Shows
Tony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Why Not Me ? The Power of Shared Experiences in Autism and Mental HealthSend us a text
"Why Not Me?" podcast expands its mission to embrace both autism and mental health worldwide, creating a platform for raw, authentic storytelling that inspires and connects.
Host Tony Mantor welcomes listeners to join a global movement fostering awareness, acceptance, and understanding through powerful personal narratives.
• Broadcasting from Nashville, Tennessee with a mission to share powerful stories
• Expanding focus to include both autism and mental health following 61 impactful episodes
• Commitment to raw, authentic storytelling that educates and heals
• Special events planned, including collaboration with Humanity Over Handcuffs
•...
2025-06-0202 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Cindee Murphy: When the System Fails:Tristan Murphy's Story Changes Florida LawSend us a text
Cindy Murphy shares the heartbreaking story of her son Tristan, who struggled with schizophrenia and died by suicide while incarcerated after being handed a chainsaw during a prison work detail.
Through her grief, Cindy has become a powerful advocate for mental health reform in the criminal justice system, working to pass the Tristan Murphy Act in Florida.
• Tristan developed schizophrenia in his 30s, unusually late compared to typical onset in teens or early 20s
• After his first psychotic episode, Tristan spent 8 months in jail before being declared incompetent to s...
2025-06-0140 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Lynn Nanos: Navigating Psychosis: A Mobile Crisis Worker's PerspectiveSend us a text
Lynn Nanos, a mobile psychiatric emergency social worker with 15+ years experience, shares insights on evaluating and helping people with serious mental illness in crisis situations.
Her work bridges the gap between law enforcement and mental healthcare, providing crucial interventions for individuals experiencing psychosis and other mental health emergencies.
• Conducts psychiatric evaluations in various settings including homes, police stations, nursing homes, and even public spaces
• Assesses whether individuals need hospitalization or can be referred to outpatient treatment
• Works with police to divert people from the criminal justice system when p...
2025-05-2927 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Jerri Clark: A Mother's Journey Through Loss and AdvocacySend us a text
Geri Clark, Resource and Advocacy Manager at Treatment Advocacy Center, shares her devastating journey of losing her son to severe mental illness while navigating a broken treatment system that wouldn't help until it was too late. She reveals critical gaps in our mental health system and explains how legal barriers, misunderstood medical conditions, and insufficient family support create deadly consequences for those with severe psychiatric disorders.
• Son experienced his first psychotic break at 19 while attending college on a debate scholarship
• After a four-year struggle with severe mental illness, her son took...
2025-05-2830 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Sheriff Donna Buckley:How One Sheriff is Reducing Recidivism Through CompassionSend us a text
Sheriff Donna Buckley shares her journey from attorney to becoming the first female sheriff in Barnstable County's 333-year history, along with her innovative approach to transforming incarceration through mental health support, comprehensive case management, and post-release services.
• Buckley's background as legal counsel representing public employees, including police officers and educators
• How the prevalence of mental health issues and addiction in jails inspired her to run for sheriff
• The role of Barnstable County Sheriff's Office in managing the jail, criminal investigations, and emergency services
• Jails functioning as "de facto mental h...
2025-05-2728 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Jason MacKenzie:Healing After Unimaginable LossSend us a text
Jason McKenzie shares his heart-wrenching journey through grief after losing his wife to suicide and his daughter to trauma-induced mental health struggles. His story reveals how childhood trauma ripples through generations and how he found healing through sobriety, purposeful grief work, and helping others.
• Lost his police officer wife to suicide after years battling mental health issues stemming from childhood trauma
• Daughters were just six and five when their mother died, causing deep trauma despite their young age
• Developed a four-year drinking problem while trying to appear like he "had it...
2025-05-2627 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Cohen Miles-Rath: How One Man Transformed Crisis into a Call for ChangeSend us a text
Cohen Miles-Rath shares his powerful journey from psychosis and incarceration to becoming a mental health advocate and author.
His story reveals how proper support systems and personal determination transformed a life-altering crisis into a mission of education and advocacy that's changing how we approach mental health treatment.
• Surviving untreated schizoaffective disorder that led to a psychotic episode and incarceration
• Using the four dimensions of recovery—purpose, home, health, and community—to rebuild life
• Transitioning from jail to graduate school within a year through structured support
• Working with Mental...
2025-05-2329 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Pete Earley:From Journalist to AdvocateSend us a text
Pete Early shares his journey from Washington Post journalist to mental health advocate after his son developed bipolar disorder, revealing how a broken system forces families into crisis before providing help.
• Diagnosis came during his son Kevin's college years with warning signs like "food doesn't taste good" and confusion about reality
• Psychiatrist delivered a devastating prognosis: "incurable disease" with lifetime medication, weight gain, likely unemployment
• Kevin stopped taking medication after a few weeks, leading to psychosis and breaking into a stranger's house
• Early couldn't get help until his son beca...
2025-05-2031 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Jessica Ferguson : Brother in Crisis: A Family's Desperate Fight for Mental Health SupportSend us a text
Jessica Ferguson shares the deeply personal story of her brother's struggle with serious mental illness and how systemic failures led to his incarceration after being accused of a triple homicide when he should have been in psychiatric care.
• Her brother had been stable with his mental illness for a decade before showing concerning behavior changes in early 2023
• Despite three psychiatric hospitalizations within months, he was repeatedly discharged after 72-hour holds with no substantial care plan
• Family pleas for help were ignored as healthcare providers cited voluntary treatment requirements and HIPAA...
2025-05-1628 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Sylvia Mignon: When Your Expertise Can't Save Your ChildSend us a text
Sylvia Mignon, licensed clinical social worker and professor of criminal justice, shares her heartbreaking journey navigating the mental health system while trying to secure proper care for her son with schizoaffective disorder. Despite her professional expertise, she's experienced nine years of struggling against bureaucracies that prioritize themselves over the needs of individuals with severe mental illness.
• Mental health systems and criminal justice bureaucracies often work to serve those within the system rather than clients and their families
• Many psychiatric professionals avoid treating severe mental illness, preferring conditions that respond better to m...
2025-05-1230 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Jack Wood:: A Father's Fight for Mental Health ReformSend us a text
Jack Wood shares his son Jonathan's journey through Florida's mental health system, revealing how management failure rather than lack of resources creates catastrophic outcomes for those with severe mental illnesses.
• Jonathan's early life included kidney disorder requiring powerful medications including cancer drugs
• At 18, Jonathan developed schizophrenia with fixed delusions about having $10 billion from his blood plasma
• Community treatment teams refused hospitalization despite clear deterioration and self-harm
• After assaulting his father during psychosis, Jonathan entered a cycle of jail and inadequate hospital care
• Florida's mental health system operates in silos w...
2025-05-1127 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Leslie Carpenter: Breaking the Mental Health Crisis CycleSend us a text
Leslie Carpenter, co-founder of Iowa Mental Health Advocacy and Legislative Advocacy Manager at the Treatment Advocacy Center, shares her journey from concerned mother to dedicated mental health advocate after her son was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder 19 years ago.
She discusses the barriers families face when seeking help for loved ones with severe mental illness and her multi-level approach to creating systemic change.
• Leslie advocates at both state and national levels, tracking legislation across all 50 states
• Mental health reform requires community-based collaboration, state-level policy changes, and federal action
• Creati...
2025-05-0929 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Judge Liefman: Breaking the Cycle of Autism and Mental Illness in Criminal JusticeSend us a text
Judge Steven Leifman shares his remarkable journey from witnessing horrific conditions in a state psychiatric hospital as a teenager to becoming a leading judicial advocate for mental health reform.
His work in Miami-Dade County has transformed how the criminal justice system handles people with mental illness, saving millions of dollars while giving thousands a path to recovery.
• Began his advocacy at 17 when investigating abuse at a state psychiatric hospital where he found an autistic young man being improperly treated as psychotic
• Discovered as a judge that our system has...
2025-04-2931 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Areva Martin: How One Mother Became an Everyday Autism AdvocateSend us a text
CNN contributor and civil rights attorney Areva Martin shares her personal journey of raising an autistic son while becoming a powerful advocate for disability rights and creating systemic change.
• Son Marty's autism diagnosis at age two prompted an intensive learning journey
• Navigated overwhelming and often inaccurate information by applying legal training to seek evidence-based resources
• Witnessed evolution from stigma and "cure" focus to greater acceptance and integration of neurodivergent individuals
• Founded Special Needs Network, California's largest social justice organization for special needs children
• Advocates for reform in criminal j...
2025-04-2627 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?John Puls : Autism, Justice, and Understanding: Navigating the Criminal SystemSend us a text
John Puls, a psychotherapist specializing in forensic work, shares critical insights on navigating the intersection of autism, mental health, and the criminal justice system.
He draws on his extensive experience working with individuals in crisis to offer practical guidance for families and caregivers.
• Working as a psychotherapist with both autistic individuals and those with severe mental health issues
• Providing forensic services including testifying for involuntary commitment cases and mitigation for reduced sentencing
• Crisis Intervention Trained (CIT) officers and Service Population Advocates as promising but limited resources
• Finding...
2025-04-1624 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Country Music Meets Compassion: How Artists Are Making a Difference for AutismSend us a text
Tony Mantor hosts a special remote podcast from Nashville Palace supporting "An Acoustic Evening for Autism." Country music artists Daryl Worley and Dillon Massengale share their personal connections to autism awareness and how music has become a platform for making a difference.
• Daryl Worley explains how friends with an autistic child inspired his commitment to the cause
• Worley discusses establishing his foundation and the challenges of fundraising for charitable causes
• Finding purpose through helping others becomes a central theme of Worley's career journey
• Dillon Massengale shares his story of being...
2025-04-1416 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Joan Lipinski : Battles for Her Autistic Daughter's FreedomSend us a text
Joan Lipinski shares her deeply personal journey fighting for her daughter with Asperger's syndrome who received a 63-month federal prison sentence after being manipulated into bringing contraband into a facility where she worked.
Through multiple prison transfers, denied medical care following back surgery, and judicial misunderstanding of autism, Joan has become a determined advocate battling against a system that fails to accommodate neurodiversity.
• Joan's daughter was manipulated by an inmate professing love to bring in a package with unknown contents
• Judge acknowledged her autism but wanted to "make an e...
2025-04-1327 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Doug Passon: Breaking Down Barriers, How Understanding Autism Changes Legal OutcomesSend us a text
Doug Passon shares his journey as a criminal defense lawyer and filmmaker advocating for autistic individuals in the legal system, drawing from both his professional experience and personal connection as a parent of an autistic son.
• Criminal defense lawyer who uses documentary filmmaking to humanize clients at sentencing
• Pioneered the use of video in sentencing mitigation, recognized by Wall Street Journal
• Self-described as both lawyer and filmmaker who shows humanity behind the case file
• Explains how many autistic defendants lack proper diagnosis before entering legal system
• Describes the "Three...
2025-04-1229 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Mark Mahoney: Fighting for Autism JusticeSend us a text
Mark Mahoney reveals his groundbreaking work as possibly the only attorney in North America exclusively dedicated to defending individuals with autism spectrum disorder who face criminal charges.
Through years of specialized practice, he shares crucial insights about how the criminal justice system fundamentally misunderstands autism.
• Autism directly affects social understanding and learning of unwritten rules
• People with autism often commit crimes without understanding they're doing anything wrong
• Most prosecutors, judges, and attorneys lack basic knowledge about autism
• Many clients have normal or high IQs but social skills e...
2025-04-0930 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Dennis Debbaudt : reveals how proper training can prevent tragic misunderstandings between autism and law enforcement.Send us a text
Dennis Debbaudt shares his 30-year journey addressing autism-related police interactions and developing training programs for law enforcement nationwide.
His pioneering work bridges the gap between public safety professionals and the autistic community through educational materials, videos, and hands-on training that helps prevent tragic misunderstandings.
• Former detective agency owner whose autistic son's diagnosis in the 1980s revealed a complete lack of resources on autism-police interactions
• Created the first-ever training materials addressing autism for law enforcement in the early 1990s
• Highlights the staggering increase in autism prevalence from 2-5 in 10...
2025-04-0624 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Judge Soonhee(Sunny) Bailey: Breaking the Cycle and Creating America's First Autism Court ProgramSend us a text
Judge Sonny Bailey shares how she created the nation's only court dedicated to helping autistic youth stay out of the criminal justice system.
What began in 2018 as a quieter courtroom for one overwhelmed teen has evolved into an innovative program with a 90% success rate, recently recognized through Nevada legislation as the country's first official neurodiversity specialty court.
• Autism court began accidentally when officers brought in an overwhelmed teen who needed a quieter environment
• Program uses applied behavioral analysis and positive reinforcement instead of punishment
• Success looks different for ea...
2025-04-0228 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Gabriella Russo: Embracing Self-Discovery and Advocacy in Autism – Overcoming Challenges and Building a Supportive CommunitySend us a text
What if discovering your true self could transform your entire life journey?
Join me, Tony Mantor, as I sit down with the insightful Gabriella Russo for a powerful discussion on self-discovery and acceptance within the autistic community.
Gabriella shares her personal narrative, revealing how her godchild's involvement with an autism support group prompted her own recognition of being autistic. Through her candid reflections, she recounts overcoming challenges like an abusive marriage and workplace bullying, ultimately embracing her identity and finding solace in self-diagnosis and community support.
Gabriella's story is a...
2025-03-2627 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Why Not Me the World Humanity Over Handcuffs the Special Event for AprilSend us a text
Hi, I'm Tony Mantor.
Imagine a world where the rules don't bend.
Where justice feels like a maze with no exit.
For autistic people navigating the legal system, this is not imagination. It's reality. Picture your autistic son or daughter tangled in the legal system or an officer at your door because a meltdown was misunderstood.
Imagine a loved one walking through a park, having a meltdown, which is mistaken for something much worse, a drug overdose.
This Autism Awareness Month, we're bringing...
2025-03-2100 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Loveartpix: Overcoming Autism Stigmas, Embracing Artistic Expression, and Advocating for Neurodivergent InclusionSend us a text
Award-winning multimedia artist Dez, also known as Loveartpix, joins us to share his remarkable journey of living with autism and challenging societal misconceptions.
With a confident demeanor that often leads others to question his diagnosis, Dez opens up about the emotional hurdles and stigmas he faces.
Through his story, we aim to foster a greater understanding of neurodivergence and emphasize the importance of supporting individuals on the autism spectrum. Dez's experience sheds light on the diverse spectrum of autism, encouraging listeners to rethink preconceived notions and embrace a more inclusive perspective.
2025-01-0927 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Tanya's Journey Across Europe for Autism Advocacy and Inclusive EducationSend us a text
Imagine uprooting your life multiple times for the love of your child.
This episode brings you an inspiring narrative of Tanya and her niece Dara, who embarked on a journey from Bulgaria to Belgium in search of better educational opportunities for Tanya's autistic son, Radi.
We hear about the challenges and victories as Tanya relentlessly pursued a nurturing environment for Radin, moving through Slovakia and the Czech Republic before finally settling in Belgium.
Radi's story is a testament to the power of perseverance, music's comforting embrace, and the profound impact...
2025-01-0224 minTony Mantor: Why Not Me ?Tony Mantor: Sharing Stories of Resilience and Hope – Fostering Autism Awareness and Mental Health Advocacy from NashvilleSend us a text
This episode focuses on the power of storytelling and its role in promoting awareness around autism and mental health during the holiday season. Reflecting on connection and community, we invite listeners to engage and share their experiences.
• Celebrating the impact of shared stories
• Upcoming initiatives for autism and mental health awareness
• Importance of community engagement and storytelling
• Encouragement to spread the word about the podcast's mission
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2024-12-2602 min