I had the pleasure and honor to sit down with Al Levin, the host of The Depression Files, a blog/podcast exploring depression, mental health, and specifically, men's mental health.
From Al:
"Al Levin is an assistant principal at a PreK-8 school in Saint Paul Public Schools. He has been in education for over twenty years, the past sixteen years as an administrator. He is married, has four children...and two dogs. Al has completed all of the coursework in working towards a Co-Active coaching certificate through the Coaches Training Institute and is certified in Cognitive Coaching and is currently in their Certification program. The coaching work has allowed him to support the staff he works with in the public schools, as well as others who are seeking to reach their goals or work past challenging times in their lives.
Al is also a person who has recovered from two major bouts of depressive disorder, one of which was quite debilitating for nearly six months of his life. Through this experience, he has become very passionate about learning more about mental health and supporting others with a mental illness, particularly men with depression. In addition to a blog, Al has a podcast in which he interviews men who have struggled with depression and/or other mental illnesses and has expanded to include “deep dive” conversations with guest experts on various topics of mental health. Both his blog and podcast can be found at TheDepressionFiles.com. Al also speaks publicly for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and, more often, on his own. He has spoken at the Mental Health America (MHA) annual conference and recently had a Keynote at Miami University. He currently serves in a governor-appointed position on the Minnesota State Advisory Council on Mental Health and also the State Suicide Prevention Task Force.
Al has been published in The Mighty, The Huffington Post, Psych Central, The Recovery Letters, Made for More, and was featured in Esperanza Magazine and the MinnPost. You will find Al Tweeting @allevin18 and can contact him at thedepressionfiles@gmail.com."
Website: thedepressionfiles.com
Twitter: twitter.com/allevin18