Raghu Manavalan

Los Angeles

Senior Podcast Producer at Depresh Mode

Producer at Maximum Fun

1996 California Jr. Olympics gold medalist

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Articles

Can a Bipartisan Congressional Caucus Save Mental Health in America?

3 weeks ago | maximumfun.org | Raghu Manavalan

Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) is one of four chairs of the bipartisan Mental Health Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, a 93-member group of Republicans and Democrats pledging to fight stigma, improve accessibility, and generally make the country’s mental health better.
Ethan Sacks and Daughter Naomi Tackle Mental Health in Comics Form with A Haunted Girl

1 month ago | maximumfun.org | Raghu Manavalan

Episode notes Ethan Sacks is a veteran comics writer, having created stories for Marvel, DC, and numerous Star Wars comics. In the comic A Haunted Girl, Ethan enlisted his daughter Naomi as co-writer to tell a story much more personal than anything involving Star Wars or the Avengers. A Haunted Girl tells the story of Cleo, a character inspired by Naomi’s real life experiences in her teens dealing with depression, anxiety, and suicidality.
Felicia Day on Depression, Anxiety, Achievement, Burnout, and Failed Prodigies

1 month ago | maximumfun.org | Raghu Manavalan

Episode notes It would take an entire section of show notes here to list all the things Felicia Day has accomplished in her career. Here’s an attempt at making that brief: acted in a bunch of TV shows you know, created and starred in web series, made just so very many online videos, and is now the author and star of an audiobook called Third Eye about someone who is supposed to save the world but fails.
The Head And The Heart’s Kenny Hensley Injured Both Shoulders and That’s Where the Trouble Started

1 month ago | maximumfun.org | Raghu Manavalan

Episode notes Aperture is the sixth studio album by the indie-folk band The Head And The Heart and it’s kind of a return to the more grounded, collaborative sound of their earliest work. It’s less polished, less highly produced, not as poppy. That’s not an accident.
988’s Future, Funding, and Online Fables

1 month ago | maximumfun.org | Raghu Manavalan

Episode notes There have been ten million contacts, via phone calls, texts, and chats, with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline since it first launched in July of 2022. As its third anniversary approaches, we check in to see how the system is holding up, what the funding and capacity issues are, and what the future might look like with our guest, Hannah Wesolowski, Chief Advocacy Officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Generative AI Chatbot Delivers Great Results for Mental Health. Is “Therabot” the Future?

2 months ago | maximumfun.org | Raghu Manavalan

Episode notes Would you open your heart to a bot? Tell it all your problems? Look to a piece of code, a computer program, for high-quality mental healthcare? Some people have said yes and the results are hard to ignore. Dartmouth University test subjects who sought help from Therabot, a generative AI chatbot, showed a 51% reduction in depression symptoms, 31% for anxiety, 19% for eating disorders.
Cameron Esposito on Comedy, Rehab, and Bipolar Disorder

2 months ago | maximumfun.org | Raghu Manavalan

Episode notes Cameron Esposito has many titles: hugely successful standup comedian, actor in television and film, writer, podcast host. After a recent rehab stay led to a mental health diagnosis, she has realized that she’s also a person with bipolar disorder, type II.
The Thorny Issue of Airline Pilots and Mental Illness

2 months ago | maximumfun.org | Raghu Manavalan

Episode notes Statistics say that 23% of Americans are currently living with some form of mental illness. For most people, that calls for reaching out for help and receiving treatment and advice on management. But if you’re an FAA-approved airline pilot, disclosing that you have something like a depressive disorder or an anxiety problem can mean a temporary pause or permanent end to your entire career.
Checking in With Friends: Open Mike Eagle

Mar 26, 2025 | maximumfun.org | Raghu Manavalan

Episode notes Things are scary in this country these days for a lot of people. There is turmoil in the government, shakiness in the economy, and a deep divide over what America even means anymore. In times of upheaval, it’s a good idea to reach out to friends, see how they’re holding up, help carry their burdens and sorrows, and see what wise advice they can share about perseverance. We do this on our show from time to time.
Jim James of My Morning Jacket on Depression, EMDR, Gratitude, and Taking Care of Jim

Mar 24, 2025 | maximumfun.org | Raghu Manavalan

Episode notes “I’m very kind to Jim, I’m trying to take good care of Jim, I’m trying to love Jim,” says musician Jim James of the band My Morning Jacket. The kindness he’s showing Jim, himself, is a relatively new thing, he says, after a long time spent kind of beating up on the guy. As My Morning Jacket releases its new album, is, Jim reflects back on issues such as a need for validation through achievement, alcoholism, and depression.