Healing Happens in Community | Why Mental Health Matters More Than Ever

We were never meant to carry life's burdens alone.

In a world where anxiety, burnout, loneliness, depression, stress, and emotional exhaustion continue to impact millions of people, one truth remains:

Healing happens in community.

In this heartfelt and timely episode of Unplugged with Pam | Breakfast Club Edition, Pamela Pacheco explores why mental health matters now more than ever and why meaningful connection may be one of the most powerful tools we have for healing.

Drawing from personal experiences, community leadership, faith, and conversations with countless individuals navigating life's challenges, Pamela reminds listeners that strength is not found in suffering silently—it's found in having the courage to reach out, share your story, and allow others to walk alongside you.

This episode serves as both an encouragement and a reminder that no matter what you're facing, you don't have to face it alone.

In This Episode:

✨ Why mental health impacts every area of our lives
 ✨ The growing epidemic of loneliness and isolation
 ✨ How community creates healing, support, and resilience
 ✨ Why vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness
 ✨ The connection between emotional wellness and overall well-being
 ✨ How faith, relationships, and purpose contribute to healing
 ✨ Practical ways to build a healthy support system
 ✨ Why asking for help is one of the bravest things you can do

Pamela also reflects on the importance of creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, valued, and supported—because healing often begins when we realize we're not alone in our struggles.

Whether you're navigating a difficult season, supporting someone you love, or simply looking to strengthen your mental and emotional well-being, this conversation will encourage you to lean into connection and prioritize your mental health.

Key Takeaway:

You were never meant to heal alone.

The right conversation.
 The right community.
 The right support system.

Sometimes those become the turning point that changes everything.

Because healing doesn't happen in isolation.

Healing happens in community.

If this episode encouraged you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who may need the reminder that they are seen, supported, and never alone.

🎙 Hosted by Pamela Pacheco (Pam The Plug™)

Speaker | Brand Strategist | Entrepreneur | Community Builder

Founder of Mental Health Matters and passionate advocate for helping people build stronger minds, healthier relationships, and more meaningful lives.

"The strongest people aren't the ones who carry everything alone. They're the ones who know when to reach out and let others walk with them."

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Welcome and good morning, beautiful people. It's your girl Pamela Pacheco, aka Pam the Plug. Welcome back to another episode of Unplugged with Pam Breakfast Club Edition brought to you by Chosen Global. Welcome, welcome, welcome. If you're joining us for the first time, welcome. If you're joining us once again, welcome home. I remember when I first embarked upon entrepreneurship 12 years ago, I was always looking forward to positive conversations to start my morning. Whether that be me tuning into my favorite podcast, like you are doing today, whether that be me listening to a motivational something, because how you start your day sets a tone for your day. So kudos to each and every single one of you guys that decided to start your morning off with your girl with some fire this morning, with some positivity. And if you are joining us live this morning, I want you to drop in where you are tuning in from in the comments and share this live out. Share the podcast out, share the page, tag somebody who may need today's conversation. Because honestly, this is something that is deeply important. And it's so important that you're probably listening to this podcast again because we just did it, but we had technical difficulties. But I was like, no, the devil is a liar, not today, Satan. We're gonna do it again. We're gonna run it back one more time. It's okay. Um maybe you you got some value the first 20 minutes that we did last one, but you know, it cut off technology for you, right? Love, hate relationship. But we're back, we're here um because these conversations matter, right? And when we talk about why mental health matters more than ever, I believe that healing happens in community. And I just want to say thank you, first and foremost, to each and every single person that continues to show up every Thursday morning for our live Unplug with Pam podcast Breakfast Cup edition that follows, that subscribes to the YouTube, to the Spotify, to Apple Podcasts that sends me comments, that sends me messages, like I do not take anything for granted. Your tag, your post, your love. I really, really just appreciate the love and support. So when we talk about, you know, is showing up, right? Not only showing up for you, but showing up for others. And and that is something that is so, so important. And you know, if you're a person that's like brand new here, this is not something that this is this is this is not just a podcast, right? This is not just a room, this is a community of people that we are doing our best to heal, to grow, to evolve, to build, and just become better humans while navigating life, real life in real time. So last week we talked about something that clearly resonated deeply with so many people the hidden cost of building while broken. And if you missed that, uh look back up, you'll be able to find that. We talked about burnout, we talked about pressure, we talked about exhaustion, highly functioning pain. Cover space, right? I know about it all too well. And the reality is that so many people are succeeding publicly while silently suffering in private. And honestly, I think that a lot of people felt seen in that conversation because of what we are experiencing in the world. And today I wanted to continue that conversation, but from a different angle because awareness is just as important. However, healing is necessary. And when we talk about healing happening in community and why mental health matters more than ever, this conversation especially feels important because we are officially two days away from our third annual mental health matters symposium. And this year's themes is you are not alone, right? The first year's theme was from tragedy to triumph, right? Mental health matters from tragedy to triumph. Um, we took you from so many stories and well tragic incidences and how they turned it into triumph. Uh, last year it was the theme mental health matters, stronger minds equal better lives. And this year's themes is you are not alone. And why I think that this is important because as I myself have been preparing for this event, the more that I prepare, the more that I actually realize people are carrying things heavily, so heavy things so silently. And why? Because we are exhausted. I'm people, right? We are overwhelmed, we are emotionally exhausted, we are disconnected, we are burnt out, we are anxious, we're hurting privately while trying to keep showing up publicly. And I genuinely believe that we are living in one of the most digitally connected generations while emotionally becoming one of the most disconnected. And I'll I'll tell you, so many people are like, oh Pam, you know, you usually like have so much more promo for your events, and you know, this kind of one was like we saw some, but not really, and they were kind of spread out. And I was like, Yeah, my mental health hasn't quite been where it needs to be, so that I can put on the mental health matters, you know. I got a lot of stuff going on, but regardless, you know, God is good. I know I'm on assignment, I know he's gonna do what he does because he never lets hard work go unnoticed. So if you're tuning in and you're somewhere near Tampa, make sure you're joining us on Saturday. If you're tuning in and you're somewhere around the world, uh buy a virtual ticket because virtual tickets are also available. But anyway, I digress. So it's interesting because so many people, they're just always used to seeing you on go, they're used to just seeing you, you know, when it comes to just always on the go, always smiling, always just the most not only active, but just the strong people. And so many people, they are when I say that we're living in one of the most emotionally um disconnected generations that I believe is because people are posting just to post, but they're posting while they're depressed, they're posting while they are smiling while they're suffering, they're posting or building while they're broken. And I think one of the saddest realities right now is how many people are just suffering in silence, and how many of us have actually just normalized saying, I'm fine, even when we're overwhelmed, even when we're anxious, even when we are emotionally exhausted, and I want to ask everybody something very honestly, because I had to ask myself this as I'm praying, I'm like, girl, ask yourself, right? How many times have you said I'm okay when you really were not? How many times have you said I'm okay when you really were not? Here's another one. How many times have you smiled in publicly while privately you're struggling? I know, me too. How many times have you felt the pressure to keep going because people depend on you? Because I think, well, I know from experience, right? But high-functioning pain has become one of the biggest silent pandemics that nobody dares talk about, especially among entrepreneurs, among successful people, among leaders, among creatives, among mothers, fathers, professionals, pastors, athletes, teenagers, caregivers, and I can keep going on and on and on and on. Some of the strongest looking people are silently overwhelmed. And high performers, especially, we have become so good at hiding the pain because people they're just used to seeing us strong all the time, and I get it, but you gotta know that it's okay not to be okay, and I had to learn that. Right? Because people see the business, people see the accomplishments, the accolades, the influence, the followers, the TV, all this stuff, the leadership, the smiles. But here's what they don't see they don't see the anxiety, they don't see the pressure, they don't see the exhaustion, they don't see the sleepless nights, they don't see the emotional weight of it all, and the moments that you wanted to quit over and over and over again. So, and I know, and I know honestly, I know that personally, right? Like I said, because I'm this is a safe space. There have been so many seasons where I was showing up publicly while privately carrying heavy things emotionally, still leading, still creating, still pouring into people, still mentoring, still hosting events, still while while building businesses, but while I'm still grieving, while I'm emotionally exhausted, and also navigating leadership pressure in life at the same time. And I have realized that if I do not prioritize me and my health and my mental health and my mental well-being, nothing is gonna come from that. You know, recently, and this year, you know, was such like a whirlwind of things, right? And even last year, like we put on our creators' conference, and I had just got worried, like my grandma had an accident, and then my dad's health challenges last year, and this year they escalated and they just were huge, and it was just so so heavy with everything. And after you've lost one parent, and you're you know, your matriarch of your grandmother, and you know she's 92, and you just know that you know eventually it's gonna happen, and you're like already starting to just all of these things, right? And then you have your dad that is like, oh my goodness, thousands of miles away, and you just you just want to help everybody and everything, and you got businesses, and you got clients, and you got mentees, and you got all of the things. Here's what I realized I cannot pour from an empty cup. So sometimes you're not gonna see me on social media all the time posting, you're not gonna see me all the time posting my workouts, you're not gonna see me all the time posting what I'm doing. I take you guys through the journey, right? You guys don't just get you know business tips or fashion, whatever. Like, I take y'all through the journey, I take y'all through it with me because I believe in just being authentically who you are, and I've just found so much, so much not only value that I'm adding into people's lives, but just by being authentically me. So I share this with you because a lot of time people, you know, and I've and I've seen this, right? Because I'm people, but navigating all of these things, and sometimes I think people just look at leaders and they look at entrepreneurs and they look at successful people and creators and speakers and influencers, and they assume, oh, they're just they're good. But let me tell you, visibility does not equal peace. It doesn't. Money does not automatically equal healing, and success does not automatically equal wellness or wholeness, let alone. So when I say some of the most successful people are silently suffering, I know it because I've lived it, and a lot of my friends that are high performers experience it too, and that's why conversations around mental health matter now more than ever, because mental health affects everything. It's interesting because yesterday I was at a networking event, shout out to the Tampa Business Club, and I'm uh sitting here and I'm talking to these ladies, and she's like, Oh, well, you know, I know you do brand strategy and business coaching, and you know, and you say you build community, and that's amazing. But what does mental health like have to do with everything? I was like, Well, everything actually, because mental health affects each and every single aspect of your life. It affects how you lead, it affects how you communicate, it affects how you handle pressure, it affects how you parent, it affects how you love, it affects how you show up in your relationships, it affects how you perform at work, it affects how you build businesses, it affects how you treat yourself. People think that burnout only affects energy. No, no, no, no. Burnout also affects clarity, and when your mind is exhausted, let me tell you, your patience changes, your emotional regulation changes, your creativity changes, your confidence changes, your decision making changes. You start when you stop operating from strategy and you start operating from survival, that becomes dangerous in leadership, but that also becomes dangerous in life, and that's why you see so much unhealed pressure. It starts spilling into relationships, to your spouses, to your children, to your teams, to your employees, to your clients, to your communities. Because a lot of times you want to go on a chat GBT to start, oh, how can I heal? And and and what do I need? And oh my goodness, this person made me feel this way. And let me point the finger. But you're pointing one, not real, not realizing three are coming back to you. And the reality is that somebody would have never triggered your trauma if it would be healed, and it's a process of healing, but you gotta look inward, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta do the work. You can't be the person that's always pointing the finger or you're pouring or you're pouring out and you're so empty that now you're lashing out at everybody around you. And I know this because I've lived it. I've lived it. So when we talk about mental health matters in life, in business, in leadership, because businesses they're built by humans. If you didn't know, but back for the day, and a dregulated leader creates unhealthy environments, unhealthy families, and but but a healed leader creates healthier communication, healthier culture, healthier teams, healthier decision making. And honestly, some people, it's not that you have a creative problem, it's not that you have a business problem, it's not that you have a leadership problem, it's that you have an exhaustion problem. You do. And we don't need you don't we don't need necessarily another strategy, but here's what we need rest. And it's funny because one of my friends yesterday, he was like, you know, you always say, uh, because I was like, hold me accountable there, you know. And uh he's one of my great friends and business partners, and he's like, Man, you need to go to sleep. I was like, I know, don't kill me. He's like, No, no, I'm not gonna kill you. Your nervous system is gonna get shot, right? But don't worry, your girl loves resting, okay? I've been prioritizing my rest, my sleep, and my well-being, okay? But it's interesting because you need people around you that are gonna put the mirror in your face and that have permission to do it, and that you know the place that it's coming from is only for your own good. That also takes from a place of you of me doing the work, of me allowing people to say, Hey, you know what, it's okay to tell you the uncomfortable truths that you need to hear. And when I say people don't need another strategy, you need rest, you need healing, you need support, you need boundaries, you need therapy, you need Jesus, you need prayer, you need honest conversations, but we need community because clarity becomes very difficult when our nervous system is constantly in survival mode, then that is why, right? Protecting your peace is productive, and one thing I've personally learned if it's not a yes, it's a hell no for me, right? You fill in the blank words that start with the H, but if it's not a hell yes, it's a hell no, right? It's okay, it's my podcast. I could talk whatever I want, but I know I have kids listening to it sometimes, but anyhow, and that is why is like you don't need to respond to everything, you don't need to, you don't need to address certain things, you don't need to, you can you're when you get to the point of that you are you learn to prioritize your peace, you realize that it's like so many people are just walking around thinking that they're healed because they went through a few therapy sessions. And the con the reality is that it is a journey, but it takes you doing the work and it takes you looking inward, and it takes you doing the com having the healthy conversations and having these with people that love you, with people that are not gonna judge you, with people that you're not gonna feel guilty, you're not gonna feel shame. And healing was never meant to happen alone. Isolation is dangerous, and the enemy loves to isolate you because he wants to convince us that nobody understands, he wants to convince us that nobody cares, he wants to convince us, that little liar, that you gotta carry everything about yourself. And I ain't gonna give him that much credit because I know God's who I serve, right? And healing, it begins in a safe community. And honestly, there's been so many seasons that where I thought that strength meant carrying everything alone, and I realized, and I'm so grateful to God, that I realized that strength also means allowing yourself to be supported. I remember when I first experienced this, and I was taking care of my mom, and I saw so many of my friends and family, friends turn family that were just pouring into us and had, you know, our community, our dreamier circle that was praying and meditating every single morning at 6 a.m. Um, and then I had we had prayer calls at night, and I just saw the community of people. And on the days that I was just like the weekends that I was like, please, I need a break. You know, my cousin would come, or my sister was able to fly in, or it was just it was so much community, and I just realized that. And then when my mom lost uh the battle to cancer here and God decided to heal her in heaven nine months after, I didn't think I was gonna survive that. And maybe you're listening to this for the first time and you are navigating grief, or and grief sometimes is not only life after loss of a loved one, it's it's so many different things, right? So when I say things like, you know, you're not alone, it's because I've experienced it and I saw that in that season where I didn't even think I was going to survive, let alone thrive the way that we did. I was able to, and I always say it it was God, it was community, but it was therapy, right? It was therapy in my therapy. I invested not only in therapists, but I invested in a personal trainer because your health is your wealth and it had to get the best in the best. Shout out to Brandon Powell from Way of Life Fitness, shout out to my life coach and business coach and brand strategist. Like I invested in every area of my life because I knew that I couldn't do it by myself, so it was those those those situations that changed, right? Those people, those, but that intentional investment, that putting the mirror in my face and knowing that it's like if you are not willing to do the work, if you are not willing to say, Hey, I need help, be around people that love you enough to see it, be around people that love you enough to say, Hey, I know that I know that you're not okay right now and it's okay. Um, how can I help you? Like, how can I just show up? Sometimes it's just showing up in silence for somebody, right? That that's what it is. Sometimes it's just you just being there, not saying a word, just being there and holding somebody. Sometimes it's just you listening. 90%, it's really you just showing up. And this is why these rooms matter because some rooms they're gonna drain you, and other rooms they're gonna restore you. And that's why community matters, that's why mentorship matters, that's why therapy matters, that's why faith communities matter, that's why safe conversations matter, because one conversation can change somebody's life, one room can change somebody's life, one moment of honesty can completely change the trajectory of someone's life, of their entire lineage. So this is why we created this, not just to motivate people, but creating a safe space for healing, for honest conversations, for leadership, for emotional wellness and regulation, for community, for growth, for restoration, for love, for joy, for hope. So when you come to the symposium for mental health matters, and you see that every year, you know, it gets better. And it's not because of me, right? It's just because God does what he does, and grace is beautiful and the team is amazing, but it's because it gives me a vision and I bring it to fruition. But I'll tell you, everybody was strategically hand selected when we talk about. Um, the panels on performance and leadership. You're gonna be listening to multimillionaires that have built businesses over and over again. You're going to be listening to people that combined have hundreds of years of experience in entrepreneurship, in performance. When you hear about uh navigating grief, healing, and reinvention, you're gonna be listening to people that went through it. And some of them are clinical psychologists that are currently helping more people navigating through it. And you're also gonna be hearing from clinical psychologists and doctors and all these leaders and entrepreneurs and veterans that actually went through it themselves. When you hear on our panel of voices that matter and using your voice for influence, even in the midst of things, you're gonna be hearing from people, again, that not only have over 40 years experience, combined hundreds of years experience, but their entire family lineage has been evolving in this space and they're gonna be contributing this to you. When you when you hear of the mind-body connection and you hear from athletes and overcomers and entrepreneurs and wellness experts, you're going to understand what it is that I'm talking about. So if you're listening and you're like, man, I don't have my ticket yet, go to Posh VIP or DM me. Whoever's listening to this live, I am doing a raffle. Um, I am doing a raffle. So DM me VIP, and I will make sure that you get a VIP ticket, right? I'm raffling off one VIP ticket, but DM me if you have any questions on that. And this is why we're bringing together the best of the best. This is why we're bringing together the athletes, the entrepreneurs, the veterans, the therapists, the the leaders, the creatives, the people with real stories. Real stories because we all need safe spaces now more than ever. And I genuinely believe healing accelerates in a safe community. I think some people don't need another motivational quote, they just need a room where they can finally exhale. Breathe in, breathe out, where they can finally exhale. And honestly, on and honestly, healing requires honesty. It does. Before you can be honest with anybody else, it takes you just being honest with yourself. Healing requires vulnerability, it requires transparency with yourself, it requires support, it requires boundaries, it requires slowing down, it requires emotional awareness, it also requires emotional regulation, it also requires forgiveness, it requires community, it requires rest, it requires love. Understand this that when I talk about what I'm talking about, I'm not I'm not I'm always yes, I'm always talking from an experience, and even though it may not be the same experience, but I just want you to know there's hope. There's hope. There's hope after, there's hope during, even though, even though it may feel heavy right now, even though it may feel thicker than than you've probably ever experienced. I just I just want you to know that I know, like I know there is hope, right? There is definitely hope at the end of it. There's light at the end of the tunnel. When you know the you know, it's interesting, and I'm I'm gonna wrap this up, but it's interesting because I was uh at this networking event yesterday, and I'm talking to these young entrepreneurs, and then you know, like excited about life, and I love it. I love these shout out to all these young entrepreneurs, and I'm talking about like under 25 young, you know what I mean? Like 19, 25. Like I love, love, love, love how they are on fire for life. They're on fire for Christ, they're on fire for business, they're on fire for making their dreams, they are on fire. And I said, you know, they're like, you know, what's one thing that you could you could tell me? I was like, well, you gotta choose your heart. You gotta choose your heart. 12 years consistent in entrepreneurship, 12 years from when I fired my boss, I said, entrepreneurship is a wild adventure with with God. It's one of the wildest adventures with God. I said, but you gotta choose your heart. I said, you know, me being an entrepreneur, sometimes it's very hard. But me going back to work for somebody, that's harder for me. But I will tell you this: when you're after you, when you choose your heart, you also, prior to that, you gotta choose the things that bring you joy. Your peace is non-negotiable. You have to have that big picture for your life because you have to have a compelling vision, you have to have that north star, you have to have something that's gonna pull you and motivation cannot push you. You have to know what that picture is because then you're gonna choose the process and that you're gonna go about it, the best process, taking care of yourself, taking care of your mental health. You have to, mental health is everything. I said, and then finding your purpose along the journey. I said, but when you're done doing things, if they don't bring you joy, that's a clear indication that you're not supposed to be doing it. If you finish doing something, and there's nights that I'm done and I'm exhausted, but I'm still grateful. I'm still joyful. And I told him I was this like, and it's not to place my faithful belief upon you, but they were, you know, we uh we identified that we were uh both believers. And I said, man, and you you can't operate how this world wants you to operate. There's no such thing as saturation and markets and saturated this, saturated that. What's saturated is the mindset, what's saturated is the approach, what's what's saturated is the lack of authenticity, the lack of vulnerability, the thing, the people thinking that oh, you gotta do it alone. No, iron sharpens iron. But when you know, you serve a God of abundance, you serve a God of overflow. No matter how thick it looks right now, no matter how heavy it feels right now, you know, honey, new joy, new mercies come in the morning, every morning. So you have to have a firm foundation of you taking care of you, of you knowing what truly matters. It has to give you joy. You have to have peace. Your peace is non-negotiable. Said, but you need community, and these rooms matter, and you're gonna go through things in life, and this is why you need to be around great people because healing is not pretending it did not hurt, healing is learning how to move forward in spite of, and not only how to move forward, but how to do it without bleeding out on everyone else because when you don't heal from what has cut you, you will bleed on those who did not, and before I close, I just want everybody listening to take a moment and ask yourself honestly. What am I carrying silently? What conversations am I avoiding? Where do I need support? What area of my life needs healing? What area of my heart needs healing? Who do I need to forgive? Sometimes it's just forgiving yourself. What would healing actually look like for me? What would healing actually look like for you? Knowing that you're not alone is of the essence. Knowing that you're not broken, knowing that you're not behind, knowing that the season will not last forever. You know, as I uh Matthew 11, 28 is one of my favorites because it says, Come to me, all who are weary, all burdened, or like, and I will give you rest. Sometimes you just gotta surrender and just trust and know that the best is yet to come. And like I said, honey, new joy, new mercies come every morning. God never intended us to carry life alone, and this is why He created you, He created me for community. You deserve to live a beautiful life, you do not have to have everything figured out by yourself. And I pray every person that's listening to this or watching understands that you deserve to live a beautiful life, even with the pain that you've been through, even with the things that you have experienced that you haven't dared to share with anybody. You deserve to live a beautiful life without losing yourself in the process. You deserve healthy success, you deserve a healthy family, you deserve a healthy community, you deserve healthy peace, you deserve healthy leadership, you deserve healthy relationships, you deserve healthy healing because you deserve a healthy you. And if this conversation blessed you today, tag somebody who needs it, share it with somebody, send it to a friend, post it or to your stories, subscribe to our YouTube channel, make sure you are following us on Spotify, on BusFrack, on all major streaming platforms, and most importantly, check on your strong people. I will see each and every one of you guys on Saturday at our third annual Mental Health Matters Symposium taking place at the Cuban Civic Club in the beautiful Tampa, Florida. And if you are able to tune in online, we have online tickets available as well. Posh VIP or DM me. And remember, I'm giving away a VIP ticket to Saturday's event. So blessings on blessings. I love you guys endlessly. And as always, make sure you are subscribed to Unplugged with Pam on all channels. Share, subscribe, like, and if you have not booked a complimentary strategy session, whether be for your brand, for your business, or for your life, DM me and I'll make sure to send you a link as well. Blessings on blessings. Let's get it. See you guys on Saturday.