Oliver Sotra is a half British, half Serbian standup comedian based in Berlin, Germany.  At the age of 25, he decided to look for help from therapy, despite his own unmanaged ego as a young man living in a macho society.    Therapy has changed his life. Before it, his life was offering him major challenges but he couldn’t escape due to his Claustrophobia: the fear of being in small spaces was too intense that he wasn’t able to take a flight. Since then, with the tools he learned from three years' therapy sessions, he lived through dramatic changes in life including two divorces and public shaming.   In this episode, Oliver shares his journey with his mental illnesses and how he managed to have a completely different life after a decade since his big crisis.   It’s Mental! Is a podcast about comedy & mental illness. There is a lot of pain and a lot of shame associated with mental illnesses. It’s Mental! is going to help by talking about it openly with a light tone and make jokes about it. If you liked this episode, please make sure to subscribe for future episodes of comedians’ mental illness journey.  Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/dw6707DkXkk Follow us on social media:  Oliver Sotra: https://www.facebook.com/OliverSotraOfficial  Moni Zhang: https://www.facebook.com/moni.zhang.comedy  References in this episode:  Liliana Velasquez: https://www.facebook.com/LilianavelasquezmComic  Island Wing Chun Berlin: https://www.facebook.com/islandwingchun  Eddie Murphy Raw: https://youtu.be/YMqMKxJJYvY

How does it feel like to have Depression or Anxiety? What comedians do to cope with it?  Moni Zhang is a Chinese standup comedian based in Berlin, Germany. Comedy showed her light and helped her get out of depression. She aims to use the art to help more people, be it a friend, comedian, or audience. Nir Gottleid is an Israeli comic based in Berlin, Germany, because he heard "for some reasons, there's a shortage of Jews in Germany". Nir is probably severely depressed, owing to the many years of suicidal ideation, but he never had the balls to go to a therapist. He was a research subject of a study on comedians and mental illness and trauma. Register now to get the premiere link! Nir Gottleid: https://www.facebook.com/thenireast Moni Zhang: https://www.facebook.com/moni.zhang.comedy

Dragos Cristian is a Romanian standup comedian based in Berlin, Germany. Growing up in post-communist Romania, Dragos had no dream nor hope, until he found out comedy. On the other side of the world, Moni Zhang was born and raised in China. From a very young age, she understood that she should always hide & feel ashamed, as she is raised by a divorced handicapped mother and they live in a sweatshop. Against all odds, Moni made it to Europe and had a great career. Then she collapsed. Depression hit her hard. She couldn’t see hope, until the day she found out standup comedy. Comedy changed their lives and gave them hope. In this episode, they share their stories about 3rd world childhood, poverty, and (lack of) dreams. It’s Mental! Is a podcast about comedy & mental illness. There is a lot of pain and a lot of shame associated with mental illnesses. It’s Mental! is going to help by talking about it openly with a light tone and make jokes about it. If you liked this episode, please make sure to subscribe for future episodes of comedians’ mental illness journey. Watch the video podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUWLHiIDN_HknBT8z7Du7NA Follow us on social media: Dragos Cristian: https://www.facebook.com/dragoscomedy https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGmFvH5bL4sUerU76Nr2f8A Moni Zhang: https://www.facebook.com/moni.zhang.comedy https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdCA7kR_9F4iOkXugdcrjMA