this week for episode w, i am joined by fellow mental health advocate Sophie Szew. from a young age, Sophie grappled with the concept of womanhood and their gender, something that they pointedly describe as "inextricably linked to anxiety." at its core, today's episode is about identity and its link to our mental health.

stay tuned for the next episode with another special guest, X is for _____________ . can you guess what X is for? 👀

sophie's book recommendations from today's episode:

Thick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom
Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C. Riley Snorton

follow sophie:

Instagram

be on season 2 of a is for anxious! apply here:

https://forms.gle/NHpjRviF29XESC4K6

resources + links:

- https://www.nami.org/help

- https://988lifeline.org

- https://bornthisway.foundation/resources-for-help/

- https://www.activeminds.org/about-mental-health/self-care/

- https://aakomaproject.org

- https://www.asianmhc.org/resources/

- https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/resources-for-mental-health-support/

intro and outro music created + produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Brandon Y.D. Music⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

podcast cover art + art direction created by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Zoë Cain⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

follow the podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

follow alyx ang on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Alyx Ang (she/her/hers) lives in Saint Paul, MN, and is a digital storyteller and mental health advocate. She is a content creator focused on life and literature at the intersection of mental health and wellness. On May 18th, 2022, Alex attended MTV Entertainment Group’s inaugural Mental Health Youth Action Forum at the White House as one of 30 mental health advocates and creators. Since then, she has been on a mission to highlight the importance of storytelling in mental health awareness. Alex now sits on the Youth Advisory Board for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).