Ep 49: SPEAKING OUT TO SAVE LIVES: One Woman’s Work To Break Stereotypes Around Mental Illness

Sharon Fekete is the founder of The Doctor Whisperer, a medical practice management company, and the co-founder of 13th Avenue Media. Her friends describe her as independent, strong, and beautiful. That’s why it was so shocking when she revealed in 2019 that she had attempted suicide as a young woman growing up in New York. In this podcast, Sharon shares her deeply personal story with Sarina Fazan – and in doing so, how she’s helping to break the stereotypes that surround addiction and mental illness.

By the young age of 19 years, Sharon already was in rehab for alcoholism and drug addiction. At that time, she had lost an entire year of her life, basically blacking out and finding herself in Detroit, Michigan, where she came close to death more than once. She had untreated depression and reached for help in the form of addictions, unhealthy choices in relationships, and suicide ideation. Sharon breaks all of the stereotypes of someone who’s experienced these things.

Even more profound is the fact that Sharon comes from a loving home, with parents who have been married for 50+ years. She is one of several kids in this large, close-knit Irish family. No one knew that Sharon was going through major, severe depression and anxiety because she was very good at hiding it. Her family was happy, and she didn’t want her mom and dad to feel like they had done something wrong. Sharon figured she might be "going a little crazy,” but that it would pass.  

More than a decade ago, Sharon moved from New York to Tampa Bay, wanting to start a new chapter of her life. But the more successful she became in the Bay area and the more she mentored other young women in business, the more guilty she felt about keeping the secret of her past. Over the years, there were many times when young women or other women her age would share that they were struggling with depression or anxiety - under the weight of responsibilities and stress. When asked for advice, Sharon would give it, but stopped short of revealing she was a survivor, too. 

It broke Sharon’s heart when struggling women would tell her “you just can’t understand what I’m going through,” “maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. I don’t want you to think I’m crazy,” or “please don’t think less of me. I just don’t feel like myself and I don’t know what to do.” So, last year, she made the brave decision to publicly reveal what she went through as a young woman, how the employee assistance program (EAP) counseling at her father’s job saved her life, and how mental health counseling really works. She is sharing her story to help remove the stigma of mental illness and to showcase local resources, including Alcoholics Anonymous and Celebrate Recovery programs all over the country.

Sharon made this revelation on August 11, 2019, the 25th anniversary of her sobriety, through public speaking and the launch of her first book, The Broken Road to Mental Health: In Life and in Business. The book chronicles her previous struggles with addiction, depression, and the journey to overcome adversity. She gave away hundreds of books to all of her clients and her large network of contacts. The book is also available for purchase on Amazon: www.Amazon.com/Broken-Road-Mental-Health-Business/dp/0578541416

As The Doctor Whisperer, Sharon works with doctors from Tampa Bay to New York and beyond, whispering strategies to physicians for almost 20 years. Sharon understands the only way to encourage growth and evoke change with high-level professionals is to deliver radical candor. 

And this candor extends to her own podcast, “The Doctor Whisperer Show,” which you can find wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Sharon won the Susie Steiner Community Impact award from Hillsborough Community College in 2018 and her advocacy for mental health continues to make a difference.  She currently sits on the Board of Largo Parks and Recreation and the planning committee for “Playing Unplugged, Just What the Doctor Ordered. 

Today, Sharon is happily married with a teenage stepson, and she’s the mom of two fur babies. In her spare time, she enjoys being the co-founder of www.13thAveMedia.com and biking over bridges along the Gulf of Mexico!

Learn more about Sharon’s work as The Doctor Whisperer at www.TheDoctorWhisperer.com.

For more discussions like this one, make sure to subscribe to the podcast “On The Record With Sarina Fazan."

Sarina Fazan’s wardrobe provided by Triage Consignment Boutique (www.Facebook.com/triageconsignment).  

Sarina Fazan’s dry cleaning and laundry provided by ZIPS Dry Cleaners (www.321zips.com/tampa).

Marc Marino, a financial advisor with Edward Jones, sponsors the “Let’s Spread Kindness” initiative and the “On The Record With Sarina Fazan” podcast. To learn more about Marc Marino, visit his website at https://www.edwardjones.com/financial-advisor/index.html?CIRN=J8Xt82uMZ5PTkAAfJx0rPPELPdflNeOixbnYxMnYXdXnKX7BL7zz5t8tIJl5Do72.

Find out how you can help spread kindness at www.LetsSpreadKindness.com, and follow the “Let’s Spread Kindness” initiative on Facebook and Instagram @startspreadingkindness.