Host Nadia Imafidon speaks with Kim Castillo (they/she/siya), a queer person who was born, raised, and educated in Davao city, Philippines. We chat about her journey to the U.S. and navigating the process of becoming an American citizen, what it's like to be in fellowship with Filipino-Americans, people who take up too much space and her advocacy for marginalized communities in the virtual landscape of remote work.

At age 23, Kim immigrated to the United States where they experienced culture shock, and the most drastic shift to their lived experience and identity via the process of assimilation. Over the course of the next decade living in the US, Kim managed to build a career combining their love for facilitation, technology, and organizational development.

Kim has worked numerous odd jobs from the age of 16 (researcher, writer, DJ, call center agent, producer, web developer, video editor) and studied psychology. While at university, they contributed to research on extrajudicial killings, peace-building, disaster resilience, and collective suffering, displacement, and sojourns of indigenous people. They currently live in Los Angeles, California.

Host Nadia Imafidon speaks to her current mental health state and first experience with personal training after 2 decades of being disconnected with her body. As a Black woman with body dysmorphia, this is what it's like to face the fear of seeing yourself head on.

In this episode, Nadia Imafidon speaks with Ashley Ellerson, a Black mental health professional who works in community healthcare in Seattle, WA. We chat about misconceptions about suicide, the levels of suicidal thoughts, what it's like to struggle with your own mental illnesses while taking care of others' mental health, how to set boundaries for emotional availability (aka how to keep your peace), and the systemic factors that contribute to suicidality.

Looking for resources?

Project Lets

https://therapyfundfoundation.org/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

https://www.multiculturalcounselors.org/

https://openpathcollective.org/

https://mhanational.org/

National Alliance on Mental Illness

https://www.crisistextline.org/ (text 741741)

988 national crisis line

https://www.peerwa.org/ (for Washington residents)