FARGO — When Bryan Piatt was a sixth grader at Fargo's Agassiz Middle School, he remembers having a feeling that shook him to the core.
What he didn't know at the time is that feeling was the beginning of tough mental health moments that currently has him helping others through a popular podcast.
On Monday, Jan. 30, in south Fargo, Piatt was busy scrubbing through a guest's interview, listening for meaningful highlights for another episode of his "Take What Serves, Leave the Rest," podcast.
Piatt has been focusing on his growing podcast after leaving a successful TV news career in the Twin Cities.
"We are so, so happy for you, and also really sad," said one of his co-workers on his last day on air.
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When anxiety and mental health issues got to be too much, he started doing what he does best. He talked about his battles and asked others to do the same.
"It feels like it's starting to get to this point now where we kind of have to lean into each other a little bit more and be a little bit open about these kind of conversations and let people in, so we don't have to go it alone," Piatt said.
"(T)hat's how I like to think about life. Storms don't last forever. They can't and they won't, and it is not how the atmosphere works, but it's also not how life works," ABC correspondent Ginger Zee told Bryan in a podcast interview.
"I knew that upon realization and to where I knew I had to get for happiness, I didn't want to have to deal with that journey to get there," said Jack Jablonski, who was paralyzed while playing high school hockey, and has since become a strong advocate for those living with spinal injuries. In September, Jablonski announced that he is gay.
There were other celebrities, experts, and just real people courageously sharing stories of struggles and successes. Piatt is also busy taking classes and going to graduate school to become a licensed therapist.
"I think through people's stories it just gives other people an opportunity to go, 'I really resonate with that,' and, 'I thought I was the only one struggling with that, but here's so and so,'" Piett said.
Piett gets a new podcast out every week, now available on inforum.com They are a chance for this Fargo product to make mental health a topic nobody is afraid to discuss.
"Whatever it is somebody might be feeling in a given moment, we can simultaneously feel those things, and create space for those things and also show up for our life and the things that are important to us," Piett said.
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Piatt points out the podcast is never preachy or judgmental. In fact, Piett says his mental health struggles still hit him. But now he says he has the tools to help maneuver the journey now.
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