Tony Mantor: Why Not Me ?

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We sit down with Colorado State Senator Judy Amabile to connect one family’s painful path through serious mental illness to the laws that decide whether people get treatment or get pushed into homelessness and the courts. 
We talk honestly about psychosis, stigma, and the hard policy choices behind civil commitment, Medicaid rules, and building enough beds to stop the cycle.
• Her son’s schizoaffective disorder and the road to diagnosis
• Early signs like paranoia and thought broadcasting
• Family anger and confusion turning into empathy
• NAMI Family-to-Family as a bridge to advocacy
• Why mental illness feels like the “no casserole disease”
• The jump from lived experience to writing policy
• Civil commitment and AOT as a contested safety net
• Competency waitlists and why they don’t equal treatment
• The “churn” between jail, hospitals, and the street
• Medicaid changes that allow longer inpatient stays
If you know someone who has a story to share, tell them to contact us at why notme.world.
One last thing, spread the word about why not me.

MUSIC INTRO/OUTRO: T. Wild
MANTOR MUSIC BMI

https://tonymantor.com
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intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild
Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)

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We sit down with Virginia State Senator Creigh Deeds to talk about how personal loss turns into a long-term push for mental health reform that actually survives the news cycle. 
We focus on what legislation can change, what funding really buys, and why the mental health workforce crisis is the wall every good idea hits. 
• his path from rural public service to mental health advocacy after his son’s diagnosis and death 
• why he builds a legislator-led commission so reforms do not die on a shelf 
• taking lawmakers into hospitals, crisis units, and schools to see gaps firsthand 
• expanding community mental health services statewide through budget-driven mandates 
• investing in long-term supportive housing as a stability tool for serious mental illness 
• assisted outpatient treatment limits when there are not enough clinicians to deliver care 
• loan forgiveness, residency expansion, and pay increases to strengthen the behavioral health workforce pipeline 
• handling constituent calls and the emotional weight families carry when the system fails 
• the mental health and criminal justice intersection, including CIT training and Marcus Alert 
• normalizing mental health care as health care and reducing stigma so people get help earlier 

If you know someone who has a story to share, tell them to contact us at why notme.world. 
One last thing spread the word about why not me.

https://tonymantor.com
https://Facebook.com/tonymantor
https://instagram.com/tonymantor
https://twitter.com/tonymantor
https://youtube.com/tonymantormusic
intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild
Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)

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We sit down with former Maine State Senator John Nutting to talk about why serious mental illness belongs in the medical system, not the jail system, and how court ordered treatment can keep people alive and communities safer. We walk through Maine’s Progressive Treatment Plan, the fight to fund and implement it, and what families can do to push for mental health legislation that actually works. 
• John Nutting’s background in public service and the case for treating brain disorders like any other medical condition 
• What Maine calls AOT and how the Progressive Treatment Plan works in practice 
• Why anosognosia changes the ethics and logistics of “voluntary” treatment 
• The gap between family needs and what policy often delivers 
• How cycling through hospitals and jails destroys bed capacity and budgets 
• Lessons from other states, including Kendra’s Law, Kevin’s Law, and concerns about voluntary-only models 
• What separates real legislation from bills that look good but fail in implementation 
• Concrete ways to advocate, find your state laws, and speak to the right lawmakers 
If you know someone who has a story to share, tell them to contact us at why notme.world. One last thing spread the word about why not me. 

INTRO/OUTRO Music: T. Wild
Mantor Music BMI

https://tonymantor.com
https://Facebook.com/tonymantor
https://instagram.com/tonymantor
https://twitter.com/tonymantor
https://youtube.com/tonymantormusic
intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild
Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)

Send us Fan Mail
We talk with Iowa State Representative Ann Meyer about how mental health legislation gets built and why access to care still fails families in crisis. 
We dig into provider shortages, the fight for mandatory follow-up after commitment, and how constituents can move lawmakers with personal stories and local relationships. 
• her path from nursing to the Iowa House and why constituent stories changed her focus 
• why access to mental health care breaks down during a crisis and what “waiting” really means 
• the provider shortage problem and steps to grow psychiatry and therapy capacity 
• incentives that help recruit and retain clinicians in rural states 
• why 30 days of treatment is often not enough for severe mental illness 
• the case management follow-up bill that passed the House then stalled in the Senate 
• how law enforcement and ERs absorb the cost when the system fails 
• homelessness, shelter rules, and the overlap with substance use disorder 
• how to speed change through education, budgeting strategies, and persistent advocacy 
• why reaching out to your state legislator works and how to do it with a personal story 
If you know someone who has a story to share, tell them to contact us at why notme.world. 
One last thing spread the word about why not me. 

INTRO/OUTRO Music: T. Wild
Mantor Music BMI

https://tonymantor.com
https://Facebook.com/tonymantor
https://instagram.com/tonymantor
https://twitter.com/tonymantor
https://youtube.com/tonymantormusic
intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild
Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)

Send us Fan Mail
We sit down with Connecticut State Senator Christine Cohen and advocate Denise Paley to unpack how mental health legislation gets built, watered down, and sometimes rescued through strategy and coalition work. 
We focus on crisis intervention training, prison mental health care, and the hard questions around rights, re-entry, and what real accountability looks like. 
• Senator Cohen’s personal path into mental health advocacy 
• why mental health bills stall between chambers and committees 
• compromise as a necessity and a long-term risk 
• budget priorities and the fight to fund care 
• stigma around mental illness and incarcerated people 
• how advocates and legislators build trust and momentum 
• crisis intervention team training as a practical reform 
• re-entry realities and why untreated illness drives recidivism 
• staffing shortages for corrections officers and mental health providers 
• Assisted Outpatient Treatment and the ethics of forced care 
• anosognosia and why refusal is not always choice 
• prevention through school-based mental health support 
• coalition building and making marginalized people visible 
If you know someone who has a story to share, tell them to contact us at whynotme.world. 
One last thing spread the word about why not me. 

INTRO/OUTRO Music: T. Wild
Mantor Music BMI

https://tonymantor.com
https://Facebook.com/tonymantor
https://instagram.com/tonymantor
https://twitter.com/tonymantor
https://youtube.com/tonymantormusic
intro/outro music bed written by T. Wild
Why Not Me the World music published by Mantor Music (BMI)