Kat Jost is the founder of Skilled Not Ill: “a Philly-based mental health club for modern humans who live successful lives in spite of mental illness. We host weekly events that are centered around skill-based approaches to mental health, particularly DBT and CBT.”
In this episode, we speak candidly about the career and community she is building while living with bipolar disorder.
Kat works as a business analyst and UX researcher.
Web http://www.katjost.com/
Twitter @itskatnotcat
Topics mentioned:
Skilled Not Ill
Skilled Not Ill upcoming events
CBT and DBT
The Judge Group
Buy Kat A Coffee
From Skilled Not Ill’s “about” page:
“Skilled Not Ill is a mental health club located in the heart of Philadelphia. We host weekly events that are centered around skill-based approaches to mental health, particularly DBT and CBT. (Definitions for these terms can be found on our FAQ page.) In addition to teaching skills from the tried-and-true DBT and CBT methodologies, we draw inspiration and content for our events from a variety of sources. No matter the topic, our events are always light-hearted, informative, social, and enjoyable. They are an excellent addition to (but not a replacement for) your existing mental health maintenance routine, whether that entails weekly counseling sessions, monthly psychiatrist appointments, or something else. One the best and most unique benefits of our events is that they are designed and facilitated by someone who has first-hand experience being trained on the DBT and CBT skills during numerous psychiatric hospitalizations and Intensive Outpatient Program treatment periods. The quantitative sum of her time spent in daily, intensive mental health skills training at these intuitions is approximately two full years. Therefore, members are attending events led by someone who is living proof that the skills work and that one can live a successful, rewarding life in spite of mental illness.
Skilled Not Ill is also a mental health movement for modern humans who get sh*t done. We have jobs, dreams, hobbies, and friendships. We make money, not excuses. We let our goals drive us, not our fears. Whether you do have a diagnosis or you’re just having a tough time lately, our recurring meetups are just what you need to boost your mood.”
From artist to teacher to community manager for a consulting and software engineering company.
I found this conversation inspiring in a way related to persistence and giving more than you get. The thread through this episode is continuing to build skills, yet being open to what comes up. Pat woke up early every morning to learn to code, but was open to the opportunities which called for his communication and people skills.
This is my favorite line that embodies Pat’s spirit of being willing to get involved in the tech community: “…and then I just kept raising my hand for things.”
Twitter @patwoodsdesign
Web patwoods.co
Topics Mentioned:
From working in higher education to full time UX designer in 10 months.
Meghan Kelly is a full time UX Specialist at Elsevier. She volunteers as Events Lead Organizer at Girl Develop It Philly, and has served as Events Lead at Code for Philly.
In this episode, she is completely candid about the confusing process of trying to find a path to change careers into tech.
We also get into what she actually does day to day in her new job.
Amazingly, she went from never having heard of UX, to being offered full time employment in that role in less than a year. We talk about exactly what she tried, what worked and what didn’t, anxiety, failures and sticking with it until she got her job offer.
Meghan is hilarious so this was really fun to record.
Twitter @meghanakelly
Web meghanakelly.com
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