From Mythical Creatures To Mental Health: How Community Fuels 400 Episodes | (Episode 375)

From Mythical Creatures To Mental Health: How Community Fuels 400 Episodes | (Episode 375)

We celebrate a surge in community growth, new live streams, and a slate of books while sharing candid mental health tactics that keep us grounded. Culture stays center stage as we explore global folklore without politics and thank you for pushing us toward 400 episodes.

• momentum toward 400 episodes and global reach
• TikTok, Facebook, Instagram live updates and exclusives
• Voices for VoicesⓇ Publishing releases and The Atalan
• why print and digital both matter for readers on the go
• folklore from every culture, not politics
• gratitude for record downloads and listener support
• behind-the-scenes workflow that keeps shows consistent
• practical grounding strategies for social anxiety
• seasonal affective disorder, solstice milestones, weekday mass
• open invitation for guests and shared stories

Smash that subscribe button, follow, like, share, give us the big thumbs up
Reach out to us if you’re interested in having your voice heard and seen on an episode of our show

Chapter Markers

0:00 Milestones And Global Community

1:55 New Live Streams And Books

4:59 Why Print And Digital Both Matter

8:20 Folklore Without Politics

11:35 Gratitude And Behind-The-Scenes Work

15:10 Record Growth And Fan Impact

18:20 Grounding And Coping Strategies

22:10 Seasonal Affective Disorder Real Talk

25:05 Weekday Mass And Managing Anxiety

28:10 Culture Over Politics, Always

30:20 Hitting 400 Episodes And Thanks

#MythicalCreatures #MentalHealthAwareness #CommunitySupport #PodcastEpisodes #CreativeJourney #StorytellingMagic #CulturalMyths #EmotionalWellbeing #CommunityMatters #400EpisodesLater #InspirationThroughStories #ConnectingThroughStories #MentalHealthMatters #CreativePodcasting #ExploringMythsTogether #BuildingCommunity #justiceforsurvivors #VoicesforVoices #VoicesforVoicesPodcast #JustinAlanHayes #JustinHayes #help3billion #TikTok #Instagram #truth #Jesusaire #VoiceForChange #HealingTogether #VoicesForVoices375

Chapters

• 0:00 Milestones And Global Community
• 1:55 New Live Streams And Books
• 4:59 Why Print And Digital Both Matter
• 8:20 Folklore Without Politics
• 11:35 Gratitude And Behind-The-Scenes Work
• 15:10 Record Growth And Fan Impact
• 18:20 Grounding And Coping Strategies
• 22:10 Seasonal Affective Disorder Real Talk
• 25:05 Weekday Mass And Managing Anxiety
• 28:10 Culture Over Politics, Always
• 30:20 Hitting 400 Episodes And Thanks

Transcript

Justin Alan Hayes, Voices for Voices: 0:02

Hey everyone, it's Justin here, Voices. Uh, just so happy to be with you today. Thank you for watching, listening. Uh, whether you're here in the United States or you are in close to uh a hundred countries, a thousand cities, uh, territories, provinces, all across this beautiful uh planet Earth that we all call home. Uh, thank you so much. Uh, we are over 370 episodes total. Uh, we're on our way to 380, then 390, and then the big 400 that we're gonna hit uh before the end of uh calendar year 2025. We had the initial goal of hitting uh 300 total episodes by the end of calendar year 2025, and we have been in such a great rhythm of connecting uh with our fans, our supporters, uh that uh we we just keep getting asked to continue pumping out content, so that's what we're doing, and we're grateful to have you with us today and every day uh for an episode of the Voices for Voices TV show and podcast. There's probably a big uh big change that you uh may have noticed uh this week, uh past couple of days, uh, versus last week and and other weeks. Uh and what is that, or what are those? Uh those are uh TikTok lives, Facebook lives, Instagram lives that we've been coming to you at uh different times of the day to share new exclusive information about voices for voices, about mythical creatures around the world, about publishing the five books that we have under Voices for Voices Publishing that you can get your hands on. And we've been touting uh the ever-popular uh comic book uh titled The Adolan, uh, which is authored uh by none other than David Solomon. Cooper Saunders uh did fantastic work with us uh with the art. Uh and it's uh it's just a a joy to be able to uh have the opportunity to bring this to you uh both in the print edition, which is going to be worth a lot of money in a very short period of time, as well as the electronic version on uh the uh the Kindle, if that is uh if that's something that uh is easier for you to uh to utilize. And we recommend both because uh we're on the go. We we have so much to do, we're always on the go. And obviously when we're uh when we're driving, we have to pay attention to the road. Uh but if we're on a subway and an Uber, a Lyft, uh a friend's vehicle, uh public transportation, on the beach, uh, many other places, the electronic version, perfect to be able to pull that up on your electronic device. And we recommend the print version uh to be able to see the the beautiful story and artwork uh in print version, as well as uh what a memorabilia item this is. We're bringing a uh top-of-the-line author, if not the best author in the world right now, David Solomon. Uh can write 200 pages every single day, novels in a day, day and a half, two days, depending on how long uh and what the story and the plot line is. Uh, and I've seen this in action. This isn't just somebody just scribbling down a bunch of words. Uh this is real story, real story worlds that make sense and uh that have the huge demand that that we have. And so we invite you to head on over to you can head on over to uh Amazon and you can look at Voices for Voices Publishing, you can look up David Solomon, you can look up the Adalan, and uh get yourselves uh uh order placed before the shipping constraints really go into place with uh with just increased demand on on everything. And we're uh we're grateful to be able to bring that and additional information to you on these TikTok, Instagram, Facebook lives uh that we've been uh we've been having on a pretty regular basis. So we invite you to definitely tune in to those because there's information we share there that doesn't always get shared on on the show, uh, and that's by design. Uh because we have so many great uh supporters uh like yourselves, viewers, listeners of the TV show and podcast, uh making voices for voices, uh being heard all across the world. We're helping over 3 billion people over the course of my lifetime and beyond. Mythical creatures around the world. We got, I think, 97, very close to 98,000 followers, which is almost unheard of. Uh we have competition that only dreams that to have that many followers. Uh, and and so it's uh it's an incredible and exciting time with voices for voices, with mythical creatures around the world. Uh we uh recently uh so it we recently had uh a couple posts. One was on North Korea. We got great feedback because we talk about folklore and not politics. Uh, we also uh just had a recent post on Antarctica, uh, which uh few and uh a few people visit, live, live there. Uh and and so when we say mythical creatures around the world, we mean around the world. We don't mean in one geography or another, we mean around the world. We're talking about culture of every culture, not just uh nitpicking uh certain cultures, uh, the human being, each one of us. We have a story to tell to our organization. It's called Voices for Voices. Reach out to us if you're interested in uh having your voice heard and seen on an episode of our show. We'd love to have you on and share your unique story experiences with the world. Uh, it's very humbling to know that every time we get uh in front of a camera that uh the the words and and and the visual uh is going to be seen by so many people. Uh it's uh it's awe-inspiring and it's really humbling to know that. And we uh we don't take anything lightly that we talk about on our show. Uh we talk about the hard topics, and this may sound like uh a repeat of uh previous shows, previous uh maybe a previous TikTok live or part of it, but it's so important to be reminded of that because it's so easy to uh to uh to lose sight of what we're here on earth to do, that there's a limited amount of us human beings on earth, and we're here to do good things, we're here to help people. We all, as one of our guests, uh Kate Jones, at the very outset, who got me uh the the start with Voices for Voices, the house, House of You, our shows uh gave gave uh the uh the enthusiasm and uh had us on her shows multiple times. And it's because of her that we're really here a couple years later, and so we greatly appreciate and thank uh Kate for uh just being with us really from day one. Uh, because without the um kind of the teachable moments and and seeing all the different aspects that goes into a show, it's not just getting in front of the camera and speaking and having guests on. That's the easy part. Uh the the tougher part and the labor of love is after we're done, after the cameras are are turned off, it's when uh we have to file and affix uh the files that come off of our video streaming platform, and so we're able to put that into our TV and video file format to be able to be uploaded, um, and then the audio file to get the form of file that we're able to upload to our audio provider, our audio aggregator that helps us get our uh TV show and podcast uh you know to uh to to Apple Podcast, to Spotify, to iHeart, to Amazon, you name it, you can find us. And it's because of uh that labor of love we're able to bring the show to you. And and so that time is not fun, it's not sexy, it's not uh something we look forward to, but it's a necessary uh thing that we have to do for each show. So we have to go into every show knowing that that uh the time that we're gonna be expending for a show is not just the time in front of a camera. Uh it's all the uh kind of the administrative work that has to be done to uh pick a title, pick a description, uh all those all those things. And the reason why we do it uh is because of you. You're watching, you're listening, you're breaking more records for us. We had the uh, as mentioned in previous shows, we had record-breaking months of uh uh of uh downloads and views on our shows. We and that's over the course of over two years of having a show. And and so we not only beat the other previous uh month, which was in 2023, but we almost we basically doubled the amount of what was the peak, what was the highest in that month of 2023. And that that's not on me. That's you guys, you uh ladies and gentlemen, uh, that's you, and that's what that's what gets us up in the morning, that's what has us coming to, that's what has us being okay doing the administrative work because we know that we're helping so many people. And it's not even just me and the organization, Voices for Voices, and mythical creatures around the world. It's not just us, it's our guests that come on, that share the most difficult times in their lives with the world, and it is just uh a blessing that we're able to to do that. Uh and we'd have no reason to do it if it wasn't if it wasn't for you. You we talk about different sports or for anything or for bands, right? Uh, for artists to go on tour. Uh, the the one I was thinking of, uh I just saw a post by uh Simple Plan. They they wrapped up uh tour with the offspring, and uh you know, they're talking about you know we wouldn't be where we're at if it wasn't for our fans, for the people that are coming to our shows, watching and singing and dancing and laughing and crying. It is just so very uh very incredible uh that you have a band that recognizes that and is down to earth because it's easy to get a big head. It really is. It's easy to be like, oh, well, we're so much better. Well, we're all human. Um and while there might be some analytics that uh might show that our numbers are higher than some shows, lower than others, but knowing that we're forging along, just like uh just like a steel bar or a steel tube, we're forging uh along, and we are continuing to bring the hottest, the hottest products, the hottest information, the uh the the hottest mental health tips and hacks, things that we do. I uh I was asked the other day about what's one thing I do uh to ground myself or to cope, a coping mechanism. And I had to think, uh and one of the things that I I do and I did was going to an event, something where there's gonna be a lot of people that I don't even know. Um I I am a person that for better or for worse, I I like having an idea of how an event's gonna go, and if I don't, then I sometimes just uh I just shut down and I'm that super introvert uh that all the conversation if you know we're at a table having dinner and there's a speaker, and uh once I get started, then it's it's it's hard to it's hard to uh quiet me. Uh I just continue sharing and sharing like I do on our show. It's it's so important to uh for my mental health to just talk with you each one of you. Uh and and I I would recommend that find people that you're uh you're okay sharing and talking. Some people are gonna be super comfortable with sharing, some you're not, and that's okay. Uh do what works for you. Um and so when I say uh, you know, what was one of the ways that I uh would I cope when I go to a uh larger event. So let me let me give you an example. Uh well I'll give you two examples. Uh the one is uh there there was an event I went to with there was uh two, three hundred people, and I knew like one person at at this particular event, and I was I just kind of had my head down, I was just doing my own thing, and uh because I didn't know how the show or how uh the event was gonna go, um I had a rough outline, um, but it wasn't my it wasn't a voices for voices or mythical creatures show, it wasn't a book signing it, it it wasn't uh something that I had a really good understanding of generally what was going to occur. And so with therapy that I go to, the one thing that I've learned over the years is a technique, a coping mechanism uh called grounding or being present. And so since I'm used to being in front of the camera and you know, kind of being that focal point, that when I go to events where I'm not, that's okay. I just have to figure out how to get through an event, get through a situation like that. And so I kind of ground myself. I tell myself it's okay to be present, that I don't have to be the person that's leading or up given a speech or a talk or uh recording a show, that I don't have to do that. I can just be a participant, I can be an attendee, and that's okay, that I don't have to be the uh focal point, as I mentioned. So I was able to do that at a recent event, and I'll give you another example of going to uh going to church, going to mass. Uh the seasonal affective disorders really got me and uh with the you know the time change, and so it's a little bit tougher for me to wake up in the morning than it was. It's still uh hard for me to wake up in the morning, but it was a little easier when there was a little bit more sunlight, uh a little more brightness in in the air, uh in the sky. And so having to get used to the uh the the you know putting the clocks back an hour where we live, uh that that was something that I'm still struggling and working through. So that's one thing, it's just to just to realize, and it's okay. It's just something to realize. I always look at the summer or the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year. I always tell myself, Justin, as long as we get let's get to the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, then the day following, there's a minute or so more of daylight time. Doesn't mean that the weather's not going to get cold, it might not snow and have ice and and all that. It just means that I've made it, and so that's a little celebration that I have, like in my in my mind of like, okay, it's a milestone that I made it through, made it to and through. Uh, and and so that leads right into the the second area of of going to church. Uh weekends, Saturdays, Sundays, uh, holy days tend to be the most busy days at church, meaning the more people come uh to those days, uh and uh as opposed to the weekly or weekday, so the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, uh mass schedules, there's less uh less people, less attendees, less parishioners for those uh those days. And and so once I get to seasonal effective disorder thing, well when I work work through that, uh going to going to church, going to mass during the week, there's less people. So I can go and not not feel like everybody's, you know, all eyes are on me. Because the truth of the matter is they're not. We we we think that we think that we go somewhere and everybody's looking at us, what we're wearing, what we every single thing we say. And that's just not the case. I know that as a teacher, I know that as a speaker, that not every single person in uh in attendance uh or who is watching and listening is gonna watch and listen to every single moment, every single second, minute, hour of shows that we have. Uh and so it's okay to mess up, to not be perfect. I know I'm not perfect. I just have to reassure myself that, and and so that's why I found getting back into the weekly or the weekday church versus the weekend. I've just found that I've had I have, for whatever reason, way more anxiety during the on the weekend uh going going to church. And so that's one of the reasons why I opt to go during the week when I can wrestle myself out of bed. Uh and so those are things that like I'm learning about myself and being okay with it. I don't have to uh I don't have to be perfect because I'm not. Nobody is. I need to find what works for me. You need to find what works for you. That's what it's all about. It's finding the things that work for us and trying to do that as as often as we can. Uh and and that's about all we can do as humans. And and having this show and working with David with mythical creatures around the world, the footprint that Voices for Voices has, the brand equity that we have, uh, all from you watching, listening, following mythical creatures around the world on Facebook. If you don't have a Facebook account, that's okay. You can start one today, and if the only thing you have is that you're following mythical creatures around the world, then that is time well spent in again, mythical creatures around the world. And so it uh it's so interesting. Once I got introduced to David and and into that world, that story world, um, it's really incredible um what knowledge that that he has and to be able to again uh have mythology and myths and folklore for all over the world is just incredible. You know, we think of the Olympics, uh, and we think of Voices for Voices where we want to be a voice for ourselves or somebody in need. And that doesn't just mean if we're in the United States, it doesn't mean that j just if we're in Argentina or if we're in uh Norway or Finland or Russia or uh North Korea, uh it's all of us. We're here as humans. We're not here, at least we have voices or voices and mythical creatures around the world. We're here as human beings, we're not here as politics and politicians. Now we may interview from time to time, and we may do uh uh attend an event from time to time, but we're uh apolitical. We're not uh we're not bringing politics in into uh the shows. Uh we we may have topics to things we'll we'll talk about, but that's the one thing that jives with voices for voices and mythical creatures around the world is we're not bringing the politics in it. We don't we don't care. We want to we want to talk about the human experience, we want to talk about culture and areas all over the world. And it's because of you that we're able to do this, that we're able to um to have this show. It I can't stress it enough, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart that uh having this show, having I mean, I'm getting chills right now, uh having you watching and listening to have us have over 370 episodes. I think this is gonna be uh when it's all said and done, I think this is actually gonna be uh episode 375 or 376. That's just uh that's just mind-blowing. We were we were shooting for the goal of 300 uh by the end of colony year 2025. We're gonna have at least 400 episodes, and they're all so powerful in their own individual ways. So we want to say thank you. Thank you for the love that y'all give given us up until now, and as we go forward in the future, thank you for the support, thank you for uh smashing that subscribe button, following us, liking, sharing, giving us the big thumbs up. That we're doing this because of you. We want to help people, we want people to be comfortable, to come out of their skin as much as they want. Um, and that doesn't mean they have to come on the show. It just means that there might be something that they've always wanted to do. And now because they've either heard me or our other guests talk about a situation or experience or experiences that they've gone through too, that's the incredible part. That's where the real helping comes, where it's like, okay, yeah, I can do that. And we know you can. And we're here, we're your cheerleaders, we're supporting you. Uh let us know how things are going. If you want to, again, if you want to be a guest on the show, reach out to us. We'd love to love to get uh to get get you scheduled and have you on our show. We love you, and we want to say God bless the United States of America and God bless you all across the world, and we thank you for your time and we. Hope you have a great day. We uh we're we're talking about celebrating the voice in all of us, and we're talking about let's be a voice for ourselves and those in need that may have a tougher time being a voice for themselves. So again, watch out for those TikTok lives, Instagram lives, Facebook lives in the evening, uh, morning, afternoon area, depending on what part of the uh of earth that you you uh reside in. And we just thank you so much. So have a great day. We love you all.