Order in the Cortex
Jane’s guest today is the legendary comedian, TV star, screenwriter, actor, producer, director, entrepreneur, game show host and best-selling author, Howie Mandel. While Howie, who is best known now as a longtime judge on America’s Got Talent, is still a comedian at heart, his extrordianary rise to storied success while battling truly severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), was anything but funny. As he explains, the common conception of OCD as just a personality quirk, could not be farther from the truth – it is a potentially totally debilitating condition. In fact, in this segment, Howie tells the story of how his career arc, from working open-mic nights at comedy clubs in his native Canada to now being a major force in the entertainment industry, is entwined with his struggles with this paralyzing disorder. To that end he has been a long-time partner of NOCD, the world’s leading provider of OCD treatments. Together, they aim to raise awareness for the under-served global population that suffers from this disorder, many of whom are improperly treated for other mental health conditions due to misdiagnoses. And given that none of us are spared from emotional stress on a daily basis, Howie shares what tools help him cope with OCD, and what listeners can also learn from it that will help us all become Better Than Before.
