NAMI HelpLine

November 01, 2024

Hope Starts With Us: Episode 55 - Running for Mental and Physical Health in the Black Community

Art can help us process past experiences, explore our emotions, and expand our perspectives. In this episode, NAMI CEO Dan Gillison is joined by NAMI Ambassadors and artists Alex Alpert and Pepper Auerbach, as well as The Franklin Institute’s Jayatri Das. Together, they discuss how art impacts mental health, as well as the connection between physical and mental health. Alex and Pepper will have artwork presented in The Franklin Institute’s upcoming exhibition, “Body Odyssey,” in part about how science can help all of us find balance in our mental and physical health.

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

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.

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Featured Guests:

Alex Alpert

Alex Alpert

Social:
Twitter/X: @AlexAlpert6
Instagram: @Alex.Alpert

Alex Alpert is an artist, creator, mental health advocate, and ambassador for NAMI. Based out of New York City, Alex also works as a Creative Director with several brands. Working as a street artist while studying music in school, Alex went on to build a career at Universal Music Group. Here, he excelled in brand partnerships, marketing, and artist relations.

While at UMG, Alex also expanded his practice as a visual artist. He began by making pieces for the musicians he was working with and creating live art during concerts and events. After a few years, he was painting murals around the country, drawing live at huge events, and collaborating with major brands and celebrities. Alex also created a live art piece at NAMICon 2024 and is participating in The Franklin Institute’s upcoming exhibition featuring pieces about mental health.

Pepper Auerbach

Pepper Auerbach

Social:
Instagram: @iwasateenagepepper

Pepper Auerbach is a New York based writer and illustrator with a wide variety of artistic styles. Pepper works in the horror genre as well as in children’s literature and seeks to teach important lessons of self-love to people around the world.

They have taught art classes to elementary school-age children both during the school year and in the summer, mostly focused on comic-creation and character design. Pepper is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts but wants to continue their education into grad school to become an art therapist for kids with disabilities.

Pepper is inspired by artists and writers like Charles Forsman, Clive, and Eduardo Valdés-Hevia. Many styles are incorporated from this inspiration including traditional and digital cartooning, storytelling, and edited photography. The visuals and the stories that go with them are heavily influenced by life experiences and dreams that Pepper has had, as they are in a near-constant flow for them.

Jayatri Das

Jayatri Das

Social:
Instagram: @FranklinInstitute
Twitter/X: @TheFranklin

Dr. Jayatri Das is Director of Science Content and Chief Bioscientist at The Franklin Institute and an invited Fellow of the Center for Neuroscience & Society at the University of Pennsylvania. She has developed science content for multiple exhibitions at TFI, including Body Odyssey (opening November 2024) and Your Brain, a national award-winning exhibit about the neuroscience and psychology of the human brain. She also directs local and national programming initiatives to advance informal science education about vaccines, materials science, neuroethics and other areas of emerging science and their societal impact.

Das earned her Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from Princeton University. Her work and community impact have been honored with the American Alliance of Museums’ Nancy Hanks Award for Professional Excellence, the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Women of Distinction Award, and the Blooloop 50 Museum Influencer List. She is an honorary fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.


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Ep 56 Quote from Dr. Jayatri Das: What art does to the brain is unlock some of the connections between the different networks that are active. These magical moments appear that let us connect to deeper thoughts that then affect our mental and physical health.

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About the Host:

Dan Gillison

Daniel H. Gillison, Jr.

Social: @DanGillison

Dan Gillison brings expertise in non-profit leadership and a passion for advocating for people with mental illness to NAMI. Before coming to NAMI, Dan led the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF), where he was responsible for strategic planning, personnel management, board communications, oversight of APAF’s public education programs and outreach, and formulating strategic alliances and partnerships to further APAF’s mission. Prior to APAF, Gillison led County Solutions and Innovation for the National Association of Counties, where he was instrumental in repositioning the organization’s programs to provide expertise in health and human services, justice, and public safety.

Dan has more than 30 years of experience and has previously held leadership positions at Xerox, Nextel, and Sprint. Dan holds a B.A. from Southern University and A&M College. Dan spearheaded the creation of the CEO Alliance for Mental Health in 2020, which represents some of the most vulnerable and diverse populations affected by disparities in the mental health care system. The leadership collective has collaborated to identify and amplify their priorities for creating a future of quality mental health care for all who need it. Dan serves on lululemon’s Mental Wellbeing Global Advisory Board.


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