Rebecca Schaper: A Sister’s Call
SANDIE SEDGBEER: Did you feel a sense of peace; that you had found him, you had made his life different, you had done everything that you wanted to do, and you could close the book with a clear conscience and with love?
REBECCA SCHAPER: Yes, it took a while, but he’s still around us. My daughter Lauren and I both feel him, especially my daughter, Lauren. He shows up in music. There’s so much more I could say, but he’s still around us. I know he is. He’s right here.
SANDIE SEDGBEER: Since the documentary and the book, you’ve invested a lot of time, energy, and money into being an advocate for mental health. You speak at various different events, and you’re producing a second documentary. And now, you — we —are launching a new project dedicated to slaying the dragons of mental health by stripping away the shame, the embarrassment, the fear, and the stigma associated with it.
Why a new project? Well, as mentioned, mental health isn’t something that applies to just some of us. It applies to all of us. It’s part of the human condition. No person should ever be made to feel embarrassed, ashamed, or discriminated against for simply being human.
Today, we’ve heard just one person’s story. Throughout the world, millions of people are living their own stories and looking for answers. Long before Covid and lockdowns became part of our language, mental health statistics were climbing. Experts are in agreement that we’re heading towards a worldwide crisis.
No one knows for sure what causes mental health issues. A myriad of things can tip the scales of our emotional, physical, and mental equilibrium. From brain and body chemistry, hormones, food, nutrition, trauma, shock, our microbiome to pharmaceutical drugs, psychedelic substances, meditation, visionary experiences, and spiritual awakenings.
But Rebecca Schaper and I want to find out. We intend to do whatever we can to find some answers for people. So, we’re going to join forces. Starting in January 2021, we’re launching a new live video and audio podcast dedicated to de-mystifying, de-stigmatizing, humanizing, and personalizing mental health. This show will air at noon, Eastern time, on the first and the third Thursdays of every month. It’s called ‘CRACKED! THE PODCAST – Slaying the Dragons of Mental Health, and its goal is to expand the conversation about mental health.
So we are leaving no stone unturned. No question unasked, and no potential solution unexamined in our quest to shine many different lights on a topic that none of us can afford to ignore. ‘CRACKED! THE PODCAST’ will explore them all, including and perhaps especially something that Rebecca has touched upon in this interview—that for many, a breakdown can be the beginning of a breakthrough. So, as the Poet and Philosopher Leonard Cohen observed, “there is a crack in everything, it’s where the light gets in.”
Rebecca, no one can doubt your passion for taking the shame out of mental health issues. Before bringing this show to an end, would you like to add any last words about the new Podcast?
REBECCA SCHAPER: I hope I said enough. I hope that people will resonate with this and be excited about this because you and I have a strong passion for this and educate so many people. And there will be resources also as well for people.
SANDIE SEDGBEER: Indeed. It’s important to state that while I am based in England, and Rebecca is in America, this is an international Podcast that can be heard worldwide. So, there’s no such thing as boundaries or barriers.
REBECCA SCHAPER: And mental health is a worldwide situation.
SANDIE SEDGBEER: Absolutely. Rebecca Schaper, thank you for joining us. Thank you for sharing your story. And thank you for embarking on this new venture with me.
REBECCA SCHAPER: Oh, I’m so excited, Sandie. I can’t wait.
The inaugural edition of ‘CRACKED! THE PODCAST’ will air live on Thursday, January 07, 12:00 noon Eastern time, 9:00 am Pacific, and 6:00 pm UCT. And every episode will be available on multiple Podcast sites, as well as streamed through OMTimes’ Magazine’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
