Coming off the success of the Camas Wellness Festival in October, Camas resident Kimberly Berry knew she needed to keep the momentum going.
Berry helped organize the inaugural mental health festival in Camas, and she hosts a weekly podcast called “Being UnNormal” that covers mental health and social issues. Her podcast was born from the experience of raising two daughters with mental health special needs. She’s released more than 20 podcasts, but this week Berry’s podcast will experience a first.
Berry is hosting a live taping of the podcast called “Surviving the Holidays” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Camas Public Library, 625 N.E. Fourth Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m. Berry will be joined by guest Kara Radecki, an area therapist and clinical social worker.
“There’s a need to have hard, awkward conversations about mental health in a way that can be healing and inspiring to the community,” Berry said of the live taping.
If You Go
• What: Kimberly Berry will host a live recording of her podcast “Being UnNormal.”
• When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
• Where: Camas Public Library, 625 N.E. Fourth Ave., Camas.
• Information: Learn more about Berry’s work and her podcast at BeingUnNormal.com.
The live taping will focus on mental health and its connection to the holidays. Berry said that can cover everything from seasonal affective disorder to dealing with the off-color drunk uncle to those who are missing the companionship of a loved one who died recently.
She also mentioned that people can experience depression or anxiety relating to the financial strain of the holidays, or that the holidays can be a time when those with social anxiety or depression can feel more isolated. These feelings are exacerbated during Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s because we’re told to feel joyous, or see others on social media celebrating how great things are, Berry said.
“There’s a mental health complication during the holidays that people experience,” Berry said. “Yet people don’t talk about it because they want to be Pinterest perfect.”
Raising awareness and promoting dialogue are Berry’s main goals for the live taping. As long as there’s a decent crowd, Berry said, she plans to continue the live tapings at the library on a quarterly basis. There will be a Q&A session after the taping, and Berry encouraged others to reach out in person privately afterward if they’re more comfortable with that.
She said she wants to let people know they’re not alone. Judging by the reactions she got after the wellness festival, she is hopeful that this will be another step in the right direction.
“For me, this is sparking a movement,” Berry said.
