Guardian of The Golden Gate Bridge. Preventing suicide with Kevin Briggs
Welcome to episode 197 with Kevin Briggs, who is a retired sergeant for the California Highway Patrol, known as the "Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge”.
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean in California. It’s about 200 feet above the water and there are 6 lanes of traffic that cross the bridge as well as a separate pathway for pedestrians and cyclists. It is one of the most famous landmarks in the world, partly because of the incredible architecture but also because it’s reputation as a suicide hot spot.
Part of Kevin’s job, as part of the Highway Patrol was to respond to calls for anyone attempting suicide by jumping from the bride. He was the person responsible for talking them back over the railing and keep them safe. It’s estimated that Kevin helped around 200 individuals over his 20 years on the force.
In this episode I chat to Kevin about joining the force and how, as a new police officer, he had to learn very quickly how to talk people off the bridge despite having no formal training in this at all. We chat about what it was like to do this 4 or 5 times a month, just as part of his job and how his approach changed over the years.
We chat about how to talk to someone about suicide and the importance of actually listening and the difference between having these conversations in day to day life versus having them on a ledge, more than 200 feet above water.
We also chat about the picture of Kevin talking a man off the edge of the bridge, how that day played out and what it was like when that photo became famous all over the world.
I’m sure you’ve seen that photo; it does the rounds on social media all the time! It was incredible to chat to Kevin about that day and also all the other days and the work he does now.
He has so much experience in this space and so much knowledge and it was a real pleasure to chat!
There is everything you need to know about Kevin’s work and links to his Tedx at www.pivotal-points.com and you can follow him on social media @guardianofthegoldengate
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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1:03:34
Professional rugby, plant medicine and The Hero's Journey with former Scotland international Rory Lamont
Welcome to episode 196 with Rory Lamont, who is a former professional Rugby Union player and the co-founder of CAIM, a health and wellness retreat centre in highland Scotland.
During his time as a professional rugby player, Rory played for Glasgow Warriors, Sale Sharks and Toulon. He has 29 international caps for Scotland and has represented his country in two world cups.
Over the years he was plagued by various injuries and concussions and whilst playing against Wales in the 2012 Six Nations tournament, he suffered a career ending leg break.
The injury, the surgeries, medical drugs and loss of both his career and identity pushed Rory in a mental and spiritual crisis which took him to the brink of ending his own life.
The collapse of his physical and mental health forced Rory to confront himself and he travelled to Costa Rica where he experienced the transformational healing power of the plant medicine Iboga which helped him to identify the changes he needed to make and he began the journey of healing and inner work that would lead him to the work he does now.
In this episode Rory guides me through the highs and lows of his rugby career and the injuries that kickstarted the decline in his mental health.
We chat about his first experience with plant medicine and how it helped him and we chat about what we can learn from depression, about learning to let go and to be vulnerable, the importance of healing as part of a community and why this work needs to be made more accessible.
We also chat about how scary it is to do these things, why men need rites of passage and the role of the hero’s journey and we chat about some of the incredible things that Rory has witnessed while holding space and supporting others.
It was wonderful to hear Rory’s story and how he learned to navigate his struggles. I can’t thank him enough for his openness. The work he does now feels vital and I came away from this conversation feeling hopeful and inspired.
Follow Rory @rory_lamont and @welcometocaim
Learn more about his work at www.welcometocaim.com
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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1:06:29
Are women depressed or oppressed? with psychiatrist Dr Linda Gask
Welcome to episode 195 with Dr Linda Gask who is a writer and a psychiatrist who has been an advisor to the World Health Organisation and been awarded the President’s Medal by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2017.
Her latest book is titled ‘Out of Her Mind’ which asks the questions ‘Are we failing women’s mental health and what needs to be done?’
In this episode I chat to Linda about some of the more common societal factors that can impact the mental wellbeing of women and how she went about learning more about these issues for her book.
We chat about how the treatment of mental health has historically let women down and if that’s changed in more recent times and we chat about the role of feminism in this conversation and whether women are depressed or oppressed.
We also chat about community, single issue politics, medical gaslighting and men’s mental health too.
I really enjoyed chatting to Linda and I got a lot out of our conversation!
Her book (and previous books) are available now and you can connect with her at Patching the Soul – Linda Gask or via @suzypuss1
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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56:23
Mental Illness on the NHS frontline with psychiatrist and comedian Dr Benji Waterhouse
Welcome to episode 194 with Dr Benji Waterhouse who is a front-line NHS doctor specialising in psychiatry and an award-winning stand-up comedian.
He is also the author of the best-selling medical memoir ‘You Don’t Have to Be Mad to Work Here’ where he has written about his work as a psychiatrist and the stories of the patients he has met along the way.
In this episode I chat to Benji about his book and his work and why he decided to work in medicine’s most mysterious and controversial speciality.
We chat about the process of sectioning someone, the origins of psychosis and delusions and some of the myths around mental illness in general.
We also chat about the impact that working in mental health can have on medical staff and the difficult decisions that have to be made when mental illness accounts for 28% of the overall disease burden but only receives 13% of funding.
We also get in to empathy, burnout, psychedelics and how to deal with a patient who thinks he’s a werewolf.
This episode is a lovely mix of humour and insight and it was fascinating to learn more about the other side of psychiatry!
You Don’t Have to Be Mad to Work Here is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it!
You can connect with Benji on social media @doctor_benjis
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
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52:48
Masculinity, autism, music and mental health with Tom Fleming from Wild Beasts and One True Pairing
Welcome to episode 193 with Tom Fleming of One True Pairing and formerly of Wild Beasts!
As a member of Wild Beasts, Tom released 5 acclaimed albums, one of them was nominated for the Mercury Prize and two of the records charted in the top 10.
Wild Beasts called it a day in 2018 with Tom putting out his first material as One True Pairing in 2019. His new record, Endless Rain, is out later this month.
In this episode, Tom and I chat about growing up in small towns and finding community through being creative and making music.
We chat about masculinity, what that term means and how it’s affected by society, geography and the class system.
And we chat about depression and the guilt and shame that come with the bad behaviour that is caused by mental ill health and we chat about Tom’s autism diagnosis that received in his late thirties and how that’s impacted his life.
Follow Tom on Instagram @onetruepairing and connect via www.onetruepairing.co.uk or www.dominomusic.com.
Endless Rain is out on all formats on 25th October 2024.
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!
Ireland