State Of Mind with Maurice Benard

In this episode of State of Mind, Maurice Benard sits down with actress Kelly Thiebaud for a raw, funny, and surprisingly deep conversation about what it really means to start over.

Kelly opens up about growing up in a small town, being a sports kid turned model, and how the modeling world messed with her relationship to food, her body, and her self-worth. She shares what it was like moving to Los Angeles at 17, experiencing an early heartbreak that shaped how she viewed love, and why she didn’t fully step into acting until later in life.

Maurice and Kelly also get real about mental health: therapy, bitterness, anxiety, medication decisions, and the pressure of having to “perform” when you’re privately falling apart. Together, they talk about learning to be alone, rebuilding after blowing up your life, and treating your past not as proof you’re broken—but as information that helps you grow.

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Video Versions of State of Mind available on YouTube!
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Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book!
Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

Follow Maurice on Social Media: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricebenard/

X: https://twitter.com/mauricebenard

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MauriceBenard/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/

State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com

State of Mind Production Team: 
Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard 
Executive Producer: Paula Benard 
Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata
Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata
Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato

In this episode of State of Mind, Maurice Benard sits down with actor, musician, and longtime friend Jonathan Jackson for a deeply personal conversation about what happens when the mind feels steady but the body doesn’t. They talk about preparation, performance, and those moments when anxiety shows up physically even when you “should” be fine.

Jonathan shares how faith shapes his work and his life, why he resists the word “performing,” and what he’s learned about trauma, prayer, and the surprising idea that beauty can reach people when logic can’t. Maurice opens up about a difficult season, the power of friendship, and the kind of support that doesn’t just comfort you, it pulls you back toward the light.

Video Versions of State of Mind available on YouTube!
Watch! 

Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book!
Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

Follow Maurice on Social Media: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricebenard/

X: https://twitter.com/mauricebenard

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MauriceBenard/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/

State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com

State of Mind Production Team: 
Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard 
Executive Producer: Paula Benard 
Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata
Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata
Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato

Actor, writer, director, and voice actor Michael Easton joins Maurice Benard on State of Mind for a rare, deeply honest conversation about what it really takes to heal.

Michael shares what it was like growing up between Belfast and the U.S., moving constantly, and carrying the hidden weight of childhood fear and instability into adulthood. From there, the conversation opens up into the stuff most people avoid: anxiety, grief, loss, and the long process of bringing buried pain to the surface so it can finally move.

They talk about surrender, therapy, meditation, the difference between suppressing pain and processing it, and why real healing often starts when someone is willing to sit with you in the dark.

Later, Michael reflects on his path into acting, the early years of his career, and the strange moments that come with visibility, identity, and being seen. The episode closes with a powerful tribute to Kamar de los Reyes, and what his life and passing changed in Michael forever.

Video Versions of State of Mind available on YouTube!
Watch! 

Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book!
Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

Follow Maurice on Social Media: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricebenard/

X: https://twitter.com/mauricebenard

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MauriceBenard/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/

State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com

State of Mind Production Team: 
Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard 
Executive Producer: Paula Benard 
Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata
Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata
Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato

On this State of Mind, Maurice sits down with Art Stratton Brown, a remarkable 101-year-old World War II veteran (and Josh Swickard’s grandfather) whose energy, clarity, and gratitude feel almost impossible to believe. Art takes us from a tough Chicago childhood and early leadership instincts to combat training, frontline battles in Italy and France, and the daily realities of war — fear, loss, survival, and the moments that never leave you. What unfolds is ultimately a conversation about resilience, faith, discipline, and how gratitude and purpose can shape a life, even after witnessing the darkest parts of humanity.

Video Versions of State of Mind available on YouTube!
Watch! 

Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book!
Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

Follow Maurice on Social Media: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricebenard/

X: https://twitter.com/mauricebenard

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MauriceBenard/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/

State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com

State of Mind Production Team: 
Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard 
Executive Producer: Paula Benard 
Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata
Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata
Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato

Josh Swickard—an actor who’s starred in films that have reached #1 on Netflix and on General Hospital—opens up about anxiety attacks he didn’t understand until they hit him, and how breathwork helped him reframe the symptoms and take away the fear. The conversation moves through anger, calm, parenting, and faith, landing on a powerful idea: don’t waste the pain—use it to help others keep moving forward.

Video Versions of State of Mind available on YouTube!
Watch! 

Read Maurice’s New York Times Bestselling Book!
Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital

Follow Maurice on Social Media: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauricebenard/

X: https://twitter.com/mauricebenard

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MauriceBenard/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mbstateofmind/

State Of Mind Merch:https://www.mbstateofmind.com

State of Mind Production Team: 
Host & Editorial: Maurice Benard 
Executive Producer: Paula Benard 
Director of Production: Anthony Cammarata
Audio/Video/Editorial: Anthony Cammarata
Audio Podcast Consultant: Aaron Calafato