Hi, my dear friends! Welcome back to my blog, and I’m happy you’re here 🤗 Ever had a stroke of luck and felt proud that your hard work paid off?
Well, two weeks ago was the equivalent of being on luck’s good side - Radyo Pilipinas Worldwide, an overseas radio station of the Philippine Broadcasting Service and attached agency of the Presidential Communications Office, featured me on their 29th episode.
Find out more about what I shared and our heartwarming interactions!
On being invited for interviews
This wasn’t my first rodeo when it came to being interviewed. The first instance was on Sep 2022 when Biyaheng Langit/Kasangga Mo Ang Langit sent my Facebook page a message, saying they wanted to interview me about anxiety and depression.
At that point, I was only appearing publicly as a resource speaker, and I have yet to have someone come up to me for an interview professionally.
Was I nervous? Of course I was!
But I couldn’t let my nerves take away this opportunity, so I agreed to meet their team in my hometown. When I saw their professional camera from their van, I wanted to escape from the backdoor of the restaurant we stayed and sneak inside the apartment. My self-esteem was lowering by the minute.
(Photo edited on canva.com)
However, I needed to remind myself why I was there in the first place: Educate people about mental health. And out of everyone they could pick to share their knowledge with, they chose me.
I’m not just a mental health advocate or a licensed Psychometrician; I am the Wounded Healer.
Wow, writing that was cheesy, but I believe in it.
You can watch the full interview here.
Then what followed was a series of interviews for students, which didn’t get any airtime but were equally fulfilling.
On being on a radio program
It was one thing to be invited to a TV program but another to be in a radio program. Perhaps I’m a little biased because I dreamed of being a DJ as a teen. Like a sexy radio host, I would serenade listeners with my bedroom voice and read them poetry or something.
Anyway, I don’t think my dream will come true soon, but I did receive an invite from Stephanie, who adorably plugged in ‘Warm Heart’, a radio program focusing on mental health.
Was I extra nervous? Of course I was!
Does it matter? No, because I believe in myself.
That was the difference between my first interview in 2022 and now: I will willingly talk about my advocacy and stories because they're true and important.
For instance, in the interview, they asked about the origin of the term “wounded healer.”
- My college best friend introduced the word to me since she learned it in ‘Miss Hammurabi,’ a K-drama she was watching in 2018.
- There’s a Greek myth about Chiron, the wounded healer, who had deep physical and psychological wounds but studied to be a great physician.
- Carl Jung used “wounded healer” as a reference to people who knows how to heal others because they understand the pain the most.
Part of the episode was about sharing my opinions on the mental health programs in the Philippines and something washed over me – like being possessed by a fighter, an activist, a radical catalyst – causing me to say, “It is your right to have free mental health support.”
One of the hosts said it was refreshing to hear someone working on the grass root levels and just emanating a healing presence.
That was because I felt safe on their platform. I could hear their genuine passion and sincerity in delivering a message to their listeners.
Now, I won’t spoil it too much because you listen to the full episode here.
On being supported
Good things freak me out sometimes. It’s like I have to look up to the universe and say, “What’s going to happen next? Why are you so good to me?”
I know now that my skepticism comes from an upbringing with more bad moments than good ones. Naturally, when we get pieces of peace, we wonder when it will break.
That’s just my inner child trying to protect me, but now, I can tell her we’re going to be okay. It’s okay to feel good. It’s okay to feel proud. How awesome it is that we get to share our stand on mental health with others!
Thank you for reading 💜
If no one has said this to you yet, you deserve to be celebrated! Your small wins are big steps to where you want to go. If it feels like a big deal to you, then it is! I’m so, so proud of you.
ᴬˡˡ ᵖʰᵒᵗᵒˢ ᵃʳᵉ ᵐⁱⁿᵉ ᵘⁿˡᵉˢˢ ˢᵗᵃᵗᵉᵈ ᵒᵗʰᵉʳʷⁱˢᵉ