I’m on Katie Couric’s show on Tuesday 3/5/13. And yes, I’m freaking out a little.


One day I was just hanging out, writing blog posts about moms and depression, hoping I was helping some other moms with my words.

Then “Xanax Made Me a Better Mom” – a Parenting Magazine article I am in – got picked up by CNN.

And all of a sudden, a whole lot more people were reading my blog.

Which led to some opportunities to take my message to a national stage – and the best one was to be interviewed by a woman I’ve always admired: Katie Couric.

It may sound like a no-brainer. I mean, being interviewed by KATIE COURIC? Who would pass that up, other than maybe Sarah Palin?

But it wasn’t an easy decision for me.

I have always flown under the radar here at Honest Mom. And I’ve been comfortable writing in relative obscurity. Being unknown is safe – and what I originally wanted.

But as I was debating the pros and cons with the Hubs, it dawned on me…

My whole goal in writing about depression is to help lift the stigma, while helping other moms feel less alone in their battles.

Yes, it’s nerve-wracking, putting my face out there.

Yes, it’s scary to open myself up to a larger audience, and therefore more potential criticism.

But speaking with Katie was a huge opportunity to reach even more struggling moms and help them to know they’re not alone – and also educate the general public about depression. As I wrote in this post:

I want to grab a megaphone and let everyone out there know that regular, everyday moms like me have depression, work hard to successfully manage it, and live happy, normal lives.

Katie’s show presented that megaphone. So I took it.

On Tuesday, March 5, I’ll be appearing on Katie Couric’s show in an episode called “Mommy’s Little Helper.” The show examines both the negative and positive ways moms deal with stress, anxiety, and depression. And in it, I do a one-to-one interview with Katie on moms, depression, and medications.

Here’s a clip (and it sounds super-dramatic. One part of the show is, but my part is a very honest and frank discussion)…

Excuse me while I finally squee with excited and nervous glee. Squeeeeeee!

Now, let me answer some questions that I’d want to know if someone I knew was going on a national TV show. You know, the really pressing ones:

Is Katie as nice as she seems? Yes. Completely. She was professional, kind, and adorable, all at the same time. And she’s really funny! Katie cracked jokes with her audience between taping and had everyone laughing. And I could tell she is truly interested in helping women with depression. I was so thrilled to talk with her!

Was I nervous? Um, yeah. Totally. I can’t even remember what I said when Katie and I talked. So hopefully I won’t look like an idiot on the show.

Did they do my hair and makeup? Yep. My hair doesn’t normally look like it does on the show. It’s much frizzer and curlier. And holy makeup – wow, I had a lot on!

Is the green room really green? Yes! And it’s pretty cool, too. They had food and stuff out, but I was too nervous to eat.

Was anyone famous there? No major celebrities, nope. Except, you know, KATIE.

Did anything go wrong? Ha. Yes. Everything went wrong the day I traveled to NYC. I had to check my bag because of an expensive hair product (that turns out, I didn’t even need). My flight sat on the runway for over an hour. My luggage got lost – the bag WITH MY DRESS IN IT that I should have never checked in to begin with. I sat at LaGuardia for hours waiting for it to show up. Seriously, I was wondering if fate was telling me not to go. It was a stressful day. But the day of the show … well, it went perfectly. Thank God!

Did any of my friends have a strange premonition about all this happening? Funny you should ask. Anna at My Life in Kids did. But I’ll let her tell that story herself.

Would you do it all again? Ask me after the show airs. I am so curious to see what I looked like on camera and if I sounded ridiculous. If I did okay – then yes! If not, then I will commence hiding out from all things media forevermore.

So set your DVR for the “Katie” show on ABC, Tuesday, March 5, spread the word, and please think happy thoughts for me! I’ll need all the good vibes I can get.   :-)

PS: “Katie” runs is on at 3pm in my area, but airs at different times in other markets – so check your listings! Find “Katie” on a station near you by entering your zip code HERE.

PPS: I may or may not be hyperventilating a little bit right now.

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59 comments

  1. Christie Tate

    First, great title! ;-) Second, I am glad you are speaking up for the moms like us who are struggling with so called mental illness. It’s a hard road. Third, GO YOU!!! I have heard such amazing things about Katie’s show and the experience there. She’s so supportive of bloggers. That’s great. Especially if bloggers like you with a message of hope and healing get some PRESS!!! Whoot!

    Reply
  2. Roni Faida

    I just started following you on FB about a week ago. I’m a single girl with no kids and I don’t suffer from depression but I like reading what you have to say so I’m looking forward to seeing you on Katie! I have friends that suffer from depression and they are moms so maybe some of what you share can help me help them, so thanks!

    Reply
  3. amanda bombard

    So, this comment I wrote a while back, in response to another blogger. I saved it, to possibly post on my own blog, should I actually get that going. Sometimes it seems my best stories are in response to someone else. I believe this fully applies to your story aswell. And while I know I’m posting this on a different blog topic (kindof) I just want to be sure you get to read it….

    What an amazing post. I felt a tightening in my chest as I read your words. Those all-too familiar feelings swept through my memory, exactly as you described them. My experience had one major difference. I was going through a very little known, even less talked about, PRE-partum depression. And no one would listen. No one would help. I spilled my guts to any friend, family member, doctor who would listen. And they all chalked it up to being pregnant. Every. Single. Time.

    Finally one morning when I was about 7 months along, I arrived for my prenatal visit with my midwife. It was immediately clear to her that something was wrong. Besides the inability to speak without my eyes flowing like a spigot, or the fact I had done so every appointment we had for the last month, it seems the fact that I was in my pajamas with no makeup and probably a pretty funky smell from not having showered, was finally the clue she needed to realize that “hey-this isn’t normal pregnancy hormones at all!”

    Having figured out that something else was going on with me, she was completely inexperienced with any sort of pre-partum depression, or prescribing those types of meds during pregnancy. After many, many phone calls to other doctors and mental health clinics, she and the OB she worked for, decided that the best thing to do would be to send me to the emergency room on the other side of the building, and have a psych consult. Any other option would take weeks, and she wanted (as well as I) to get things started STAT.

    That turned out to be a HUGE mistake. Huge. I wondered at first why I had been placed in a different part of the E. R., in a large room with multiple beds, rather than my own private space. There wasn’t even a curtain separating the beds. It became clear soon after, when they came in and confiscated my belongings, shoes, and clothes. I was on suicide watch, and was told that should I try to leave, I’d be arrested. ARESSTED. It took nearly 8 hours and one very irate husband (bless his soul) and telling everyone who would listen: “if I wanted to die- the last place on earth I would go would be to the fracking hospital!!!”. They actually made my husband sign a waiver, stating that if I hurt myself after leaving, they were not liable. Can you imagine? 7 months pregnant, severely depressed, hadn’t eaten in nearly 24 hours (not since dinner the night before, as I was nauseous that morning, and planned to eat after my prenatal visit) begging for help for months, just to be treated like a common criminal??

    The whole experience was so frightening, I refused to continue seeking any help. Calls to my doctor were answered with condescending tones and accusations of ‘drug seeking’. I wish I had been strong enough to fight for myself. To fight for other women who experience pre-partum depression. In our society its all but unheard of. Why would a woman (who’s growing a human in her own body no less) be treated like a criminal for -through no fault of her own- suffering chemical imbalance, when as a society its fully accepted and sometimes expected that we would suffer the same thing after that same growing human is born??

    We need to stop shaming women. Period. Why can’t we stand by each other, as mothers and sisters and daughters, and protect and fight for one another?? No one, should ever be made to feel like a failure for something they have no more control over than, say, the weather.

    Reply
  7. Susie

    I think it’s fantastic you will be on Katie! What you are doing is helping so many others, myself included. If you ever want a great insight into our culture and depression, read or listen to Andrew Weil’s, Spontaneous Happiness. He has some pretty interesting insights. Setting my DVR to Katie on Tuesday as I write! Good mojo coming your way!
    Susie recently posted… Let’s Talk FibroMy Profile

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  15. KBar3

    I’m so excited for you. I know you did great. I’ve already got my dvr set since I won’t be home. JD, you’ve definitely made it easier for me to all about. AND when you said the holidays were not the time to try and make major changes like trying to go off our meds…I agreed with you. Then, I did it anyways. I learned the hard way, but then I remembered that and went back on them knowing I had gotten caught up in he moment of the holiday happiness. I’m so glad you’ve chosen this path to let other moms know they’re not alone. I hope you touched on the “rage” issue because that was the straw that broke the camels back for me, and I realized I wasn’t ready. If not, I’m glad moms can go back and look through your blog. Keep doing what you’re doing! You have made a difference! xoxo!
    KBar3 recently posted… PerfectionMy Profile

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  21. Jen

    This is so awesome!!! Such a huge step for mama bloggers AND for, like you said, understanding that perfectly normal people, suffer from depression, and are helped tremendously by being medicated. AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. I am so happy you get to do the talking though. I’d puke.
    Jen recently posted… Love the People You LoveMy Profile

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  24. Bridget

    I am very proud of you. I have longed for honesty when it comes to parenting. Both for moms AND dads. Even though this will open you up to criticism, this is such a vital subject. NO matter what the fall out, know that you DO have support.

    Reply
  25. Janet

    I just found out about this site, but I will watch you on Katie. I try to catch her when I can; I like her a lot too. I had ‘partum depression’ and postpartum. I was thinking of writing about being pregnant and depressed b/c I don’t think many people understand that. It’s definitely not talked about much. I was not brave enough yet, but this site is inspiring. I look forward to seeing the Katie show.

    Reply
  29. Katia

    Super awesome! It must feel wonderful, finally getting a validation on the fact that your content is reaching its target audience. I only hope and wish we could all someday experience something similar (of course we can’t all be on Katie, it would get too crowded…) Best of luck today, you’ll be fine, after all you’re the expert on yourself!
    Katia recently posted… Just Another Morning – French Parenting StyleMy Profile

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  32. Nicole B

    Hi J.D.! I’ve been reading your blog for a few weeks now (found it through a mutual mommy blogger friend). I too am a mom dealing with depression and anxiety. I just wanted to say you we’re awesome on TV! I wasn’t totally a fan of Katie’s attitude towards these “vices” as she called them, but maybe that was just my interpretation. I love everything you’re doing for moms on this topic so thanks!

    Reply
  33. Chera

    Just watched the show. Thought you did a great job!! Thanks for putting yourself out there for all I us struggling with depression. And p.s. you so did not sound like an idiot!

    Reply
  34. Molly

    Thank you so much for your words on Katie today. I am a mother of 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren, the oldest of whom my husband and I have been raising since birth..He is now 5 yrs old. I have suffered from chronic clinical depression and anxiety disorder since my mid-teens. While it has been an on-going process staying on effective medications, my depression has been managed through a combination of things. Rx meds, therapy, a supportive husband, good friends, prayer and a lot of reading and research on my part. But my life has always been complicated by depression and the constant battle that goes with it. Probably the hardest part is being honest with people about it because everyone judges. I was appalled when I heard the responses you received to your article and blog. People who do not understand the disease should not comment, it only shows their ignorance. I have had to completely estrange myself from my birth family because of their constant expression of ignorant opinions and comments.They are of the opinion that I should suck it up and just go off my meds! I am now disabled by chronic pain and that also is meet with similar comments. You were 100 percent correct when you said today that kids are better off with a happy, properly medicated mother than with one who is depressed and miserable.

    Reply
  35. Lisa Ghaffari

    For now I would like to say how great it was to hear you talk about your condition. For many years especially after starting my family I felt ashamed to say I was on Zoloft. Long story short, (I run my part of our business from home with 3 kids so free time is not that possible for me) I am so glad I turned into the show. It has somehow brought a weight off my shoulders. I will follow your blog!

    Reply
  37. Jen A @Love, the Arthur's

    Ahhhhh! Whyyyy didn’t I read this yesterday? I totally missed seeing it. I hope you are able to post the segment later on your blog. This is my first time commenting but I used to read your blog and then I lost track of your address and I’m so excited I found it again! I find your blog very relate able (-especially having dealt with ppd myself) and entertaining! :) I’m excited to keep reading!

    Reply
  39. Melinda

    I caught you on Katie yesterday before I went to pick up my oldest from school. I admire you for speaking out. I battled depression in my early 20′s and then again when I had a miscarriage. I was blessed enough not to have post-partum but it was something I was worried about. I still have days that I struggle with it. I hate that these medicines have become so abused that people feel like if you take them then you must be a pillhead. I know it must be hard to come under such scrutiny. The people who say you shouldn’t have become a mom have no idea about the disease and should keep their mouths closed! Being a mom is the best thing I have ever done in life and my children keep me going when life deals me some bad hands and I want to give up. From all the moms who battle this disease, thank you for standing up for us!!

    Reply
  40. Delilah

    I am proud of you. THANK YOU for shedding light on the struggle with depression and postpartum depression. Thank you! I’m appalled at the hate and the anger that was directed at you for speaking out but I’m so glad you did. Kudos girl :)
    Delilah recently posted… All the RandomsMy Profile

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  41. Kristin @ What She Said

    Just wanted to let you know that I DVRed yesterday’s show just to watch you on it and just caught it. I thought you came off GREAT. I also suffer from a mild but chronic form of depression called dysthymia and also struggled with PPD. During my worst depressive episode and then again after the birth of my daughter, I turned to medication to help me climb out of my own head (first Paxil and later Celexa). While I no longer take any meds (at least not right now), I understand that at these two points in my life, I needed them to be the best person I could be to those who loved and depended on me. As my team of doctors put it, I had a leak in my serotonin levels and the medication helped plug that leak and correct the chemical imbalance in my brain. I’m so happy that you made that point as your final thought in your segment, and am also happy that you stressed the importance of cultivating a relationship with your doctor and really talking to and working with him or her in terms of what’s right for your individual needs in terms of an antidepressant regimen – because I agree with you that far too many people go for the quick fix.

    tl;dr: You did AWESOME. :)
    Kristin @ What She Said recently posted… On the RoadMy Profile

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