Episode three of the Better Meetings Podcast take us in a different direction than originally envisioned.  Still to come will be the delayed interview with Paul VanDeventer of MPI.  That will hopefully be along next week along with some additional episodes recorded in September at IMEX America. This episode is the most personal one thatI have ever done, but I think it's a topic that many of us hide from and are unwilling to discuss because it's uncomfortable and can be misunderstood.  I have been dealing with some depression over the past year to a point that it inhibited my ability to create this podcast, something that I take great joy in doing.  There's a terrible cycle of guilt when you promise something that normally would be an easy task and you're unable to follow through.   My usual reaction is to stay behind a wall and pretend nothing was wrong.  But, as time passed and I was unable to face the simple task of posting a few episodes I reached out for help.  To some friends, to a mentor...even to a celebrity that I'm lucky enough to have corresponded with.  I spoke with my doctor, I worked with him on medication...and I did some research to try and better understand what I was dealing with. I found that in a given year 7.1% of American's are dealing with some form of depression or anxiety.  I spoke to someone in the industry privately and learned of the challenges they had had.  I began to realize that in a business where we have huge expectations placed on yes, where you have to be completely in control and never showing weakness, where a high number are type A and high performing people...I knew I can't be alone in the struggle.  This podcast is my soapbox, my platform and the place where I have a voice.  So I decided the conversation should start here. That's the reason I've recorded this episode, and the conversation that I hope people might begin to take away from it.  Realize that someone you know or work with may be struggling inside.  Be there for them to support and help.   Open up if you are struggling and trust your friends, family and co-workers to support you.  Don't feel that you're alone, you're not.   Our jobs allow us to bring people together to create wonderful experiences and events.  But as good as we are at doing those jobs, we are also still human and we need to be there to lift each other when someone beside us falters. Here are a few places I did research with information and help for those in need. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/coping-with-depression.htm https://www.verywellmind.com/depression-statistics-everyone-should-know-4159056 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007 https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/physical-symptoms-of-depression#1 https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/recognizing-symptoms   And this most important one: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255    TRANSCRIPT: Everyone deserves better meetings. So, we created the better meetings podcast is a place where meetings and events industry professionals can gather to discuss, analyze and report on the latest trends, challenges and news from within the meetings industry. Welcome back to the better meetings podcast. This is not going to be the third episode that I had planned for the better meetings podcast.  That episode, which will hopefully be posted eventually and hopefully soon, is a very interesting and informative interview with Paul Van Deventer of MPI.  It's also not going to be the 4th to about the 12th one, which we're all done in IMAX America back in September.  They discuss a wide range of topics with a really fascinating group of industry suppliers and thought leaders on what this is…it's going to be a pretty serious topic that I never really expected to talk about or cover, especially in relation to my job or to the meetings and events industry.  But sometimes things appear