‘Thrive with Chirlane McCray podcast launched by City Hall

First Lady Chirlane McCray today announced the launch of Thrive with Chirlane McCray, a new podcast covering mental health and wellness for all. The podcast is a part of a new collaboration with BRIC, Brooklyn’s leading presenter of arts and culture, and is hosted by First Lady McCray. The monthly conversations will feature advocates, health professionals, artists, and writers who work to promote mental health, lead policy change, or provide direct mental health services. Each episode includes information about where and how New Yorkers can access relevant resources, services, and support in New York City.

“Mental health affects our daily life, relationships and physical health, but too often, stigma and lack of resources prevent people from getting the support they need,”said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “In New York City, our work to end stigma has shown us just how important it is to meet people where they are and have these conversations. We are thrilled to partner with an organization like BRIC that has served the community for decades and thank President Kristina Newman-Scott for her leadership.”

“One in five New Yorkers struggles with mental health,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “As government, we have a responsibility to tackle this issue and ensure New Yorkers know that support is available. I am so proud of Chirlane for her continued commitment to helping people in every borough and every neighborhood access the help they need.”

“We are thrilled to have First Lady Chirlane McCray join our active community of almost 3,000 producers for Brooklyn Free Speech. For over 40 years, BRIC has been empowering voices in our community to tackle important issues that impact them, including mental health,” said Kristina Newman-Scott, President, BRIC.

Thrive with Chirlane McCray is part of Brooklyn Free Speech, BRIC’s community podcast network program, which provides the borough’s residents with an opportunity to voice their hopes, dreams, and ideas to their communities. Episodes are recorded in BRIC’s Media Center located in Downtown Brooklyn.  The Media Center offers a variety of free and affordable, high-quality film, TV, and podcasting courses, as well as state-of-the-art equipment, studios, and editing suites.

The first two episodes will be available starting today, February 18th with subsequent episodes appearing monthly. Each episode provides listeners with information on how to access New York City services and resources including the Unity Project, ThriveNYC, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and more.  The first two episodes feature conversations with Dante de Blasio, son of First Lady McCray and Mayor Bill de Blasio, and Jodie Patterson, advocate, entrepreneur and author of The Bold World: A Memoir of Family and Transformation.

Thrive with Chirlane McCray is available at nyc.gov/firstlady. The podcast will also be available for download on Spotify, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.