Michele Capots joins me to share her deeply personal story of depression, recovery, and the lifelong journey of becoming. Michele’s experience of hitting rock bottom and finding resilience through it led her to help others reclaim hope and mental wellness on their own terms.

Michele is a transformational coach, international speaker, and storyteller on the power of mental wellness and resilience. Throughout our conversation, we talk about the self-stigma that keeps so many of us silent, the patterns that hold us back even when we’re aware of them, and how transformation often requires grieving who we used to be. Michele also shares why rest is medicine, and how redefining wellness starts with learning to be instead of constantly doing.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Michele’s story of depression, sobriety, and the moment that changed everything (5:26)
• How self-stigma shows up and what it takes to unlearn what we’ve internalized (10:42)
• The first step needed to break old patterns (15:54)
• The grief that comes with letting go of old versions of ourselves and how to navigate the messy middle (22:34)
• Practical ways to reconnect with your body through somatic work, rest, and sleep for mental wellness (30:42)

Resources from this episode:
Pre-order my upcoming book, Live Like You Give a Damn (out December 9!)
Want to join me at a Rhythmia Retreat in 2026? DM on Instagram @heyandreaowen or email support(at)andreaowen.com for details.
Michele’s website
Michele on Instagram
Michele’s Substack

Book recommendations:
I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!  

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Michele Capots is a transformational coach, international speaker, and storyteller on the power of mental wellness and resilience and her essays on mental health have appeared in Newsweek, The Washington Post Magazine, Marie Claire, among others. Drawing from her own journey through mental health crises, including moments like hitchhiking barefoot in her pajamas on a busy interstate, she has been dedicated for half a decade to inspiring audiences through theirs. Michele vulnerably shares from the perspective of her own self-stigma that followed her after a mental illness diagnosis more than a decade ago until she learned how to use those very things to set her free. A sought-after speaker and thought leader, she also shares her insights and lessons around shame, self-worth, resilience, and mental wellness, which involves so much more than just good mental health. She has served as an Executive Committee Member of the Global Mental Health Peer Network, a non-profit of 38 countries worldwide focused on mental health advocacy, and is a board member for Twogere, a nonprofit focused on youth mental health recovery in Uganda.