Nadia Sayers: Miss Universe, Comic Books & Mental Health

 

Meet Nadia Sayers…

Nadia Sayers is a professional model and Miss Universe Ireland 2020. She's also a passionate mental health advocate, speaker and educator with a Masters in Psychology.

After facing her own battles with depression and anxiety, Nadia went on to work in suicide prevention for six years before taking on her current role as Youth Development Manager at Hope 4 Life NI.

Her day job now involves going into schools across Northern Ireland with the Uberheroes Programme: an initiative that uses comic books to empower young people with the tools they need to take control of their mental health.

(P.S. These comics are based on real-life stories of kids from NI and are co-created with Marvel and DC illustrators!)

In today's episode we talk about:

  • Reconnecting with your inner-child

  • The difference between anxiety and depression

  • Nadia's own encounter with suicide

  • Her unexpected beauty pageant journey

  • And the incredible results Uberheroes comic books have had on the lives of kids right here on our doorstep.

Check it out!

P.S. Here's a pageant podcast Nadia recommends :)

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Nadia Sayers Treasure Trove:

  • What's One Thing Most People Don't Know About You?
    Hmm, I’m a pretty open book…
    When I was a kid, I wanted to be a car mechanic
    My Favourite Band is, and will always be Fall Out Boy (no shame

  • What's Your Favourite Book?
    Mans Search For Meaning

  • What's Your Favourite Quote?
    Don’t fear failure, that’s where growth happens

  • Last but not least, is there anything you'd like us to promote?
    I would love to talk about the Uberheroes Programme we delivery across the country to kids, and the Uberheroes Kindness Awards that we are planning (gathering nominations and sponsors)

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How To Listen

If you don’t have time to tune in right now, you can listen to today’s show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Overcast or your favourite podcast app.

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Thanks again to Nadia Sayers for taking the time to share her story with us.

See you next time.

— Matt

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Matthew Thompson