You Are Needed Here

✨ Wellness in the Wavelength Episode 9 ✨

This week, we’re sharing a powerful reminder that you are not alone, and you are needed here. We’re highlighting the work of You're Needed Here, a community focused on spreading hope, sharing mental health resources, and encouraging people to reach out when they’re struggling.

This episode explores how mental health issues should not be stigmatized, and how open conversations can create safer, more compassionate communities. It also reflects on how small acts of compassion...a message...a check-in, or simply listening.... can make a life-changing difference. Because sometimes the most important thing we can do for each other is show up, remind one another that help exists, and that every life has value 🎧✨

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

What's up, hockeys? Kat and Paige here, back with another episode of Wellness in the Wavelength.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Today we're here with Christy with Your Needed Here. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what your needed here does?

SPEAKER_01 0:18

Hi, yes. Thank you so much for having me. So, like you said, I'm Christy, and I'll just jump right into it. From a very young age, I've been exposed to mental illness. When I was five, my brother, who was seven, was diagnosed with mental illness, and my mom was very transparent about it. So I was always aware of the treatment and the resources that were available back in say 2003. Even some of the best mental health hospitals back then really didn't give him the treatment that he deserved. And just throughout middle school, high school, I grew up watching him also try to make his way throughout the world with a disability. And I will say I also grew up with Gabrielle, who goes by Zingara. We've known each other since middle school and high school. So she's also been very involved with mental illness and aware of the struggles that individuals go through, either individually or communally. And when she started making music, I started going to events more with her about four or five years ago. And I was, I like to say that a lot of the bass scene is a little bit neurodivergent and me as and I think that with neurodivergence comes mental illness, comes chemical imbalance. So I definitely saw that it was a very concentrated population at these shows and events. And I also have to say, like festivals, I feel like you're in survival mode out there. What was your guys' first camping festival like? I left mine, that's all I have to say.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

It was a two-minute recovery.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

I had to go emergency buy a tapestry because the sun was beating down on me and it was gnarly.

SPEAKER_01 2:13

Like it's always something that you're not expected or not prepared for, especially your first time. So every all of this kind of goes into your needed here because it's really a platform for mental health awareness. But then I spun it to be based towards this community, and I started making festival guides and show guides that would have that important hey, bring an extra tapestry for the sun. Like you want all corners covered and different reminders for earplugs and reminis to hydrate and give each other space and just tips. Because, like I was saying, I also had a very scary first camping experience. I went to Bonneroo in 2018, had never even regular camped before a day in my life. Like it was we arrived Wednesday night, I was gone by Friday morning. Like you're like, I'm it's I'm out. Yeah, and I'm sure a lot of people can resonate with that. And so I was like, what would have helped me back then? And so that's how I started doing the awareness and then also the guides. And yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

You raised like a really good point, and that's a correlation, right? Around, and not that everyone is neurodivergent within the scene, but going to these festivals for the first time, especially camping festivals and being slightly neurodivergent and underprepared, you can also lose that opportunity to be able to see that this space actually can be really for you and comfortable for you. But to your point, it's if you don't really have a lot of those things, it can be instantly overwhelming where you're like, actually, no, I'm gonna go back home to my little comfy bed and my little cave, at least what I have, and then the stuff that I use to go for over stimulation and then miss out because you just, of course, from a digital standpoint, it looks so exciting and so fun, but and it looks like that easy. Everyone just showed up at the stage, but like really been like in the car line for three to five hours. You're trying to set yourself up. I know when you're at Okeechobee, we like there were so many anthills that were the camping was that we had to were not prepared for, but then had to figure it out, like all of those things before you're like finally, yay, I can like enjoy the music. So that's really cool because it there I could see where there's a lot of missed opportunity for some people, like not being prepared, especially if they have any level of like disability, mental or physical, not like having that.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Yeah, a hundred percent. And I will say, like, one of the biggest things that I do to make those guides is I read through the festival website. I read every word on that website. And it's a lot of people don't take the time to go do that, but they'll be scrolling on Instagram. So I'm like, here's how we're gonna get them. Here's how we're gonna get the info to them. And I have to shout out my cousin Kennedy. She does all the graphic design for our page. She's my cousin, so it's just extra special to be running it as a family as an extra component to that that we've grown up together. Also, the point that you brought up that really is so important is that it always looks so much better and easier on people's instruction or on their stories, or and I think that's that goes to say for everyone posting everything. It's like they're showing you the very best second of their entire trip. You're not seeing the tears that were shed last night because the Uber canceled or they didn't have service, like and personal experience, like, but I think that's so important for us to note and to be aware of. It's and also for your needed here to bring attention to the fact that there are these struggles and you should be going into this prepared because it takes a lot more energy out of you than you expect it to.

SPEAKER_02 6:01

Yeah, and I think that especially because when you think of festivals like Burning Man, like that is extra survival mode. Like they create a whole town, and like the reason that they have the values that they do is so that you can go out there and succeed. But it's real.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

No, it it really is real. And your point around, I think this is like very important. And I feel like maybe we've talked about this on some past like episodes too, but just like how the perception of social media in general is the best moments. Like, even for me, like I'm going back from having the flu, and like I went still to see my best friend for a baby shower, but in all my pictures that I posted the past few days, I look fine. But like you guys know, like I'm fighting for my life. I had someone DM me and they're like, you haven't responded to my text. I'm like, I'm literally dying. I'm so sorry that you saw me smiling in a picture, but I'm like down bad. And so that like perception is a reality thing, and you bridging that gap for people, especially when it comes to mental health too, because it's also like people see all that, and like everyone looks so happy and their life's so amazing, and they're going to all these festivals. But honestly, more often than not, a lot of people are going to these festivals like as to help their mental health in some cases, like in a lot of cases, like they're actually going because they're like, this really helps me feel more connected to the community that rather than where I am or my day-to-day job. And I really do love what you do to bring that awareness to that reality. Because to your point, it's yes, this person posted this picture of them like looking amazing and they're fit, but like a lot of times, like deep down, some of them are like actually like very depressed. And it not that needs to be highlighted, but there should, I don't know, maybe we do need to have more of a social balance on social media where like people are real. I see more people trying to do that, but for sure, it's not always like you're just seeing the product.

SPEAKER_01 7:52

Yeah, and I brought that up too. But I feel like at festivals, sometimes it's supposed to be the happiest time of your life, and then there's pressure on it, and then you almost feel worse about like yourself. So when I speak at festivals, I try just to be like, Thank yourself so much for getting to this moment, just take a deep breath and just know that like it's not you, and it there's no pressure. Like you're here to twirl around like a fairy and be with your friends and just have fun and listen to good music. And I think that we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. Oh, this I spent all this money on this, and I have to have the best time. But it's you're right, we are also going there to heal our mental health. So we have to release that pressure in doing so. One thing I was gonna talk about too is the highs and lows of the EDM scene are insane. Like, even for people that aren't even, let's start it. The people that aren't even working in the industry, they're just they're at a normal job, say Monday through Thursday, they use their time off to go to a festival. It is like a culture shock, just from work to the festival life and then back to work. Like it takes so much out of you, and just how nice everyone is in the festival world and handing out little mini trinkets and just you're in such a different culture, and then you come back to your normal job. And I've had panic attacks over it, like like before, like back in the day, like it's I've really been like, oh my God, am I even doing the right thing in life? Because I just saw how beautiful it could like certain things could be, but to an even larger scale, it's like for the artists, like they go and perform in front of thousands and thousands of people. And it's so funny. Last Saturday, I went into an artist's room, maybe 20 minutes after he got off stage, full production, thousands of people, and he's on his phone reading about current events in the world, and he's like talking about what's going on overseas. And I'm like, like, like that should be studied. It's just amazing how that's their life, and that's your life as just people that work such late nights and turn around quickly to produce content. And I don't think that's talked about a lot, are the super highs and lows. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:07

Definitely not, definitely not. So, like the mids range is sometimes talked about, and that was also part of what inspired this podcast, too, was to like also like genuinely talk about some of those lows while obviously highlighting the highs, because there are like it's to your point about the integration from those environments, and a lot of DJ Gem producers, especially with the current terrain of the EDM scene, still have to work other jobs. And some of the people that are working behind the scenes as well, and then of course the fans that are there working jobs, but that's like a lot, like it's a lot on your mental to go from playing for in front of thousands of people and your dopamine is like spiked and all these things to then that time is your set's over, and you're just whoever you are now, is sitting behind scenes in the green room, and you hop on your phone, and the world is still worlding, and all those things that are sitting in subconsciously. And those again have felt that too. And I'm sure Paige for you too, like in the workspace, are just like what I felt that even coming back from retreats and that reintegration period, like not having the proper resources can like honestly really slap back. And it's like then you're and that's what I meant when I you asked about the first festivals, like the two weeks of like recoup, isn't just because of fighting for my life in terms of getting set up and just like the environment, it's also just that like total shift of mental and physical space that you're in that's so counterintuitive to this nine to five culture or whatever it is that we've been ingrained in us in society to normalize.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 11:47

Do you want to talk a little bit too about like your relationship with Zengara and some of the work you've done together? Because I've seen you guys growing up like together a lot, and so I thought that might be really cool to dive deeper because I've seen a lot of it, but I am always like, What am I sort of doing?

SPEAKER_01 12:02

Yeah, yeah, that's a good idea. I uh like I had mentioned earlier, I've known Zingara since we were in like sixth grade, like on eighth grade basketball team together, did dance team together all of high school. And one little fun fact I like to tell people is like she made our mixes that we danced to like in high school on dance team. And this was like pre any idea that she wanted to be a DJ or anything. Like, she's just a Virgo woman, so she can do anything. Like, she cut all of her skills, it's insane. Like, she cut my hair in high school, but anyways, when she started doing more in the scene, I actually saw a Lost Lands posted, we need more workshop posts. And I was like, hey, like I'm a little bit, I'm a little too nervous to do this by myself, but you're already established and this could be really great. And she jumped on it so quickly, she was like, Yes, what should we do? Do you have any ideas? And what we landed on is we do a vision board workshop, which is really special because it talks about the power of manifestation, the power of word and thought and positive thoughts to yourself. So we get to talk to them about how to make a vision board, and then they craft it. And while they're crafting it, we can answer questions from anything ranging from mental health all the way to like her DJ questions. And what's really cool about Lost Lands is it's in September, which is Suicide Awareness Month. So I usually do a little talk about because I was saying earlier, mental illness is a chemical imbalance, and it's not your fault, it's not your loved one's fault. And I think that we've all experienced suicide in our personal lives with close friends, family, people in the scene, people from our high school, et cetera. And sometimes when you have those feelings and when you are at that level of depression, it feels like there's no other answers. It feels like there's just that's it, that's the end of the road, because you're in a mental state that leads you to believe that again, it's not your fault. But what I like to say is that even if you haven't thought of it yet, there is something that's gonna work for you. And just to keep hope and just celebrate the fact that you're here and listening to music and just in this community with so many like-minded individuals, and that helps always there and to always reach out. And I'll do my part and sharing as many resources as I can. But I just also the name of my the name you're needed here itself. The idea is to just give that message, even if that's all anyone ever sees, is just you're needed here, just a sticker on the side of the road. That's my goal, is just for that message to be carried with people throughout their everydays. I'll give a personal example. I back in 2024, Kat, were you here when the hurricanes hit? Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:58

I was here with the Pensacola, but I was here, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Yeah. And what was terrible was the first one was so bad, and then we came back, and then they're like, oh, by the way, in a week another one's coming, and it's gonna be five times worse. So in my head, with my anxiety level, I was like, okay, so like my whole living situation is gonna be just inlivable, gone, whatever. So there was one day that I just curled up in bed and I was having a panic attack, and I just I didn't have the energy to even look at my stuff to pack to move out for the second one. And I looked at my phone and my eyes focused in on the sticker on the back of my phone. It said, You're needed here. And I was like, ah man, like I got myself. But it was like the first time that it what it happened to me, what my whole idea was. Like it just gave me that affirmation and was like, you are needed here. Sketch yourself up, like you can do this. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:58

So I love that, and I really love that you like even just talked about like just the hope that is really the through line to like carry you through. Because I know, even for myself, like from a really young age, it was I used to wear a ring that said hope as that little like constant reminder to that message to myself that hey, it's gonna go up from here. And like I think that just carrying that and like having even if it's just like those little messages that you just put on the back of your phone because you're like, oh, this is cute, and blah blah blah. And then later on, you're like, oh wow, that really carried. And I just oh, it's so nice to just be able to receive the same thing that you put out into the world back to yourself.

SPEAKER_00 16:40

It resonated with that feeling of I know exactly what you mean. You're in that ball of just like you, you're like paralyzed in emotion, and like any everything anything and everything feels so hard. Like whether it's literally standing up and locking your door or turning your light off or doing one simple dish, like that feeling is so real and so much more common and very hard to describe unless you're around people that can relate to you on that, because I'm sure both of you probably know what I'm talking about. It feels that like sometimes you say that or you hear people talk about like, why doesn't this person just do it? Like, why don't they just do it? And it's because you don't understand, like it feels it's so consuming what that feels like to have to move from just that being that feeling of being paralyzed. And so, like that reminders that both of you have shared, like it really does. Like you never know when someone will look at that and see it and be like, okay, I can put my feet on the ground, like I can move my legs, like I can get ready and do this thing. It does go like a much farther than I think people realize at times. So I think it's really beautiful that you both shared those stories and how it resonated with you, and how obviously it's resonated with many people, Christy. I'm just seeing it pop up everywhere, and you and Zagara working together and trying to implement it in the workshop space, which like obviously we're all very passionate about the workshop space and things like that. But it's just so true that I'm glad you brought that that real emotion up. It's not talked about enough how you get like frozen, like literally frozen, and you do feel like you're the only person that ever feels like that, and you get down and it's like, wait, no, I need I needed to be here, you're needed to be here. We're all needed to be here.

SPEAKER_01 18:21

Exactly. Yeah, a hundred percent. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

Yeah, which like I have to like now rant for a little bit about you because our listeners probably don't know how Christine and I got intertwined was because Black History Month last year, she had highlighted some black and brown influencers in our scene, and I didn't know it was going up, and one of our previous guests, Bourne, was on it, and so was I. So I wake up this morning and I see this, and I was like, oh my gosh. And then I slide through and I see Bourne, and then I just felt really connected to what he was doing, and I connect with him, and like now he's one of like my best friends on earth and has been such a healing relationship for me. So I need our listeners to know like your work in action, because that like coming out of nowhere, and then how that's transformed and evolved and been such like a beautiful thing. And he, in many moments, has reminded me that I need it here and that I'm enough, which is like his slogan. So I need our listeners to know about this mission in real time, like really working and being beautiful. Cause outside of just like being honored to be involved in that, like that has been seriously one of the most needed and like healing friendships of my adulthood. So I need our listeners to know. I'm like, yeah. So like you're playing in action, like seriously. So I was like, we're not getting off this podcast. So I know that she is her.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Oh, thank you. That means so much. And like I said, like that's exactly why doing it. Like, I want it to be working in ways that I have no idea. So past me, and just a life of its own and forming its own like connections, and that's such a good example. So thank you.

SPEAKER_00 20:04

You're welcome. I think about it every day, and I would give you a million flowers every time me and Born are talking. So I just had to admit fine. I was gonna do it in the beginning, and then I was like, wait, no, this is actually looping in at the end. What are some things you have coming up in the future? And Paige, do you have any other last questions too? But I just what are you thinking? Where do you want to take this? Just so, like our listeners, like you mentioned, you did that workshop. Are there any other areas or things you want to get into or you have interest in things like that?

SPEAKER_01 20:32

Yeah, I would say definitely keep an eye out. We're always planning more workshops or planning different ideas other than vision boards in the future. I think that's gonna have a kind of a life of its own in the next few years. And then I'll also say the next project I'm working on is a website for You're Needed Here, and the shirts are gonna be for sale to go towards donations. I forgot to mention one of the things that I do as well is I make little harm reduction goodie bags and I hand those out at shows and festivals. So we'll have liquid IV, earplugs, hand sanitizer, of course, like little jolly ranchers, trinkets, but that type of stuff. So that the money goes towards that, it goes towards helping to create the content. Look out for more workshops and a website coming very soon.

SPEAKER_00 21:20

All right, hockeys. This is an amazing convo. Thank you, Christy. Paige, do you have any last words or anything you've been inspired by that you wanna any golden nuggets?

SPEAKER_02 21:33

Not only that, I'm just really thankful for the work that you do, Christy, because I think that this message definitely needs to be shared throughout the community and especially that just the overarching community, but also especially the EDM community. Cause like you said, Kat, like a lot of us do go to these events, they go see the music because the music is what has healed us and has spoken to our souls. And especially when we meet our those moments of ourselves. And that vulnerability and around like-minded people, like sometimes we just need to know and remember that we are needed here for our own mission and utilizing our own and like unique individual energy. I'm excited to see more of what you bring into the world, Christy, and how you're needed here continues to grow and impact so many.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

Thank you. I did want to say thank you both too for all your parts and having this podcast and all the stuff that Electric Hawk does and shouting out like the badass women in the industry. And I really appreciate and all that stuff, and I'm honored to have had a chance to talk to you guys.

SPEAKER_00 22:38

Oh, I'm like getting a little teary eye. This is so cutie. All right, hockey's. Well, this was a beautiful convo, and we will catch you on the next episode. Hockey's out.