In this inspiring episode of Giving Voice to Depression, wellness expert and author Darin Olien — co-host of Netflix’s Down to Earth with Zac Efron — opens up about his personal experiences with depression and shares how physical and mental health are deeply connected.

Olien, known for his best-selling books SuperLife and Fatal Conveniences, discusses how diet, hydration, sleep, trauma, and emotional awareness play crucial roles in improving mental health. He shares candid reflections on grief, loss, and rebuilding his life after his Malibu home burned down — revealing how embracing vulnerability and self-compassion became essential parts of his healing journey.

Together with hosts Terry McGuire and Dr. Anita Sanz, Darin explores how we can take small, realistic steps to strengthen mental resilience, nurture our bodies, and reclaim hope.

Whether you’re struggling with depression, supporting a loved one, or simply looking for practical ways to take better care of your mind and body, this conversation offers real-world tools and the reminder that you don’t have to walk this road alone.

💬 Primary Topics Covered

• The powerful link between physical and mental health
• Personal experiences with depression and loss
• The role of nutrition, hydration, and sleep in mood regulation
• Understanding trauma, grief, and emotional healing
• Practical wellness tools for depression and anxiety
• How to recognize when to seek professional help
• The value of community, empathy, and therapy
• Why it takes courage to feel and process emotions
• Building resilience and redefining hope after major life changes

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction: Welcome and episode overview
01:20 – Meet Darin Olien: Author, wellness expert, and mental health advocate
03:38 – Darin shares his family’s experience with depression
05:42 – “When your body is depressed, your mind follows”: the biology of depression
06:12 – Losing everything in the California wildfires — grief and renewal
07:35 – The courage it takes to process pain and let go
08:41 – How ultra-processed foods affect mood and mental clarity
09:31 – Trauma, stress, and their long-term impact on mental health
11:13 – Why community, therapy, and medication all matter
12:27 – The importance of radical self-honesty and emotional safety
13:17 – The power of empathy and active listening
13:50 – Breaking stigma: why therapy isn’t weakness, it’s wisdom
15:19 – Self-forgiveness and letting go of pain that isn’t yours
16:36 – Understanding control: sleep, nutrition, and body rhythms
18:07 – How diet and hydration influence mental health
19:49 – “Get help. This is your life.” — Darin’s call to action
20:54 – Permission to dream: finding purpose after depression
22:00 – Dr. Sanz on what you can control — nutrition, sleep, activity, stress
24:47 – How genetics account for 20% — and your choices for 80% — of outcomes
25:51 – Closing reflections: hope, control, and compassion

Explore mental health and addiction treatment options at recovery.com
Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/GivingVoiceToDepression/
Terry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/givingvoicetodepression/

In part two of his conversation with Giving Voice to Depression, musician, author, and activist Andre Henry continues sharing how creativity, self-compassion, and community have helped him survive depression and suicidal thoughts.

Following his song “Make It to Tomorrow”, Andre walks listeners through the tools that keep him grounded — self-hugs, breathing exercises, and reframing shame into self-acceptance. He explains how therapy helped him build a “safety plan” that brings him back from despair to agency.

Hosts Terry McGuire and Carly McCollow join him to discuss the power of community, how to show yourself the same compassion you’d show others, and the importance of recognizing that needing help doesn’t mean you’re broken — it means something in you needs attention.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in darkness or hopelessness, this episode offers the real-world reminders and tools that can help you make it to tomorrow, too.

💬 Primary Topics Covered

• How music helps process depression and emotional pain
• Andre Henry’s “safety plan” for surviving suicidal thoughts
• Using self-hugs and breathing techniques to manage shame
• Transforming hopelessness into small acts of self-care
• Why feeling suicidal doesn’t mean you’re broken — it means something needs attention
• Reframing depression as a sign of unmet needs, not personal failure
• The role of community and therapy in mental health recovery
• Using creativity as emotional resilience
• What it means to believe you can “make it to tomorrow”

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction: Giving Voice to Depression continues the conversation with Andre Henry
01:12 – Revisiting “Make It to Tomorrow” and the meaning behind the song
02:31 – How music helps Andre process depression and connect with others
03:32 – The “safety plan” built into the second verse — sunlight, movement, connection
04:42 – How therapy and body awareness helped him reclaim control
05:15 – Self-hugs and the science of self-compassion
06:22 – The Rick Hanson exercise: turning compassion inward
07:12 – “I’m not afraid to say I’m not okay”: Andre’s emotional honesty
08:38 – Why depression is a logical response to pain, not a personal failure
09:10 – Remembering resilience: “You’ve outlived every bad day so far.”
10:28 – How self-love changes the way you face external challenges
11:13 – Why feeling suicidal doesn’t mean you’re broken — it means something needs care
12:20 – “I didn’t see this beauty coming, but here we are.”
13:27 – Carly and Terry reflect: Depression doesn’t mean brokenness — it signals a need for care
14:32 – Full song performance: Make It to Tomorrow
17:21 – Closing message: Depression is too dark a road to walk alone

Explore mental health and addiction treatment options at recovery.com
Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/GivingVoiceToDepression/
Terry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/givingvoicetodepression/

When everything feels unbearable, how do you keep going?
In this deeply moving conversation, musician and author Andre Henry shares how writing his song “Make It To Tomorrow” helped him survive one of his darkest moments.

Growing up in the Black community, Andre faced the silence and stigma surrounding mental health. Through his art, he began to name his pain — transforming suicidal thoughts into words and melodies that resonated with thousands of listeners.

In this episode, Andre opens up about his lifelong relationship with depression, the systemic and cultural pressures that intensified his struggles, and the powerful tools that help him fight for another day. He and hosts Terry McGuire and Carly McCollow explore what it means to sit with hard emotions, to normalize mental health conversations, and to turn despair into creative expression.

If you’ve ever felt like you couldn’t make it to tomorrow, this story reminds you that you’re not alone — and that hope, healing, and connection are still possible.

💬 Primary Topics Covered

• Depression, suicidal ideation, and survival through creativity
• How music can be a form of therapy and emotional release
• The Black community and mental health stigma
• Childhood melancholy and early signs of depression
• The emotional and social weight of racial injustice
• Why some people who want to die don’t actually want death — they want pain to stop
• Understanding triggers, rumination, and hopelessness
• Using safety plans and “mental health toolkits” in crisis moments
• Recognizing depression as a reasonable response to a painful world
• The importance of honest conversations about suicide prevention

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction: Giving Voice to Depression and why real conversations matter
01:25 – Meet Andre Henry, musician, author, and survivor
03:12 – Early signs of depression and “melancholy” as a child
04:34 – Stigma and silence around mental health in immigrant and Black communities
05:58 – What inspired “Make It To Tomorrow” and how it became a lifeline
07:36 – The moment Andre wrote the song in crisis
08:13 – The emotional weight of racism and trauma
09:41 – Understanding the difference between wanting to die and wanting pain to stop
12:08 – Managing triggers and internal narratives
13:12 – Using music, exercise, and connection as survival tools
14:46 – Preview of part two: self-hugging, safety plans, and hope
16:22 – Reflections on childhood emotions and family dynamics
17:54 – Depression as a response to a painful world
18:19 – How Andre reframes his story through art and empathy
19:02 – Closing: You’re not alone — depression is a dark road, but not one to walk alone

Explore mental health and addiction treatment options at recovery.com
Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/GivingVoiceToDepression/
Terry's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/givingvoicetodepression/