Abby Shick and Denana Ivankovic are the ‘Stigma Stompers.’

They both work at NAMI of Erie County, a mental health non-profit.

They’re the hosts of NAMI’s Stigma Stompers podcast. 

“The whole point of NAMI is kind of reaching people where they’re at and providing free and accessible mental health programming. And there was kind of no better way to do that than a podcast,” Shick said. 

The first episode dropped in Feb. 2024. They've talked about a lot of different things and the resources available.

“We also bring in, like, individuals to share their personal journeys and stories and things that they’ve been through, as well,” Ivankovic said. 

On this day, they’re talking about eating disorders and body image.

The show is getting more attention after a slow start.

“We’ve even had individuals who have reached out to us saying they want to be on our podcast and share their own experiences and stories,” Ivankovic said. 

Both women said doing the show has taught them more about mental health’s impacts. 

“We’re hearing from people that were in the lowest of lows that have worked their way back up through various services throughout Erie,” Shick said. “It’s been really inspiring.”

As long as people keep streaming the show, they want to keep making it.

They want to end the mental health stigma and make sure people get the help they need, no matter how hard it is to ask.

“Ideally, we would love if there was no need for the podcast in the future, where stigma would be defeated and people feel comfortable sharing their experiences,” Ivankovic said. 

New episodes are released on the second and fourth Mondays of each month on NAMI’s website and several other platforms.