In partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), Audacy presents a new episode in our I'm Listening: Talk Away the Dark limited series featuring host Liz Hernandez along with her guests, Vic Armstrong and Gabriela Vargas.

Audacy's Liz Hernandez from 94.7 The Wave in Los Angeles is a Mexican American Emmy-nominated TV personality, broadcaster, and journalist. With a career built on storytelling and the power of words, Liz continues to connect with the community as the Founder and Creator of WORDAFUL, a video and live event series focusing on the importance of how we communicate with others and ourselves.

In this episode, Hernandez is joined by AFSP expert Vic Armstrong and Gabriela (Gabi) Vargas, who was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and grew up as an undocumented child in the Chicago suburbs, becoming a mother at a young age and raising her two sons while working as a medical interpreter in a community hospital. Today, Gabi is the owner of Elgin, Illinois' Poiema Studio, a safe space promoting mental well-being, and also founded the National Hispanic Suicide Prevention Network (NHSPN), while volunteering much of her time with AFSP’s Chicago chapter to provide support as a grief specialist and bilingual youth mental health first aid instructor.

Discussing how her experience as an immigrant has shaped her mental health journey, and how she’s now using her voice to open the dialogue around suicide in her community, Gabi tells us her focus is on “mental health awareness and overdose prevention, as well as suicide grief support, supporting families that have lost someone to suicide.” As a volunteer with AFSP, Gabi adds, “I'm just really proud of the work they're doing and are a collaborator with me now in spreading the awareness within the Hispanic community.”

“Thank you for allowing me to share my story,” Gabi continues. As an immigrant born in Mexico whose family came to the United States when she was a small child, “I know firsthand the immigrant experience,” she explains. “I actually didn't even know that we were undocumented until my freshman year of high school.”

“It was a very unique experience being in a community that wasn't very similar to us within the household,” she says. “But at the age of 25 years old, I faced a severe mental health crisis. At that point, I was already a mother to two young boys and I felt trapped. I was in a place where I was a very young mom going through a divorce and I planned to take my own life. I do thank God and all the great people in my life that came through for me at that time. And out of shame, I kept that attempt a secret.”

Gabi adds, “I'm never imagining that a year later, my 18 year old cousin would take his own life and his loss led me to seek professional help. It also let me see the importance of mental health, especially in childhood. That was the beginning of a time in my life that I was able to see firsthand within my family how suicide loss affected all of us in different ways.”

Not wanting her family to go through another loss, she chose to seek professional help. “Now that I've been in the field,” she says, “I've realized how much we need to speak about these topics. And I love the name of today's topic, ‘talking away the dark,’ because it took me to share the darkness of my story to be able to get the help that I really needed. And now I'm able to do that within my community.”

“Becoming a loss survivor, I also got to see how little of support existed for survivors within my community,” Gabi admits. “So, working firsthand with families has allowed me to find a purpose and just give back now, and be that person that I needed when I contemplated suicide myself.”

Listen to the full conversation above, and visit I'm listening.org for resources to support your mental health.

AFSP and Audacy’s Talk Away the Dark series aims to give real-world insight into how having brave a ...

During her recent check in with Audacy’s Mike Adam at the Hard Rock Hotel New York, Kylie Minogue opened up about mental health, sharing what helps keep her in a good space, especially after being in the music industry as long as she has.

“All of us have voices in our head, and I definitely have that,” Kylie began, “and I think it's kind of well known that if you're in this industry, if you're a creative person or you're kind of front facing, there's all that kind of insecurity and judgment.”

“So I try to like do, the right self-talk,” Kylie shared. Noting, “I can't say it always is that way,” but that she can usually, “talk myself around,” back to the right way.

In addition to positive self-talk, Kylie also share, “I’ve always been able to count on my family. Just to be able to say something out loud. Just saying it… you can often deal with it just saying it and just offloading it.”

“I'm so glad the conversation is happening now,” Kylie added. “I wanna say especially in this field,” but “in every field,” noting “this is the only job I've ever had, so this is the world I know, and it really just wasn't a consideration before.”

Reflecting on how it was all “just go, go, go… you can do this… you're working for the man kind of thing.” Compared to how it is now, with many coming to “realize that it's important, that element of mental well being.”

Audacy's I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988.

Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Mike Adam

Continuing our mission to support mental health via I’m Listening, today we are joined by award-winning public speaker, author, and podcast host Gabe Howard.

Audacy's Kennedy from Mix 104.1 in Boston recently sat down with Inside Mental Health podcast host and author of Mental Illness Is an A**hole, Gabe Howard to discuss his recently released guide, number 1 educational show, podcast, and making sure to stay flexible in his own mental health journey.

“I was a prolific writer; I started off as a blogger; I've been a mental health advocate for a long time and I wrote lots and lots and lots of stuff,” Gabe briefs us of his long list of credentials. However, he says “At one point, a publisher came to me and said, ‘We want to take some of your best blogs, give them a little retooling -- and shove them in a book in some order that people can use as a reference guide.’ And I said, ‘No, that's stupid. That's the dumbest thing ever. They're free on the internet. Why would anybody pay for this?’”

“I'm really protective of my people, right?” he explains. “People with mental illness get taken advantage of a lot. There's always people selling them cures and solutions, and it really tripped me up.” But now that the finished product has been revealed -- with everything in one place at one easy price -- Kennedy says it’s on her Kindle “forever.”

“I was so completely wrong,” Gabe admits. “People tell me they love carrying it around, they love highlighting it, they love writing notes in the margins… When it first came out, people were posing with it online and they're like, ‘Finally, finally somebody gets it!’ It's taken on this whole other life.”

“Flexibility is underrated,” Gabe adds. “I think sometimes people think that they're being ‘firm’ or ‘consistent’ or ‘solid,’ but actually they're just not going anywhere. You know, trees are solid as well, but they have to stand in the same place forever. It doesn't sound like a lot of fun.”

Addressing the elephant that can sometimes be in the room when around friends and family who are seeing a loved one struggle with anxiety or depression, Howard acknowledges how that can feel like an additional burden. “I think that's important to let our friends and family know -- they want to help because they don't want to feel bad and we don't want to tell them they suck at this because we don't want them to feel bad.”

“So everybody is operating from this great place of kindness, compassion, and empathy, but it doesn't matter, no matter how hard you try. If you mix gas and water, you're gonna get an explosion, you just can't make those two things get along,” he explains. “I learned from being married that when my wife comes home from work all ticked off, I need to ask her if she wants advice or does she want to vent, does she want me to help her fix it, or does she just want to talk about it? I think that's really good advice for the people in our lives.”

“We don't need them necessarily to do anything about it,” he adds, “and when we do need them to do something about it, we need them to do more than just tell us it's going to be OK.”

Listen to Kennedy's full chat with Gabe Howard above and find Gabe's Inside Mental Health podcast on the free Audacy app.

Audacy's I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources

Hanging out backstage at the Hard Rock Artist Lounge ahead of her performance at Audacy’s We Can Survive 2024, Tate McRae caught up with Bru, to reminisce about the last time she was on the We Can Survive lineup, talk about touring, open up about mental health, and more.

We Can Survive continues Audacy’s mission to support mental health via I’m Listening and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) -- because talk has the power to save lives. Tate opened up about what she does to maintain her mental health in such a demanding and unpredictable industry.

“I mean, obviously I have an outlet which is writing. If I didn't have writing, I would not be in the position I am today. Music is definitely the thing that I reach to whenever I'm hitting like my lowest points,” McRae revealed. “But then I also just think having a good support system, your family, your friends, making sure you trust them and they fill you up is really important.”

Acknowledging that there still might be some lingering stigma that “talking about your emotions is like a sensitive or annoying thing to do,” Tate stressed the importance of “being open with yourself and honest, and honest with your friends too,”

“Have conversations, none of it's embarrassing,” she said, insisting that the idea of not wanting to share in order to feel cool in front of your friends, “that's so overrated.”

Echoing the aim of Audacy’s I’m Listening initiative to share valuable resources for those who need to connect, heal, and share their own stories, Tate encouraged those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. "I feel like just being honest with each other and being your authentic selves is the only time that you're gonna feel actually fulfilled in a friendship. Then you actually can see what your friends are going through, otherwise… you don't really know your friends and you don't really know yourself.”

Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Bru

New Kids On The Block (Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Jordan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood) joined Audacy host Mike Adam backstage in the Hard Rock Artist Lounge at New Jersey’s Prudential Center to help us celebrate our 11th year of We Can Survive.

Touching on the recent news that singer Chappell Roan had canceled her tour in order to focus on her mental health, Jordan Knight says “It's kind of tough, even for me. You wanna be a celebrity, but you want your privacy. You want both things and it's really hard to do that. I guess maybe it's more like an inner thing to not let things get to you more-so than try to find total privacy while also trying to be a celebrity. It's very difficult.”

Joey adds, “Clearly she's incredibly articulate with her feelings and where she is in her career and how it happened so fast, and it's lovely that someone could just say that. We came from an era where, if you said you weren't 100% grateful for everything you had, people would look at you like you're crazy. So, it is nice that I think it's part of the evolution of humans and artists to say, ‘This is wonderful, but this is what I need’ -- and that's what she's saying. I think we do that in our own way, maybe more quietly and because we've been in the game for so long, but it's not easy.”

“As far as advice, you can't really give advice,” he continues. “I mean, you can't even give advice to your own kids. I had a great dad, right? It goes in one ear and goes out the other. You gotta learn on your own. Hopefully, you have enough people around you that can cushion some of the blows that you go through. But it's an interesting world to grow up in.”

The biggest misconception specifically when it comes to mental health, Donny says, “is that asking questions or asking for help is a weakness.” On the contrary, “It's a strength,” he believes. “It takes vulnerability which takes strength. Imagine telling even your closest friend your deepest darkest secret, it's hard, and a lot of us will pass up that opportunity time and time again.”

“We have to learn in time. Hopefully that asking for help, asking questions, is a strength. It takes vulnerability, and in that regard, we can just try to encourage everyone. One of the reasons we're here is to encourage everyone to ‘don't be afraid,’ you know. Even us… we grew up in the music business, we became really successful as teenagers, and suddenly everyone in our life thought we had all the answers -- and we were children. It made it hard for us to say, ‘Damn, I'm struggling right now.’ Everyone's like, ‘Hey man, what do I do?’”

“It's a journey for everyone,” he says, “but asking for help, however vulnerable anyone feels doing it, hopefully you can find the strength to do it because it's a beautiful thing and there are people out there willing to help -- but they can't read our minds.”

Audacy's

Hanging out backstage in the Hard Rock Artist Lounge ahead of his performance at Audacy’s We Can Survive 2024, Khalid chatted with Bru about his new music, feeling accomplished, as well as the importance of kindness, friendship, mental health, and more.

With We Can Survive continuing Audacy’s mission to support mental health via I’m Listening and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) -- the conversation made its way to the importance of kindness, friendship, and prioritizing mental health.

As a kind hearted soul himself, Khalid finds that kindness in collaboration is really important. “Luckily I've only met kind people who have wanted to work with me and collaborate and they give me so much love and respect and I give them the same mutually.”

“I think that's the best part of this industry… meeting other people and knowing that you're not alone going through this process. So I really value friendship… it’s just really important to me,” Khalid added.

When it comes to maintaining his mental health, it’s those friendships, and kindness towards himself that Khalid finds as helpful tools. “I really gotta give my thanks to my core friend group… I’ve kept the same friends since I've started my career and they've been able to see me in different stages of my life. So really valuing the importance of the relationships that I have around me. And also like I said, giving myself grace and taking myself less seriously and always having fun with life. This is the only life we got.”

Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Bru

Audacy host Mike Adam caught up with singer Isabel LaRosa in the Hard Rock Artist Lounge backstage at this year’s We Can Survive concert at Prudential Center with tons of congratulations to share.

“I'm happy that it's becoming more of a conversation and people feel like they can talk about [mental health] more,” she continues, “but I still do think a lot of people are afraid to ask for help. A lot of the time if I'm struggling, I don't want to feel like I have to ask for help, or I get embarrassed. I just feel like it's always better to say something or rant about it on a TikTok or whatever it is… You should always talk about it in whatever way you want to. I don't think you should ever keep it to yourself if you feel like it's something you need to talk about.”

“My boyfriend and my loved ones… I mean, they are the best,” Isabel adds, “and sometimes I get so in my head about everything that it's hard to see reality and it's helpful to have somebody be like, ‘Ok, wake up, nothing’s going downhill, you're not gonna fail.’ It's just helpful to have a reality check sometimes.”

Audacy's I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988. Find a full list of additional resources here.

Words by Joe Cingrana Interview by Mike Adam