Challenging the Status Quo: Dr. Terry Webb's Fight for Mental Health

Ever wondered how a 91-year-old continues to make strides in the field of mental health and substance misuse? We sit down with the incredible Dr. Terry Webb, a world-renowned leader in the area of substance use and mental health disorders, and her PR representative Kris Parsons. Dr. Webb's wisdom and decades of experience bring to light the reality of addiction, its profound impact on families, and the sheer importance of seeking help. She also gives us an insider's look into her latest initiative, Trust Terry, designed to offer straight answers to the most pressing questions about mental health and substance misuse. If you run or are thinking of starting a nonprofit, take note as we tackle the unique hurdles you might face, paralleling some challenges with for-profit businesses.

Hosts Marc and Ang take a deep dive into the world of mental health and addiction. Dr. Webb paints a vivid picture of her personal journey and professional expertise, highlighting the urgent need for understanding and support in these areas. Ang steps up, offering her own personal encounter with addiction, further emphasizing the importance of addressing these often-stigmatized issues. We touch on the role of insurance companies and governments in making treatment accessible, and the beacon of hope that resources like Dr. Webb's work provide. This intimate conversation promises to enlighten, educate, and inspire, as we tackle the topic of mental health and addiction head-on.

About Dr. Terry Webb:
Dr. Terry Webb is the founder of the GOAL (Global Outreach for Addiction Leadership) Project, Inc. She has thirty-five years of international and local experience and expertise in prevention and treatment for those affected by the disease of substance misuse and addiction with a doctorate in family and marriage and addiction intervention and a masters in education.

Connect with Dr. Webb:
Website marytheresawebb.com
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/mary-theresa-webb-706965ab
Instagram instagram.com/mary_theresa_webb
Facebook facebook.com/terry.webb.5477
Twitter twitter.com/trustingterry

This episode is brought to you by Trust Terry, straight answers to questions about mental health and substance misuse issues.  Call 717-464-0962 or email terrywebb@gmail.com about your concerns and where to find help.

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Transcript

Announcer: 0:01

Entrepreneur, author and financial consultant, Marc Bernstein helps hyperforming entrepreneurial business owners create a vision for the future and follow through on their goals and intentions. Ang Onorato is a business growth strategist who blend psychology and business together to create conscious leaders and business owners who impact the world. Founders Forum is a radio show podcast sharing the real stories behind entrepreneurship as founders discover more about themselves, while providing valuable lessons and some fun and entertainment for you. Now here's Marc and Ang.

Marc Bernstein: 0:36

Good morning America. Here we are at WWDB AM radio stations, ballakinwood, just outside of Philadelphia, pennsylvania, on a what's becoming a lovely day was cloudier earlier this morning and I have Ang Onorato on by zoom today. We can talk about that a little bit while we're on zoom, and we have a very special guest here, and guests because she brought along her PR person, which I'll mention in a moment to. So I like to start out with an idea or a quote or something that's happened in current events, but today it's quote day, and this is a quote from Napoleon Hill, who you could say, I guess, is the father of the modern success movement in America, going back to the early 1900s and tracking the original masterminds of people like Thomas Edison and Mr Firestone I just forgot his first name and, I believe, henry Ford. Anyway, the quote is do not wait. The time will never be just right. Start where you stand. So, Ang, what do you think about that one?

Ang Onorato: 1:42

And then we're going to ask Dr Terry, yeah, I love the fact that, that you're bringing up this quote today for a couple of reasons. You know one I think it's just an important. It's important topic for a lot of reasons. You know we can't think, oh, I'm too small, I'm too big, I'm too old, I'm too young. You know, you just have to get up and get started. That's what we're kind of put on an earth here to do. But the chuckle part is, you know, the standing part, which the reason I'm on Zoom today.

Marc Bernstein: 2:07

Where are you standing today, Ang? That's what I need to do.

Ang Onorato: 2:09

Well, I'm actually not standing and that's kind of the problem.

Marc Bernstein: 2:12

I shouldn't be laughing. I'm sorry.

Ang Onorato: 2:14

I've got a pretty bad back and hip sciatica or some kind of major, major pain thing going on today, so not my best day and certainly not one I want to kind of remember about. But yeah, I think it's great to be here today and I'm absolutely disappointed that I'm not in studio with our amazing guests today, but looking forward to this conversation.

Marc Bernstein: 2:34

Ang, as I said to you, my real life wife is going through similar things today and, as I say to her, this too shall pass right.

Ang Onorato: 2:42

So yeah, your work, your work wife, and your and your home life wife. We're down for the count right now. I don't know, Maybe there's a common denominator Marc, I don't know. Well, there are other common denominators.

Marc Bernstein: 2:53

We can talk about that some other time, but but anyway I'm praying and thinking of you both and wishing for your healing. So today we have as our guest Dr Terry Webb, and I'll do a formal introduction a minute. But what's your thought on that quote? Do not wait, the time will never be just right. Start where you stand.

Dr. Terry Webb: 3:13

Well, every day I wake up and I said what can I do today to make a difference? And we can make a difference to make the world a little bit better place.

Marc Bernstein: 3:21

That's wonderful. So every day is a time that you're not waiting every time. Every day is just right and where you stand. So before I tell you much more, because I have a press release done by Kris Parsons, so Kris is also here at Parsons PR. Good morning, Kris. Good morning. And I'm going to read you a little bit of that, but it starts out with 90 year old author to focus on directly helping families, neighborhoods and countries deal with addiction issues.

Marc Bernstein: 3:48

So Dr Terry Webb is 90 years young and I can attest to her youth and her based on her energy, and she is the founder of the organization called Global Outreach for Global Outreach for Addictions and Learning for Addiction Leadership and Learning I'm so sorry I mangled it when I wrote it, anyway and that that goal of that organization has changed a little bit. And may I call you Terry.

Dr. Terry Webb: 4:18

Yes.

Marc Bernstein: 4:18

So I'll ask Terry a little bit about that, but in the meantime, dr Mary Teresa Webb, med, phd, is an internationally recognized author, leader, trainer with expertise in substance use and mental health disorders and their impact on families and nations. For more than 30 years she has been writing and speaking on these issues globally. She has often called upon to lead training teams for prevention and treatments in Russia, eastern European, east Africa and Central American countries, and has been doing this for over the last 30 years. Dr Webb has held a leadership role in the Mercer County Addiction Coalition, as well as having founded Goal, which I mentioned, which is now called Global Addiction Recovery Partners or right, and that's a project now located in Lancaster County, pennsylvania, but now at age 90, 91, she just turned 91.

Kris Parsons: 5:13

Happy birthday. I didn't realize.

Marc Bernstein: 5:15

So 91 year old Dr Terry Webb is making a career change. So Trust Terry is our latest initiative to provide straight answers to questions about mental health and substance misuse issues. I want to ask you, Kris, about the brand, but before I do that, I do want to mention in our intro we say this is about businesses and business founders. We need to correct that, because it's also about nonprofits and nonprofit founders, and we've had several on already on the show, so it's not new to us. My experience is that running a nonprofit is just like running a business, except maybe with a slightly different mission, although many business missions have have similar missions to nonprofits. So I can give you countless examples of the challenges and the goals and the leadership in nonprofits that are just as powerful, if not more so, than for profit businesses. So I just wanted to mention that. So, Kris, tell us about Trust Terry and how we got there.

Kris Parsons: 6:13

Okay, sure, well, I met Terry and I was fascinated that 91, she was looking to reinvent herself. I have to say, she is one of my more senior clients and I was thrilled that she was like Kris. I want to do this. I need to focus. She has many talents, she has many directions, but what she wants to do in this part of her life is focus on helping people and finding helping people find a safe place where they can come and talk about their issues, and then she becomes a resource to get them the help they need.

Kris Parsons: 6:46

So, of course, in the world of marketing and branding, as you know, Marc, it's lots of clutter, lots of information. So we had conversations and what kept coming to mind is well, I'm Terry, trust Terry, you can trust me. You can trust me to help you. You can trust me to keep your information confidential. I said, terry, that's the brand, trust Terry. We created a logo, we created some swag. She's been handing out business cards to people in a way that people can now feel comfortable to come and talk to her and at the moment she is not charging anything for her services. She wants to give back as part of her mission.

Marc Bernstein: 7:23

That's wonderful and we're going to ask Terry about her journey. But I do want to say that you handed for Ang and I a trust Terry business card and it says for hope and help. And then gives her phone number and email address which is pretty amazing, and a booklet called Healing Co-dependent Families. And I was talking to Terry. I know I'm going to stop talking and listen to her, but we had, not too long ago you may have heard the show with Mike Loverde of First Family Intervention, who's an introduction I want to make because I believe you can help each other, but this theme is not new to our show. So with that, terry, tell us about your journey, how you got to doing what you're doing today.

Dr. Terry Webb: 8:02

Well, the journey started actually back in 1991 when I had an invitation to go. I had been to the former Soviet Union and I had an invitation to go over and start recovery groups for family members, and at the time I was actually studying to be I was in training to be a family counselor, so that sounded like a good idea. So I spent about 19 years in Russia helping to start programs treatment programs and also recovery support groups, which are now doing very well, and then it kind of expanded from there. For a while it was just under another organization, but I'm an entrepreneur and I was already running a nonprofit organization. So I had to give up my nonprofit organization and start on this new journey, which was actually ended up being a goal project, and we've been in many different countries. Goal has been in many different countries With training teams.

Dr. Terry Webb: 9:09

We do trainings and I always do the family issues part, even in Egypt. I was part of a training program in Egypt through a group called Isaac and we've done this and I thought and I became an expert in the field of codependence. So there was an interest in having something that could be passed out to people, which was very simple. So I put this little booklet together and it's been now translated into Farsi for an Iranian population and it's very popular, still very popular. So I brought a couple of copies of the book. But codependence in families when we call addiction a disease, we call it a medical disease, but it is also a biopsychosocial disease and it affects the whole family. So it's the family members that I'm particularly interested in and I've done a lot of training helping family members deal with the reality and not be enablers.

Marc Bernstein: 10:08

It's really amazing because I mentioned to you. So, as far as I know, in terms of rehabilitation centers, family first is one of the first in the country, and you're on that same track, which is why you should get together.

Dr. Terry Webb: 10:19

And it used to be in treatment centers that there was a whole family family week process and that's been kind of going by the wayside because of insurance companies. Now addiction hits every age level and I'm now a senior and I live in a senior center and I see the same issues, only their medication issues medication prescription medication issues which doctors prescribe.

Dr. Terry Webb: 10:47

Doctors don't know how to get them off. They don't know the proper referrals. I've worked with physicians. We always have a physician in our trainings, somebody who's part of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. So I thought, well, I have this information, I'm living in a senior center and I'm seeing all of these issues, the same issues that I've been dealing with and how can I help? So, and being part of the wisdom generation, I might say the wisdom generation is elders are revered. In the countries that I've been in, when I go to a country such as East Africa or Eastern Europe, I've got to have a PhD, because having a PhD after your name is very important in those countries, and if you have a PhD and you're elderly, you're revered and so okay. So what can I do with this quote? Wisdom that I have that has been generated over many, many, many years too many years to count.

Marc Bernstein: 11:50

But I thought, well, I can be a referral source Well tell me if I'm wrong, but I think you're living in a place where wisdom is revered senior wisdom, I believe, Because I know there's a lot of their thought leaders in that community, which is pretty interesting.

Dr. Terry Webb: 12:03

Yeah, it's a very interesting community to live in, but I am discovering that they don't know anything about addiction or substance use disorders. We call it substance use disorders because it's not just alcohol and illegal drugs, it's also medication issues and it's medication issues interactions.

Marc Bernstein: 12:24

I'm well aware of that and I think that may be as big an issue you would know better as non prescription drugs and alcohol.

Dr. Terry Webb: 12:33

Yeah it's alcohol and it's usually, and there's a lot of heavy drinking among seniors and they shouldn't be drinking. Any psychiatrist will tell you it's because of the medications they're on and their their bodily changes.

Marc Bernstein: 12:47

So well, listen, I know in the entertainment world you know where non legal drugs are prolific for many years. But if you think about a lot of the big name deaths Elvis, michael Jackson, prince painkillers were the things that you know, in many cases that killed them. I don't want to go back just for a second, because you mentioned you had to give up your nonprofit because you were an entrepreneur. So you were for a for profit entrepreneur, correct?

Dr. Terry Webb: 13:12

No, I was a non profit entrepreneur, and so it ended up that the work that that I had been doing, and leading teams, ended up becoming another nonprofit.

Marc Bernstein: 13:24

I see okay.

Dr. Terry Webb: 13:25

It didn't start out that way.

Marc Bernstein: 13:26

And were your nonprofits prior? Always about recovery and about no, actually I was.

Dr. Terry Webb: 13:32

I had started a conservation consultants in Pittsburgh, pennsylvania, which was really dealing with environmental and energy conservation issues.

Marc Bernstein: 13:41

Interesting, very interesting. How did you, how did you support yourself during those years? Because you're in the nonprofit world, were you Well?

Dr. Terry Webb: 13:52

I call myself a volunteer professional Because I fortunately I didn't need the income. But, I have. You know. I have earned money teaching classes and things like that.

Marc Bernstein: 14:03

Perfect Gotcha. So along the way, Terry, as an entrepreneur all entrepreneurs face challenges. What kind of obstacles or challenges did you face in your, in your building of your nonprofit?

Dr. Terry Webb: 14:17

Oh, well, that's a that's that could take another hour, I'm sure give one example, if you can.

Dr. Terry Webb: 14:24

Well, I think, first of all, you have a board of directors, and sometimes boards of directors will allow the organization to function on on one person, on an executive director, sometimes the executive, so there's a relationship there between the board and the executive director. Keeping board members is one, one issue that's important making sure that you're financially solvent, that you raise, continue to raise, money for the work you're doing, because many nonprofits are doing kinds of things that I'm doing and that doesn't really. It's not like having a product that you sell, you're selling a service, really.

Marc Bernstein: 15:05

Well, I can speak. I've been on a number of boards of nonprofits and almost always my role is to help raise money. So you know, I understand that, and nonprofits rely on their, on their boards, for that.

Dr. Terry Webb: 15:17

So I think sustainability of staff and board members is really one of the key issues that that that I've come across, that my experience has been.

Marc Bernstein: 15:27

That's a great place for us to take a break. We're just about halfway there, believe it or not already, so we'll have a quick commercial break and we'll be right back with Dr Terry Webb and Kris Parsons.

Announcer: 15:40

Trust Terry is renowned author Dr Terry Webb's latest project of straight answers to questions about mental health and substance misuse issues. Reach out to her confidentially to find contacts and resources in mental health and substance misuse. Her years of training and experience around the world make her uniquely qualified to support those affected by this national epidemic. Simply call and leave a message for Trust Terry, 717-464-0962, or email author Terry Webb at gmailcom about your concerns and where to find help. Trust Terry for hope and help. Dr Webb is also available for podcasts, speaking engagements, book signings and panel discussions about pertinent mental health and addiction issues.

Marc Bernstein: 16:42

Okay, we are back on Founders Forum with Dr Terry Mary Teresa. Just call her Trust Terry Webb. Before we go on, I just want to give a reminder anyone that wants to find out. Well, it says on her business card I mentioned before for hope and help. See her website Terry T-E-R-R-Y at Mary Teresa Webbcom.

Dr. Terry Webb: 17:05

That's my email address.

Marc Bernstein: 17:07

Right, oh, the website I'm so sorry is Mary Teresa Webbcom and you can also use her email address.

Dr. Terry Webb: 17:13

I'm also on on Lincoln Inn and also Facebook and Twitter.

Marc Bernstein: 17:18

She's on all social media and it's called Savi.

Ang Onorato: 17:21

She's social media savvy she is social media savvy. I need to take some lessons from Terry.

Marc Bernstein: 17:26

I do need to mention to you my mother-in-law just passed a few months ago. She was almost 101 and her name was Mary Teresa.

Kris Parsons: 17:33

Wow.

Announcer: 17:34

They're called Mary.

Marc Bernstein: 17:35

So Mary T Bernardini was her name.

Dr. Terry Webb: 17:39

Yes, I've called all those names.

Marc Bernstein: 17:41

Yes, so that's something we have in common.

Kris Parsons: 17:43

Now we're just going to call her Trust, terry Trust.

Marc Bernstein: 17:45

Terry, that's what we're. That's the branding person speaks up there. She is Okay. So, terry, let's talk about your future vision. I'd like to hear your 10-year vision, if you don't mind. So we just talked about my 100-year-old mother-in-law 10.

Dr. Terry Webb: 17:59

I'm not even sure I want to live that long. I didn't even want to live to be 90, but here I am.

Marc Bernstein: 18:04

She said the same thing. That's funny. Maybe that's the secret to long life Not wanting to live that long. Well, anyway, let's talk about your future vision, for tomorrow or the next day, or a year from now, or three years from now, whatever you choose.

Dr. Terry Webb: 18:18

Well, my future vision is is just to take each day as it comes and try to make a difference in that. With that day and I had been interesting you talked about legacy I had a goal, had a news newsletter that was called legacy.

Marc Bernstein: 18:34

Oh nice.

Dr. Terry Webb: 18:35

And when I die I'm going to have a legacy trust fund. So the legacy is the legacy is in the books that I've written and the work that I've done overseas and you're reading my mind.

Marc Bernstein: 18:45

You're answering all my questions before I ask them. That's great.

Ang Onorato: 18:49

Dr Web, if I, if I can just chime in for a second and talk about legacy, you know I just want to point out I have such a personal connection to your entire work and your mission. You know I've talked about this for the last 30 years as well. But you know I myself have been the recipient of getting help. I was, there was a family intervention, I went into an inpatient rehab for 30 days for a, you know, undiagnosed eating disorder for many decades and it was something that's very difficult to talk about because it falls under the addiction category, but it's not a substance that we can live without, right? So I think that I've been a peer counselor. I talk about this quite a bit. It's a big, big part of my life and I just want to acknowledge that the steps that you're taking and the platforms that you've had and and really bringing it on a global basis, and what you're doing today to give people a place to talk about, to ask for help, is so important.

Ang Onorato: 19:47

And the last thing I'll say on this and you touched on it, I have been touting this horn for many, many years now that it makes me so sad inside to know that, had I not had the opportunity to go away in 1990 fully covered under insurance. By today's standards my quote unquote level of unwellness would not qualify and I was this close to not wanting to go on in life. So I don't know what we can do to get insurance companies to understand the ramifications and the impact of all kinds of addiction and the impact on families and legacies and next generations, because we need the help and we need to be able to have insurance. Take it seriously and I know it changed the entire trajectory of my life. So I appreciate your platform and I am excited and willing to step in and help in any way I can because it's an important topic.

Dr. Terry Webb: 20:43

Well, Ang, I'm so glad you said that, because I also am concerned about addiction is not just substances, it's also a lot of other things you can be addicted to. Exercise, you can be on. I have I have a lot of experience with with family members with eating disorders and addiction issues and that's why you know you can't ever help your own family, but you can help other people and and I'm so glad you get recovery for that, because I've had a lot of experience working with people with eating disorders to Terry clearly worked with governments, you know, and my question is because the insurance companies but it's also in the United States is the government as well, right that could could help to make treatment available?

Marc Bernstein: 21:35

Any thoughts on that?

Dr. Terry Webb: 21:36

I don't want to get real political, but you know we don't realize what we have in this country. I know that insurance when insurance took over this field, it was a big issue. But I've worked in countries like Uganda where, where the drug authority does not, you know, does not support prevention and does not prefer, you know, support treatment. So we don't realize how lucky, fortunate we are in these countries that we do have the resources. And that's what keeps motivated, motivating me to go to other countries because and take teams to do trainings and to try to raise money to do that, because we don't realize how, how fortunate we, you know we are, because there's a huge problem all around the world. It's not just the United States.

Marc Bernstein: 22:25

And I would imagine that in the United States, you're probably active in terms of in terms of helping people make the connections to the resources as well.

Dr. Terry Webb: 22:33

Yes, and I do have a lot of physicians that I've worked with, pharmacists that I've worked with. I know that in Lancaster I have a very close relationship with the prevention people in our community, working in schools, working with churches. There's just a whole lot of resources that I have and I might as well use that knowledge to help other people. In fact, I just had one person in the community who was concerned about a neighbor who dementia is a huge issue among the elderly and she wanted to know where to get help. Well, I was able to tell her where to get help. So that's, I think it's the link, it's the missing link. I think now and I'm glad you had a commercial on family issues because it's the family issues there's a lot of enabling that goes on with families. There's a lot of secrecy, as you pointed out, and we don't want to talk about it except to somebody I can trust. That's where I'm the trust Terry comes in.

Marc Bernstein: 23:40

It's pretty amazing. You're on your own. You're a powerful resource on your own, obviously, which is really amazing. So if we got a lesson today, it's to trust Terry. So I have this problem. Terry, I want to talk. I figure we take up the rest of the time.

Dr. Terry Webb: 23:59

We'll sing about it right.

Marc Bernstein: 24:04

So let's talk about that. We have a music connection, so tell me about a little bit. I know you sing and I was asking you before your favorite songs and you had a couple you mentioned.

Dr. Terry Webb: 24:15

Oh well, it's a go, where one of my favorite songs is if I send you, if God sends you, you go. Okay, and that's what I did. God sent me and I went, and I still can't do the traveling that I used to do, but I can still help others and make a difference.

Marc Bernstein: 24:37

You also, I think, and that's a powerful message. Just all you have to say is the title of the song and that's powerful. But you also mentioned that you sing in a female version of a barbershop quartet, and what have you been singing there lately? What song has that been?

Dr. Terry Webb: 24:52

Oh well, we have all kinds of kind of fun things to sing, but you know we've sung the Star Spangled Banner at the local ballpark.

Marc Bernstein: 25:02

So there's a pretty good song.

Kris Parsons: 25:05

Yeah, we got to get you to the Phillies.

Marc Bernstein: 25:07

Yeah, actually that would be great.

Ang Onorato: 25:08

Yeah, we should work on that there's still plenty of time left in the season. Let's get you down there.

Marc Bernstein: 25:14

That would be something. Are you?

Dr. Terry Webb: 25:15

are you the other people similarly mature in the group, or yes, well, we you know we take parts is a lot of barbershop groups do. Are they good, yeah, group.

Kris Parsons: 25:27

Let's work on that, Kris you're the person, I'll see what I can do. Brainstorm that. I think that would be.

Marc Bernstein: 25:31

that would be really cool and I want to go to that game.

Kris Parsons: 25:34

Yeah, well.

Marc Bernstein: 25:35

I think we're about out of time with founders forum today. Really appreciate you going here. By the way, dr Webb wins the Woman Miles Award for coming in from Lancaster to the radio station, usually any further than that we're doing the show on zoom. So thanks so much for taking the trouble to be here today.

Dr. Terry Webb: 25:52

My pleasure.

Marc Bernstein: 25:53

Thank you for having me, it's been been a great pleasure and Kris thanks for being here and thank you all for listening to founders forum and we look forward to seeing you again next week.

Ang Onorato: 26:04

I'm sorry and thanks for your inspiration as well.

Marc Bernstein: 26:07

You're welcome. I know you're talking to Terry.

Dr. Terry Webb: 26:11

Thank you and, by the way, I did have similar back problems, and it's no fun.

Marc Bernstein: 26:17

Good day everyone.

Ang Onorato: 26:18

Bye, bye.