In this episode of State of Mind, Maurice Benard sits down with actress Kelly Thiebaud for a raw, funny, and surprisingly deep conversation about what it really means to start over.

Kelly opens up about growing up in a small town, being a sports kid turned model, and how the modeling world messed with her relationship to food, her body, and her self-worth. She shares what it was like moving to Los Angeles at 17, experiencing an early heartbreak that shaped how she viewed love, and why she didn’t fully step into acting until later in life.

Maurice and Kelly also get real about mental health: therapy, bitterness, anxiety, medication decisions, and the pressure of having to “perform” when you’re privately falling apart. Together, they talk about learning to be alone, rebuilding after blowing up your life, and treating your past not as proof you’re broken—but as information that helps you grow.

In this episode:

• The hidden toll of modeling: body image, starving, and laxatives

• Moving to LA at 17 and the heartbreak that changed everything

• Why Kelly didn’t truly start acting until her late 20s (and why she still trains)

• Therapy as a weekly practice for unloading what you carry

• Maurice on anxiety, medication, and the reality of “sixth gear” mental health

• Starting over after 40: loneliness, regret, hope, and self-respect

• General Hospital, leaving, returning, and navigating change

A conversation about reinvention, self-compassion, and the kind of honesty that feels like real communion.

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Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book! Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/ State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com State of Mind Production Team: Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard Executive Producer: Paula Benard Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato

In this episode of State of Mind, Maurice Benard sits down with actor, musician, and longtime friend Jonathan Jackson for a deeply personal conversation about what happens when the mind feels steady but the body doesn’t. They talk about preparation, performance, and those moments when anxiety shows up physically even when you “should” be fine.

Jonathan shares how faith shapes his work and his life, why he resists the word “performing,” and what he’s learned about trauma, prayer, and the surprising idea that beauty can reach people when logic can’t. Maurice opens up about a difficult season, the power of friendship, and the kind of support that doesn’t just comfort you, it pulls you back toward the light.

In this episode:

• Jonathan and Maurice’s long friendship (including the crank-call era)

• Why preparation can be harder than the performance itself

• When the body rebels: shaking, panic, and stress signals

• How prayer and friendship can carry you through dark stretches

• “The Ethics of Beauty” and why beauty can be a form of healing

• Creativity, faith, marriage, and staying anchored in a chaotic world

Video Versions of State of Mind available on YouTube! Watch!

Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book! Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

Follow Maurice on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricebenard/

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MauriceBenard/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/ State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com State of Mind Production Team: Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard Executive Producer: Paula Benard Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato

Actor, writer, director, and voice actor Michael Easton joins Maurice Benard on State of Mind for a rare, deeply honest conversation about what it really takes to heal.

Michael shares what it was like growing up between Belfast and the U.S., moving constantly, and carrying the hidden weight of childhood fear and instability into adulthood. From there, the conversation opens up into the stuff most people avoid: anxiety, grief, loss, and the long process of bringing buried pain to the surface so it can finally move.

They talk about surrender, therapy, meditation, the difference between suppressing pain and processing it, and why real healing often starts when someone is willing to sit with you in the dark.

Later, Michael reflects on his path into acting, the early years of his career, and the strange moments that come with visibility, identity, and being seen. The episode closes with a powerful tribute to Kamar de los Reyes, and what his life and passing changed in Michael forever.

In this episode

• What anxiety feels like and why it can be so isolating

• Childhood wounds, abandonment, and the stories we carry forward

• Grief, regret, and finally confronting what you avoided for years

• The “hole” story and why the right person can change everything

• Finding truth, letting go, and choosing to feel instead of going numb

• A tribute to Kamar de los Reyes: love, boxing, God, and living with passion

Video Versions of State of Mind available on YouTube! Watch!

Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book! Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

Follow Maurice on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricebenard/

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/ State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com State of Mind Production Team: Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard Executive Producer: Paula Benard Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato

On this State of Mind, Maurice sits down with Art Stratton Brown, a remarkable 101-year-old World War II veteran (and Josh Swickard’s grandfather) whose energy, clarity, and gratitude feel almost impossible to believe. Art takes us from a tough Chicago childhood and early leadership instincts to combat training, frontline battles in Italy and France, and the daily realities of war — fear, loss, survival, and the moments that never leave you. What unfolds is ultimately a conversation about resilience, faith, discipline, and how gratitude and purpose can shape a life, even after witnessing the darkest parts of humanity.

Video Versions of State of Mind available on YouTube! Watch!

Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book! Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

Follow Maurice on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricebenard/

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/ State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com State of Mind Production Team: Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard Executive Producer: Paula Benard Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato

Josh Swickard—an actor who’s starred in films that have reached #1 on Netflix and on General Hospital—opens up about anxiety attacks he didn’t understand until they hit him, and how breathwork helped him reframe the symptoms and take away the fear. The conversation moves through anger, calm, parenting, and faith, landing on a powerful idea: don’t waste the pain—use it to help others keep moving forward.

Video Versions of State of Mind available on YouTube! Watch!

Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book! Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

Follow Maurice on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricebenard/

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/ State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com State of Mind Production Team: Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard Executive Producer: Paula Benard Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata Audio Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato

Maurice Bernard sits down with wrestler Medina Ali for a powerful conversation about discipline, mental strength, and resilience. Medina shares how her background in combat sports shaped her mindset, and what happened when she was unexpectedly contacted by WWE and thrown into the world of professional wrestling without prior experience. They talk about bullying, culture, family expectations, fear, and why physical movement has always been her form of therapy. Plus, Maurice opens up about anxiety, hypnosis, and finally getting back on a plane after years of fear. Medina Ali on Instagram! Video Versions of State of Mind available on YouTube! Watch!

Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book! Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

Follow Maurice on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricebenard/

X: https://twitter.com/mauricebenard

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MauriceBenard/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/ State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com State of Mind Production Team: Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard Executive Producer: Paula Benard Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata Audio Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato

Retired LAPD veteran Manny Santoo rarely does interviews, but on State of Mind he opens up about a life shaped by the streets—air support helicopters, high-risk nights during the LA Riots, and what police work teaches you about fear, adrenaline, and restraint. The conversation turns deeply personal as Manny shares the story of his daughter Bella, who is autistic and mostly nonverbal, and how his family learned to communicate through letter boards and unwavering patience. Along the way: faith, grief, true-crime fascination, and the moments that change a person’s entire outlook. If you're having thoughts of self-harm or suicide: live chat with Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It's free and confidential. You'll reach someone who is trained to listen and support you.

Video Versions of State of Mind available on YouTube! Watch!

Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book! Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

Follow Maurice on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricebenard/

X: https://twitter.com/mauricebenard

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MauriceBenard/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/ State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com State of Mind Production Team: Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard Executive Producer: Paula Benard Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato

Enjoy this conversation originally published in 2022 featuring Emmy-winning actor Michael E. Knight. In this episode reflects on decades of friendship with Maurice Benard, their early years on All My Children, and the moments that shaped them on and off screen. In a conversation filled with laughter and honesty, Michael opens up about living with OCD and dysthymia, the role therapy and medication have played in his life, and why asking for help can be an act of strength—not weakness.

Video Versions of State of Mind available on YouTube! Watch!

Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book! Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

Follow Maurice on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricebenard/

X: https://twitter.com/mauricebenard

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MauriceBenard/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/ State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com State of Mind Production Team: Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard Executive Producer: Paula Benard Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato