YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Cathy was always one of my favorite comedians, so I was thrilled to see her as a guest! Sad that someone I like has problems, but there you go.


Very interesting episode. She was really open and honest, and wasn't "on" like some other guests.

I'm not familiar with her work but the episode was a refreshing one. Someone who can have an adult conversation about life, FINALLY. More interviews like this please Paul.

I had to post because Cathy's patents sound ** exactly ** like my parents! One a rageaholic alcoholic, the other a narcissistic enabler who never listened... still on the journey to accepting them and myself.

So thank you for your bravery Cathy!

Same here, Blukatgirl! Her parents sound EXACTLY like mine too (mostly my father, as a combo of both her parents). Listening to this was like a long, relieving exhale.

Great episode, great guest.

I've listened to a few interviews and I only have one thing to say. Paul talks far too much when interviewing people. He should just SHUT UP and let the person he's interviewing speak. He loves to hear the sound of his own voice and doesn't like any silence in the interviews. He's got some very, very interesting people on the podcast list but he simply doesn't let them speak. His own anxiety gets in the way and it's very frustrating to listen to.

I disagree. I think that his recent interviews have been great.

Personally, I've listened backwards to over 60 episodes, and it's becoming a bit harder to listen the further back that I go. Paul has clearly changed a lot. He used to interrupt people much more often, especially women, and steer conversations towards his own interests (sexual exploitation by a parent, addiction, etc). These are criticisms that he's read on the show, actually, and he seems like a much better listener these days. He always tries to remind guests what they were saying before, and his interruptions are more purposeful: for clarification, for more detail and depth, for dick jokes...

Also, I've heard plenty of long silences on the show.

Also, if you dislike mental illness (as you perceive it) in the host of a podcast about mental illness, you can go fuck yourself.

Also, since this is a thread about Cathy: her interview was fucking great. She's hilarious, and I was really touched by her story. I would love to see (or hear) her one-woman show one day!

I don't think Paul talks too much at all; to me, I'm listening to a back and fourth conversation, where the interviewer isn't a brick wall, he's a flesh and blood person as well, getting to know his guest through a somewhat naturalistic approach. Paul is a funny guy and dealing with his own mental health issues, so I think his interjections are more often than not 100% understandable. Not to mention there are certain guests where he gets a LOT out of them; for instance, episode 148 had a wealth of the guest speaking for himself and the interview was comparably short to how much information was given to us, and also the amazing episode where the woman (wish I could remember her name/episode number) was in a freedom fighting group and lost access to her baby was full of story and details as well. I don't usually feel like I'm missing anything huge when the guests and Paul paint a picture of their lives and I feel like Paul asks all the understandable questions.

Not to shame anyone who criticizes the show, but I feel like those who do may do better in being more forgiving and understanding of imperfections and faults; Paul only acknowledges too often what his faults are and where the faults of the podcast are. Personally I love something more when it's honest about its little scuffs of wear and tear and doesn't try to cover it up with any glitzy facade; this is a little home-grown show that you shouldn't expect professional perfectionism from. It's not at all a perfect show and that makes me like it more, imo. You're perfectly entitled to your own feelings and to dislike the show but I do wonder what exactly it is you feel is missing from the show, since all I look for is honesty and vulnerability that I so far find it hard to get from other, more thoroughly polished media. You may want to look elsewhere for whatever it is you feel is missing from the show, basically, because I'm sure it's out there somewhere. It helps if you think Paul is funny, or you sympathize with him, and I can perfectly understand just not identifying with him or finding him funny.

... That being said, I thought this episode was okay; the guest wasn't someone I identified with hugely but it was still interesting to listen to.

I just listened to this episode and really appreciated Cathy Ladman's maturity and insights. I also appreciated that her life has many twists and turns and that she perseveres in her chosen profession. It is comforting to know other people in their 50s are struggling to make sense of their life path.