Musician-Producer Tony Mantor Elevates Voices of Those Impacted by SMI on Top Podcast

Image credit: Tony Mantor

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

Through past collaborations, including last year’s Humanity Over Handcuffs: The Silent Crisis special event series, advocates, families, and professionals came together to share lived experience, build awareness, and deepen public understanding of these urgent issues. NSSC is grateful for the impact that the series had in helping to bring these conversations forward and for the many voices that participated.

Building on that foundation, Tony is continuing and expanding this work with his rebranded series, Why Not Me: Embracing Autism / Mental Health Worldwide, ensuring that these critical discussions remain ongoing and continue to reach a global audience.

Looking ahead to Mental Health Awareness Month beginning May 1st, stay tuned for a new special event series:
Crafting Justice: Empowering Autism and Mental Health Through Legislation

This upcoming series will highlight legislators making a meaningful impact through policy, as well as advocates working on the front lines of reform and support. It will continue the shared mission of elevating awareness and advancing meaningful change.
If you know a legislator or advocate who should be recognized—or if you would like to be featured on Tony’s podcast—please contact Tony at [email protected].

​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
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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