WHAT THE FUNDRAISING
126: Demystifying the Mental Health Conversations with Aaron Machbitz
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“Suicide is not selfish because they’re not thinking about anything outside of getting rid of this pain that they feel.”
– Aaron Machbitz
Episode #126
Overview
In this episode of What the Fundraising Podcast…
Aaron Machbitz discovered the power of vulnerability when tragedy struck and unexpectedly redirected his life. Through open and honest conversation, he has become a beacon of hope for those seeking solace and understanding – inspiring us to ask, what does it take to create meaningful connections and foster emotional validation in times of pain and loss?
Aaron is a mental health advocate whose journey began as a professional wrestler with a performative lifestyle. Aaron’s life took an unexpected turn when he experienced a personal loss, leading him to question the value of authentic connections and emotional honesty. Today, Aaron is the founder of the mental health nonprofit, YouAreLoved, and host of the podcast, Something for Everybody, where he shares his insights and experiences in mental health, vulnerability, and building genuine connections. Through his work, Aaron aims to create a supportive community and equip individuals with the tools they need to navigate their emotional well-being and foster meaningful relationships.
In this episode, you’ll learn Aaron’s approach to helping others – centered around the idea of validating, appreciating, and referring. He also emphasizes the importance of setting healthy boundaries while being honest about one’s own struggles.
TRIGGER WARNING: In this episode we talk about suicide, loss of a family member, greif and other challenging topics, if you decide to listen please do so with your own mental health and wellbeing top of mind.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
- Introducing Aaron Machbitz
- Aaron's background and the loss that led him to focus on mental health
- Coping with grief and how talking about his experience helped him. He also introduces his mental health nonprofit, You Are Loved.
- Supporting loved ones with mental health challenges & taking care of yourself
- Connection through vulnerability and honesty
- Vulnerability vs. Performance
- Understanding and expanding our emotional language
- The complexity of grief and the grieving process.
- Moving forward with grief and finding ways to live with the pain, while still being able to experience joy and happiness.
- Accepting the emotions of grief and being willing to feel all of the difficult emotions that come with it.
- Taking Action with Grief to find ways to live with the pain and still experience happiness.
- Building a relationship with yourself and building a concrete identity based on who you want to be, not just what you do.
- Aaron discusses how identity is not just based on one's profession but on repeated beingness.
- Changing and Evolving,
- Aaron talks about the importance of taking action and making concrete decisions about the person you want to become.
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Aaron Machbitz
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Listen to Aaron Machbitz’s podcast, Something for Everybody, where he discusses mental health, personal growth, and other important topics.
- Visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention website to learn more about suicide prevention and access valuable resources.
- Support Aaron’s mental health nonprofit, YouAreLoved, which provides resources and support for professional wrestlers and those in need of mental health assistance.
- Many thanks to our sponsor, Givebutter for making this episode possible. Our friends at Givebutter really understand what it takes to be a magnetic fundraiser. Their fundraising platform empowers millions of changemakers to raise more, pay less, and give better every single day. To learn more about them, head on over to givebutter.com/mallory.
- If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.
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TIPS AND TOOLS TO IMPLEMENT TODAY
- Create genuine, honest relationships with those around you, especially if you know they are struggling with mental health issues. This doesn’t mean overextending yourself but it means offering what you can in genuine and honest ways.
- Practice appropriate levels of vulnerability and honesty when discussing your own struggles with others, as it can help create a sense of connection and understanding.
- Be mindful of setting boundaries while also being there for someone who is struggling, giving them the space and opportunity to seek help and find other support where they need it as well.
- Self-awareness is crucial for emotional honesty and can be developed by asking ourselves questions about how we feel and taking the time to explore our emotions. I loved the way Aaron talked about increasing our emotional vocabulary.
- Grieving is a complex and non-linear process that requires acceptance of various emotions, both positive and negative. Sitting with our emotions, especially during difficult times or after a loss, can help us process our feelings, come to terms with our situation, and ultimately, move forward in a healthy manner.
FAVORITE QUOTES
- "Suicide is not selfish because they're not thinking about anything outside of getting rid of this pain that they feel." - Aaron Machbitz
- "Be a guidepost, be a light at the end of the tunnel." - Aaron Machbitz
- "And so, yes, you want to put that boundary in, but the boundary comes with more vulnerability.” - Aaron Machbitz
- "It's about being able to sit with it. And I'm specifically talking about the hardest things that we go through in life. We have to really be willing to sit in the muck a little bit with our emotions." - Aaron Machbitz
- "We have to be as people who are around the person experiencing the trauma, we have to be better with our language." - Aaron Machbitz
- "You have to make a very concrete decision about the person that you want to become, who do you want to be? Because you can become whoever you'd like." - Aaron Machbitz
- "[Grief] is much different than anything else. It's not like burnout or depression. These things are different and have other root causes and they have different modalities to try and fix these things." - Aaron Machbitz
- "One small foot forward, one in front of the other. And that's important and means more than you might ever know. So do that." - Aaron Machbitz
- "People are still loved. There is still love." - Aaron Machbitz
- "We have to be able to self regulate and self control, but we have to have a time and place for [the pain and grief] as well." - Aaron Machbitz
- "We're allowed to feel mutual emotions at the same time." - Aaron Machbitz
- "You have to accept what happened first and be aware that you're feeling grief." - Aaron Machbitz
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Get to know Aaron Machbitz:
My name is Aaron Machbitz. I’m a former Division I Baseball Player and Pro Wrestler. Since graduating in 2014, I have been taken many different paths. But 2020 was the year that I really found my purpose and passion. Mental health is at the core of everything I do, and my mission is to create deeper connection within ourselves while integrating different communities and facilitating real genuine connection. I traveled the world wrestling and continue to be a part of independent professional while working with Experience Wrestling. I host a hit podcast called Something For Everybody, own + operate a mental health non-profit, coach, speak and create daily content on social media to spread optimism, love, empathy and mental health awareness.
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I teach nonprofit fundraisers to bring in more gifts from the RIGHT donors… so they can stop hounding people for money. Fundraising doesn’t have to be uncomfortable.
- CEO & Creator of the Power Partners FormulaTM
- Disruptor in the funding sector, changing lives everyday
- Relentlessly committed to the movement of money into the nonprofit sector
- Focused on win-win partnerships that allow fundraisers to be authentic and empowered in their work
- Over 15 years working in nonprofits (managing director and ED of multiple fast-growth organizations)
MALLORY ERICKSON
