'Go to therapy, my guy': artist Seth Pimentel's fight for men's mental health
"Men often struggle to communicate their feelings," says artist Seth Pimentel. "But listen, go to therapy, my guy. Take meds if you need them. Even if you can't afford therapy, talk to your friends. There's nothing weak or unmanly about expressing yourself."
Seth finds it frustrating when men openly complain about feeling depressed and alone but avoid confiding in their closest friends.
Instead of bottling it up or drowning it in alcohol, he urges, "do the most human thing: communicate."
In the latest episode of Don't Hold Back, podcast host Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba delves into Seth's journey with mental health and art. He opens up about his experience with bipolar disorder, including misdiagnosis and wrong medications in his early twenties.
Art became a powerful outlet for Seth to express his emotions during times of isolation. He emphasizes the importance of open dialogue about mental health among men, stressing that seeking professional help is not a sign of weakness but strength.
Towards the end of this episode, Seth reveals his dream project and shares a touching personal story involving a favorite South African chocolate.
Listen at the top of the page or watch it below.
Meanwhile in a previous episode of Don't Hold Back:
We invented tech to make our lives easier, not replace us! And with the development of AI, our lives are already impacted. But by how much?
No one can predict the future, but we can learn skills to anticipate change better.
Global speaker, TEDx veteran, author, and Futurist Graeme Codrington provides Don’t Hold Back’s Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba with the hard facts on some of the disrupting forces shaping our future work.
Qamngana-Mayaba asks Codrington whether, with all these rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence, South Africans, who already face challenging employment prospects, should be worried about more job losses.
They also delve into what AI is and what it is not, explore Chat GPT's essence, discuss upcoming exciting developments to watch out for.
Qamngana-Mayaba also seeks advice from Codrington on how to stay ahead or at least keep up with AI advances.
“Chat GPT is probably a good second-year student: it thinks it knows everything, they’re learning how to communicate it. Actually, they know very little,” says Codrington.
In this wide-ranging interview, the two also cover:
- The South African general elections in 2024 and predictions.
- Our aversion to change.
- Cultural influences.
- And, surprisingly, ice cream!
Listen to the full interview above, or watch it below.
When you start feeling like you are the worst mother, when you start questioning yourself and your self-worth, when you want to go to bed and not get up, that’s postpartum [depression].
Meanwhile content creator, author, HIV activist, and "Don't Hold Back" podcast host, Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba, is a new mom, and she was taken aback by the sudden highs and lows of this new journey.
Many young women fight a silent battle against postpartum depression.
To help break the stigma surrounding the so-called 'baby blues', Nozi was joined on "Don't Hold Back" by radio personality, bestselling author, and life coach Sam Cowen, who recounts her motherhood journey and struggles with depression.
“I wanted women to know they weren't alone...There is such pressure on us to be perfect,” Sam tells Nozi in this second episode of Season Two of the award-winning podcast.
"It's [motherhood] is the biggest thing you'll ever do, and it's the thing you get judged the most on," says Sam. Listen/watch below.
When people say, 'What can I do to help?', or, 'I'll do anything to help!' - give them things to do!
ALSO READ: 'Got fired into my dream job'
MORE ABOUT NOZIBELE QAMNGANA-MAYABA:
South African presenter Nozibele Qamngana-Mayaba is well known for her HIV-AIDS activism and YouTube channel. After her own HIV diagnosis in 2013, Nozibele made it her mission to hold open conversations about her journey. Now a published author and respected authority on the subject, the 33-year-old’s work was named as one of the web’s Top 15 HIV YouTube channels. She recently completed a second season of her TV show called #YesIHaveHIV, where she assists others to disclose their HIV statuses to friends and family. In May of 2023, her presenting skills earned her an international nomination in the "Presenter of the Year" category at the Association of International Broadcasting awards. With her direct, engaging, and empathetic hosting style, she's the perfect fit to address taboo topics - and to say: Don't hold back!
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‘Don’t hold back – say it loud’ is a co-production between German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), East Coast Radio and Jacaranda FM.
Don’t hold back – say it loud’ is both an audio and video production.