Welcome back to part 2 of our episode topic. In this episode I continue my conversation with Jesse Mercury, host of the Major Pain Podcast on chronic illness, mental health, and the stigma surrounding men's emotional expression. Jesse shares his experience navigating an undiagnosed chronic illness throughout his thirties, the emotional and physical challenges that came with it, and the eventual gratitude he developed in learning to manage his condition.

He speaks openly about anger, fear, depression, and the importance of developing coping tools and support systems. The conversation shifts toward men’s mental health and the societal pressure placed on men to remain stoic and suppress emotional needs. Jesse reflects on how harmful messaging including being told to “tough it out” or being dismissed by doctors impacts the journey of seeking help. He emphasizes the importance of therapy, self-advocacy, and redefining strength as vulnerability and honesty.

In this episode we talk about:

● Living with chronic illness: losing years (the “lost 30s”) and learning to play catch-up

● Stigma around men expressing emotions and the damage of “tough it out” messaging

● Importance of therapy (finding a therapist who understands chronic illness; CBT tools)

● Gratitude that emerged from surviving/learning to manage illness

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

● Connect with Jesse Mercury on ⁠INSTAGRAM⁠!

● Find out more about Jesse’s Creative website ⁠HERE⁠!

● Leave a review ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠if anything in today’s episode resonated with you!

● Connect with us on Instagram! (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@rough.edges.podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

● Connect with us on YouTube! (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@roughedgeswithsarah⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

● Connect with us on Facebook! (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@rough.edges.podcast)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

● Follow us on TikTok! (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@roughedgeswithsarah⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

● Want to be a guest on our show? Send us an email at rough.edges.podcast@gmail.com