuse, New York. He’s past president, fellow, and approved consultant of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. He’s here today to discuss the power of hypnosis, which has long been looked upon with confusion and skepticism. He shines a light on this underutilized field of medicine and why it should be the first line of defense before medication for mental health symptoms. With 25 years of experience, Dr. Anbar is a leader in clinical hypnosis who...
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The Dear Family, Wellness Graduate School- 100 Podcasts Later- 40 Wellness Universal Truths
Dear Family,
Three years ago, I was nervous to put myself out so publicly with a brand new mental health podcast about family and secrets. I didn’t know where it would take me or if anyone would listen or even care. All I knew was I wanted to cut generational trauma from family mental illness, I had a story to tell, and I wanted to hear others’ stories. I never predicted a disruptive worldwide pandemic would shine a blinding spotlight on the priority of taking care of our families' wellness. 100 episodes later, I learned more than I ever could imagine in what I’m calling the Dear Family Wellness...
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Chris and Erik Ewers- Brothers/Co-Directors on Ken Burns Documentary about the Youth Public Mental Health Crisis
Dear Family,
Erik and Chris Ewers are brothers and co-directors on a new Ken Burns PBS documentary, “Hiding in Plain Sight.” The two-part, four-hour film is about the mental health crisis our youth are facing. It follows the journeys of more than 20 young Americans from all over the country and all walks of life. The first-person accounts show the seemingly insurmountable obstacles faced by those who live with mental disorders. Erik Ewers, an Emmy Award-winning editor has worked with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns for more than 30 years, including nearly all of his single and...
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Julian Sarafian- Harvard Law-Educated TikToker Redefines Success After his Mental and Physical Breakdowns
Dear Family,
Julian Sarafian was valedictorian and attended UC Berkeley at 17. He got an internship at The White House at 19 and at 20, was accepted at NYU Law before transferring to Harvard Law School. His high achievements and California license allowed him to practice law at what he thought was his dream job, something he’d worked his entire life for. But his mental health had other plans. His social anxiety and the intense stress from a high pressure work environment led to panic attacks and hyperventilating. His mental health also manifested into physical ailments, specifically...
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Tembi Locke- Food, Family, and Cooking From Scratch after Loss and Grief
Dear Family,
Tembi Locke is an actor, an author, a screenwriter, and a producer who really knows how to connect with her audience. Her New York Times bestselling book, From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home was Reese Witherspoon’s 2019 Book Club pick. Reese loved it so much, she’s executive producing the adaptation for a Netflix series where Zoe Saldana will star as Tembi. Tembi’s memoir, From Scratch, is a sweeping, autobiographical romance that follows an American woman as she falls in love with a Sicilian man while studying abroad in Italy and then builds a life with him in...
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Dr. Jonathan Goldfinger- Nationally Recognized Pediatrician on the Need For and Right To Mental Health Care
Dear Family,
Dr. Jonathan Goldfinger is a nationally recognized pediatrician and an advocate for mental health services for children and families, including in minority and low-income communities. His inclusive approach to health equity and policy has transformed countless lives. He joined Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, an 80-year organization, as the CEO just months after the pandemic began in June 2020. Didi Hirsch is a national leader offering free mental health, substance use disorder, and suicide prevention services. They’re pioneers in specialized therapy and support groups for children,...
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Jeanette Yoffe- From Foster Care to Adoption to Trauma-Informed Therapist Jeanette-ically Speaking
Dear Family,
Jeanette Yoffe believes family is so much more than our blood relations. Her strong desire to become a trauma-informed psychotherapist with a special focus on adopted and foster care issues began with her own experiences of moving through the foster care system and being adopted. Jeanette lived with her birth family for the first year of her life until she was put into foster care due to her mother’s schizophrenia. Her father was not willing to take care of his two young children and when he later had a new family, he never told them about his previous children, continuing the cycle of...
info_outlineMikkel Bondesen is a real-life superhuman. He’s an ironman, triathlete and extreme mountain biker. He’s also the CEO of Fuse Entertainment; a successful Management/Production company, located in Hollywood with a client list comprised of A-list writers and producers. Originally from Denmark, Mikkel is a world traveler and an impeccable dresser with a great sense of style. He has an adoring and beautiful wife, two awesome teenage sons and the cutest French bulldog you’ve ever seen. If you are lucky enough to be invited to his gorgeous mid-century modern home, you will experience some of the best sunsets and views of Los Angeles. Mikkel is also an adjunct professor at USC and is the founder of The Young Storytellers Program, a nonprofit inspiring creativity in children through the art of storytelling. Mikkel jumps out of airplanes but still suffered a massive panic attack in the open ocean. To the outside world Mikkel is Superman, a man of steel, but an invisible illness, his kryptonite is the anxiety and panic attacks he has experienced which go hand in hand with depression.
Mikkel's Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mbondesen/
Fuse Entertainment:
Young Storytellers Program
https://www.youngstorytellers.com/programs/
Dare Response, the book by Barry McDonagh
Dear Family, the Podcast Page
https://writenowrachel.com/podcast/