Welcome to Episode 12 of The Madhappy Podcast.  This week, Peiman talks to Mason to learn more about his childhood, experiences with mental health, and how Mason has become the person he is and works to be today. Mason starts off by giving background on his family of origin (03:23). He explains how he felt like the black sheep in his family after his blended family came together (15:55).  We get into a conversation about Mason and his brother Matt’s relationship, sharing how he used girls and their attention to validate and differentiate himself from his brother (19:55). Mason opens up about his experiences with depression and shares how a change in his family forced him to relook at things to gain a better understanding of events in his past (32:22). Mason shares about his decision to finish his junior and senior year at boarding school on the East Coast (37:38) and his reasoning behind both going and dropping out of college in Indiana (41:56). We learn more about how having freedom and a lack of structure caused Mason’s experience with depression and anxiety to get worse once he moved back home (48:03). We wrap up learning why Mason works to instill and encourage open and honest mental health conversations (58:34), as he shares an allegory of self and life for people who may be struggling with the same feelings and realities that he still works to identify and find ways to support today (1:11:41). We talk about some serious topics on this show. We are not professionals and are not giving advice. If you or someone you know needs help, please text start to 741741 and for additional resources please visit LocalOptimist.com/Get-Help The Madhappy Podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not a replacement for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.  Follow us: @Madhappy | @LocalOptimist Visit us: Madhappy.com | LocalOptimist.com