Fridays 10:00am - 11:00am (EDT)
WHAT WILL THE AUDIENCE LEARN?
1 in 5 people are living with mental illness. The other 4 are family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. When someone you care about develops a mental health condition, it can be difficult to know how to support them while also taking care of yourself. This episode will dive into issues for people living with mental illness but also pay close attention to loved ones that surround them and how they can support themselves and the people they care about. This episode will also go over NAMI-NYC's programs including our support groups, classes, Helpline, and advocacy work.
EPISODE SUMMARY:
For over 40 years, the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City has offered life-changing support, education, and advocacy to families and individuals affected by mental illness. NAMI-NYC's services are free of charge and accessible to anyone who needs them.
Website: www.naminyc.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NAMINYCMetro
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naminyc_metro/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naminycmetro/
Tune in for this sensible conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.
Tommy D and Matt Kunish discuss mental health and May which is mental health awareness month. Matt Kunish is a social worker. He shares his story and why he is passionate for social work. Matt discusses his passion for working with older adults and how working with adolescents did not work for him.
Matt discusses how he made the transition from social work to non-profit work. He discusses how he became a leader in the current organization he works for NAMI NYC. He talks about the goals of the organization and how they plan to reach those goals. He reflects on how the pandemic changed the organization. The organization had never done anything online before the pandemic hit.
Matt begins the segment by shouting out the helpline number and the crisis hotline number. Everything this organization does is free of charge. Matt discusses how to talk to people with mental illness and the support groups that are made for people seeking help. He discusses the importance of family support.
The two discuss the stigma around mental illness and how people can break that stigma. He talks about how the public needs to create a safe space to allow people who suffer from mental health illnesses to feel safe. Matt shouts out the website www.naminyc.org. He also gives some ways in which people can volunteer and get involved in the organization. He shouts out some events that are being organized by the organization.
00:00:40.330 --> 00:00:55.770 Tommy DiMisa: It's your boy. It's your boy, the nonprofit sector connector. 2 flights up from the kitchen. I just left the big old mug of coffee, but somebody is going to bring it up to me in a little while, but because the coffee pot wasn't ready, the show is called philanthropy and focus. And I'm telling you about coffee.
00:00:55.860 --> 00:01:07.389 Tommy DiMisa: This show is my mission is my journey. It is my journey to give back to support, to shine a light on the nonprofit sector that does incredible work. That does very important work.
00:01:07.530 --> 00:01:17.519 Tommy DiMisa: And I would argue, I'm not a big argue. But if you want to argue. I would argue with you that if it wasn't for the nonprofit sector doing this work that I'm talking about, and that we're shining a light on.
00:01:17.570 --> 00:01:19.429 Tommy DiMisa: Well, then, the work doesn't get done.
00:01:19.450 --> 00:01:33.470 Tommy DiMisa: The people don't get the support they need. Second, ever episode of this show is called what what Dr. Larry Grubler was on the show wasn't called. I don't know what it was called the Dr. Larry Grubler from transitional services from New York. Tsi. And why was on my show, and he said to me, You know what
00:01:33.590 --> 00:01:35.390 Tommy DiMisa: we all need support
00:01:35.580 --> 00:02:02.470 Tommy DiMisa: at different times, and I think that's very critical to bring up right now, because we're going to be talking about mental health today. It is mental health awareness month. And my guess, Matt Kudish is here from the National alliance on mental illness, Matt, before we get even into anything I want to say. Good morning, good afternoon, and good night. How are you? What's going on, sir, the morning. I'm good mental health. Month is the the busiest, but also the that month of the year, although I will say
00:02:02.470 --> 00:02:25.159 Tommy DiMisa: we can talk and should talk about mental health the other 11 months of the year. we just talk about it. We talk about it a lot in May. Well, if you want. I mean, we can, you know, show once a month, I mean, we'll talk about. Let's get through one, Tommy before he sees it did. Matt might now ever want to come back. I got a call out, it is Memorial Day, and I'm reading this right off of the Inter web.
00:02:25.240 --> 00:02:52.720 Tommy DiMisa: Memorial Day is a day. It is Memorial Day, weekend. Monday is Memorial Day. It is day in which we we recognize those who have died in active military service. We remember these individuals, and it was traditionally observed on the thirtieth of May. But now it's always on a Monday in May. And it's the it's as well as the recognition for the obvious purposes. For those who have who are paid the the ultimate sacrifice for this country and for freedom.
00:02:52.720 --> 00:03:04.980 Tommy DiMisa: It's also a. It feels like the beginning of summer, which maybe that's the funny, funny Matt and I talked earlier this week, and you seen some of the other shows, I do. And I often have a shirt and tie on gang. If you're only listening to this podcast land.
00:03:04.980 --> 00:03:24.989 Tommy DiMisa: i'm, not sure what kind of flowers they are, but they're orange and ready. It's a nice Hawaiian shirt. If you, if you're only listening to it, you should go check out the Facebook or check this out in Youtube, because then you could see the shirt. I love a nice Hawaiian shirt. I like to. I don't. I don't really like to blend all that well, I like to stand out a bit, and if you pay attention to me, or pay attention to this show.
00:03:24.990 --> 00:03:41.020 Tommy DiMisa: you would know that by now. But back to the thing I was saying about Dr. Grubler, that you know I sit on the Advisory Board for Tsi, and why they serve 4,000 individuals with mental health issues. I was just at their lunch in last week.
00:03:41.050 --> 00:04:00.480 Tommy DiMisa: My! My raffle basket game is strong. I won 3 baskets that day. So so, Matt, if you have a galler or something coming off, I'm nasty when it comes to buying the right tickets. I think my biggest secret is I buy the most tickets, so I got a best chance of winning to the sugar of some people in my house when I keep coming more and more basket.
00:04:00.500 --> 00:04:02.559 Tommy DiMisa: But I I want people to know
00:04:02.950 --> 00:04:32.720 Tommy DiMisa: when I got into this work, nonprofit wise, and there was really 2 things that drew me the most. It was the conversation around how we work with and support individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities. And it was how the heck are we going to end this stigma around the mental health or mental illness. Conversation. It's become something that I traditionally daily get up on a soapbox and rant and rave about, and I talk about sometimes, not in too much depth.
00:04:32.760 --> 00:04:45.919 Tommy DiMisa: but my own stuff that I work through. You know my own new diagnosis with Adhd, which challenges a lot of what you know you ever been to Grand Central Station, everybody for those of you in New York, and you know the Board when they change it.
00:04:46.820 --> 00:05:09.659 Tommy DiMisa: That's what it's sometimes it's like in a head in the brain of somebody with a beautiful brain with Adhd. That's a challenge, man, let me tell you. I always joke Matt. I say, you know, I just found out I had Adhd. I was the last one to find out, because you tell people? Yeah, we knew that for the last 45 years we would. You know, somebody should have told you that that tracks right, exactly. But I I put it out there because
00:05:09.930 --> 00:05:35.549 Tommy DiMisa: it's real, and I put out that I have my own mental health challenges, and I know people very close to me who have some challenges, some serious and some not as serious. But the point of the matter is, we all need support. And I was listening to something sort of a meditation this morning. and Youtube is great at giving you other things that you're looking for. So I end up in this sort of the rabbit hole of of of Youtube. Search. Certainly very early this morning around 6 Am.
00:05:35.550 --> 00:05:40.630 Tommy DiMisa: And it was talking about the oneness of all of us that we really are one people.
00:05:40.630 --> 00:05:45.559 Tommy DiMisa: one group, one entity. And if we can remember that and stop being so.
00:05:46.010 --> 00:06:05.530 Tommy DiMisa: I don't know, obnoxious to each other, and just find the love and find a compassion and hug people. You know, Matt, I was out recently, and it was like, Oh, my God, it's so great! People are hugging in. I remember we were like, no, I have a mask. I can't touch anybody. I have to sanitize my my produce, and now we're back to a point when we have that, because I believe we all are one. I feel myself ranting.
00:06:06.120 --> 00:06:35.049 Tommy DiMisa: but I must say I believe that the statistics say that one in 5 people you meet is experiencing mental health issue or having a challenge. I. We feature this conversation on the show before, and I will say this. And Matt and I talked about this the other day. If it's one in 5, those are the 4 people are connected to someone who's experiencing these challenges, these issues, and we need to find ways to. I said it this way, Matt, I. And then we're going to introduce you and get into this conversation by saying all the time.
00:06:35.750 --> 00:06:43.939 Tommy DiMisa: if I leave the attic this afternoon, and I would hate for this to happen on a Memorial Day weekend. But if I leave the haddock this afternoon and I trip and I twist my ankle.
00:06:44.890 --> 00:06:52.400 Tommy DiMisa: maybe I'll get it. Somebody give me the business and say, watch where you're walking. I'll get a hard time a little bit for my boys, my my family, whatever. But at the end of the day
00:06:52.650 --> 00:07:20.249 Tommy DiMisa: I can go to the emergency room, the emergency department, and not there's no stigma attached to that. However, unfortunately, the way we address the conversation around mental health is not the same way we address the conversation around physical health. So why don't we? Just let's kick it off. There, let's CEO of the National Alliance on mental illness. Nyc. So now me Nyc. Matt kudish masters in social work. Let me look because I want to get back to where we talked about
00:07:20.250 --> 00:07:46.279 Tommy DiMisa: message in social work from Columbia University message and public administration from New York University. I will leave it there. I don't want to embarrass you anymore. We already talked about that before. Tell me, man, what brings you to this work? What brings you to social work? What is your catalyst? Is there a story? Was it a family thing. Tell us that, please, if you will. Yeah, yeah, sure. And thanks for having me, Tommy, I really appreciate the chance to do the show with you, and we'll talk a little more about
00:07:46.280 --> 00:08:07.739 Matt Kudish: what we do and and the work, and why it matters so much, and some of the things that you just touched on. I think we'll we'll cover more. And while we're talking. But to start sort of at the beginning. I was both work with a change for me, a career change. And I was really interested in finding something where I could give back and really feel good. At the end of the day.
00:08:07.740 --> 00:08:20.149 Matt Kudish: and I started to kind of reflect on what I might, what that might look like, what that might be, and I realized that. I thought I wanted to make a difference in the lives of young people who were dealing with their sexuality.
00:08:20.300 --> 00:08:22.120 So adolescents to.
00:08:22.230 --> 00:08:49.359 Matt Kudish: We're having questions about the sexuality. Who? maybe we're. We're realizing that they were Lgbtq and didn't know what to do about it, because for me, coming out was a really kind of complicated process as it is for so many people, and I thought I could make a difference in the lives of these these young people, and I started to look at a pathway to do that. So what are the different ways that I could actually get to do that kind of work
00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:53.749 Matt Kudish: and found social work as as a really great
00:08:53.830 --> 00:09:10.489 Matt Kudish: path, or that work. And so I enrolled as I applied and enrolled in social work school explicitly do work with adolescent sweaters, with their sexuality, and normally in social work, and your first year internship, they give you the opposite
00:09:10.490 --> 00:09:24.250 Matt Kudish: population and setting that you want to do, because they want you to be well rounded and not to sort of get some diversity right like you. You just pigeon holding yourself. You know exactly what it is. I kind of show you the world.
00:09:24.250 --> 00:09:31.240 Matt Kudish: and I don't know why, but I actually ended up in a team center in the Bronx, that an organization
00:09:31.450 --> 00:09:54.860 Matt Kudish: called Kings for Tight Community Center. I was in their team center and it was really interesting and challenging work. And I learned that time, including that I I don't want to work with adolescents. So wait, wait, hold on. So typically they send you to something that is different from what you might think, or an individual who's going through this world might think they want to do you end up.
00:09:54.860 --> 00:10:05.719 Matt Kudish: It's pretty close to what you the work you might end up doing. And you realize I don't want to do that work.
00:10:05.900 --> 00:10:10.680 Matt Kudish: Excuse me, go into social work wanting to work with children and families, children, youth and families.
00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:38.460 Tommy DiMisa: And I'm so grateful because I realize it's it's not where I where I connect. Let me say this, Matt. I'm currently with my wife, who just brought me this big old cup of coffee. She brought me to the same thing. It says, ask me about my dad jokes. That's the and the new coffee one. But I I bring that up because we're raising for children. one of them is a teenager, and the others are certainly on their way. Another one's pretty close.
00:10:38.560 --> 00:10:46.030 Tommy DiMisa: And yeah, I could understand why that would be not exactly the work you've got to do.
00:10:46.170 --> 00:11:09.620 Matt Kudish: It's very, very, very challenging. but but what was great is that, you know? Fortunately, I'm kind of a when one door closes a bunch of others open. And I because that was early in my 2 year master program And so I thought, All right, well, I'm gonna I'm gonna you know, continue to learn and and participate in the program. Then we'll see where I land. So when I graduated.
00:11:09.620 --> 00:11:32.150 Matt Kudish: I just started applying for jobs that sounded really interesting, and they were all over the map. They were all different populations, different settings, different kinds of work, and where I landed was at a nonprofit organization in Brooklyn at the time called Park Slope Geriatric Day Center. It's now called the New York Memory Center, and they provide
00:11:32.580 --> 00:11:37.980 Matt Kudish: programs for older adults who are either physically frail or cognitively impaired.
00:11:38.030 --> 00:11:57.369 Matt Kudish: and they had a program for caregivers of older adults. And I became a social worker in that program for caregivers of older adults, and I fell in love with that work. I fell in love with older adults. I fell in love with caregiving as an issue which back in 2,005.
00:11:57.420 --> 00:12:13.179 Matt Kudish: what's not really kind of recognized in in the way that it is. Now, I think there's still some definition of terms issues with caregiver. We don't. I'm not a caregiver. I'm a son. I'm not a caregiver. I'm a partner ourselves. But helping people.
00:12:13.270 --> 00:12:26.730 Matt Kudish: First of all, older adults are really ignored, and in our society.
00:12:26.810 --> 00:12:30.990 Tommy DiMisa: And and I I hope we're making some advancements in that. But to me it's like
00:12:31.060 --> 00:12:51.710 Tommy DiMisa: in this particular, in our society, let's just call it say, the States. Our society, which is a big old paint brush. I'm painting an entire country with. But in my experience that's kind, that's what it is. We just these folks that they end up in, you know, left alone and and and cared for, maybe in some of the way, but but not not often
00:12:51.710 --> 00:13:05.640 Matt Kudish: revered, as in other societies. There's reference. Well, and I'll tell you. It's not just sort of an of of the people issue. Our government doesn't much care about older adult. When you look at the the mayors
00:13:05.640 --> 00:13:21.339 Matt Kudish: budget You know the department for the aging. He doesn't talk about seniors. that it? It's a sector that is largely ignored both by human beings. Each of us sort of on the street, but also by the systems that we're we're relying on.
00:13:21.810 --> 00:13:51.159 Matt Kudish: Well, I I mean. But again, don't we have to assume that those 2 things are interrelated, because if the people were pissed off and off about that, the seniors weren't being cared for, then we can go to our legislators and the people who run these cities. And yeah, you know what I mean. Not just so, it's both right. But it's the same. Yeah. But the same people who are running cities are the same people who might not care about grandma, you know. So in their own. And I, you know you say, grandma, I think people think Oh, you know, why do you want to be working with older adults?
00:13:51.160 --> 00:13:54.769 Matt Kudish: I think the beauty of working with those results. It's it's really complicated
00:13:54.770 --> 00:14:21.389 Matt Kudish: work. So they're they're physically changing. They're losing capacity to do different physical things. They may be developing cognitive impairment like Alzheimer's or dementa they're experiencing tons of loss in their lives. Maybe their adult children are dying before them or their spouses or their friends. They're isolated. They're lonely. They're living alone. So the work is so it's so complex, and there's so much opportunity to really have a positive impact on their lives that
00:14:21.390 --> 00:14:50.269 Tommy DiMisa: I just fell in love with it. I I loved it. And the caregiver piece. Yeah, as well. I want to say some. We're going to go to wait a second with that caregiver thing we have my friend Lisa Lewin from Nancy's house. She's been on the program. I saw her yesterday because I do a a nonprofit leadership roundtable once a month, and Nancy's house is all about caregivers. It's all about focusing on the caregiver giving the caregiver reprieve, and I remember what I would say I said it probably 4 times on that program that day. But
00:14:50.390 --> 00:15:16.169 Tommy DiMisa: self care is not selfish. We must, and I don't want to be cliche and say, you got to put on your oxygen mask first, although I think you should. you know. But I'm a dad. A mom might not feel the same way. But as a dad, I believe you got to put your oxygen mask on first, because I'm no good for anybody else. If I'm no good for me. So that's something to consider. We can talk maybe more about that while there's so much we, you know. I know this goes into your role at at.
00:15:16.170 --> 00:15:30.200 Tommy DiMisa: not me and the leadership you do there. But I love the stories because it it connects us to just not only the organization, but to you, Matt, as a leader of the organization. So we will be right back. We're going to take a quick break, philanthropy and focus.
00:15:33.580 --> 00:15:53.090 Are you a business owner. Do you want to be a business owner? Do you work with business owners? Hi, I'm Steven, Fry your small and medium-sized business, or Smb, Guy, and I'm the host of the new show. Always Friday, while I love to have fun on my show. We take those Friday feelings of freedom and clarity to discuss popular topics on the minds of SMS today.
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00:16:37.380 --> 00:17:05.649 are you on edge, hey? We live in challenging edgy time. So let's lean in. I'm Sandra Bardman, the host of the edge of every day, which airs each Monday at 7 P. M. Eastern time on talk, radio, and Nyc. Tune in live with me and my friends and colleagues, as we share stories of perspectives about pushing boundaries and exploring our rough edges. That's the edge of every day on Mondays, at 7 P. M. Easter time on talk, radio and Nyc.
00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:06.940 Christian.
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00:17:27.990 --> 00:17:29.640 www.TalkRadio.nyc: Now, I'm
00:17:30.220 --> 00:17:39.559 nature good to to Tommy in his
00:17:40.570 --> 00:18:06.720 Tommy DiMisa: you've ever plugged in. You've heard that song before. If you have a plugin to show that it's my uncle, Brendan Levy, it's not really my uncle, but I love him, my family. We don't look anything like. So I say, Uncle Brendan Levy, he's over at the Queen's Chamber commerce just about 2 weeks ago. He's banned the goods. Excuse me, they used to be called the goods damaged goods because we're older men now. they were playing at Bourbon Street and Bayside Queens, and would raise a few bucks for Tsi. And why that night, and really, just to get the word out again. It was earlier in this month.
00:18:06.770 --> 00:18:36.769 Tommy DiMisa: Mental health, awareness, month, 40 years. The National alliance on mental illness of New York City has been providing life, changing support, education, and advocacy to families and individuals affected by mental illness. Today Nami Nyc's CEO Matt Kudish is with me on the show, Poland for a peeing focus sound like Willy Wonka Matt. Let's get right back into it. You you were drawn to it. Make a career change. Social work, was the way that it was going to be.
00:18:36.800 --> 00:18:45.720 Tommy DiMisa: You connect with the senior community, and you realize how much variety there is and how how complex the work was. Let's take it right back there.
00:18:45.800 --> 00:19:06.770 Matt Kudish: Yeah, yeah. So I think the work with seniors is really fraught and complicated. And and the work with caregivers is is just as difficult, whether you're also a senior in the case of taking care of a partner or a spouse, or maybe a sibling or a good friend, and in many cases you are dealing with the same issues.
00:19:06.770 --> 00:19:18.049 Matt Kudish: And in other cases, very often, you're an adult child for an aging parent, and that comes with its own challenges and and issues and frustrations. And I think
00:19:18.110 --> 00:19:42.030 Matt Kudish: what we saw a lot at parts of the day center in New York memory center and aging in general is Many older adults develop dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease or other kinds of cognitive impairments. And that's even more complicated both for the person and just just as much for the individual. So after
00:19:42.030 --> 00:19:54.750 Matt Kudish: my year's working at at E. Sgdc. And then I did a sent as the director of senior services at Nicarbaker Village, north. I moved over to the All.
00:19:54.790 --> 00:19:58.069 Matt Kudish: Oh, you did. Okay. I didn't know that. Okay.
00:20:00.900 --> 00:20:10.180 Matt Kudish: And my time at the Often Association was was really exciting, because I I was able to own it and and really become an expert in one
00:20:10.230 --> 00:20:33.320 Matt Kudish: specific issue area, and I worked at the All Time Association for 10 years, and during that time I took on more responsibility and over time became a a member of the senior leadership team. And when that happened I started to expand my focus from direct service and social work and program development and design and implementation.
00:20:33.320 --> 00:20:59.200 Matt Kudish: I started to learn more about fundraising and operations, and working with the board of directors and marketing and communications, and all the other aspects of nonprofit work and nonprofit leadership. And I got really excited about that. And I said, I want to run a nonprofit. And so back. When I went back to school I was working full time, and I was in school full time, which I don't recommend. People do
00:20:59.380 --> 00:21:27.140 Tommy DiMisa: But that's when I went back and got my masters in public administration, and it was about the time that that program was ending when I was approached by the search firm that was looking for the new leader of naming New York City. No kidding. Okay? So I I just want to make a couple of quick shout out Tory Cohen over at Long Island, and these
00:21:27.140 --> 00:21:31.090 Alzheimer's names get confused in my own head, so I want to make sure I
00:21:31.090 --> 00:21:42.740 Tommy DiMisa: I get it right. Lauren is a CEO over at Alzheimer's Disease Resource Center here on Long Island. So, Matt, I got some connections in in that world as well. I. Wanna so
00:21:43.500 --> 00:21:45.719 Tommy DiMisa: did you think that you would end up
00:21:45.740 --> 00:22:13.999 Tommy DiMisa: what? When you were going originally back to kind of change in direction? Did you think it end up in a leadership role? Or did you think you would stay in that direct car space? Because now you know, it sounds like you get you come out with the public administration degree and and and his search firm is looking. And then you're in the role. So where were you with that? That for other people who might want to be in nonprofit work to say, some people may want to be at the top. Some people not.
00:22:14.120 --> 00:22:37.929 Matt Kudish: I knew that I wanted to take on more and more responsibility because I'm pretty driven in that way. I don't know that earlier in a social career I knew that I would want to run an organization, but I will. I have to give a shout out to Marianne Nicolosi, who is the executive director of Parks of Teriatric Day Center when I started as the the social worker and the caregiver program, because so I was
00:22:38.250 --> 00:23:06.430 Matt Kudish: 2,005. I was almost I was 30. I was 29 or 30 when I graduated with my masters in software, and I have worked in a lot of different organizations and for companies and and sectors before. So I came close to work having a a fair amount of work experience, and about 4 months after I started as a social or in the department. The director of the program left the organization and I went to Marianne and said, I want that job.
00:23:06.500 --> 00:23:20.700 Matt Kudish: And 4 months in. She took a chance on me and hired me, and that, becoming a director, changed the trajectory of my software career because it's very hard if you're not a position at a level.
00:23:20.700 --> 00:23:45.010 Matt Kudish: It gets to that level very. It's easy for a director to get another director job. It's hard for a coordinator or a manager to get that director job. So, Marianne, taking that chance on me, really, I believe, change the trajectory of my career. So let me go in a different direction, because, you know, we can move right, pass it. But I'd rather not move right past it, Marianne. You say she took a chance. How has that informed your leadership style
00:23:45.030 --> 00:24:10.330 Matt Kudish: to when you see somebody. And you see this this seed of ability, you know, and you see that they might be maybe a little too green. But maybe we gotta take a shot. Talk to us about that a little bit
00:24:10.330 --> 00:24:23.449 Matt Kudish: that we have. It's not, you know, program supplies. It's not the food we serve it. It's the human being to work. Do the work. I really think it's important that we take chances on on people. Give people a chance.
00:24:23.590 --> 00:24:40.510 Matt Kudish: It's not on that person, only it's on us an organization, and the manager to set that person up for a success. So you don't just sort of throw something at the wall and see if it's St. You. You take calculated risk, and with directly investment the person may be able to really fly.
00:24:40.510 --> 00:24:54.079 Tommy DiMisa: Well, you're stretching people, too, though it's what I'm hearing, you know. They may not be there. Maybe they haven't hit all the cylinders yet. But okay, let's surround them and support them there. Otherwise we we can always just wait till someone's ready.
00:24:54.090 --> 00:25:15.010 Matt Kudish: like, because then we we might be waiting for effort. Right? Yeah, we have to kind of, you know. The mama bird gives the the baby bird a little push out of the nest, you know, and I think, after you take the chance on the person it's about communicating. So listen, we're going to offer you this role. We think that you can do it. We think you can grow
00:25:15.010 --> 00:25:29.550 Matt Kudish: into it. We also want to be really transparent about what we see as those areas or skills that you need to work on and develop. And we're going to invest in you. We're going to give you information and education so that you can develop those skills
00:25:29.550 --> 00:25:47.529 Tommy DiMisa: and and become the the leader or the the staff person, the program leader that that we think you can be, you know. I I'll tell you something. It it's ironic I've always been when I work for large companies. I've always been in sales, and I feel like you know, I haven't even called out some of what we do now, because
00:25:47.560 --> 00:26:16.349 Tommy DiMisa: let me just do this, and then we'll come right back to what I was going to say. So each month we decided, or I decided that we would align with an awareness month to the work our agency does. So. Vanguard benefits is our agency. when employ employed benefits agency, and we put out a lot of information each month relevant to the topic I'm going to talk about on my show. So there was a lot going on. So check us out, ving or benefits on all the social media. But specifically Linkedin is where I think you will really want to spend some time with us.
00:26:16.380 --> 00:26:24.809 Tommy DiMisa: so I'm one of the partners in that firm. But prior to that I work for larger companies, Matt, and the thing I was going to say there is always being in sales.
00:26:25.530 --> 00:26:49.310 Tommy DiMisa: If you were put on a pip, which is a you know, we see that in corporate the performance improvement plan. I never really. It was that was kind of your warning. You weren't going to work there in 30 or 60 days like that wasn't because it'd been to a point where now you're on that program. That was a way to let you know it was time to brush off the resume, at least in in, in my experience, in talking to people and working with people.
00:26:49.440 --> 00:27:13.269 Tommy DiMisa: I think, though in other professions, that actually is a thing where it is. A, that means that where it means, let's kind of get you on. You know, some programs. Let's get you on some developmental things. Let's get. Let's get you in a routine where maybe we bring a mentor in, or we get somebody to to really bring you the support you need. The education you need. Maybe it's outside sources, whatever it might be.
00:27:13.270 --> 00:27:26.490 Tommy DiMisa: I think that's what's coming up for me as I hear you talk about. You know, as I said, maybe somebody is not there just yet. But you're we're going to do the check-ins. We're going to be aware right? We're going to support. Maybe the the gaps or the areas of opportunity. Yeah.
00:27:26.530 --> 00:27:43.440 Matt Kudish: yeah. And I I gotta give a shout out to Lynette verges. Who's the Co. At Nami Nyc. Who has. I have really grown as a leader from having the opportunity to work with Lynette, and and she has really showed me and and
00:27:43.440 --> 00:27:57.019 Matt Kudish: shum like by just by who she is, in the way that she shows up at work, how important it is to have real conversations and and come curious, and not think you know why something's going away. It is, and
00:27:57.020 --> 00:28:13.999 Matt Kudish: and really be a a partner in in someone's development. We actually my senior team. We're just talking about performance appraisals and how none of it when you're doing your annual review with someone. None of it should be a surprise, because it's on the manager to be having conversations about what's going on, how things are working
00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:32.129 Matt Kudish: all the time. But I think what it really comes down to is a balance of compassion and accountability, and they can. You can hold them both. I think. I think that's really critical, especially as a mental health organization that's here led. So everyone at how many. And I see all the the employees
00:28:32.130 --> 00:28:55.120 Matt Kudish: every level of the organization, actually, from our participants to our volunteers, which on whom we rely very heavily to the staff members to the board. We all either live with mental health, challenges ourselves, or we are deeply involved in the life of someone who is, we are here led. We're not necessarily licensed mental health clinicians providing a particular kind of therapeutic intervention.
00:28:55.120 --> 00:28:57.139 Matt Kudish: Our programs are peer support.
00:28:57.140 --> 00:29:15.999 Matt Kudish: So the people, leaving our programs also live with mental health issues, or have have a family member or a friend who they they care deeply for who does? And so when we're when we're talking about how how mental health shows up in the workplace that balance between compassion and accountability, we gotta put our money where?
00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:27.490 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, it makes me reflect on a conversation I had recently with my friend Yolanda Rabono Gross, who's the CEO of options for community living out here on Long Island, just along the lines of, you know, during Covid.
00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:44.859 Tommy DiMisa: the Direct Care type workers were in the office when many of us were home in our addicts doing a new radio show. Other people were in in facilities, in group homes supporting those in need. And and the interesting thing, you know, that just came up in a conversation between Elon and I was just about, you know.
00:29:44.860 --> 00:29:59.010 Tommy DiMisa: there was a point where we need to check in on Staff's mental health issues. Those who may not be diagnosed with any sort of it just diagnosed with the diagnosis. They don't have a diagnosis, but they are human beings who are now going through this
00:29:59.310 --> 00:30:09.429 Tommy DiMisa: unprecedented challenge that we went through the last 3 years. And that's an interesting thing. It is just we must check in with our own staff. So from a leader to tell me about that in your world, too.
00:30:09.430 --> 00:30:32.120 Matt Kudish: Yeah. So as an organization that's peer-ed. When the pandemic happened, our call volume increased dramatically. As you can imagine, people were calling, wondering, well, how am I going to get my medication? What if I can't see my doctor, what if I haven't seen a doctor in a long time? And now this this is, it's activating symptoms, and I need a treatment theme, and I can't find anyone that we can to go outside. And I'm panicking and stressed out.
00:30:32.160 --> 00:30:43.279 Matt Kudish: So my my staff. They're the vessels for so many of these unresolvable, challenging, difficult, emotionally complicated issues.
00:30:43.280 --> 00:31:03.299 Tommy DiMisa: And now they're not only hearing all this from people, but they're thinking and wondering and worrying about many of the same things. But I mean, we're also here. Oh, you call? Oh, I'm worried about my medication. Oh, I didn't even think about that. How am I gonna get my medication? What do I? What am I going to do about my family member?
00:31:03.300 --> 00:31:26.289 Matt Kudish: So we we had to, and we also couldn't afford, and not meet this moment as a mental health organization in the midst of the pandemic which caused a mental or exacerbated and existing mental health crisis. I should say, how do we take care of our people while also ensuring that we take care of our community, and that you know those those challenges we set up a a Zoom Meeting
00:31:26.290 --> 00:31:54.580 Matt Kudish: every day at noon the entire that would get online, and we would just troubleshoot and figure out, how do we get our help line live in in a world where not everyone's coming to the office to answer the calls. How do we do support groups? We didn't do one thing virtually before the pandemic and and within, I would say 4 to 6 weeks. Every single program we offered in person live before the pandemic was available online, including pet therapy.
00:31:54.660 --> 00:32:18.439 Tommy DiMisa: Oh, okay, you know what that has to wait till we come back. But at therapy I got we got a new dog. His name is Cheeto. Shout out to Cheeto, everybody, and let's see if you are on Instagram, and you want to see Cheeto. Follow him at my Guy Cheeto, my guy, Cheeto ch et. I didn't know, Matt. You set me up on that one. I wasn't going to plug Cheeto's Instagram, but it just sort of happened with. We'll talk about that when we come back.
00:32:18.510 --> 00:32:44.480 Tommy DiMisa: I also want to see. Maybe we'll talk about the clubhouse setting if you're familiar. I have a client over in in Queens, and they also have space on Staten Island Venture House. So, mental health setting, maybe we get into that conversation. And obviously, you know the programs and what Nomi Nyc is really doing for the community. So we will be right back. It's Tommy D. Matt Kudish philanthropy and focus. Now, me, Nyc, the organization right back
00:32:46.420 --> 00:33:00.230 passionate about the conversation around racism. Hi, I'm Reverend Dr. Tlc. Host of the Dismantle Racism Show, which airs. Every Thursday at 11 A. M. Eastern on talk radio dot Nyc.
00:33:00.290 --> 00:33:12.809 Join me and my amazing guest as we discussed ways to uncover dismantle and eradicate racism. That's Thursdays at 110'clock A. M. On top radio and Nyc.
00:33:16.400 --> 00:33:43.519 You know, home school in world. You may have many unanswered questions regarding your health. Are you looking to live a healthier lifestyle? Do you have a desire to learn more about mental health and enhance your quality of life? Or do you just want to participate in self-understanding and awareness. I'm Frank R. Harrison, host of Frank about health, and each Thursday I will tackle these questions and work to enlighten you. Tune in every Thursday at 5 0 P. M. On talk radio, and Nyc. And I will be frank about help to advocate for all of us.
00:33:48.630 --> 00:34:12.439 Hey, everybody! It's Tommy deed and non-profit sector connector coming at you from my attic each week here on talk radio and Nyc, I hosted program a lambda game focused non-profits in cocktails each and every day, and it's my focus to help them amplify their message and tell their story. Listen. Each week at 10 A. M. Eastern standard time until 11 A. M. Is from standing time right here on talk radio, dot. Nyc.
00:34:13.780 --> 00:34:23.079 you're listening to talk radio and y seat at Www. Talk, radio and live. C. Now broadcasting 24 h a day.
00:34:30.230 --> 00:34:31.230 www.TalkRadio.nyc: Not
00:34:31.790 --> 00:34:41.159 you. Good time that you to do all this. Tommy in.
00:34:41.219 --> 00:35:00.869 Tommy DiMisa: That's why I cut through it. Static. Join me in the I mean, but don't physically show up my house. It's just like it's like a thing. Just join me in the attic and then come watch the show. You know what I mean, anyway. so real quick, Matt. Just call out because I I I'm taking notes while we're at break. We'll talk about, you know.
00:35:00.890 --> 00:35:13.320 Tommy DiMisa: support groups, classes help line and advocacy work things like that. Do me a favorite shout out if somebody is in need right now and needs supportive services, how can they contact the organization? Nomi, nyc, please.
00:35:13.380 --> 00:35:34.349 Matt Kudish: yeah, if you or someone you care about is living with a mental health challenge. I would encourage you to call our helpline, which is (212) 684-3264. Again. It's 21268432640ur helpline is a help line by design. It's not a hotline.
00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:38.890 Matt Kudish: so we're not who you call in crisis. If you should call 9, 8, 8,
00:35:38.900 --> 00:35:45.200 Matt Kudish: not 9, 1, 1, 9, 1 one is for emergencies. 9, 8 is for mental health support.
00:35:45.240 --> 00:36:10.540 Matt Kudish: They'll send out. They should send out a team of mental health, professional and ideally one day peers and an emp to help you with with whatever is going on. We're not who you calling a crisis. But we're who you call. If you need access to more meaningful education, more information. If you need to talk to somebody about what you're going through. The beauty of naming New York City.
00:36:10.770 --> 00:36:38.279 Matt Kudish: Is that the work that we do as I mentioned earlier is all pure lead, and when we say Peer, we mean people living with mental illness, and we mean family members and friends. Tommy, you said at the beginning, one in 5 of us lives with mental illness, the other 4, our our friends, our family, our neighbors, our colleagues, our social networks, all the people we interact with every day at the grocery store, the Delhi at the bank. We are all dealing with these vitches, and our programs uniquely
00:36:38.310 --> 00:36:50.030 Matt Kudish: are available for the family and friends in the same exact way they're available for people who who may be experiencing mental health challenges, and every single thing we do is available, free of charge.
00:36:50.060 --> 00:36:54.489 Matt Kudish: every single thing available at no cost to anyone.
00:36:54.560 --> 00:37:09.059 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, that means you don't pay anything just like if it free and no cost wasn't translating for you. That means you don't pay anything. That's what he said. Now, I'll tell you. Yeah. Well, the one thing I do, and then please don't forget where you're going to say. The one thing is what I'm hearing from you is
00:37:10.500 --> 00:37:21.900 Tommy DiMisa: in challenging, in, in being challenged with a family member, a child, a parent who has mental health challenges, and maybe some real, a, a, a, a substantial and severe diagnosis.
00:37:22.970 --> 00:37:39.710 Tommy DiMisa: You don't come with a handbook gang. It doesn't teach you. It's not. We don't know how to do these things, and we shouldn't try to fumble through. We should get this support from professionals who can give us that education, that support, and can really help us navigate through what could be some pretty challenging waters
00:37:39.850 --> 00:38:06.660 Matt Kudish: you couldn't, you couldn't have. I couldn't have said it better, Tommy, because what we often say is, we're not born knowing how to navigate something as complicated as mental illness. We're not born knowing how to communicate with someone who is having a manic episode or is in a a deep depression or as having a panic attack. We're not born knowing how to communicate with them. We're not born knowing how to support them and align with them.
00:38:06.660 --> 00:38:33.790 Matt Kudish: because mental health issues are often invisible. We don't see them. The stigma is even more profound, and it's really difficult, if you haven't lived through it personally, to truly understand what's going on for someone else. So as family members. We want to help. We want that person to be better and to get the the support they need. But we don't know what we're doing. And most often we're making it up as we go along, and we're doing it wrong.
00:38:33.900 --> 00:39:02.519 Matt Kudish: And so we say, we'll just try harder, just get out of it, or shake it off, or let's go out and we'll you'll feel better. or stop acting like that. What the hell is the matter with you what we're when we talk to people like that, we're we're becoming more combative. The relationships are becoming more stressful. The individual doesn't doesn't feel validated. They don't feel team. They don't feel her, they feel, judge, they feel shame, they feel misunderstood.
00:39:02.520 --> 00:39:12.309 Matt Kudish: So the relationship between you and and and your your, the loved one with mental illness becomes stress and strained, and very often fractured.
00:39:12.460 --> 00:39:20.019 Matt Kudish: You know, people with mental illness need are people on their side. They need the people who love them and care about them
00:39:20.050 --> 00:39:49.299 Matt Kudish: despite with them, so that you can fight against the mental illness together. And when you participate in nami and license programs and services for family members. I'm talking about the family and the friend program. Our education classes basic, which is for parents of children living with mental illness, a family to family which is for family and friends of adult living with men's wellness. These are education classes, multi week evidence based, which means we know they work our support groups.
00:39:49.420 --> 00:40:17.990 Matt Kudish: So the class is, give you tools, toolboxes, tools, tools for your toolboxes. So if I try this, it doesn't work. I try something else, or in this situation. I'm going to use that for it said what to say, when, what not to say ever, how to how to how to react and validate someone's concern, how to join with them, to better understand what they're going through. You could separate the diagnosis of the condition from the person who I can hate.
00:40:18.060 --> 00:40:32.500 Matt Kudish: It's a friend of, and I can love my sister. That's really complicated. But when you come to the class that you learn how to do it when you go to our support groups and we have support groups that look at that specific diagnosis.
00:40:32.500 --> 00:40:52.790 Matt Kudish: So present family. If someone was a mood disorder a friends and family of someone living with bipolar disorder, then we also have support groups for friends and families that are looking at identity more than the diagnosis. So we have black minds, matter, family, and friends, a Api, Asian, American, Pacific Island, or a family
00:40:52.790 --> 00:41:08.250 Matt Kudish: friends familiar with, and Amy satis, which is a family and friend for Spanish speakers. When you go to the support group you learn how to sustain yourself on these journeys and come and talk to the group members to get it, because they're living it, too.
00:41:08.260 --> 00:41:22.750 Matt Kudish: about about how challenging it is. Celebrate the successes. Talk about what's difficult when families get that kind of support for the core groups and the classes, the recovery journey of the individual they love is exponentially improved.
00:41:22.760 --> 00:41:35.639 Matt Kudish: So what we see when people, when families participate in our programs and are better able to connect and support their relative and their friend, that person, the relative to the friend relies on the emergency room. Less
00:41:35.850 --> 00:42:00.580 Matt Kudish: they are are hospitalized, less reduction in inpatient hospitalization. And there's an increase in engagement with community based services like our peer based program, like clubhouse models that we've talked about before. So it's win for the the person living with that because they're they're not needing to go to the hospital. They're not needing to be hospitalized as much.
00:42:00.670 --> 00:42:25.039 Matt Kudish: They're participating in other programs. They're getting the help they need. It's win for the family, because the family unit is now intact and that relationship is critical. And it's win for the system. Because we're not. We're not leaning on an already over stress under resource, mental health care system. If I can keep you out of the hospital, then someone who really needs the hospital and doesn't have another option
00:42:25.040 --> 00:42:30.770 Matt Kudish: can get in there more quickly and not in the emerging room for 3 days. We need to be evaluated and admit it.
00:42:31.180 --> 00:42:48.939 Matt Kudish: Wow! That's the power of family support, and it is uninvested. We not New York City. Our programs are free of charge because of the generosity of individuals, foundation corporations. we, we have a budget this year, a 4.3 million dollars.
00:42:48.980 --> 00:42:53.830 Matt Kudish: We get 5 or about 250,000 from the government.
00:42:53.860 --> 00:43:02.820 Matt Kudish: The rep of the money is raised through philanthropy. We live on philanthropy because the work we do is not
00:43:02.860 --> 00:43:05.640 Matt Kudish: covered by the city contracts.
00:43:05.920 --> 00:43:30.630 Matt Kudish: It's not reimbursable for insurance for Medicaid. It's not the kind of service it's scared services outside the system, so much so that it's not. It's not invested in the good news, and I know we're going to take a break in the we're good. But I I just I'm pissed off right now to be honest with you, because I want you to tell me to good news, but and I never curse not that pissed off as a big curse, but I try not to be a good boy on the show.
00:43:30.640 --> 00:43:35.900 Tommy DiMisa: I always curse. I never curse on the show. I'm I'm angry because
00:43:36.430 --> 00:43:53.840 Tommy DiMisa: I I if we just made it just about money, that there could be more money saved in the system. If this type of work was supported and funded by the Government by municipalities and maybe by insurance companies that you know. Just like let's get the family about. Anyway, you were. Gonna make your back then. I'll just read it.
00:43:53.840 --> 00:44:10.899 Matt Kudish: The good the good news is that for the first time ever the City Council came out with the New York City Council, Mental Health roadmap, and we were. Family support is included. Family support is a part of the city council's roadmap. They see that investing in families
00:44:10.900 --> 00:44:37.700 Matt Kudish: is an upstream way to support people living with mental illness, and not in the the the draw on the system that that they so often are. When we invest in families everything changes, and for the first time ever. It looks like the City Council is going to do that, and that we could not be more grateful to Speaker Adams, and and committee chair, Linda Lee. account Member Eric Botch, I mean, so many City Council members have
00:44:37.700 --> 00:44:55.539 Matt Kudish: have really aligned with that, and they get it when we talk about it like this, you get it. It makes sense. Yeah, well, don't, because it makes sense. But again, I I mean, that's gotta be based on the advocacy that your folks meeting in inside of your organization and your volunteers that are bringing this to these legislators and these council members, because, again if they don't.
00:44:55.820 --> 00:45:22.280 Tommy DiMisa: If they don't know, you know they need us as individuals or us as nonprofits, to get out there and educate them and tell them what exactly goes on, and how people are positively affected from from this family support. I mean, this is, wow. This is great stuff, you know. I knew it was going to be great, and it was going to be a good conversation. I was excited about it, but like just to understand this, and what I think of my own family dynamic both. You know my type tight little family, and then the larger family.
00:45:22.350 --> 00:45:52.279 Tommy DiMisa: you know. I I I used to say sometimes like, if and I do. If my kids, you know, falls down and screeps their knee, you know you'll come on, walk it off. This is not a walk it off. Conversation, you know, there was this movie, and I pulled it up while you were going through some stuff too. Modern love was the name of the movie. I think that where and Hathaway it was like these little vignettes, and and half the way it plays this woman with bipolar disorder. And and I was very taken by by by that particular movie. It really resonated with me personally.
00:45:52.770 --> 00:45:54.430 Tommy DiMisa: But
00:45:54.440 --> 00:46:23.240 Tommy DiMisa: it, it's about education. And then it's about, how do we support each other? It goes back to how I started the show today. It's about support. Shout out to Dr. Larry Grove, he said. We all need support. That was January, probably fifteenth of 2,021. So I can ever show philanthropy and focus. You were right. We do need to take a break, and we'll come right back, and we're going to bring it home. We're going to bring out. How do we help? Who can we connect you with. If there are individuals or organizations or companies that you want to connect with what's upcoming for now, me and Yc. And you, Matt, will be right back.
00:46:26.450 --> 00:46:50.249 everybody. It's Tommy Deed, a non-profit sector connector coming at you from my attic each week here on talk radio. And Ny. Z. I hosted program, the landlord in focus, non-profits, in cocktails each and every day, and it's my focus to help them amplify their message and tell their story. Listen each week at 10 A. M. Eastern standard time until 11 A. M. Is from standard time right here on talk radio and Myc
00:46:52.240 --> 00:47:19.300 in a post movement world. You may have many unanswered questions regarding your health. Are you looking to live a healthier lifestyle? Do you have a desire to learn more about mental health and enhance your quality of life? Or do you just want to participate in self-understanding and awareness? I'm Frank R. Harrison, host of Frank about health, and each Thursday. I will tackle these questions and work to enlighten you. Tune in everyday 5 P. M. On talk radio and Nyc. And I will be frank about help to advocate for all of us.
00:47:22.720 --> 00:47:53.019 Are you a conscious co-creator? Are you on a quest to raise your vibration and your consciousness? I'm Sam Leibowitz, your conscious consultant, and on my show, the conscious consultant hour awakening humanity, we will touch upon all these topics and more. Listen! Live at our new time. On Thursdays at 12 noon Eastern time. That's the conscious consultant hour awakening humanity. Thursday's 12 noon on talk, radio. Nyc.
00:47:57.370 --> 00:48:06.510 you're listening to talk. Radio and Yc. At Www. Top radio and Yc. Now, broadcasting 24 h a day.
00:48:12.480 --> 00:48:13.680 www.TalkRadio.nyc: Nonprofit.
00:48:14.060 --> 00:48:23.410 Natural good time section. You can do all this to me in
00:48:25.120 --> 00:48:30.900 www.TalkRadio.nyc: the show is called philanthropy and focus. I'm called Tommy D, the nonprofit sector connector, and we must
00:48:31.900 --> 00:48:33.950 Tommy DiMisa: do whatever we have to do
00:48:34.220 --> 00:49:00.980 Tommy DiMisa: to obliterate the stigma around mental health. We must talk about this 12 months of the year 365 days of the year. However, in the month of May we shine a spotlight on it. And here, in philanthropy and focus, I showed a spotlight in the nonprofit sector, and Matt Kudish is here the national alliance on mental illness, and Yc Nami, nyc, Matt, let's bring it home. Let's bring it home. What do you need? How can we help? How do we get involved?
00:49:00.980 --> 00:49:17.689 Tommy DiMisa: How do we just go up there with a big old sledgehammer, and where the heck is stigma is, you know what? Maybe we should do a thing like that. We make a big thing that's I don't know what a stigma actually looks like. But let's make a big old stigma, and I'm gonna come through with a sledgehammer, and just like for and crush it. Because I really feel that's the visual we need.
00:49:17.890 --> 00:49:40.040 Matt Kudish: Yeah, I think I think you know, stigma is really complicated. And and Sigma often leads to discrimination. Right? We talked about the the the squeaky wheel, getting the the Greece or the funding, so to speak. If if more people cared about it. There's a lot of reasons why people don't don't come out of the shadows. A part of it is how we talk about mental illness.
00:49:40.060 --> 00:50:06.049 Matt Kudish: so we need to make sure that our words are are aligned with how they should be. You did it perfectly when you talked about the movie modern love you? Said she. She has bipolar disorder, or she lives with bipolar disorder. We never wanna talk about someone as if they are their disorder. So I would never say, he's it's a furnit or the mentally ill. We live with mental illness. We we don't. We're not cancer. We have cancer.
00:50:06.050 --> 00:50:28.260 Matt Kudish: and I think that's really important. And so when we talk about it in a way, that person first, we kind of created safe space for people who might be struggling to come and talk about it openly if I'm like, wow! Do you believe you know that lady was crazy? What she was skip, though. And I'm living with a mental health condition. And you're talking like that. I'm probably not gonna feel safe
00:50:28.260 --> 00:50:51.639 Matt Kudish: talking to you about what's going on for me. So we need to create a world where people who are struggling can feel safe coming forward about it. But it's not enough to just put it on the individual. It can't be my responsibility to make sure that I feel safe talking about it. So we at Nomi, and might see we talk a lot about this culture of inquiry. So if I see someone who's struggling someone I know someone in my life
00:50:51.650 --> 00:51:03.400 Matt Kudish: who is struggling and and what what I mean by that is, we're talking about changes. People are doing things differently. That's what we're looking for. When you're thinking about. What is the mental illness. How does the mental health down show up?
00:51:03.440 --> 00:51:28.840 Matt Kudish: You're you're behaving in ways that you you historically have not, whether it's showing up late when you're always been on time missing deadline coming not paying attention to your hygiene, as much withdrawing from things that have historically brought you pleasure. So every Saturday we go and we play tennis. And now, all of a sudden, no, I'm not gonna go like changes in behavior changes, and how I'm eating, how I'm directly all of those changes in my moods.
00:51:28.860 --> 00:51:55.320 Matt Kudish: And when you see someone who is changing in those ways you have to be, you have to inquire. I'm worried about you, are you? Okay? Is everything. What's going on with you? I'm I'm seeing this happening right now. And that's not normally how you are. Are you okay? You can talk to me when we when we reach out and create a safe space, and we allow someone to be vulnerable. We listen more than we talk. We don't try to fix that, don't we? Don't
00:51:55.320 --> 00:52:09.779 Matt Kudish: tell them what they should do. We just validate. Wow! That sounds really hard. Oh, I'm so glad you're trusting me with that. Thank you. I think what gets in the way of people reaching out to both is the fear of well, if I say, Are you okay? And then you say, no.
00:52:09.780 --> 00:52:33.979 Matt Kudish: What am I supposed to do about that? I don't fix it. You don't have to it, but I want to turn the heat down on that for people. You don't have to fix it so like you just have to be a bridge and a connector to the entities that can fix it. Whether it's not in New York City they can help you. They can help you connect to other people who go through similar things, whether it's and you have a therapist, let's get you connected to your therapist. Or
00:52:33.980 --> 00:52:46.779 Matt Kudish: if it's that work, is there an employee assistance program. If I find out you're not okay. It's not my role to solve your problems. I just need to be your ally and walk with you to get you the help that you need.
00:52:46.780 --> 00:53:11.679 Tommy DiMisa: Yeah, naming Mit is a great place to to get that help, but that those are some of the ways we sort of combat the same amount, I think. Yeah, I I want. So the family training piece, the family support piece, I mean, I want to plug into the work you're doing, because for for my own world, because I think it's it's critically important just to have the right languaging, as you say, the right understanding. I mean, I I can't believe in going back to this movie again. I just I guess it's stuck with.
00:53:11.680 --> 00:53:32.699 Tommy DiMisa: But at the end of that particular thing with with Anne Hathaway. There's a woman who she? They were coworkers or something, and they're sitting down at a diner, and she's doing what she's modeling the behavior that you're talking about here. She's listening. She's validating, you know. whereas the character that I didn't have the way place hadn't had anybody like, because people, just because she would
00:53:32.700 --> 00:53:34.310 Tommy DiMisa: quote unquote, you know.
00:53:34.570 --> 00:53:49.810 Tommy DiMisa: show up and then not show up. She would disappear. So so she lost a lot of those relationships and this genuinely reaching out. And it was it was just it. You know, it was a beautiful movie. I I can't again. I sort of months and months ago. I want to go. I want to move real quick, because I want to make sure
00:53:50.260 --> 00:54:05.220 Tommy DiMisa: that we don't leave any opportunities on the table of you, sharing what's up coming, what the organization might need. We always need donations. You and I sort of said you just had to walk, but you can always be donating. And yeah, let's let's hit on what you might need and how we can help.
00:54:05.240 --> 00:54:30.049 Matt Kudish: Yeah, look if you if you, if your listeners are philanthropic, and they care about mental health. And they're looking for an organization that's doing really meaningful work that no one else is doing. What we do is really unique and special, except that family support piece. We're the only organization in New York City providing direct support to family and friends of adults living with mental illness, and if you are are interested in supporting that.
00:54:30.050 --> 00:54:54.979 Matt Kudish: you can go to Nomi, nyc.org, you can go to Nami walks, nyc.org, and don into our walk. We had a really great event at the South Street or at the Sea Port last Saturday. It rained, but that didn't keep more than 2,000 people from coming out for the second year in a row. We raised more than a million dollars and with your help we can get to 1.1 would be a record. But we also need volunteers. We are
00:54:54.980 --> 00:55:18.059 Matt Kudish: very volunteer reliant. We have over 330 active volunteers right now, who facilitate our support groups. We teach our education classes, who are mentors to family members, to our family match mentoring program? Who are our advocacy ambassadors who go out there and connect with their legislators in the district. They reside to advocate for our policy agenda to advocate
00:55:18.060 --> 00:55:42.820 Matt Kudish: for the funding that we hope to get from city council and from the States and and State Assembly. There's so many ways to get involved. You can answer calls on our help line. You can help us out with administrative things in the office. We live on volunteers, and if you're living with mental helmet, or you love someone who does isn't a really great place for you to get involved and connect with other people who go through what you're going through find community which is so important.
00:55:42.870 --> 00:56:06.119 Tommy DiMisa: and and get more involved. You know I'm up to day 48. So I've we gotta find something to plug me into. I got a big old mouth. I like to talk to people. That advocacy thing sounds pretty interesting to me. And again, because I stamp my feet about this conversation so much it it seems like I'm I'm drawn to that work. So we need to talk about that.
00:56:06.120 --> 00:56:25.309 Tommy DiMisa: you know, and I feel like that guy on Saturday night. Live, you know. I'm good enough. I'm smart enough and dogged on it. People like me, but like that's the thing people do like Tommy D. The caricature or the real guy, too. But it's about it's about the connection piece. So I'd love to talk to you more about that offline, as they say, any upcoming events, Matt, you want to tell me about
00:56:25.810 --> 00:56:55.039 Matt Kudish: so upcoming, you know, we're we're July and minority mental health month, and so we don't have the details yet. But we're absolutely planning a a really important program and and public event to take place in July to honor by Pop communities and other minority groups that are dealing with mental health issues, who, where the stigma is even higher than it is in in other people and and If you want to get on our mailing list, that's the best way
00:56:55.040 --> 00:57:23.580 Matt Kudish: to learn how what what's coming up. If you go to our website, Nami, Nyc, n, a. M. ic.org, you can join our mailing list. You can find out about all the programs that we offer. That's the best way. And I'll tell you if if you want to join a support group. It's never been easier now that everything is virtual. You can look at our calendar on our website and either show up to our office at the right day in time or click the link on the right day, and and and you are literally in this or group. You don't even need to talk to us
00:57:23.580 --> 00:57:43.519 Tommy DiMisa: so it couldn't be easier to get help and connect, and that's again for people living with mental health and also for family members and friends. I love that. I certainly want to plug into some of those support groups, just for some of the stuff that you know in my own world we deal with, and I think it's critically important to get that support in that education piece that I appreciate you. I appreciate this just really
00:57:43.520 --> 00:57:55.349 Tommy DiMisa: in honor of this particular month for you being here on behalf of Nami and Yc. And by half of you know your volunteers, your staff, and everybody that does the work, and and certainly the people who need the support. Thank you for your friendship. Thanks for coming on the show.
00:57:55.460 --> 00:58:19.099 Tommy DiMisa: Thanks for having me, Tommy. It's been great. Went through by which I had another hour, I know that's what. So at the beginning of the show, we said we might have to do this once a month. Now you said a flew by. We'll talk. I'll text you later. Listen, everybody, make it a great day. Be compassionate, validate. Your loved ones have a culture of inquiry. Check in with people please check in with people. Okay, give the support and the love
00:58:19.100 --> 00:58:25.789 Tommy DiMisa: I appreciate. You all. Make it a great day. Make it a great weekend. Thank you for those who get the ultimate Sacrifice Memorial Day. Take care later.
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