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Erica Gerard

@ericalgerard

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Producer of audio. Lover of dachshunds.

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A story that began with two years of audio diaries I recorded during my antidepressant taper is now on The Pulse.

If you’re curious about what it’s like to go through antidepressant withdrawal after long-term use or you just want to hear me cry an embarrassing amount, please have a listen.

This one is deeply personal and I’m very proud of it.

Grateful to @maikenscottphl and Lindsay Lazarski for helping me bring this story to life.

Listen at the link in my bio, or find The Pulse wherever you get your podcasts.

#antidepressantwithdrawal #antidepressanttapering #mentalhealthjournalism #midlifewithoutmeds by @ericalgerard

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2 months ago

I’m admittedly not the most educated on the careers of artists, but when I heard that the late great #yayoikusama had an exhibit here in my new home of Cincinnati I knew I had to go.

I first saw her work as a wild study abroad student in London in 2000 (26 years ago!) The polkadots were forever burned into my brain. I loved how when you walked into the room you were in eveloped in playfulness and saturation of color.

I loved her red bob haircut with blunt bangs and the way she wore oversized, interesting sculptural outfits. She holds the same place in my heart as Björk for her creativity and nonconformist attitude, but with a sweetness and happiness that brings light and a smile to others.

RIP Yayoi. And thank you.

#cincinnatiartmuseum taken in Cincinnati by @ericalgerard

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17 days ago

For years, I’ve had the privilege of helping tell other people’s stories. This one is mine.

I started taking antidepressants at 19. More than 25 years later, one question began taking up permanent real estate in my mind:

Who am I without antidepressants?

That question started me on a journey I was completely unprepared for—and made me rethink nearly everything I believed about medication, mental health, healing, and identity.

This is the first piece from my new Substack, Midlife Without Meds. Sharing this feels tender, but I hope it makes someone asking similar questions feel less alone.

Read it at the link in my bio. by @ericalgerard

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2 months ago

A little late but happy 3rd birthday to my baby boy Hershey! You are the kissiest kissy in the whole wide world. I love that you always want to go under the blanket but stay on my lap. You startle easily but you will bite a bitch. Your brothers love you so much and so do I! by @ericalgerard

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3 months ago

10 days in Iceland. The sun never went down one time. It’s a bit disorienting but in a cool dream like way where you feel like you are on drugs and stayed up all night but you didn’t.

I learned many things! These learnings do not correspond with the photo order.

1. There are many Icelandic redheads because the Vikings stole women from Ireland and brought them back to Iceland as domestic slaves.

2. The menu includes Artic Char, cod, lamb and reindeer. All menus. Every menu. And cauliflower too.

3. The Harpa Concert Hall (second photo) is a stunner and almost didn’t get finished due to the 2008 economic and financial collapse. It cost 270 million dollars.

4. The Sky Lagoon is where locals like to go for hot springs and spa time inside an underground hobbit house. It was glorious.

5. There is a glacier that guides call fat yogurt and it’s melting very rapidly. It was a beautiful warm day for glacier hiking. So warm that many layers were removed!

6. there are so many sheep. Everywhere. And they are adorable. A lamb is a sheep under one year old. I didn’t know that, did you? There are also wild horses everywhere.

7. Bjork is a national treasure and celebrated in Reykjavik and beyond. Lucky that we got to see her new exhibit at the Icelandic national gallery. It was incredibly moving and a highlight of the trip for me.

8. Josh made me try Icelandic cod liver oil at breakfast one day and it was absolutely disgusting. 🤮 It was offered at every breakfast we had! Thank god for the beet juice chaser.

9. Around 2 million people visit Iceland every year and there are only about 400,000 that live there, of which 138.000 live in Reykjavik.

10. We had a beautiful, peaceful and wonderful time and I’m grateful for the memories!

#icelandadventure #summeriniceland #sheeple #lovebirds taken in Iceland by @ericalgerard

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4 months ago

April highlights! Chopped my hair, Luna came to visit, recording Mirabelle Soufer’s incredible poem, celebratory dinner with Josh, and as always…my three babies! by @ericalgerard

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5 months ago

Happy 10th birthday to my first baby boy Paco! He is the best dog in the world and I love him more than anything. Everyday with him is a gift. I remind myself of this when he is barking incessantly, getting out of the fence to chase squirrels, whimpering because he wants the bone that one of the dogs has. But these are the gems that make him Paco and he has been the greatest blessing of my life. I can’t believe he is 10! by @ericalgerard

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7 months ago

We had a blast at the dreamy Amuseum fundraiser at the Creative Discovery Museum hosted by two dear friends with the biggest hearts I know @jsoufer and @asouf123

Congrats on such a successful event and for giving me a reason to dance it up with my handsome guy. 💜 taken in Creative Discovery Museum by @ericalgerard

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7 months ago

Danish culture in three words: beauty, community, simplicity. First time in Copenhagen and won’t be the last.

Highlights include the Design Museum, walking around snowy Christiana, recording in my hotel room with @anders_sorensen_phd for an upcoming narrative series, embracing Fika in Sweden by eating a giant cinnamon roll in a cozy cafe, and the stunning Danish Jewish Museum.

The Danes were a friend to the Jews and helped them get to safety in Sweden after Hitler invaded. They also took them in after the war and helped them resettle.

My favorite night was having dinner at a communal table with all the neighbors on the block. This is common for Danish people, to have dinner with strangers and leave as friends. It’s no wonder they score so high on the happiness index!

Go to Denmark! You won’t regret it. Even if it’s cold Especially because it’s cold.

#copenhagen #denmark #fika #gothenburg taken in Copenhagen, Dennmark by @ericalgerard

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8 months ago

Sevilla you were a wonder! Such an alive city. That cheesecake though. Those weens’s! Must have walked 10 million miles. Rode my bike through crowds and down alleyways. Met lots of Brits and even a couple from Chattanooga who live 10 min from my house!

First solo trip down and can’t wait for the next one. Such a different experience. Loved it. Love traveling with friends too but sometimes everyone is busy living their lives and you just got to go. Life waits for no one. Get out there and play!

#seville by @ericalgerard

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a year ago

Seville, Spain. What I love about this moment is that it’s 10:00pm on a Monday night and look how many people are out, sitting on the steps, listening to this woman play the piano. I can’t get over how “outside” people are in Europe. No wonder they don’t have the dang loneliness epidemic we do in America.

Also thank you to @randilevinson for taking me to this gorgeous restaurant in Loulé on my last night in Portugal. And thank you to @mayapapayalaca for making the connection! Nothing better than meeting friends of friends while traveling! taken in Sevilla, La Seta Sevillana by @ericalgerard

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a year ago

The highlight of my trip so far was climbing this mountain called Picota in Monchique, a small village in the Algarve. I got lost on the way down and ran out of water, but then was saved by a French couple who made the same wrong turn I did and we found our way down the mountain together.

Also did some kayaking in the caves with a group of people from all over the world. The water was freezing! Definitely not for swimming, at least not for me.

Now I start my journey east towards Seville! taken in Lagos, Algarve, Portugal by @ericalgerard

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a year ago