Tony Mantor’s Why Not Me The World continues to serve as an important platform for elevating conversations around severe mental illness, autism, and the criminalization of mental illness.

Through past collaborations, including the Humanity Over Handcuffs: The Silent Crisis special event series, advocates, families, and professionals came together to share lived experience, increase awareness, and deepen public understanding of the challenges facing individuals and families affected by these issues.

NSSC is grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this important series and for the many voices that courageously shared their experiences. These conversations helped highlight the urgent need for greater education, stronger support systems, and meaningful improvements in how communities respond to severe mental illness and related challenges.

Continuing this important work, Tony hosted the Crafting Justice: Empowering Autism and Mental Health Through Legislation special event series in May. The series highlighted legislators making a meaningful impact through policy, as well as advocates working on the front lines of reform, education, and support. It brought together diverse voices to discuss the importance of thoughtful legislation, community collaboration, and solutions that improve outcomes for individuals and families.

NSSC is honored to continue supporting platforms that elevate lived experience, encourage collaboration, and bring greater awareness to the realities faced by those affected by severe mental illness. Conversations like these are essential in reducing stigma, advancing understanding, and building a more compassionate and effective continuum of care.
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If you would like to be featured on Tony’s podcast—please contact Tony at Tony@tonymantor.com.

​Listen here:  podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tony-mantor-why-not-me/id1688757384

Daily Guest Lineup featuring participants for the collaboration (click the underlined links to follow):

2026 Episodes

1/7/26: Rachel Streiff: Mad Moms Rising for Mental Health Reform

3/4/26: Dr. Laitman: A Father's Journey to Transform Schizophrenia Recovery

​3/18/26: Dr. David Hager: Understanding Minds: From Vet Schools to Mental Health Advocate

5/1/26: NSSC: Voices of Change Part 1: Serious Mental Illness, Missed Care, and the Criminal Justice Gap

5/4/26: NSSC: Voices of Change Part 2: Serious Mental Illness, Missed Care, and the Criminal Justice Gap

5/6/26 NSSC: Voices of Change Part 3: Serious Mental Illness, Missed Care and the Criminal Justice Gap

​5/8/26 Dr. Tim Murphy: How A Psychologist In Congress Rewired Mental Health Policy

5/11/26 Senator Manka Dhingra: A Senator Maps The Gap Between Passing A Bill And Actually Helping People

5/13/26 Senator Cindy Friedman Explains What It Takes To Fix A Broken Mental Health System

5/15/26 Senator Christine Cohen and advocate Denis Paley: Legislating Mental Health Care

​5/18/26 Representative Ann Meyer: How A State Lawmaker Builds Mental Health Support That Works

5/20/26 John Nutting: Treat Brain Disorders Like Any Other Illness

5/22/26 Senator Creigh Deeds: How a Virginia Senator Turns Grief Into Behavioral Health Law

5/25/26 Senator Judy Amabile: When Psychosis Hits, Families Need A System That Works

5/27/26 Patrick Kennedy: Part 1: We Can Fix Mental Health Care If We Build Power

5/29/26 Patrick Kennedy: Part 2: A Real Mental Health Strategy

​6/3/26 Jerri Clark: Ambiguous Loss and When Mental Illness Steals Someone You Love

6/17/26 Dr. Aaron Meyer and Ann Marie Council: Bridging the Mental Health Gap: Policy, Psychiatry, and the Fight for Early Intervention

6/24/26 Dr. Aaron Meyer and Ann Marie Council part 2: Breaking the Cycle: Why Serious Mental Illness Better than Jail or the Streets

6/25/26 Meg LeDuc: Journey Through Serious Mental Illness: Living Beyond the Diagnosis
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2025 Episodes

4/15/25: John Puls, LCSW, MCAP: Navigating the Criminal System

5/1/25: Dr. Tim Murphy: Fight for Mental Health Reform

5/2/25: Katie R Dale: Mental Health Story: Living Beyond Crazy
 
5/3/25: Ashley Smith: From Crisis to Advocacy
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5/4/25: Carly: From Diagnosis to Detention: How Schizophrenia Changed Two Lives Forever

​5/5/25: Judge Milton Mack: A Man on a Mission to Reform Mental Health

5/6/25: Denise Paley: From Crisis to Advocacy

5/7/25: Joel Corcoran: Welcome, Needed, and Valued: The Clubhouse Approach

5/8/25: Leslie Carpenter: Breaking the Mental Health Crisis Cycle

5/9/25: Justyna Rzewinski, LCSW, PhD(c): A Whistleblower's Fight for Mental Health in Prisons

5/10/25: Jack Wood: A Father's Fight for Mental Health Reform

5/11/25: Sylvia Mignon: When Your Expertise Can't Save Your Child

5/12/25: Seth Kahan: Journey Transforms Mental Health Advocacy in America

5/13/25: Eric Smith: From Music Prodigy to Mental Health Advocate

5/14/25: Dr. Jhilam Biswas: Reveals Paths to Mental Health Reform from Forensic Hospitals to Freedom

5/15/25: Jessica Ferguson: Brother in Crisis: A Family's Desperate Fight for Mental Health Support

5/16/25: Justin Volpe: How Peer Support Changes Lives

5/17/25: Stephanie Beilin: Mother's Journey Through Mental Illness and Incarceration

5/18/25: Colleen Scott: One Mother's Journey Through Schizophrenia

5/19/25: Pete Earley: From Journalist to Advocate

5/20/25: Darrell Herrmann: Straight Talk About Living with a Severe Mental Illness

5/21/25: Sherri Wittwer: Rethinking How We Help People in Mental Health Crisis

5/22/25: Cohen Miles-Rath: How One Man Transformed Crisis into a Call for Change

5/23/25: Crystal Fox: One Mother's Journey Through Tragedy

5/24/25: Eric Dias: Hope, Recovery, and Finding Your Voice with Schizoaffective Disorder

5/25/25: Jason MacKenzie: Healing After Unimaginable Loss

5/26/25: Sheriff Donna DeSimone Buckley: How One Sheriff is Reducing Recidivism Through Compassion

5/27/25: Jerri Clark: A Mother's Journey Through Loss and Advocacy

5/28/25: Lynn Nanos, LICSW: Navigating Psychosis: A Mobile Crisis Worker's Perspective

5/29/25: Laura Craciun: A Son's Mental Illness and a System That Failed Him
 
5/30/25: Ann Corcoran RN, MSN: Psychosis is Not a Choice

5/31/25: Cindee Murphy: When the System Fails; Tristan Murphy's Story Changes Florida Law

6/5/25: Leanna May Franklin: Love Without Structure; Navigating Serious Mental Illness as a Family

7/2/25: Janet Hays: Healing Minds NOLA Journey to Reform Mental Health Systems

7/30/25: Diane Greeley: Redefining Advocacy for Mental Health Reform

8/13/25: Keshawn Williams: Mission: Breaking Stereotypes in Mental Health

9/3/25: Suzanne McCartney: A Sister's Advocacy to Reform System Failures for SMI