45. Annie Slease | Mental Health Literacy and the Power of Language
Release Date: 10/16/2025
53. Ron Ivey | What We're Losing to Social AI - Part 1
This Helps with Marlon Morgan
Ron Ivey is a researcher and advisor working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, human flourishing, and social connection. He is the founder of Noēsis Collaborative, where he works with policymakers, technologists, and researchers to ask how technology can truly support human well-being. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Ron joins Marlon to outline the current landscape. Together, they explore social AI, loneliness, and de-skilling, setting the stage for Part 2, our season finale, focused on meaningful solutions and the path forward. Learn more about Ron Ivey and Noēsis...
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52. Chris Gethard & Gary Gulman | Healing Through Humor, Destigmatizing Mental Illness
This Helps with Marlon Morgan
In one of our earliest episodes, Chris Gethard and Gary Gulman, two hilarious and talented comedians, actors, and authors, sat down with Marlon to discuss what life has been like since the release of their own critically acclaimed HBO Original Comedy Specials, each of which dives deeply into their personal mental health journeys. We’re revisiting this conversation at a moment when the world could really use some funny people being honest, thoughtful, and human about what it actually takes to keep going. Catch Gary and Chris on the road: Check out their latest books mentioned in the...
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51. Chris Duffy | Why You Should Take Humor Seriously
This Helps with Marlon Morgan
Chris Duffy is a comedian, the host of TED’s How to Be a Better Human podcast, and the author of the brand-new book Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy. Chris joins Marlon for a funny, thoughtful conversation about how humor helps us build genuine human connection, especially in moments of stress, distraction, and uncertainty. Chris shares why laughter lowers our defenses, opens us up to others, and can be a powerful way back to ourselves. Keep up with Chris Duffy: Check out Pick up 🔗 Stay connected with the podcast! Instagram: For...
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50. New Year, Who Dis?
This Helps with Marlon Morgan
To close out the year, we’re looking back on some of the conversations that shaped This Helps in 2025. This episode is a highlight reel of moments, ideas, and voices that stayed with us: conversations about connection, vulnerability, grief, hope, power, and what actually helps us, day to day. This is not a definitive list, and it’s definitely not a ranking. We had so many meaningful conversations this year, and we loved every one of them. What you’ll hear in this episode is just a snapshot, a cross-section of the themes, questions, and voices that capture the spirit of what this show has...
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49. Dr. Vasan and Dr. Djordjevic | AI’s Impact on Human Well-Being
This Helps with Marlon Morgan
Marlon sits down with Dr. Nina Vasan and Dr. Darja Djordjevic from Stanford’s Brainstorm Lab to talk about the experiences that shaped their careers and the research they’re doing now. We talk about how AI is reshaping mental health, relationships, and daily life. They walk us through their recent Common Sense Media study on how young people turn to chatbots for support, and they share clear, practical ways to stay grounded and connected in our rapidly changing world. Read the Common Sense Media study: Learn more about 🔗 Stay connected with the podcast! Instagram: For...
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48. Dr. John B. King Jr. | How Teachers Save Lives
This Helps with Marlon Morgan
In this live episode, Marlon is joined on stage at the Wellness Together Conference by Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY) and 10th U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. John B. King Jr. for part two of the conversation they started earlier this year. Dr. King shares the story of the teacher who helped save his life, and what it was like to reconnect with the family who enslaved his ancestors. They talk about the threats facing public education and school-based mental health right now, and what it actually looks like to help students feel safe enough to learn. ! Purchase 🔗...
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47: Larissa May | You Can't Change the World With Fear
This Helps with Marlon Morgan
This week, Marlon sits down with digital wellness pioneer Larissa May, AKA Larz, founder of #HalfTheStory and co-founder of Ginko. Together they explore how social media shapes our sense of self, why fear never creates lasting change, and how hope, integrity, and connection can. From the loneliness of early internet adolescence to her work shaping policy and curriculum for students around the world, Larz shares what she’s learned about turning pain into purpose, using technology with intention, and building community in a culture that profits from distraction. Learn more about...
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46. Rainn Wilson | Meaning, Meat Suits, and the Myth of Fame
This Helps with Marlon Morgan
This week, Marlon sits down with actor, author, and Soul Boom host Rainn Wilson for a live conversation about spirituality, purpose, and the search for meaning in a culture obsessed with fame. They get into what The Office has taught people about connection and comfort, why consumer spirituality can’t fill a spiritual void, and how community, humility, and humor help us build lives that matter. Rainn opens up about fame, faith, and the difference between being adored and being known, and why living “in your spirit” might be the real antidote to burnout and loneliness. Watch Rainn's...
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45. Annie Slease | Mental Health Literacy and the Power of Language
This Helps with Marlon Morgan
Annie Slease is the Cofounder and CEO of the Mental Health Literacy Collaborative. She joins This Helps to share her journey from teaching English and directing musicals to becoming a national advocate for mental health education. She opens up about her family’s experiences, her own late-in-life diagnosis, and how writing helped her move through stigma toward connection. Together, we talk about making prevention exciting, how language shapes stigma, and the movement to make mental health literacy part of every school curriculum. Learn more about the Mental Health Literacy Collaborative: ...
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44. Dr. Jeff Hall & Dr. Andy Merolla | The Calories of Connection: Feeding Your Social Biome
This Helps with Marlon Morgan
This week Marlon sits down with Dr. Jeff Hall and Dr. Andy Merolla, authors of The Social Biome. Jeff is a professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas, and Andy is a professor of communication at UC Santa Barbara. Together, they explore what it takes to build and sustain the connections that keep us thriving. They talk about why relationships are as essential to our health as food and exercise, the idea of “social calories” and how different kinds of conversations nourish us in different ways, the complicated nuance of social media, why one close connection can...
info_outlineAnnie Slease is the Cofounder and CEO of the Mental Health Literacy Collaborative. She joins This Helps to share her journey from teaching English and directing musicals to becoming a national advocate for mental health education. She opens up about her family’s experiences, her own late-in-life diagnosis, and how writing helped her move through stigma toward connection. Together, we talk about making prevention exciting, how language shapes stigma, and the movement to make mental health literacy part of every school curriculum.
Learn more about the Mental Health Literacy Collaborative: https://www.themhlc.org/
🎥 Watch Annie's episode of This Helps YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thishelpspodcast!
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📓 FREE online mental health training at our Wellness Education Lab. WELLNESS EDUCATION LAB™ (WEL) is practical and empowering online mental health training. Each module offers three different versions for three unique audiences: students (13+), parents/guardians, and educators/school staff. Parents/guardians modules are also available in Spanish.
⛵️ Wellness Together is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation providing mental health services for students (K-12 and University), families, and educators on campus and online. Our mission is to deliver mental health support & programming to advance mental health awareness, advocacy, and access for everyone.
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