Benjamin King- Listening to his Gut and not Allowing Crohn's Disease to Take Center Stage
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_outlineBenjamin King is an actor, writer, and director who began his career in college when he was cast in Saved By the Bell while getting his bachelor of fine arts at UC Santa Barbara. He went on to land roles on ER, Lethal Weapon, Six Feet Under, Weeds, Grey’s Anatomy, and thirty plus TV shows and films. For the younger crowd, he’s best known as Disney Channel’s Pete Rooney, the basketball coach, and father of Liv and Maddie.
Besides being a real-life father to two beautiful daughters, a devoted husband and a dog lover, Benjamin is also an IBD patient. He was diagnosed with proctitis when he was 15 years old and ten years later he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. In 2009, after having an ileostomy for six months, Benjamin's diagnosis was changed to Crohn’s disease. He thanks his awesome wife, Laura, for taking her vows “in sickness and in health” to heart as they navigate the trials and tribulations of dealing with the ups and downs of his disease.
People tell him all the time how he looks great, but they forget IBD is an invisible illness, just like mental illness. He mentors kids and adults who follow in his shoes, working hard to rid the stigma and the shame of an illness people are often embarrassed to discuss. Anyone who is lucky enough to know Benjamin King is grateful he is out in front, on stage, and in life, cracking us all up as he helps us find the humor and the beauty before us.
Benjamin King on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SirBenjaminKing
Benjamin King on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/sirbenjamin213/
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation:
https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/
The Ungame:
https://www.amazon.com/Alive-Kicking-Rolf-yorkey-Benirschke/dp/1885553404
Dear Family, the Podcast Page
https://writenowrachel.com/podcast/