BLABBERMOUTH.NET
For the finale of the award winning and critically acclaimed
IGTV series and podcast
"Mind Wide Open",
Lily Cornell Silver welcomes her mother, music manager
Susan Silver, for a powerful and introspective talk about the relationship between a parent and child, the connection between addiction and mental health, anxiety, the benefits of therapy and their own journey with wellness. This first anniversary of the launch of
"Mind Wide Open" is on the 57th birthday of
Lily's late father,
Chris Cornell (
SOUNDGARDEN,
AUDIOSLAVE).
While the series launched in honor of her dad, her mom
Susan served as, in
Lily's words, a "catalyst" and mentor for the launch of
"Mind Wide Open".
During the touching and poignant final episode,
Susan and
Lily discussed the life experiences that led
Susan to bring
Lily into the world. They also delved into their close bond, their home life and specifically how
Susan set the stage for
Lily's openness around mental health and how they continue to approach it today.
Susan said: "What I learned, probably just in the years before you were born, was that selfcare is not self indulgence. It's so important that we take responsibility for ourselves individually so we can help take care of the collective. She continued: "Movement and dance... for the last 25 years, helps me physically feel better but lifts me emotionally in a profound way. I got lucky enough to get introduced to TM (transcendental meditation) when I was in high school so that was really important... Therapy has been really valuable for me and getting out in nature... those are the pillars for me. Having a spiritual practice… really important for me. It has been for decades and decades."
Susan also reflected on the people in her own life who struggled with mental health challenges and how addiction was a result of self-medicating. "By the time you were born, I had dealt with a lot of people who had substance abuse and addiction and there had been a fair amount of losses," she said. "And the losses, of course, have a profound impact. I was in my early 40s when I had you so I had a lot of life experience to look back on. I had participated in a lot of programs with people in different rehabs, I would go as a supportive family member or spouse or in a professional capacity with clients. And certainly, I learned that there's something underneath the addiction component and the conversation about mental health started to become more and more prevalent."
Regarding her approach to being a mom,
Susan explained that the loss of her brother made her re-examine her life. "Your dad and I always wanted to bring a family into the world and we were so busy with our careers," she said. "But it was the heart-shattering loss of my little brother that made me stop and really look at bringing you into the world, first and foremost. And... really think about 'how did I want that to be for you?' What did I want for you that I didn't have in my growing up."
Closing out the final episode of
"Mind Wide Open",
Susan praised
Lily and her generation, calling them "amazing warriors" and retains hope the world will be in good hands as they start their journey into adulthood.
Lily reflected on one of the many things she has learned through the past year of
"Mind Wide Open", "the importance of listening to oneself, and that it's okay to ask for help."
Lily has been recognized and received high praise and awards from
NAMI NY,
NAMI Seattle,
Navos and others since she began
"Mind Wide Open". With the finale of the series,
Lily will focus on finishing college, as well as continuing as an ambassador for the
QUILT app where she hosts a popular weekly discussion. She has recently joined
Lemonada as an executive producer with a focus on creating stories about mental health.
"Mind Wide Open" gets to the finish line having been featured in
Rolling Stone,
Alternative Press,
Maria Shriver's
Sunday Paper,
Variety,
NME,
ET, and the
Seattle Times, among many, many others.
"Mind Wide Open" may come back for special episodes but can still be heard as a podcast on
Spotify and
Apple and on
YouTube with subtitles available in Spanish and English.
Past episodes of
"Mind Wide Open" have featured
Eddie Vedder of
PEARL JAM, iconic singer
Ann Wilson, actor/host
Jack Osbourne, actor/activist
Michael K Williams,
THE PRETTY RECKLESS singer
Taylor Momsen, social media star/body positivity activist
Sienna Mae Gomez, grief expert/author
David Kessler, activist, musician, author
Nadya Tolokonnikova of
PUSSY RIOT, singer/songwriter
Fantastic Negrito, actor-activist
Brittany Snow,
Allison Hagendorf, global head of rock at
Spotify, TV icon/author
Matt Pinfield,
Dr. Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky of the
Trauma Stewardship in Seattle,
Alicia Bognanno of
Bully,
Dr. Marc Brackett, author of
"Permission To Feel" and founding director of the Yale Center For Emotional Intelligence,
TikTok/
Instagram influencer
Sir Carter,
GUNS N' ROSES bassist
Duff McKagan, and
Monique Minahan, founder of
The Grief Practice, among others.