Vanessa The Vivacious: And welcome everyone to another episode of Vanessa the vivacious show. I wanted to start off with a moment of silence because there is so much going on and I think that we all have someone who we could take a moment of silence for. So I just wanted to do that today. As you can see behind me, this is a completely different background and no, it's not a, it's not a green screen. It's not a filter of any kind. It's actually a house, a house that is not my own. I have sold my house as some of you may know and so I am completely mobile. I am able to travel to any location in the country for the moment until my passport is ready and then I can go international and go and film folks abroad. That would be so awesome and I'm ready to do that this year, especially for a movie that I have coming up. So if you're not aware, I do have a film that I am working on and it will film in London. It will, it will. It is, it is just made or the UK in terms of the setting and the background, but it'll be American as well. So it'll kind of be a crossover, which will be really exciting to film. Welcome, ⁓ to this very kind of echoey room in this house, but it's a gorgeous house. ⁓ It has the perfect setup. for recording and sleeping and my dog who's running around in the back there, Elizabeth Taylor, she is having a ball. We just got here today after spending a week in Dallas over at the Galleria area. We were staying at the Westin, which is connected to the Galleria Mall. And somehow, I don't know how, but somehow I managed to only go to the mall one time to get some equipment and that was it. So I give myself high props for not to the mall for every single day of my stay there, which I think was over a week. So that was really interesting. I take that back. I did go to Lush in addition to getting some equipment, but it was the same day. So that doesn't count. Right now. I had a list of things that I wanted to go over today. And frankly, there's something that's just more pressing to me at the moment. And I wanted to talk about that particular subject today. So that particular subject today is mental health. Mental health is something that we all struggle with. And if you don't think you struggle with it, I doubt that. ⁓ is part us that doesn't want to share that with the world or doesn't want anyone to know. ⁓ And I that in order for us to heal and to be okay in our own skin is that we have to talk about that. ⁓ And so recently I an interview with the ⁓ Work sucks, but I like it anyway podcast and we talked about mental health a little bit I talked about a book that I've been working on for years and I'm seeking submissions for this book because it'll be a assortment of stories that are written by people that have experience with mental health issues or maybe they know someone that did and so that book will exist to help people that are going through the struggle or maybe their friends and family or people that don't understand because they've never been exposed to any issues with mental health. And so that book called Metamorphosis, I'm sorry. How can I forget my own book? It is Complications in Metamorphosis. And there's going to be a button on my website that will allow you to submit. It'll be a quick form where you can either contact or submit directly from the website. Haven't decided yet, but it'll give you information on where to send it. So super, super simple. You just write up the story and send it in. And then for those that are artists who suffer from mental health illness, I don't even like to say suffer from mental health illness. I like to say that are, you know, surviving mental mental health struggles or I don't know, there's a better way to say that there is a better way. And I know there's more than just this one, but I digress. So thinking about a friend who is kind of going through it right now. And it's never a good experience when you receive a message from someone who is on the brink of taking their own life. And it's, it's, it just makes your whole world stop and you do your best to be there for them and to listen to them above all, listen to them. But at the end of the day, they have to make a decision to stay in fight or to give in to these intrusive thoughts or whatever it is that has happened to cause them to be in that particular position. And all we can do is be supportive, be available, and then hopefully if they want us to interact in person, then we can do that. But then there are times where you have to involve services as well. So. I am not one who hesitates to call on services for someone should they need intervention immediately. Previous to this recent event, I had another situation with a dear friend who had an episode of psychosis. And that triggered me because it reminded me of previous experiences. And then they agreed to be taken to a hospital that I know very well. And that was triggering, but I was moving beyond my own triggers because my friend needed help. And so I went to go pick them up 45 minutes away after many, conversations about how they didn't need help and how they were talking to God and that they were an angel and all sorts of conversations. And my friend eventually agreed to go to the hospital. And so when I went to pick them up, they would not get in the car and it was very upsetting. And we talked for what was probably like two hours. and they would not get in the car. And so they said that they were going to just go upstairs and take their own life. And I was not okay with that. I told them that, you the minute they go upstairs, I am calling services to intervene and either they could get in the car and go to the hospital or they could wait for the police or intervention team to knock on the door. And so this particular friend went upstairs and then I went to the apartment office and started making the calls and then. ⁓ intervention services came out and I am not certain what happened after that because I wasn't allowed to know more information but I can only hope that my friend is okay but I do know that by contacting services and recognizing when services are needed especially when someone says that they're going to take their own life the minute that you leave that is a time to call for help. I also understand that sometimes when you want to be there for someone and you are physically with them, but you feel as though you're in above your head or in over your head, excuse me. And you just know in your gut, you just know that they need more help than you can offer. At that point, that is also the time to call for services or to look up services or have the conversation with your friend. Sometimes they will appreciate that candidness and they will go with you to the hospital or they will allow you to take them. But in my particular situation, With that friend number one, they just would not go and services had to intervene. Bless you. Now with this current, that was my dog, with this current particular friend, ⁓ she heard her name or species. With the current friend, I am very worried about them and I am talking to them and they've agreed to possibly hang out tomorrow. So that means that they're going to make it through the night. But I also understand that if there are any particular phrases or trigger words or just things to watch out for, then again, I won't hesitate to call someone to help this friend because they're a little like an hour plus away. And so I can't get there quickly. But at the same time, I'm not equipped to deal with someone who's at the very edge. Now, back in the day, I was trained as a counselor, a suicide counselor. But that was many years ago and I don't feel that I am properly equipped to help the person at this moment. Elizabeth would like to say hello if you don't mind. Come here. Okay. This is Elizabeth Taylor. Elizabeth, say hello. Mm-hmm. Okay. She left a little wet nose. So as I was saying, ⁓ my friend who is going through something very difficult, and mind you, it doesn't matter what it is that someone is going through that gets them to that point. What matters is what happens next. Do you speak to them? Do you let them know that they are not alone? Do you offer to come spend time with them? Do you offer to call services for them? It's what you do, but also what they do. And I'm hoping that this particular friend will stick around. I've already let them know that, you know, even though life is difficult and things get really hard, at the same time, you can look backward and see all of the hard things that you've gone through and the fact that you've gone through them and come through the other side. And yes, right now might be something very difficult and it might seem as though it's even worse than things were before. That always seems to be the case when we're facing something. It seems to be more magnified. And so then when we get past that particular thing, it doesn't seem as big anymore because we got through it and we saw the other side. so to my friend, which I don't believe they watched this show, but if they did, I would say stay anyway. And I've told that to countless people, stay anyway, because everything can change in a moment. Everything can change in a day. And if you don't stay, then you won't find out and you won't see that it gets better. And it does, it does get better. If you fight alongside your friends, it can get better. And if you don't have any friends or anyone to talk to, call public services, call 988. ⁓ is an excellent service to contact and speak to You can also email, I believe, and you can text them, that's for sure. And so there are national hotlines out there that you can talk to. There's always someone you can talk to. And yes, you can go on social media and you can ⁓ make a video and you can let people know that you're on the edge. But but I think that it's very important that you talk to people who are trained so that way they can offer resources or maybe they can offer insight because they have the training to to offer substantial help. And so I think that it's very important that if you're going through something that you contact these services. ⁓ It is a good thing to talk to people online and to connect with others that are in the same situation that can help you process what it is that you're going through. again, ⁓ services that are trained have have resources for you. And so would highly recommend that I believe NAMI National Alliance of Mental Illness ⁓ has 800 numbers you are, you can Google, you can look it up on the phone. or you can call, believe, 211 and they can help you locate services. Now, mind you, all services are not built the same. This is a fact. For my first friend, when I was contacting services to help her out, I remember being told to call another number and then to call another number. And that voice recording told me to call another number. So I had to really work to get through to actual services that could help my friend. And it made me think, Man, had this been life or death right now, my friend would have been gone. And so, yes, there is a lot to be worked on. There's so much to improve upon for these services. But at the same time, the fact that they exist, the fact that intervention teams exist in some major cities, and hopefully in the future, all cities will have intervention services as opposed to just calling police who may not know. how to deal with folks that are suffering from an episode or that they're contemplating suicide. It takes a lot of training to be able to connect with these people and to help them through it. And so that's why I say, reach out to the services first, but definitely connecting with people online is good as well. And there are a lot of people who you can connect with online. So you're not alone, my friend, you are not alone. Everyone, you are not alone. I can attest to a history. can attest to surviving. I can attest to getting to a place where I'm able to talk about it openly and I'm not ashamed of it. You know, there are various parts of our lives, whether it's mental health, whether it's homelessness, whether it's losing a job, whether it's something that you did, you know, socially or, or, know, within your family, there, there are things that we all have. Right. There are periods of our life that we all have that we don't wish to think about, or we don't want to talk about, but The fact is we all have these things and we all have a commonality in that we all have struggles. That's what I'm trying to say. And so today, originally I was going to go down a list of things similar to my friend on that podcast. He has a wonderful way of kind of breaking down his month of shows. And like I said, I just relocated. a different city. ⁓ I'm in a different city in an Airbnb and it's amazing. I'm loving it. ⁓ great. ⁓ And then, you know, next week I'll be in another city and I will continue documenting humanity and doing the podcast, doing work film and video. i have a lot of footage to upload and to edit for the no Kings protest. ⁓ And I will continue to do what it that I do. ⁓ wherever I am, which is amazing that I have the equipment to be mobile and to do all of the work mobilely. So I'm so excited to continue to do my work and also to just, you know, bless humanity with the stories of humanity. So thank you for being on this journey. I appreciate all of the support when it comes to my own journey ⁓ dealing with ⁓ in addition to other things as ⁓ you've seen, if you've if you've. watched any of my social profiles, I'm very open about what it is that I'm going through when I'm going through it, particularly because it is a way of processing for me. And also I have this inkling that someone else is going to see that content and they're going to not feel alone. And that means everything to me. So if you're one of the folks that wonders why are you sharing that? ⁓ my God, I would never, I don't care. Are you kidding me? I I've been through worse. have. have. ⁓ man. Wait till you read the book. That's, that's all I'm going to say. I've been told so many times like, ⁓ you need a, you need a memoir. ⁓ my goodness. Like how in the heck are you still alive? My own therapist said that once and yeah. So wait till you read the book. There's so much, but I do my best to kind of present the stories that I know will resonate with others, but particularly doing life right now with cancer and making movies and doing video and doing podcasts and documenting humanity while I am going through this. Also, you know, going through divorce and I sold my house and so I am truly on my own, but in the best way I am able to go anywhere and do anything and it's quite remarkable. It's a little bit overwhelming at times, but for the most part, it's so exciting and liberating and I'm so excited to do so much more work and so much creative work and collaborate with others and also work with clients because I have my own production company as well. And so I am excited and scared, but more so excited at the endless possibilities that exist for me right now. I could literally hop on a plane and be in New York or be in San Francisco or be in Seattle wherever I want to go. I can do that right now. But for for now I'm in a house in the suburbs and it'll be a different city next week. So we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens. Amazing things are going to happen. If you saw my video today it was kind of like a hey you know what all this stuff is happening but I'm still here and I'm still chasing my dreams of creating everything and anything that's ever been in my heart, which is like breathing to me. So thank you for your support. You can support the show and everything I do via buymeacupacoffee.com slash Humanity 2.0 podcast. You can subscribe and follow on all the social platforms at Vanessa Vivacious and also at Humanity 2.0 podcast. You can go to Vanessa vanessathevivacious.com and get the links to the link trees as well as all the socials. kind of, ⁓ know, circles ⁓ so that way you can find everything very easily. ⁓ also on YouTube. I have a YouTube channel that has a ton of various things. ⁓ you well know, some of you know, I traveled the country for four years interviewing strangers about happiness with the, you happy docu series? ⁓ then I also became their managing director. And then I also was production manager for their production company as a contractor. So I oversaw 3000 plus, uh, content creators and visual journalists. And I trained them. I hired them. I consulted, I dealt with clients. And one of my biggest flexes that I will be proud of for like all of the days of my life is that I was able to construct hire and, schedule production for a shoot in France of all places. From little old Texas, I was able to schedule and produce this production from Texas in France in less than 48 hours, by the way. Yeah. I'm the kind of person, and this is a plug for myself sharing my production services, but I am the kind of person that will get stuff done. I'm the kind of person who is not patient. So I will get it done immediately, especially when it comes to having to hire and find the exact people that are needed and, ⁓ know, production management. I love controlling things and making things work and solving problems. I'm the kind of person who comes with five solutions for every problem. The kind of person that, that creates plans, you know, for what could possibly happen, what won't happen, what will happen. And And I really love the intricacy. It reminds me of Tetris. Remember Tetris? That's my favorite game to this very day. I still play Tetris when I can, but ⁓ old school games, that's my jam. But Tetris, Tetris taught me so much about life and how to pivot when, necessary, how to take the blocks that are completely wrong for the spaces that they are falling into and to pivot, or maybe even reinvent them. on a recent interview with that podcast that I was on, which is the work sucks, but I like it anyway. Super cool podcast and title by the way. And the host is really cool. His voice is like butter. And so being on that show, I remember talking about various stages of my work and how for me, if I didn't, if I didn't like something or maybe if it didn't function the way I wanted it to, Or if I was in a position that I didn't feel my, my, ⁓ creative talents or, just my purpose or my skills were not being used appropriately. got bored and then I quit. And then I went and found whatever it was that I needed or I created it. So, so in a way, not in a way this actually happened. Basically what I did is, is I created my own opportunity. anytime that I've ever been in a place where maybe I was looked over because, you know, a male who possibly had more knowledge, but they didn't, ⁓ they were picked over me or, or maybe, ⁓ Maybe I was in a job where they underestimated me, which that's happened my whole life. But the awesome thing is that when you're underestimated, then when you show your competence and your skill and they are just blown away, that's the best. So, so over the years I'm kind of like, yeah, go ahead and underestimate me because when you see what I do, then you will be like so amazed. And then I'll laugh. But. I digress. ⁓ what I was talking about basically is that anytime where I have been in a place that I felt I wasn't growing or maybe I felt like it just wasn't the right fit, but I deserved more and I wanted more. I just made it happen. I made it happen. I made my own company. I talked my way into an internship that didn't exist. So it was created for me. I walked my way into a job. where normally you need five plus years of skills. I did it twice. And then I got hired for a film that I haven't done that role. So the only way you learn and get experience is by doing. And that's what I think is my word of advice for the day. The only way that word of advice, phrase of advice, idea of advice. That's my advice today is that you only get the experience by doing. You only get the opportunities by asking and you only get the experience by just going for it. It doesn't matter where you come from or what you have or how much money you have. Do you have the passion to go for what you want? Do you have the fearlessness and the conviction to just go and do it? and spend a lot of time honing in your skills and just perfecting, but also letting yourself be inspired and educated by others, but not for replication purposes, but for ways to enrich yourself. Do you wake up and you think about that particular work or that passion that you have when you are sitting by yourself? Does your mind wander into different places and different, let's just say different ideas or different stories about what you want to film or edit or what you want to say when you're on stage accepting your award one day. It seems that now is the time to do anything and everything that you're passionate about. With the world in the state that it is, with people in the state that we are, it makes perfect sense to just do what it is that you're passionate about. Find a way. If you have to work a job and do what you want to be, I'm sorry, if you have to work a day job or two, and then find time to study your passion or to fulfill your passions. Then if you're truly passionate about it, you will do it. There was a time where I was waking up at two, three in the morning so I could do some editing or some kind of story crafting or writing for a few hours before I had to get up for work and then drive to work, be there all day and come back or else work from home. But I got up a few hours earlier so I could do this work and then go to my day job. And then one day I got physically sick and mentally sick by this job. And I realized that no job was worth dying at a desk for. I've done some pretty extraordinary things. At least I think so. Some agree, but I've done some pretty extraordinary things with my life and it made no sense. Absolutely none to have a heart attack or a stroke at my desk as a claims insurance person. Adjuster So I quit on Indigenous Peoples Day. Wasn't meant to be that way, but it was really cool that it was. I quit my day job. I cashed in my 401K and pretty much said, let it ⁓ Did it get hard? ⁓ yeah. ⁓ ⁓ Did ⁓ other opportunities present ⁓ A little bit. Did I make a to keep this dream alive. Yeah. I sold my house. I sold my house and I'm no longer chained down to a mortgage. I'm no longer chained to an HOA. I don't have to pay a whole lot of money for a place that is breaking down all the time. Like the pipes were horrible. So I'm not, I'm not tied down to a house anymore and I have the ability now to travel and work and have all sorts of adventures and opportunities, I could go work on other films as well and join people in anywhere in the country. Internationally, maybe in a month or two, maybe three, but you get the gist of it. I took a chance. Why didn't I really take a chance? Because I know who I am. I know what I can do and I know my capabilities. And I knew that if I tried no matter what, that if I stayed positive, no matter what, that if I was a good human, no matter what. that God would find a way that life would find a way that I would find a way that experiences would happen for me with me or because of me. I, I know that I know that if we just keep our heart in it a hundred percent and that we're, we're just, you know, truthful about everything and you know, cards on the table all the time. And we are just completely open with humanity. And also that we do good things for our fellow humans because we don't do that enough. We volunteer on holidays and special days of the week because our workplaces tell us to, but why not do it when you're not required to or when no one's looking? That's what I challenge people to do. It's so fulfilling. It gives you such a good feeling inside. And then that feeling leads you to other places. You know, when you serve others for no reason, when you serve others for no particular reason, it's the most beautiful feeling. And so my whole life has been service to others. And I'm so happy. I'm so, happy that that has never changed. It never will. It never will. I will work on the Humanity Network nonprofit, which will be an umbrella for several other. nonprofits and also help other organizations as well. There's so much more to come and, and serving humanity in whatever facet that I can while also sharing these beautiful stories about humanity and making films that will touch someone and inspire them to do the same thing. Because this little Brown girl who grew up, you know, dirt poor on dirt floors with, with nothing. never gave up. See you next week. And don't forget to be vivacious.