Your Story Has Power Featuring Samantha Vittengl

Sharing your mental health story takes strength, resilience, and courage – and it is so worth it. Every person’s mental health story has power: Power to create change, reduce stigma and discrimination, and build community. In this episode, NAMI CEO Dan Gillison joins Maybelline New York’s Samantha Vittengl as she shares how mental health has touched her life, how her family navigated the process of finding help, and how they learned they are not alone.  

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

"Hope Starts With Us" is a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is hosted by NAMI CEO Daniel H. Gillison, Jr.

Co-executive produced by Traci Coulter and Connor Larsen.

Transcript

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We're all just humans, at the end of the day with human stories. What you see at work is a very small fraction of who I am as a person, the things that I'm going through behind closed doors and at home. And we should all be kind and empathetic because you never know what's going on. Welcome to Hope Starts With Us, a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, I'm your host, Dan Gillison, NAMI's CEO. NAMI started this podcast because we believe that hope starts with us. Hope starts with us talking about mental health. Hope starts with us making information accessible. Hope starts with us providing resources and practical advice. Hope starts with us sharing our stories, and hope starts with us breaking the stigma. If your loved one is struggling with a mental health condition and have been looking for hope, we made this podcast for you. Hope starts with all of us. Hope is a collective. We hope that each episode with each conversation brings you into that collective so you know you are not alone. So our guest today is Samantha Vittengl. Samantha is the director of public relations for Maybelline New York. And she goes by Sam. And to our audience, you're going to enjoy this conversation so very much. Sam shared her story during L'Oreal World Mental Health Day. And it was a webinar that we got to participate on. And I was so fortunate to be included in that and was so taken with Sam's Story that we asked if she would talk to us about her experience and share her story with our listeners. So, Sam, it's so good to have you with us today. Thank you. Thank you for what you do. And thank you for sharing your story. So would you, open up and tell us a little bit about you, and then we'll get right into it? Yeah, that sounds great. And thank you so much for having me on the podcast today. I'm so excited to be here. I'm Sam Vittengl, I oversee PR for Maybelline, which includes our Brave Together initiative, which is all around destigmatize anxiety and depression and creating as many resources as possible for as many people as possible around the world for the brand. So, so excited to be on a brand that cares so deeply about mental health, especially when it's such a passion of mine to participate in that conversation. And kind of diving right in. You know, Dan mentioned we had a town hall recently where I discussed some of my family's story, which is obviously very near and dear to my heart. And it's something I haven't talked about openly a lot, but have recognized how much power there is behind sharing our stories. So, yeah, I guess just to dive in, you know, I grew up in a family where mental health was very prevalent. My grandfather was type two bipolar. My father is type one bipolar. So a lot of very intense, moments as a child. And part of what that did was really made me recognize the power of mental illness and the absolute need for resources and support for not only the individuals suffering, but for their families as well. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. And, as, as you, you know, matriculated through your youngest years because you are young now, but your younger years, how did this experience impact your family as you saw it, living in that time as you were experiencing it with your family? Yeah. I mean, it was very challenging, right? Like, I also was the baby in my family. So my siblings are both 11 and 12 years older than me. They were out of the house, and at college at the time where a lot of my father's mental illness culminated. But it took a hefty toll on my nuclear family and then also my extended family as well. So we were all, you know, very in the know of what was going on. And something I also say is my mom is a mental health professional. She worked as a counselor at my high school. And so she was great about making sure that we had very raw and honest conversations about what was going on, and also encouraged us to be educated on everything that was happening. So I remember being in, you know, middle school and doing a paper on bipolar disorder and talking about what that looked like and how you could recognize the signs and symptoms and what kind of support was available. And I think that was probably one of the most jarring experiences that I had as a kid was, A.) other kids around me are talking about things like, you know, what they want to be when they grow up, or being a doctor, or talking about some of their passions. And here I was doing, my paper on just mental illness, but it helped me to feel more grounded in the education, because I fully understood that there was an imbalance that was happening in my dad's brain. I recognized that there were some things that he could control and some things that he couldn't. And, it really helped me to understand the nuances and the ins and outs of why he was the way that he was. Even though, you know, knowing that doesn't necessarily change the way that it affects you. It helps you contextualize it a little bit in your brain. So, yeah, I think that that was definitely a big part of it. And then it created, a huge connection between myself, my mom, my brother, my sister of like, we have to stay connected and we need to be very open and honest about, if we see the signs of someone around us that may be struggling, we need to have those conversations on the front end to make sure that we're getting the support that we need, so that we're not in a situation again of feeling, you know, almost helpless that this person is struggling and you're doing your best to try to help them, but really they have to make that decision for themselves. So we made a pact as a family that if we noticed that someone was struggling, we would have those conversations and then we would then be open to support. And I think that that small but mighty moment really impacted my future and the way that I've approached my own struggles with mental health as well. You know, Sam, as you as you talk about that, you know, first of all, kudos to your mom and to your family, your brother, and your extended family, but to your mom for having those candid conversations. And what you just shared in terms of--think about it, Dan, and listeners, when other young people were writing papers and talking about, you know, what they wanted to be when they grew up or you know, saying they want to be like this person or that person and writing those kinds of stories, you're writing a story about mental health. And, the, the, the impact, for you. And it is so, it is so interesting how you've navigated this. We know something called ACES, adverse childhood experience and what that looks like. And it looks like your mom was there to help you navigate through that corridor of what we call ACES. What was it like you sharing your story among your colleagues? Because, you know, as you have been navigating this, you know, we look at different things in different ways. And sometimes it comes down to, you know, what we say, meet people where they are, and nothing about us without us. But sometimes people may not know. So what was it like, Sam, to share your story, amongst your colleagues and some of them may have been hearing it for the first time on the town hall. Yeah, they all were. And it was terrifying. I think it's easy to say on the back end I'm a mental health advocate, I'm here to openly have these conversations about what's going on, especially when it's related to generalized issues and all of those types of things, but once it starts to get personal, oh man, is it intimidating. So I certainly struggled. I had the sweaty palms and kind of all of that happening before we got on the call. But honestly, in the moment, you know, it's so authentically mine that it just flowed very naturally. And I think it also was, in a way, cathartic and liberating, like being able to talk about these struggles that are going on to some of my coworkers was really interesting. I, you know, immediately found a point of connection with a couple of my coworkers who reached out to me after the fact and said, hey, I've struggled with something similarly. Or I also have this type of a relationship with a family member. So I think that immediate connection was just so powerful. And then I think the other thing is that it was a moment of healing for me. I was able to share some of what I was going through, and then also take a step back and recognize which is something I try to do a lot at work, and I'm sure my team would admit, but that we're all just humans at the end of the day with human stories. And so what you see at work is a very small fraction of who I am as a person, the things that I'm going through behind closed doors and at home, and as a result, like, we should all be kind and empathetic because you never know what's going on. And so, yeah, being able to kind of create that framework and have those conversations with people who I've worked with for now, you know, seven years was really, really interesting. And I'm just so grateful to have had that platform and be able to be a catalyst to that conversation and allow other coworkers to feel confident in sharing their stories or reaching out or asking for support. You know, you helped so many people on that day, Sam, and thank you so much, because it comes down to almost like an activation or a campaign called Did You Know? And I watched the nonverbals of your, of your, your peers, your teammates, your colleagues as we were in that town hall. And it was so it was so refreshing because you helped them open up and the stories in terms of experiences, it was about community and it was about connecting. And it was so authentic, as you said. So, you know, I'm still, so, appreciative of how you and your colleagues just had the real conversation about navigating this. So I think I remember you mentioning Family-to-Family as well. Would you tell us a little bit about your experience with NAMI's Family-to-Family Yeah, absolutely. The thing about mental illness, specifically with bipolar one is that the mania comes sporadically and it comes at the most inconvenient of times. And so my dad's illness, you know, really scaled over the past 15 years, I would say, getting more intense with every cycle. And as a result, our family went through some really challenging moments and at that point in my life, I had just moved to New York City, had just gotten my internship at L'Oreal, was, you know, doing the best that I could to make a life for myself and, you know, didn't have full access to health care, which then obviously has a hand in mental health. And, was really, really struggling. And so I got to a point where I recognized that no matter what I was doing myself, it wasn't enough. And so I started to reach out to, a couple of different places to see what kind of resources were available to people like me, who it was, I'm not struggling right now with this situation, personally, but I have a family member who is, and that's affecting me so much. And so what can I do for me or how can I feel less alone, honestly, was like the main goal for me. So I found the NAMI Family-to-Family sessions. And I went to them in person in Manhattan, a couple weeks in a row actually, and sat at a table with probably ten other people who were there for the same reason, whether it was a sister, a mother, a daughter, you know, there was a couple of different frames, but we all sat there and were able to share our lived experiences. And I think the biggest takeaway that I had from that was, I'm not as alone as I feel, that there are other people who are out there that are struggling in a similar way. And you're, you know, it's rare to find someone who's dealing with something that's the exact same. And so that wasn't my expectation going in, but just hearing about people sharing their stories and, you know, one of the things that really stuck with me was that, one of the women who was there was talking about her experience and sharing that the way that people would drum up a groundswell of support if your significant other or family member was dealing with cancer, compared to what that support looks like, if you have someone who's struggling with mental health, is so disproportionate. And so you're here dealing with somebody who's dealing with a health issue at the end of the day. But the way that people would look at you or think about you is just so entirely different than if you had a real, quote unquote, normal health issue that's happening. And that was something that really hit me, was that, yeah, you know, I remember growing up and, you know, sometimes my friends weren't able to come over and spend time with me because my dad was so manic, or there were constantly rumors around town that he was doing drugs or other things. And because people didn't know or understand what mania was and how that would make a person act. And so recognizing the fact that these challenges can happen and, and you can find support in the right places, but that not everyone's going to understand was super eye opening to me. And I had finally felt in that moment that it was kind of like this for my people type of a situation, of these people truly understand what I'm saying and going through, and I can find support and connection and empowerment within this table. And so that's why I continue to go for, like I mentioned, several weeks after and then was lucky enough to get myself, you know, full time health care and have been seeing a therapist ever since. So I'm so forever grateful for the NAMI Family-to-Family support. And that's another reason why it's so near and dear to my heart to support in another way, from the Maybelline family. Well, thank you. Thank you for sharing that. And as you think about Family-to-Family and going through that course and that work there, you carry a lot with you, you carry some lessons learned. And as again, I want to go back to the town hall, you have some colleagues that were sharing for the first time as well and, you know, and are navigating things, are they any little nuggets that you learned in Family-to-Family that you've been able to share with them or that have created a way for you to communicate with them, as a result of, you know, you taking the Family-to-Family course? Yeah. I think the biggest one was just that my lived situation and my experiences with mental health and with my family don't have to define me. That this is-- just because I'm in this cycle doesn't mean I'm stuck in it and that I can be a change maker to have those conversations to pivot the way that we're discussing and to be, at the end of the day and advocate for, you know, open connection with the people around me. And I think that that was definitely as a result of the Family-to-Family moment, because of the huge impact that I felt on myself when others started sharing their stories. And on my last one, I was the last to speak. I was just sitting there hands crossed in my lap, listening to everyone, honestly in awe of how open and vulnerable people were willing to be about their experiences. But the way that it pinged me in my chest made me recognize that there's so much power to being that catalyst, to having that conversation, to-- and it feels maybe a little bit uncomfortable on the front end of it to like actually just release and do it. But then once you do, I feel like the weight off of your shoulders is lessened, the way that you just feel so much more accepted and open and connected is by far worth any stress or anxiety leading up to that moment. I hope that everyone is hearing what you're sharing in terms of, you know, the stress and the bit of anxiousness that a person can feel right before they share their story, and then what it feels like on the other side of that. Sam, that is such a great illustration. And thank you for sharing that as well. And, you know, there are a few things that you said that I want to repeat for our, for our audience, and our listeners. Don't have to-- it doesn't have to define me. Be a changemaker, be an advocate, have open discussions. This is so wonderful what you shared in terms of some of your learnings. Before we go to a question here about what you wish more people understood, I want to come back to what you, as a director of PR for L'Oreal and what you all are doing on destigmatizing worldwide mental health, and give you an opportunity to tell us a little bit about that, that work and what L'Oreal is intentionally doing to actually destigmatize mental health or mental illness. Excuse me. Sure. Yeah. The work for us at Maybelline started, you know, actually in 2019, right before Covid, where we decided that as a brand that is really accessible to all and encourages creativity and individualism, that there's so much to a person beyond just what you see on the outside. So we did a ton of research and insights into how mental health has an impact on the individual, what the current climate is, and where people are experiencing it the most, which as we know, it's a epidemic at this point. It's everywhere and everyone feels it to a certain extent. So some of that work started and then in 2020, Covid hit and it couldn't have been more synergistic that we had already begun this groundwork to kind of bring this out. But we were finally in a good place in 2020 to start to release, you know, some of the work that we've done. So we partnered with a couple of different organizations to dive into, you know, what exactly is going on in the climate as it relates to mental health? Who are most affected by it that are our consumers, and how can we kind of bridge those things, and then ultimately provide access to resources and support because that is, at the end of the day, the most important thing. So fast forward to now in 2025, we have relationships with obviously NAMI, but also the Jed Foundation, Crisis Text Line, to just work, to try to create as many resources as possible. So there's a couple of ways that we've done that. One, we have a text line with, Crisis Text Line. You can text together to 741741 to get support 24 seven if you're struggling. We also have our relationship with you all and all the resources that you have and have worked to make sure that those resources are bolstered by our support and also with our, you know, social scale, like we have over 12 million followers on Instagram. And so as we can share those resources outwardly and help to share the messaging, that's the other angle as well. And then with the Jed Foundation, we work to create a training that we've used to disburse at both like college levels, but also now is available digitally and it's called the Brave Talk Training. And brave stands for, it's an acronym that stands for Be present the Right setting. Ask questions, Validate feelings, and Encourage action. And so what that does is it helps to guide people through how to jump start that difficult conversation with someone who they recognize may be struggling or even within themselves. Right? And so how do I approach? Something is going on here. What do I do about it, and how can I then point them in the direction of ultimately getting the help that they need? And a lot of that was created with the understanding that younger generations go to friends for support before they go anywhere else. So if I'm a friend and my friend is struggling, they come to me. It can be very overwhelming. What do I say? What do I do? Where do I tell them to go? Because I can listen to you, but I also have my boundaries and limits. I'm not a therapist, you know. So at the end, we promote obviously like the NAMI resources as well as some of our other partners to make sure that they feel fully supported and like they have the things that they need. And so that's something that we're continuing to evolve over time and scale both at the college level, but also recognizing that mental health is generational. So a lot of what you'll see from us in the next couple of years will be beyond the college generation. How do we spread out to caretakers, family members, all that kind of good stuff to make sure that everyone is as supported as they can be. This is fantastic. And there's a few things I want to say. And I'll go to that last statement you made, you know, NAMI has diversified our helpline and now we have, we have our youth and young adult option on our helpline, we have our standard option, and then we also have a caregiver, family caregiver option on our helpline because we've seen this manifestation of more caregivers needing support, needing resources, needing information. So thank you for that. And I want to say this about Maybelline to, to our audience. You know, there's brands out there that are out there. But there's also brands that care. And you've heard me say many times if you've listened to any of our podcasts. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. Maybelline cares. You're listening. You've heard what they're doing. They began this work in 2019, 2020. And they are continuing to do it now. You know, something I've also said is that, you know, the older I get, the less I listen to what people say. And I watch what they do. Well, we are seeing what Maybelline is doing. It is real, it's tangible. It is helping people. It's changing the narrative. So I wanted to say kudos to you, Sam, as the director of PR for Maybelline and to the Maybelline team. Your partnership is incredible. We so appreciate it. And we so appreciate what you're doing because you are impacting people's lives in so many ways and so many positive ways. So just wanted to say that and we're still talking, but I just wanted to have that moment because there's a lot of times, we're always just doing the work and we never pause for a second to actually let folks know what we think of what they do. And I wanted to make sure that on behalf of NAMI, you know, what we thought of what Maybelline is doing. So thank you. And you know what do you wish, Sam, more people understood about the experience of living with or caring for someone with a mental health condition? Probably the biggest thing is that you can love someone deeply and still feel exhausted, confused, or overwhelmed by what's going on. And those feelings don't cancel each other out. So caring for someone with a mental health condition often means holding empathy and burnout at the exact same time. And I think that that's something that people don't talk about enough is that there's this constant, for me at least, this constant cycle of grief, of where I'm feeling sad, angry, you know, upset, all of the things. And it just kind of cycles over and over. Specifically in a situation of where the person that I love is, you know, struggling to get the support that they so deserve. And also kind of the helplessness that comes with that situation of I can't love them into getting the support that they need. I can't force them beyond that threshold. That's something that they have to decide for themselves. And so, yeah, I would say that helplessness is very challenging. But at the end of the day, it's made me also recognize that, like, I can control what I can control and having to put up some pretty healthy boundaries to make sure that I'm taking care of myself. In a way that works good for me, and managing those two things kind of together. Sam, thank you. And control what I can control--this goes to self-care. So Sam, for our audience, you mentioned holding empathy, the cycle of grief, feeling sad, angry, upset, that the person I love and that helplessness of wanting to help that person that you love, but they've got to be willing to meet you halfway and that kind of thing. And the last thing, and I'll come back to it again, control what I can control. That also goes to self-care. Sam, how do you manage self-care for you so that you have the energy to manage those exhausting times? Yeah. Self-care has been a journey for me, to say the least, in the past couple of years. But I think, you know, for me, I recognize that consistent and regular therapy is so important, and that's something that I prioritize. So I block my calendar and I tell my teams, you know, I'm going to be out for this one hour of the week. And I make that time for myself to make sure that I'm able to effectively process my emotions and feelings in a timely manner. Because if you don't and they sit there, they fester. It can be like a soda bottle. It just gets shaken up. It builds, it builds until it explodes. And I've been there before and that didn't work for me. So prioritizing that time is really important. And then also developing healthy boundaries within all of my relationships, honestly. So paying attention to what relationships bring me joy where I need to be a little bit more cautious of my mental bandwidth and time and how I can protect myself in certain situations. And so, you know, certain relationships will have different boundaries than others. And I think at first, sometimes people can feel that a bit when you develop those, but eventually, if they're the right boundaries, they kind of settle right into place. And then the only difference is that you feel better about what you've done, and the people who are important to you will also respect those boundaries as well. Yeah, they will meet you where you are. They will meet you where you are. So, you know, relationships that bring you joy, setting boundaries, consistent and regular therapy and being disciplined about that therapy and that hour away from work or that hour away from something else that and making sure you do that so these are fantastic nuggets, Sam. We appreciate it so much. So, one of the things that we like to do is, before we conclude, like to ask a question for every one of our podcast guests: the world can be a difficult place, and sometimes it can be hard to hold on to hope, really hard to hold onto hope. That's why, with each episode, we dedicate the last couple of minutes of the podcast to a special segment called Hold On to Hope. Can you tell us, or would you tell us, excuse me, would you tell us, Sam, what helps you hold on to hope? For me, it kind of ties back to the control, because when you grow up with mental illness around you, you realize pretty quickly what you can't control. And so hope for me comes from focusing on what I can control, how I show up, how I take care of my mental health, and how I support others even in small actions like checking in, listening, sharing resources. All of that adds up. So for me, it's really about making sure that I can continue the conversation with people around me, make them feel accepted, that I'm open and that I'm listening, and I'm here for them no matter what their challenges look like. Wow, Sam, this is powerful. Is there anything as we get ready to wrap up that you'd like to share in addition or anything that you have thought about as we've been having a conversation that, you know, you're saying, oh, I'd like them to know this. I wish I'd mentioned this. Just wanted to make sure we gave some time for that if in fact there is anything else you'd like to tell our listeners. Yeah, I think the only thing is, my one last statement would be like, you are not alone. That no matter what struggle you're going through, how isolating it may feel, or how challenging it may be day in and day out, there's certainly somebody around who is struggling with something similar. And so the second that you can find the courage to open up, you'll find the courage to grow from that experience as well. And that is just, I think the most important thing to keep in mind at times where things can feel very dark and heavy is that you're not alone, and there's someone there who can help. Thank you, thank you. Sam, you're a busy executive and you're a caring executive. You can do both and be both. And we just want to say thank you again. And, as we, as we wrap this up, I just wanted to again say thank you to you for giving us your time and your talent on the podcast and in the community and in the partnership. So to all of our listeners, this has been Hope Starts with Us, a podcast by NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. If you are looking for mental health resources, you are not alone, as Sam mentioned. To connect with the NAMI HelpLine and find local resources, visit NAMI.org/help. Text "NAMI" to 62640 or dial 800-950- NAMI. Or if you are experiencing an immediate suicide, substance use, or mental health crisis, please call or text 988 to speak with a trained support specialist or visit 988lifeline.org. I'm Dan Gillison, your host. Thanks for listening and please be well.