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Maurice Benard proves he’s a man with many talents – and passions – as the General Hospital actor’s State of Mind podcast continues to grow.
The actor, 59, is best know for portraying Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital. But added to Benard’s repertoire is the role of podcast host, responsible for creating State of Mind.
As a recent episode has GH fans worried Maurice Benard will be ditching Sonny in favour of State of Mind, you might be curious to know more about the podcast.
Maurice Benard mental health journey from diagnosis to advocacy
At the age of 22, Maurice Benard received a bipolar diagnosis which he kept private throughout his early acting career.
Although now a well-known mental health advocate, Benard only shared his diagnosis and subsequent struggles in 2009. Appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Maurice Benard revealed how he had survived a stint in a psychiatric hospital before making it as a TV star.
With the publication of his book, Nothing General About It: How Love (and Lithium) Saved Me On and Off General Hospital in 2020, Benard went from Emmy-winning actor to New York Times bestseller overnight.
Maurice Benard has also advocated for mental health organisations in front of congress. He has lent his voice to the International Bipolar Foundation (IBPF), the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), Mental Health America (MHA) and Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. Benard has also received a number of awards, including IBF’s Imagine Award, NAMI’s Lionel Aldridge Award, and the Erasing the Stigma Award.
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Maurice Benard launches State of Mind
Following on from his work as a mental health advocate, Maurice Benard launched his State of Mind podcast.
On 19 July 2020, Benard released his first-ever State of Mind episode on YouTube. The episode’s description explains: “State of Mind to me means being 100% present, feeling completely at peace inside of you, not letting your thoughts control your life and always looking for ways to be the best that you can be.”
The series has expanded and now sees Maurice Benard invite guest speakers to the show. Some notable guests who have appeared on State of Mind include Kirsten Storms, Laura Wright, and Kimberly McCullough.
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How to tune into State of Mind
Currently, the only place to listen to Maurice Benard’s podcast, State of Mind, is on YouTube. The channel has over 68,000 subscribers as of publication date.
In a Q&A episode, Maurice Benard revealed he has big plans for State of Mind: “If I ever left [General Hospital], I would want to bring this State of Mind [to] a place where I could make a good enough living to just do this. I think there’s less pressure here for me, and I can still work with mental health.”
You can keep up to date with the latest on State of Mind on Twitter @mbstateofmind.
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