Free Your Mind With LKJ – Dr Rhonda Wood

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of Free Your Mind. Let's talk about it today. I'm very, very excited, um, as a mental health advocate myself. And, you know, most of the listeners and people that know me in the UK and around the world, I'm very, very passionate about this. And I always get excited when I meet somebody that has that same drive, that passion for another person, for their well-being and their health, and actually to understand more in conversation how we can bring the awareness, remove the stigma and the label, but bring with imagination and encouragement to change the way we think and to help somebody free their mind. So today our special guest is a keynote speaker as well internationally. Her name is Dr. Rhonda Wood. She's recognized as one of the most prominent voices for mental health advocacy. Dr. Rhonda M. Wood is an award-winning international keynoter, best-selling author, and a leading authority on mental health. Leveraging over 30 years of corporate experience, Rhonda impacts audiences with her mission to normalize and and destigmatize mental health conversations. She trains individuals and corporations worldwide to eradicate mental health stigmas and adopt compassion, awareness, and acceptance. Rhonda's extensive expertise has earned her invitations to speak on major corporate stages across the country in the USA. She has delivered dynamic live and virtual keynote speeches for large international audiences, including the Shaw Fair Leadership Tour. Now, when I start with the Shaw Fair, a lot of people know, yes, I'm going across the pond, very excited to bring the UK and what we believe in here and about keynote speaking across the pond. So it's a great, great pleasure to introduce to our audience today the absolutely magnificent, beautiful lady. Her name's Dr. Rhonda Wood. Welcome, Dr. Rhonda, to Free Your Mind, Let's Talk About It with LKJ. Thank you so much, Lady Kendall. What an awesome introduction. I appreciate you so much, and I am so honored to be here. The honor is, as I say, I bestow and tip my hat to you because in gratitude for such passion. So for the audience that are listening, it's going, you know, across not only the UK, we'll go across the world so people can tune in and they can click on at www.womensradiostation.com. Rona also will have this interview which will go out onto different platforms that she wishes you know, from the time of recording, but will be aired on the show on the 29th of August, 2022, this year. So Rhonda, you know, I don't know where to start because your bio, everything about you, even, you know, when you see on the screen, like I've just done a minute ago, just being, you know, you've got Mother Teresa said a smile is the most uplifting thing you can give to another human being. But if you was to meet you in the street and just that wonderful smile, you You know, magnitude, so much energy, it's unbelievable. Wow, thank you so much, Lady Kennedy. You know, it's so funny, I, I do love to smile, but, but as you know, you know, people who struggle with mental health sometimes don't have that, um, that feeling or that energy to always put on that front, put on that mask, put on that face of, you know, lift your head up and smile. And as you are probably aware, mental health has many faces, right? It looks different on different people. And so I think what we expect when someone is experiencing mental health symptoms is we expect them to look or behave in a certain way, right? You know, if they're, if they're dealing with depression or anxiety or maybe even PTSD or might even be having thoughts of not wanting to be here anymore, we would expect them to look downhearted or isolated or experience nervousness. But especially in today's world, right, a lot of people are able to fake it. They're able to still be functional even though they're going through mental health things. They're able to hold their head up high. They're able to put a big smile on their face and they're able to appear like everything is okay, even when beneath the surface they may be masking emotional pain. And you know what, Lady Kendall, that was me. That was me. I was able to be functional, so I fooled a lot of people into thinking that I was okay all the time. Now I can say the smile that I had on this morning was genuine. I am genuinely excited and upbeat and happy this morning, but I'm not always that way. I strive to always be that way. I have struggled with mental health symptoms in the past, um, and I, and I currently still do. I do, um, seek out resources, therapy, and support groups to help me better manage my symptoms. And so, you know, that's one of the reasons why I became an advocate, because I realized there are There are so many people out there who are going through exactly the same thing that I'm experiencing. And it doesn't— mental health doesn't discriminate. It doesn't just show up on certain people. I was a corporate career woman. I was a mother. I had a teen daughter who was also experiencing symptoms. So sometimes it's in the genes. It's generational. We can pass it on knowingly or unknowingly. And so I just thought advocates was just so important because I feel like there's a lot of people who are suffering in silence and solitude, and we just want to let them know, one, it's okay to be okay but not stay that way. And then the other thing is that, you know, you're not alone. So— Yes, and I can connect with you on that, Rona, because as you know and the listeners know myself, I've suffered horrendous mental health throughout my life. From the age of 9, from school, from bullying, being kicked and beaten so bad by this group of girls, the different ways I used to try and find to leave the school to go backways home, for crying in the room, and for my own brothers actually, you know, they said, "We're going to hit you and I'm going to hit you until you start standing up for yourself." and every time you come home crying, we're going to hit you a bit more. In their mind, thought it was great to say, you know, you're going to be stronger, be tougher. But I used to have fear of then going home that I was going to, you know, get hurt by my brothers because they were trying to make me stronger. And the evolution of that going through to losing my brothers and my mum and my child was absolutely horrific. And like you said, you know, there are days when you put on that smile, but you come across these triggers and you just feel— I just— you can't get up. And you think— and people often ask me, and I don't know if you're asked the question, Aron, as a mental health advocate, Have we not self-taught ourselves that we don't, you know, feel these triggers? No, because, you know, we will still, um, suffer no matter— because the difference is we are aware of that, aren't we? Absolutely. You know, and I want to applaud you too for just being so open and transparent about what you went through. I know that was really difficult, but I am so So I feel your strength in just being able to endure that and get to where you are today, right? To be able to talk about it, to be able to encourage and empower others. But I know that a lot of people can relate to your story, especially when we have family members, right? When we have family members, siblings, parents, and our loved ones who think they're doing us justice, who think they're doing us a favor by saying, well, I'm going to make you stronger. This is what— you need to be strong and not weak. And I think that in itself, Lady Kendall, is a big issue because I think society thinks that we are always supposed to appear strong. You know, that weakness is wrong and bad, or even the things that people believe are a sign of weakness. For example, if I were to speak out and say, hey, I'm not having a good day today, people might take that as a sign of weakness. Or if I say I need to take some time away, or I need to take a mental health day, I don't think I can stay at work the entire day, or maybe I need some self-care, some time to myself to prioritize me. You know, I think society has taught us that when you do a lot and serve a lot and take care of a lot of people, those type of actions and behaviors are applauded, right? We're like, oh my goodness, look at her, she's doing this, this, this, and this. She's, you know, going to work every day, she's coming home, she's cooking, she's doing homework, and she's going to Girls she's baking cookies, she's going to cheerleading practice and soccer practice and football, right? But if that same person were to say, you know what, I am going to take a bubble bath and read a book, we might view her as lazy. And so it's just that, that part of the stigma, right? We want to talk about stigma, that part of the stigma about the things that we think are strong versus weak, or the things that we think are helping versus, you know, triggering people. And not always knowing what their story is, not really know— like, you know, I would have never have known that you had gone through those things and that you had overcome those things and that those are sort of the things that have made you the strong advocate that you are today. You know, how all of our past experiences, sort of those pieces fit together to kind of make up the blueprint of our life and help us to become the people who we are, who we were created to be, to make a difference in the world, right? Completely, yes. And you were saying about the blueprint and with the genes, when, you know, looking at that and how you change it, how you get on there, how to put— how do you overcome this? You know, you have to seek transformational coaching to be able to overcome this, because, you know, when we look at mental health and you've got the acute, the chronic, the complex. When you've had so much trauma and these shocks and they're not dealt with and you, you show the world that everyone thinks that you are fine, but actually, you know, going into the next category to then becoming complex, you know, for myself was absolutely horrendous. You know, I felt that if I punished myself And then I started punishing people around me because I was like, just go away, just go away, you know, and was very angry with them. Whatever they had, I was very angry. And that anger was uncontrollable anger, actually. Not I was going out hitting anyone, I never hit anybody, but I was angry in my approach, anger that why did they have a good family? Why are they laughing? I'm going to destroy that. I don't like that. That's how my mind was working until— because I honestly believed that if I did that, then I'd been punished by God and he would take on me because I didn't understand why I was being punished in my mental health. And a person, you know, from a small kid, I was always somebody that shared everything, always had time. And even for everybody that knows me, you know, still to this day, you know, with the testimonies that Jags is the nicest person. That was always me. But when you are controlled by something, and it's like having an out-of-body experience, you can see what you're doing. You can see you're destroying yourself, trying to destroy anything around you, but you can't control that. You know, it's like the Doctor Who, as many people who watch Doctor Who you're being transformed out until you can get back into that much. So that didn't work. So I did believe in ending my life twice, actually. And even that didn't work. And I was like, why? Why am I here? I felt like walking in a lonely desert with no water to drink, just wilted, broken to a place that I've fallen and you still punish me by leaving me in this dry desert. You know, it's a way, uh, being stranded out in the Nevada desert, you know, you, you know, just with the vultures and everyone. The vultures were the demons in my mind, you know, that were attacking and you were impacted like this to come through to you just crippled up until, you know, finally you think you've got to stand. You know, and then I stood and then I fell and I stood and I fell and then carried on. But I realized as I stood and started to fall that my— why was my reasoning here? My reasoning was there because everybody is worth something. You're enough. You have to look at the challenges and there are challenges on our life road journey that we do. Because, you know, if that road was just straight, say the Nevada Desert, for instance, from the many miles of openness, and there's nothing growing or no trees or no beauty, we have to learn these as life lessons and learn to go forward. And with the stigma from years ago that, you know, out in that desert they would have put a, you know, a motel, but it was called an asylum. Marilyn Monroe's mother thrown, put in there, and how it was treated as if you were like a form of leprosy, you know, the mental health that was in there, to go away. So people did learn to mask it because they were frightened of being put into those places and coming through. So like yourself, you know, when you've had traumas, and everyone's got their own story, everyone has, but the story is to hold out that hand, because there was an invisible hand that came, you know, when you're walking alone, sometimes that voice comes out. And now we do have a voice, and we are humanitarians, and because of our own adversity is the feeling that you can— I can actually recognize that on somebody's face now. This is like I can see right through their soul And I don't know what gives me the power of doing that, but I can tell. I can tell through the smile, from where the lines sit on that smile, for somebody that is suffering. Because people are suffering at work. They are suffering more intensely since this pandemic. And the children, you know, and making the change to go forward on that. And for yourself. I know with the UK, we're going to be working together on a wonderful project with Juliet Morrison and with other organizations and corporations here in the UK, and hopefully the same in the USA, is that we should have a care day. If you're feeling that broken or that trigger, that as a leader, who's your boss? You know, I don't mean like using word boss, you know, head of your team, you know, that your inspiration comes through, that no, 99.9% of the time in your corporate world, you will be given to them all that of yourself to ensure their product, their brand is done. That's why they chose you to work for them. So in that 0.5%, 0.5% that you have that day when there's something in a trigger or something that gets you, and it could be an anniversary, you can just get up and you feel you're not going to present the best of yourself by rolling into work. So we'll come to work anyway, you know, have a coffee. People think, oh, you'll get over it when you start talking to people. You're better off having that time where you can release that, release the endorphin, then go back and then you charge actually at 4%. You will stay later for them. You will do more for them because they understand you. Do you, do you see that same sort of feeling? Obviously, in my honesty, being out there for yourself, because you are so highly commended all around the world, Rona. Because of your voice. Well, thank you, Lady Kendall. And I know you are too. I know you are just making such an amazing and incredible impact there in the UK. And yes, I think, man, I cannot wait for our project coming up later this year because I think it's going to just really help a lot of people with a transformational mindset. In dealing with things such as mental health. But man, you've definitely hit on a lot of really good issues, talking about stigma and talking about feeling like you were being punished and just even just taking that out. I think a lot of people do question, why am I going through this? To the point where they do feel that lowness and that hopelessness of feeling like, they want to end their life, or there's no point in me living. Why? You know, there's no reason for me to still be here. They actually get to that point. And I'm so grateful that you were able to pull yourself out of it. But I think that goes along with what we talked about earlier in terms of that blueprint. A lot of times we wonder, why do we go through such difficulties and challenges? Such as, you know, mental health, such as depression and anxiety and PTSD, and even to the point of having these suicidal ideations. And I strongly believe that a lot of the reasons why we go through challenges and difficulties and obstacles and adversity, I think those instances, those experiences, they actually are the key, the fuel for our growth and our greatness. I believe those experiences that you went through, Lady Kendall, have provided the blueprint to where you are today. So you have been able to walk through it, and now you're able to use your voice to help others. You know, I've been able to walk through it myself and support others and speak out as an advocate today. But the thing that I want people to really understand is that your, your adversities, your obstacles, your challenges, particularly when it pertains to mental health, is it fuels your growth and it fuels your greatness. And what I mean by that is that certain experiences in our lives are meant to stretch us and take us to greater heights. Those experiences, they generate the seeds of our character. They generate the seeds of resilience. And strength and tenacity. And they help prepare us for a greater purpose. And so looking at where you are today, those things that you went through, you know, at school with being bullied and the things that you experienced at the hands of your brothers made you stronger, you know, made you more resilient and tenacious so that you are able to, you know, be this amazing force to be reckoned with. You know, making these even international strides, you know, in this impact and empowering people around the world. So kudos to you for just your, your, your global work. And, and just look at, look at what those, those seeds of that character were able to produce in you. And that's what I want to encourage, you know, the listeners with. Hey, you might be going through difficult times, and I know we all are. I mean, just look at what's going on around the world. You know, with, with politics and with the different nations at war and, and even with the pandemic, a lot of people are going through a lot of loss and grief, fearing for their health, fearing for their loved ones, feeling for their job, or maybe even their finances. But those adversities will produce your growth and your greatness. You know, if you can just hang on to that hope and that faith, I strongly believe that that's what's going to come out of, um, you know, these difficult times. Yes, it's, um, and thank you for that, Rana. You were saying, um, with, you know, they become our strengths. Because when, you know, looking at my own life, um, with that, it's been saying, wow, Lady Gaga went through it. There was nothing, you know, having that and those kicking and bullying and, you know, have I also— people are like, wow, you know, because you can talk on many subjects. I think my mental health became my greatest lesson in my studying, and obviously I've studied everything that possibly could be there, but my mind became like a sponge, as you've read. And because of not only having that, you know, I— when we touched on losing my brothers, one died of a brain hemorrhage, and then when I lost my child, you know, she was born and she died. You know, there was something wrong with the brain and so she died with that. And then I had to have a full hysterectomy, my ovaries removed. I could never be a mum with that side again. Fortunately, I did have a child before that, but I couldn't after that. So that's been stripped from me. And then I came out of that hospital feeling, you know, smashed, as my brother came to see me. He was always there, you know, the one, although he was like, "Come on, I'm gonna beat you and hit you till you fight back," was always still fighting for me. He said, "It'll be okay, it'll be okay." He left my house, Rona, after doing that and was killed by a car. Oh my goodness. Yeah, and that's when my brain just exterminated, you know, when I was saying to people that's it. And then when I look back and think, and here I am now, 20— gosh, that was in 1993, um, and we're in 2000, are we? '22 coming into '23. I always get like a trigger moment when I speak about that, so I get like a glitch, you know, in the brain. It's like coming through. And when I look at that, I think, you know, The work that I have done, you know, with premenopausal, going through the menopause at that age, suffering child loss, suffering bereavement, suffering all these things that go on, that writing the book The Broken Girl in the Red Shoes, that I won Best Author of Fiction in the world in the Sabre 2022— 2020, sorry— award, which was amazing. But that was a journey. Talking is one of four going on. And I do believe in the power of the pen and writing that down and expressing and working with them. And I was— when I was first asked to speak, I was like, God, you know, why would somebody want to hear that? But actually, by us opening up and people seeing you, when they look and think, wow, wow, I'm not alone, I can speak, people have had challenges and their challenges might be different to our own, but they're all challenges. And that's why the work that we do is to encourage, you know, that, that you're doing. Because yourself, you are a best-selling author as well, aren't you? Yes, I am. So excited about that. Can you tell us the viewers about your book? Sure. So I have a, a book that's currently on the bestseller list, and then I have a book that I'm in the process of writing. So the book that I have that's currently on the bestseller list is a, is, it's actually an anthology. So I am a contributing author in that book. And the book is called Unleash Your Undeniable Impact. And yes, it speaks to sort of what you and I were talking about in terms of, you know, we all have the seed of greatness inside of us. We, we all have that despite what we've been through, despite the detours and the diversions and the distractions that has happened in our life. We still can make an undeniable impact in this world. Take whatever you have, whatever you've gone through. We each have amazing potential. We each have skills. We all have, you know, things that we were uniquely created for and to do. And so that's— those are the things in which we can make our undeniable impact. So, so the book speaks to that. Um, it was an amazing project. There were, there were me and about 74 other authors, and the foreword was actually written by, you know, um, the legendary Les Brown, who's one of the, you know, greatest motivational speakers, um, you know, has been, been doing it for, for, for several years. Um, so, so to be able to, you know, do work on a project alongside of him was amazing. You know, it made, um, international bestseller. And then the project that I'm working on is, is another mental health project. Um, the book that I'm writing, it's called Truths, Triumphs— I'm sorry, it's called— I'm getting some triumphs. Yes, true. Thank you, you gave me my title. But yeah, Truths, Traumas, and Triumphs. I'm really proud of that project. And it's, you know, a lot of it talks about just my own personal journey of, you know, we talked about, you know, wearing that smile when you're masking emotional pain. So yes, it talks about, hey, standing in your truth, you know, breaking the secrets, the silence, the shame, the stigma, and just standing in your truth, not worrying about, you know, labels or identities that other people have given you, but just accepting your own truth, accepting the things that you have gone through. You know, looking at it and say, yes, you know, I accept the fact that I've gone through these things, but I don't have to stay in this position. I can still, you know, deal with it, forgive it, forgive myself, forgive others, and move on. So it talks about the truths, it talks about the traumas, you know, and then it talks about the triumphs. So being able to walk through it and still be able to, you know, do great things, accomplish great things, and make a great impact in the world. So that book will be out later this year. I'm really excited about that project as well. And well, if the viewers and listeners, where would they be able to purchase that book when it comes out? Would it be on Amazon? Would it be in Waterstones? You know, obviously in America, obviously for people there will, how can, around the world that follow you and you have a huge following. And for people here that, you know, we're bridging the gap between the USA and United Kingdom will bring you over here for people to actually listen to you, you know, in the schools and the universities and holding these seminars to understand, you know, all this concept of mental health. And with the 3 Ts, as you quite said, in those 3 Ts it sums up exactly my own thing. In just your 3 Ts, in my truth, I had to stand in the truth of what happened. I then had to face the traumas. And then my triumphs is where we are now. And yes, and it's quite funny to be using the tea because your main, your main tea is Trigger. So those teas are very important for us. But then I'm going to stretch on that, you know, for you, what you've created in that without knowing is the tea is from the tree, the Tree of Life. That's another tea. We come down from the roots, you know, and the trunk, your core of your trunk, you know, of your tree is what you are. And we will branch out, you know, and grow with our stuff. And in that book, even by my own analogy of that, it's showing the importance where, unbeknownst, I don't think you were— how you use the T's, which is fascinating because I do use letters. I tend to, you know, look at a letter and I will give it a meaning, you know. Like for Global Women, it's greatness within, you know, empowering other people. So you are empowering, you're encouraging, you're engaging. So use that letter to really stretch all the words out, to drive passion in, to drive that inner self, you know, to release them endorphins and come on. And with your book, as you were saying, it's fantastic. I, you know, just how your explanation of it, Jimmy, when you, as an author myself, to bring that passion in, to turn that page. It's already there in, in the title of the book you've created, because that's going to draw everybody into that. So I do believe you've got another bestseller on there. Yes, yes, thank you so much. Uh, yeah, you know, I love your analogies of the tree and the trunk and the triggers. I think I may have to borrow that in my writing. That was amazing. You're most welcome because it is engaging. That's what we do is using that, you know, where you come from, where the families are going. But, you know, as well as all of this wonderful stuff you do, you know, in the community, you are really, really, you know, a supporter in your communities around the people, what they do, believing, you know, what you do and how you are to lend a hand to go out. But Um, you're also founder of several programs including Laugh, Cry, Heal, Heal Out Loud, and Win From Within, designed to help people heal emotional wounds and traumas to become happy, healthy, and whole. Absolutely. You know, again, I think it's so important for people to embrace embrace, first of all, to stand in the truth, but also to embrace their mental health, to take it seriously, to prioritize, make their mental health a priority unapologetically. So again, I think the world has conditioned us to have this persona of always appearing strong no matter what's going on. Never let them see you sweat. Keep that stiff upper lip and don't let anyone ever see you cry. But what kind of— what happens is, you know, growing up with those lessons, we become emotionally wounded. We become these walking wounded. And so I designed those programs to help people heal, to help them be more authentic, to be true to themselves, to be able to deal and heal with the things that have wounded them. So, and a lot of these are already high achievers. People who are doing great things, who have been able to accomplish great things. Like I said, you know, I had childhood traumas and deep emotional wounds, you know, from physical abuse, from emotional abuse, from verbal abuse, and even sexual abuse. I had some deep emotional wounds. I was still able to be successful. I, you know, graduated from college and, you know, and even recently got my honorary doctorate degree. But despite all of that, I still had these deep wounds. So people with mental— like I said, mental health doesn't discriminate. So those And so those programs, you know, first we want— the first part of the program is to be able to heal out loud, you know, to do it unapologetically, to do it openly, just like you and I right now are, you know, on this national platform talking openly, you know, and honestly and transparently about the things that we've gone through because we know that this will help other people and we know that this is what makes the connection. The other part of the program is about, you know, the second sort of half of the program is about not, you know, not just healing out loud, but when you heal, it is an up and down, you know, it's kind of a volatile process. You know, it's going to be a laugh, cry, heal. There are going to be times in the healing process where you're going to laugh, times when you're going to cry, but the ultimate goal is for you to heal. And then the last part of the program is the win from within. Right, to be able to win with the things that are already with, you know, inside of you instead of feeling like you have to win with what labels other people have put on you, what other people have said about you. It's about, you know, not who you think you are, but who you were created to be. That's the win from within. So all of those programs, again, were just designed to, to help people, you know, heal from past or present traumas. Because, you know, what I realized for me, Lady Kendall, is, you know, I was already a career woman. I was already a mom. I was already, you know, I'm a big sister and, you know, so many different things. But after my healing process, can I just tell you, after therapy, after being open, after dealing and healing from all of those things, I became better. You know, my heart became more whole. I mended a lot of those broken pieces. It's one thing to be a mother when you have broken pieces. You are an entirely different type of mother when you have healed your, your past traumas. You're able to give more. You're able to see farther and better. You're able to love harder, you know. And I'm sure you can probably relate to that, but you, you are just such a more stronger and even more effective person when you have walked through that healing process. So that's what those, um, sort of 3 programs are, are designed to do, and I'm really excited about those as well. They are absolutely, um, exciting that you were saying, you know, win within yourself, and you do become— and I, uh, yeah, again agree, when we face these challenges and we learn to heal and we learn to fix the problem, to see, you know, and go for it. We know we have to tread carefully on some of the healing that might take a little bit longer, you know, to heal than others that haven't gone as deep, but they've still cut and they've still made you bleed. So you will still have to be careful in the healing process of that. But in that healing thing, you do become a different person. And I, and I have completely become a different person through everything. And I am now the best version of myself. And that's what I believe everybody's like. You become the best version of yourself because, like you said, with fixing and healing, you understand immediately when somebody, you look in their eyes, that's going through that pain, when you can see the tear fill up into their eyes, that they feel there is nowhere to go. How can you do it? But the moment that tear falls with the release of the endorphin, and you're there, and your invisible hand is there to wipe that tear away, all of a sudden there is an energy that comes from inside, inside. So this starts to build, starts to build on people, um, to go forward. And you're healing for that moment when you start to believe in yourself, that, hey, you are enough. You are simply enough. You are the best version of yourself, and always be the best person of yourself. When you're looking at that, how do I become the best version of myself. So again, the power of the pen. Put on this onto the left and then onto the right. Your right is the hand for receiving, the left is the hand for leaving. So when you reach out and stand tall and you breathe and breathe in, take a very deep breath in from the core of your stomach and exhale that out and do that as you spell the word breathe in your mind, releasing that out as your hands go out. So on the left, as you're going to leave those emotions, you're gonna leave those doubts and what are in there, because you're changing, because you're going to have your eyes closed, and by standing simply in that exercise is you've got a balance. You may tip more to the left or to the right till you find your balance, but you are relieving and saying in your mind, you know, that has to go. No, I'm not weak, I have strength. Because you're going to lean to the right and that's going to pull you to the balance and to come out. So you will receive into yourself. Use the right hand to receive into yourself. The power of engagement, the power of positivity, the power of being simply yourself, but the better version. The left is always to live. If we feel unbalanced on those days, then, you know, there is the old cliché, you can't— cup half full, half empty. For me, I am a latte drinker, but sometimes I have to go down to an espresso, which is smaller, and I have to rebuild, re-juggle, take a bit stronger medicine of myself. The stronger medicine being the truth, as you said. This is the truth now. Yes, release that. So as you've got the strength, and the strength is on the trauma that's in your espresso cup That's what it is, get there. But we can dilute that down as you start bringing it, as you work with yourself to let it go, meditate going through, reaching out. I use a color-coded umbrella and then I reach out to people that I've made this color of the rainbow that, you know, Somewhere Over the Rainbow. In the words, when we look around, the tools of the alphabet are our biggest key to change. And that's what we do. We have to simply change to adapt to the challenges before us. And for yourself, um, in your teaching, when you do your speaking and when you're going across and being on the leadership on there and what you've done in your doctorate, like you said, your own personal issues, even sexual abuse, these are things that you were frightened to speak about. We've had People opening up now, and I don't know, but in the UK, when we've heard of different trials that have been going on recently, the Epstein one with a member of the royal family, you know, that, that's been dealt with. But people criticizing, I said, well, why was this, you know, put away? Why people come out now? There are people now, um, in the UK that have suffered form of sexual abuse, that have listened to that, that has sent so many triggers off to them. But how do they come out? Because people aren't going to believe them. If you are a sufferer of sexual abuse, any physical abuse, speak out. There is never a time limit on that. Time waits for nobody. Every day will change. But what it is, is standing tall and have the courage to face that, to get your truth. You know, by reading your book, which comes out, I do hope that lends towards more people coming out and speaking out, because I do believe what you have produced in who you are before even reading, you know, don't be saying with the foreword on it, is going to encourage people to do that. And in your legacy, and our legacy is when we all go, we leave a legacy, one of love You know, and leadership and loyalty, you know, um, that's the L. With O is the optimism that we have. Always be optimistic. V, bring value to who you are, value of your content, who you are, the value of being the best person of yourself, the value that you bring to another person. And E for engagement, you know, to empower, to engage. And that in the big red heart for me is what I see love. Pain, I know pain, I know the feeling of pain that cuts deep. You know, we have to use pain. P to plaster, you know, A to action it. I is for ignite. The power within yourself to walk forward and end to never think that you're enough. And that's my analysis of love and pain. So, and for myself to come with you on that, and quite freely, you know, we don't have to keynote on them, but obviously for yourself coming over here and, um, as you say, working on it, you will shine a light on people, Rhona, for not to stay silent anymore. Your awareness on matters that have remained in the shadows, that you see people hiding, to bring out with your wonderful voice. And for the listeners that want to take this further and engage with you, I know when Senu Ma's will come out, how will they be able to contact you to directly you know, if they wanted to work with corporate over here, can we leave some information for the listeners and corporate people that I need to engage with Rona when she comes over? Where's this seminar going to be? So we can, you know, start highlighting how you contact her, you know, even in the States or any country. When you see these folks, we are not unapproachable. Send that message. How will somebody get on there with you? You know, to get in touch with you. Obviously, we all know you're going to be at the wonderful Sean Fair leadership tour, and the wonderful Juliet Morrison said when you went there, I just want to chat for a couple of minutes on that with you. You went every year, there's 3 sessions that go on of these leadership tours, and you've gone for every 3 of them every time. So you haven't just gone and thought, well, I've done that, I've been this. You still— which you're showing, and what you said in your vocabulary and the impression coming across from yourself that's been injected out to us is one that you must still constantly look to heal. Because when the triggers come, like you're saying, you still go and you reach out to different clubs, etc., like that. But what made you go to the Sean Fair? Sure, absolutely. So I wanted an opportunity to be able to share my story, you know, my message. I call it my message and my mission. Actually, I think it's a message, a mission, and a movement, you know. Um, I just want to really be a leading force in mental health advocacy. And so when I found out about Sean Fair and his Leadership Experience Tour, I knew that was going to be a very broad international audience getting a lot of visibility, you know, broadcast live virtually and to a live audience to thousands, if not millions of viewers around the world. And I said, wow, my message, my mission, and my movement will be able to get a lot of visibility. And so, you know, it was a during a time when I was sort of ready to move into that. And so I connected with Sean Fair. He had a large network and a large following. He had an amazing platform, wonderful to work with, incredible team, production team, audiovisual production team, and amazing photographers and just the entire staff that come together, the coaches and helping with your speaking, not just before you take the stage, the day you take the stage, but even nurturing your speaking career afterwards. And so I just thought that was just an amazing connection. So my first time stepping on the stage, I believe it was June of last year, I went and I gave my presentation and my speaking kind of took off after that. And I started getting just a lot of opportunities to do other things on radio and magazines and just so many corporate opportunities as well. And so I went back in September to, you know, support the speakers and see the launch of, you know, a couple of magazines and some other initiatives that he had going on. And then I went back in February, and I'll also be there next weekend in June and plan to go this fall in October. So it gets better each time. He outdoes his, his self every single time. And like I said, just the opportunities for me just my own platform have taken off as well. A lot of people are wanting to work with me. They are asking me to appear on their radio and on their podcast and feature me in magazines. And I love opportunities like that just to be able to continue to share helping people and empowering them about mental health and mental wellness, whether it's individually or just corporate, corporations or organizations. So I just encourage people, anyone who wants to connect with me, of course, Dr. Rhonda N. Wood. I'm on all social media platforms, and my website is also rhondanwood.com. My email is info@rhondanwood.com, and I'm Rhonda N. Wood on all social media platforms. So really, really excited and passionate about mental health and wellness and advocacy and just empowering people to you know, let's strip this stigma, you know, let's eradicate it. Yes, yeah, thank you for that, Rona, amazing analogy of it. Where do you see yourself now for people, you know, when we look at your bio and who you are and obviously crossing this bridge over the pond, as we call it, and to start working as into the United Kingdom. And for, for myself, you know, we've got some fun, the fantastic project that we're working on and working with metaverse, etc., um, which is taking the avatar, like your avatar, into the, um, visual world of the universe, you know, new creation, like with Facebook, etc. Do you have any concerns yourself on that? Concerns in terms of— you know, I, you know, I, I don't know if I have any concerns per se. I think a lot of people are, you know, I'm just hoping that this will continue to be received and people are open to it, and it will continue to, you know, be— I just want to continue to, to, for— to spread compassion, awareness, knowledge, and acceptance. Yes, because obviously, um, with the metaverse, one of the problems were the, um, mental health issues with that. And if we're not fixed here in this universe, how's our avatar going to go into a meta world which is not controlled, you know, when— and you know, this is a new way. I mean, working with the MetaGirls, and like yourself, I'm going to be introducing you to them, and the wonderful Flo and Alice and all at Flowverse. There's so much to learn ourselves, you know, going through it. It's like, it is a completely different world, one that has taken a while to come forward. Because of challenges that have been there to get it right. And Dr. Arthur Cassidy, somebody you'll be meeting as well, is resonant with me on we have to ensure the mind is great because we're creating all these different areas. You can go shopping in the meta world, you can do everything in there. And, you know, where's the control? Where, you know, How are we going to do that? So I'm hoping that with people like yourselves, myself, Dr. Arthur Cassie and other people in them worlds, that when we do these talks, that corporate understands that when we are going there and your people are using this to sell their brands, they are very conscious that it's still very real, even though it's in a virtual world. That is one of the things, you know, you're passionate with, you know, talking about on there. And myself, you know, is one that with many, I say ourselves like that, I think is achievable. We have to look positive, we have to live in the positive world of that. So for yourself, my question, you know, though long-winded on that bit, Where do you see yourself in 5 years, Rainera? Wow. So in 5 years, I want— I would love to continue to broaden my reach and to just encourage and empower and inspire as many people as possible. I want to be able to touch people in countries that I have not yet connected to. And so just, you know, I love how we— you know, I think one thing that the pandemic taught us is that, you know, when a lot of things, you know, when we were sort of safe at home, not stuck at home, but safe at home. And we weren't able to physically connect because we had to physically and socially distance in order to make sure we were staying cautious and safe. But it really brought to light how popular the virtual connection and how strong the virtual connection was. And so I realized that I don't necessarily have to go and physically stand in front of a physical audience of, you know, several thousand people. I can have an even broader reach when I can be in front of a virtual audience and still gain that same connection and still be able to spread my message. So I want to continue to help the world heal. That's my mission— help the world heal and become whole, help them heal from hurts and pains and traumas and to be able to, like you talked about, be able to be the best version of themselves, be able to become the person that they were created to be. A lot of folks, a lot of us are not living up to our full potential because we are letting either people, problems, or our past hold us back. People, problems, or our past are holding us back. And so being able to release that, being free from that, you know, mending those broken pieces and being able to, you know, live that happy, healthy, and whole life. And so that's the message that I want to spread to a sort of broader, more global audience through that type of connection. So yeah, you know, right now I know I'm going to be connected to you in the UK, and in 5 years It'll probably be several more countries, so I'm looking forward to that. Yeah, yeah, and that is the thing, reaching out and speaking on the stage. And are you speaking, um, in Sean's, um, leadership on the 4th, or you— because I know you're at the event, aren't you? Yes, I'll definitely be at the event. I am not one of the featured speakers, but I probably will I'm actually one of the interviewers, so I will be talking individually with each of the speakers. I believe there's over 40 speakers. I'll be speaking individually, me and one other interviewer, Michelle D. Clark, who's from the Detroit, Michigan area, will be interviewing each of the speakers and just finding out, you know, who they are, where they're from, you know, figuring out what their message is, their area of expertise, and the lesson that they want to give to the audience. And so You know, we do these professional interviews, they're broadcast live, and they usually take those interviews and they share them with, you know, their clients and their network and their, you know, their social media family. It just be, you know, be able to take interviews and leverage them for a bigger purpose. So looking forward to that. Just looking forward to connecting with everyone, getting to know them, you know, figuring out what their message is. Everybody has a story. As you know, you sit and talk to anyone long enough. What am I going to talk about? I'm on there thinking, what, because will it be you and Michelle that interviews me? I'm on first, aren't I, at 8:30? Yes, yes. So yeah, I'm looking forward to that. I'm looking forward to interviewing you as well, because, you know, you know, to come in, it's just like, wow, you know. Um, so wow, it's just amazing. And, and, you know, like I say, for everybody here women's radio station. It's a pleasure having you on here. We will be coming to a close in 3 minutes, but can you give the listeners a lasting message that you want to give? This is Dr. Rona Wood, you know, message that she would like you all to take with you after this show. Can you just give us a quick message? Sure, absolutely. So, you know, I know these have been some challenging times for a lot of people. You know, like I said, everybody has a story and everybody experiences things differently. We talked about how mental health has different faces. We've talked about, you know, the different types of mental health symptoms and challenges and how it affects people. You know, it's different from person to person. It shows up from the classroom to the boardroom. It doesn't discriminate on gender or, you know, or how many titles are behind your name, your socioeconomic background, or anything like that. And, you know, one of the points that I really want to drive home is just that, you know, people looked at me all the time and say, "Well, Rhonda, you don't look depressed. You don't look like you have anxiety, girl. You don't look like you have mental health." And I think that is part of the problem. I would love for everyone just to understand that you can be— you can have faith and still have mental health. I think I want to debunk that myth that a lot of people feel like, oh, well, because I pray or because I go to church or because I believe in God, I'm not supposed to struggle with mental health. And that's not true. And understand that sometimes God sends the help through other people. But also, more importantly, God uses every experience. That we've gone through. Every experience that we've gone through. Nothing— none of our experiences are ever wasted. You know, just thinking about your example, Lady Kendall, and the things that you went through as a child, and even the things that you experienced as an adult, all of that loss and that grief, you know, none of that goes to waste. None of that was in vain. You know, not a tear was wasted. But those things that create the character and the resilience and the strength in us and how we're able to use our voice to be able to advocate and to support and encourage and inspire other people. It actually, you know, a lot of people think, oh, I was a better person before I went through those difficulties, and I challenge that. We are better people after we go through difficulties. And one of the things that you said that I really want to pinpoint on is how you are now able to see through to the soul a little more clearly. And I think that is the key, is that when we go through things, it helps us to be able to relate and connect to other people who are going through similar circumstances. So we go through it, we're able to walk through it and get through. I mean, a lot— if you look back at some of the things that you have overcome, you've walked through, and that you've stepped over, you can kind of be like, man, I went through that and I overcame it. And so now a big part of your social responsibility is to be able to support and encourage and inspire and help other people who might be walking through that same pain. You're able to recognize it because you went through it. Just like a person who smokes may be able to recognize another smoker, a person who drinks might be able to recognize another drinker, a person who experienced deep