27: Severe Depression Survivor to TV Star & Professional Comedian // The Story of Jessica Holmes
Background:
Jessica Holmes has opened for comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Leslie Nielsen, and Ellen DeGeneres, as well as hosted events for such visionaries as Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, and Oprah Winfrey! Although a comedian at heart, having performed with the Second City and Just for Laughs, Holmes has recently delved into writing: penning the book I Love Your Laugh: Finding the Light in My Screwball Life. Born and raised in Ottawa en Anglais et Francais, Holmes sat back and enjoyed the hilarity that was her family: a handful of older brothers, a mormon father and a feminist mother. Not a sitcom, just her family.
The Second City, Just for Laughs and TV shows like Little Big Kid and The Itch got her noticed as a funny, quirky presence in the comedy community. After her comedy special Holmes Alone taped, she was offered her own sketch series: The Holmes Show. A Carol Burnett style series with lots of characters & impressions, Holmes became known for her oddball personifications of Celine Dion, Liza Minelli and Geri Halliwell. Holmes was delighted to join the cast of Royal Canadian Air Farce (having applied to be their secretary five years earlier, and been turned down…they still have her typing test!). There she played politicians and celebrities; including Michael Jackson and Jessica Simpson.
During her years on Air Farce, Jessica had two children, Alexa and Jordan, with her actor husband Scott. Holmes wrote her first book, I Love Your Laugh: Finding the Light in my Screwball Life, in 2010. Having fallen in love with public speaking, Holmes decided to deepen the scope of her material by becoming a Life & Career Coach through San Diego’s Life Purpose Institute. She now enjoys a mix of comedy & motivational speaking.
Time-Stamped Show Notes:
- 5:22 After Jessica’s second child was born, she developed postpartum depression.
- 6:03 Four years after Jessica’s first bout with depression, she found herself suffering from another type of depression.
- 9:10 When Jessica was suffering depression, getting angry and blowing up was the only thing that she felt consistently.
- 12:59 Jessica talks about the subject of thriving and what comes after depression.
- 15:51 Getting a rescue dog was one of the things that helped Jessica during her recovery from depression.
- 17:13 She believes in having a sense of accomplishment early in the morning.
- 19:14 Jessica shares the idea that – when it comes to taking care of yourself, even the small things count.
- 23:33 Depression the Comedy is the retelling of something bad that happened in a light and comedic way.
- 25:32 Jessica tells one hilarious story that is included in her funny journal.
- 32:44 Opening for Oprah was a beautiful experience for Jessica. She also opened for Jerry Seinfeld and Ellen DeGeneres.
- 37:10 During her last year of college, Jessica’s friends dared her to try stand-up comedy.
- 39:02 Jessica offers sound advice for people who are currently struggling in their life.
- 44:16 For people who are depressed, any piece of advice can sometimes affect them in a negative way. Jessica shares her view on how to help a person who is depressed.
This Episode Brought to You By:
- 11:37 The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is the most extensive community mental health organization in Canada. Through a presence in more than 330 communities across every province and one territory, CMHA provides advocacy, programs and resources that help to prevent mental health problems and illnesses, support recovery and resilience, and enable all Canadians to flourish and thrive. With one national office, 11 divisions in all provinces and one territory, and 75 community-based branches/regions, CMHA provides support to over 1.3 million Canadians through the combined efforts of more than 5,000 staff and 11,000 volunteers. To learn more about how you can help the CMHA then please support them by visiting: www.cmha.ca.
- 31:56 Please download a copy of Jessica Holmes’ book entitled Depression the Comedy, which is all about mental health and finding humor in our life in order to heal, grow, and thrive. You can find this book on Amazon.com or you can click on this link Depression The Comedy
Key Points from the Interview:
- “For me, getting on stage, my favorite moment is when I’m able to make people feel like we’re all in this together. And I love when you’re watching a comedian and they say something, and you’re like – I know exactly what they mean.”
- “You can’t fix the person, you can’t fix someone else’s depression, but you can love them and not give them advice, but just give them a safe space where they can do the healing that they needed.”
