October 18, 2023

 

Following OCD Awareness Week, guest host Barb Solish (NAMI national director of innovation) talks to Liz Norton (NAMI director of business analysis) about Liz’s experience with obsessive compulsive disorder.

You can find additional episodes of this NAMI podcast and others at nami.org/podcast.

We hope this podcast encourages you, inspires you, helps you and brings you further into the collective to know: you are not alone.

Episodes will air every other Wednesday and will be available on most major directories and apps.

 

 

Episode Audio:

 


 

Featured Guest:

Liz Norton

Liz Norton is NAMI’s Director of Business Analysis, as well as a NAMI program leader and trainer. Liz first got involved with NAMI by attending a NAMI Family-to-Family class and the rest, as they say, is history. Liz has worked at NAMI for 11 years, is certified to lead NAMI Family-to-Family, NAMI Peer-to-Peer, NAMI Ending the Silence, and NAMI In Our Own Voice, and serves a state and national trainer for NAMI Peer-to-Peer.Liz has dealt with OCD since the age of 13, when she first started showing symptoms. Liz enjoys sharing the experiences and challenges that come with a mental health condition with others. “I’ve learned a lot from having a mental health condition, from my friends and family having mental health conditions. If sharing what I’ve learned can make someone’s life easier, then I’m gonna do whatever I can to help.”When not working or volunteering at NAMI, Liz enjoys tending her garden, hanging out with her dog Leia, spending time with her friends and family, and the Great British Bake-Off.

 


 

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About the Guest Host:

Barb Solish

Barb Solish is the National Director in NAMI’s Office of Innovation.

She is passionate about mental health awareness, education, and advocacy, especially after the loss of a friend to suicide. Barb’s lived experience developing a mental health condition as a young person also motivates her work improving outcomes for young people with mental health concerns. Previously, Barb led NAMI’s youth and young adult initiatives team, developing new resources for kids, teens, young adults, educators, and caregivers. She also led the creation of new initiatives, including the virtual version of the NAMI Ending the Silence presentation program for middle school students and NAMI Next Gen, NAMI’s young adult advisory group.

In addition to youth and young adult work, Barb oversees NAMI’s workplace mental health initiatives, including the StigmaFree partnerships program. Barb believes strongly that not only is creating a mentally healthy workplace the right thing to do, it’s an economic imperative.

Prior to joining NAMI, Barb worked with organizations, executives, legislators, and political candidates to hone their strategic messaging. Barb served as the Communications Director and Deputy Manager on former Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak’s first-term campaign, as a strategic communications manager for Los Angeles’ winning bid for the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, and as an advisor to over a dozen congressional candidates at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

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