Hope Starts With Us: MENtal Health and Music

We hope this podcast encourages you, inspires you, helps you and brings you further into the collective to know: you are not alone.

Episodes will air every other Wednesday and will be available on most major directories and apps.

Drew Lachey

A native of Cincinnati, Drew Lachey is an accomplished singer, dancer and actor. Drew first rose to prominence as a member of the Motown pop group 98 Degrees. The group recorded four successful albums and sold more than nine million records worldwide.

Drew made his Broadway debut playing the role of Mark Cohen in Rent. His latest Broadway credits include the role of Patsy in Monty Python’s Spamalot and Corny Collins in Hairspray with the PCLO.

Drew became a household name when he took home the infamous mirror ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars (season-two champion, season-five co-host) and later took his dancing talents on the road with 3 North American tours of Dancing with the Stars and was asked to come back and be apart of the All-Star season. Drew also hosted the primetime ABC show Dance War with Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, The Miss USA Pageant, HGTV’s $250,000 Challenge and America Sings for GMC.

After a decade break 98 Degrees is back together and recently toured with NKOTB and Boyz II Men on the “Package Tour”, “My2K Tour” and the “98 Degrees at Christmas” tours in the fall of 2017, 2018. Drew also starred in UPTV’s “Guess Who’s Coming to Christmas” and A&E’s “Lachey’s Bar”. Drew also consults with the Cincinnati Film Commission on films being produced around Cincinnati. The band recently finished their 25th Anniversary Tour and for the past five years Drew and his wife Lea have been building and creating an original live theatrical show called label•less. Label•less is currently on tour.

Chris Bullard

Chris Bullard is the founder and Executive Director of Sound Mind Live, a nonprofit building community and open dialogue on mental health through the power of music. Sound Mind produces the annual Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health, which has featured acts ranging from Jason Isbell to All Time Low to Big Boi and over 30 mental health partners. The organization also produces a mental health video series with Billboard Magazine & National Alliance on Mental Illness, the “Going There with Dr. Mike” podcast with Consequence Media, and activates audiences around mental health in partnership with venues, festivals, and artist tours around the country.

Chris began his career as a touring musician, performing with acts such as Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. Subsequent to receiving his MBA, Chris oversaw portfolio management at Acumen, a global non-profit impact investing fund focused on poverty alleviation. Chris founded Sound Mind Live based on personal experience overcoming mental health stigma after he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, after starting a music support program for those affected by mental health issues at the National Alliance on Mental Illness in New York City. Chris holds a BA from University of Southern California and an MBA from Fordham University.

Daniel H. Gillison, Jr.

Follow on Twitter: @DanGillison

Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. is the chief executive officer of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Prior to his work at NAMI, he served as executive director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF) in addition to several other leadership roles at various large corporations such as Xerox, Nextel, and Sprint. He is passionate about making inclusive, culturally competent mental health resources available to all people, spending time with his family, and of course playing tennis.