Glow For Hope: Sparking Conversation on Mental Health

About Glow For Hope: Sparking Conversation on Mental Health

The Glow For Hope Podcast is dedicated to illuminating the path to mental wellness by fostering open, compassionate conversations about mental health. Our goal is to reduce stigma, educate, empower, and provide tangible support for those navigating mental health challenges, suicide prevention, and overall well-being. Through storytelling, expert insights, and community engagement, we create a space where listeners feel heard, understood, and inspired to take proactive steps toward mental wellness.

Publisher

Glow For Hope NFP

Category

education · health & fitness · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

25 Jul 2025

Latest episode

29 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

35 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Dave Raymond: The Man Inside the Phillie Phanatic

   ⚠️ CONTENT ADVISORY This episode includes candid discussion of grief, depression, hopelessness and suicidal thoughts. For 16 years, Dave Raymond's job was to make people happy as the original Phillie Phanatic. But behind the costume, Dave would eventually face grief, the collapse of his marriage and a period of hopelessness when he began experiencing suicidal thoughts. Then something unexpected happened. He put the Phanatic costume on for an appearance—and the character he had spent years using to bring joy to other people ended up bringing some of that joy back to him. “The Phanatic was the one who reached out for me.” In this deeply personal conversation with Glow For Hope founder Kelly Poelker, Dave talks about that period of his life, what he understands differently today, and why his message of “Reach Out…just reach out” doesn't only apply to the person who's struggling. Sometimes the rest of us need to reach in. Kelly and Dave also explore: • Grief, hopelessness and suicidal thoughts • The unexpected moment that changed Dave's trajectory • Why “I'm fine” isn't always the end of the conversation • Mental wellness first aid • Caring for caregivers and frontline heroes • Positive psychology and gratitude • Happiness vs. joy • The Power of Fun • Finding one small “finger hold” when life feels overwhelming Learn more about Dave Raymond and his work at DaveRaymondSpeaks.com. ABOUT GLOW FOR HOPE Glow For Hope is a nonprofit organization raising awareness of mental health and suicide prevention through conversation, community, education and connection. Our mission is simple: Spark Conversation. Create Community. Ignite Hope. If you or someone you know needs immediate emotional support, call or text 988 to connect with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If there is immediate danger, call 911. Glow For Hope provides education and resources and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or crisis counseling. #MentalHealth #SuicidePrevention #PhilliePhanatic #DaveRaymond #GlowForHope

2. 

   17 Sept 2026

   Mariah Sheridan Runions: When Loving Someone Isn’t Enough to Save Them

   # Mariah Sheridan Runions: When Loving Someone Isn’t Enough to Save Them Growing up surrounded by mental illness taught Mariah Sheridan Runions how to survive, adapt and take care of other people. It took much longer to learn that loving someone does not make you responsible for saving them — and that choosing yourself is not something you need to feel guilty for. **Guest:** Mariah Sheridan Runions **Host:** Kelly Poelker **Podcast:** Glow For Hope: Sparking Conversation on Mental Health **Content Advisory:** This episode contains candid discussion of suicide, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, addiction, depression, postpartum depression, relationship conflict and suicide loss. Please take care of yourself while listening. If you or someone you know needs immediate support in the U.S., call or text 988. [powerpress] ## About This Episode Mariah Sheridan Runions grew up with mental illness, addiction and instability as part of her normal. As a teenager, she found herself trying to keep someone she loved alive through severe depression and suicidal behavior. Eventually, Mariah realized she had to leave for university and save herself. Within months, her former boyfriend died by suicide — leaving her with years of grief, anger and guilt over the belief that choosing herself had somehow contributed to his death. In this deeply personal conversation, Mariah and Kelly talk about the weight of trying to save someone else, survivor guilt, facing suicidal thoughts of her own decades later, raising three daughters with open conversations about mental health, and why self-love has become something Mariah believes we must practice through action. ## What You’ll Learn * How growing up around mental illness and addiction shaped Mariah’s view of what was “normal.” * Why she became a caretaker in relationships at a very young age. * What it was like believing she was responsible for keeping someone else alive. * How guilt followed her after losing her former boyfriend to suicide. * What she now understands about love, responsibility and choosing yourself. * Why talking openly about uncomfortable experiences can help people feel less alone. * What happened when suicidal thoughts returned during her divorce decades later. * How Mariah talks with her daughters about anxiety, depression and caring for themselves. * Why she teaches self-love as an action rather than simply a feeling. * What journaling, self-compassion and letting go of control have taught her about healing. ## Guest Spotlight: Mariah Sheridan Runions Mariah Sheridan Runions is a writer, Realtor, leader and mom to three girls. She is constantly working to expand and evolve, leading by example and hoping to share inspiration with the people she connects with. Mariah is also writing a memoir drawn in part from journals she has kept throughout her life. The book is currently in development. **Connect with Mariah:** https://www.mariahrealestatefernie.ca/mariah-author-speaker ## Key Quotes “The more we talk about uncomfortable things out loud and normalize conversations about them, the more held other people can feel.” “I genuinely just felt like I was trying to keep him alive.” “Loving yourself as an action is what I've been trying to teach my girls.” “If you are not taking care of yourself, you c

3. 

   1 Sept 2026

   Dr. Calvin Spinks: When Being Needed Becomes Your Identity

   What happens when being needed becomes the way you prove you are worthy of love? Dr. Calvin Spinks spent much of his life believing that if he could make himself valuable enough, helpful enough, and useful enough, people would keep him in their lives. In this deeply personal conversation with host Kelly Poelker, Dr. Cal shares how childhood rejection, racism, instability, and questions of identity and belonging contributed to people pleasing, anxious attachment, over-responsibility, and a need to carry everyone around him. He opens up about learning to separate being needed from being healthy—and why he eventually stopped trying to be the tugboat dragging everyone safely to shore and chose instead to become the lighthouse. Their conversation also explores what happens when people finally ask for help but the individuals, organizations, and systems receiving that request lack the capacity to respond. CONTENT ADVISORY: This episode includes discussion of childhood racism and racial slurs, family rejection, housing and food insecurity, anxiety, trauma, unhealthy coping behaviors, substance misuse, HIV/AIDS-related loss, homelessness, and barriers to mental health care. Please listen with care. IN THIS EPISODE: • How rejection, racism, and instability shaped Cal’s identity and sense of belonging • Why being useful became connected to feeling worthy of love • How people pleasing and anxious attachment can develop • The difference between supporting someone and carrying them • Why helpers sometimes need to feel needed • How fear, obligation, and guilt—the “FOG”—affect our decisions • Why boundaries can preserve relationships • What it means to stop being the tugboat and become the lighthouse • Why resilience cannot repair systems that continually overwhelm people • How caring organizations can still cause harm when they lack capacity ABOUT DR. CALVIN SPINKS Dr. Calvin E. Spinks is a counselor educator, Licensed Professional Counselor, executive coach, organizational strategist, and founder of Quantum Consulting Group. For more than two decades, his work has existed at the intersection of behavioral health, leadership, community development, and organizational capacity. He is the creator of the Capacity Architecture™ framework and founder of the 2nd Genesis Foundation, a community-focused nonprofit committed to prevention, mental health, cultural empowerment, and creating stronger pathways for communities that have historically experienced barriers to care and opportunity. CONNECT WITH DR. CAL You Belong Here: https://youbelonghere.live/ Quantum Behavioral Health and Wellness: https://quantumcare.live/ 2nd Genesis Foundation: https://2gfoundation.org/ CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION 10 Essential Tips for Supporting Someone With Mental Illness (Without Losing Yourself) A conversation about boundaries, caregiver burden, stepping out of “fix-it mode,” and loving someone without losing yourself. https://glowforhopenfp.org/supporting-someone-with-mental-illness/ Maliha Khan: Identity, Belonging & Finding Your Voice A conversation about code-switching, cultural expectations, shrinking to feel accepted, and learning to show up as your full self. https://glowforhopenfp.org/maliha-khan-identity-belonging-finding-your-voice/ Dr. Colleen Saringer: Workplace Mental Health, Suicide Prevention, and the Hidden Risks at Work A conversation about how organizational culture, psychosocial risks, and unhealthy environments can quietly harm people. https://glowforhopenfp.org/dr-colleen-saringer-workplace-mental-health-suicide-prevention/ GLOW FOR HOPE RESOURCES Explore the Glow For Hope Resource Hub: https://hub.glowforhopenfp.org/ Find mental health support and resources: https://glowforhopenfp.org/resources/mental-health-help/ Listen to more episodes: https://glowforhopenfp.org/podcast-2/ Support Glow For Hope: https://glowforhopenfp.org/donate/ ABOUT GLOW FOR HOPE Glow For Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention and mental health awareness through conversation, education, community, and engaging events. If this conversation helped you recognize the difference between supporting someone and carrying them, please share it. Someone may need the reminder that their value does not depend on how much they do for everyone else. Subscribe, leave a comment, and share this episode to help us continue sparking conversation, creating community, and igniting hope. HELP IS AVAILABLE If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis in the United States, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Chat online: https://988lifeline.org/ International crisis support: https://findahelpline.com/ If you are in immediate danger or experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. DISCLAIMER This podcast is provided for informational, educational, and awareness purposes only. Although Dr. Calvin Spinks is a licensed mental health professional, this conversation does not establish a therapist-client relationship and should not be interpreted as individualized medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, treatment, counseling, or crisis intervention. A NOTE ABOUT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE This episode includes discussion of using AI tools to locate information and potential resources. AI is not a therapist, healthcare professional, or crisis counselor. Its responses may be incomplete or inaccurate and should not replace care from a qualified professional. #GlowForHope #MentalHealth #PeoplePleasing #SelfWorth #HealthyBoundaries #AnxiousAttachment #MensMentalHealth #IdentityAndBelonging #HelperBurnout #MentalHealthPodcast

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

4.5 / 5

2 ratings

Contact Glow For Hope: Sparking Conversation on Mental Health

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.