How are you really feeling, More or Less? (With Jess)

Media’s changing, and so it goes, as is music. Jess, host of the mental health podcast More or Less, asks an essential question in her episodes: “How are you really feeling, more or less?” The answer is different for most artists.

A decade ago, Jess began working with nonprofit mental health organizations. During this time, she observed a shift in how people approached issues such as anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders; it led her to where she is now.

She began releasing episodes in December 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and has interviewed artists like Em Beihold, Olivia O’Brien, Chelsea Cutler, Bishop Briggs, and more. With a background in the music industry, Jess brings professionalism and empathy to her discussions. She creates a safe space for artists to openly discuss their personal struggles, triumphs, and journeys.

Jess navigates her podcast and life with the belief that success doesn’t follow a linear path, proving to us that we are all struggling just the same.

She’s the best friend you never knew you needed, giving you a safe place to gush, chat, and be unapologetically vulnerable about your feelings in the music space. Whether it’s social media content, the pressures artists face, or being vocal about mental health, Jess addresses it all in her podcast.

We recently spoke with Jess of the More or Less podcast about the inspiration behind the podcast, its upcoming sixth (and seventh) season(s), and its mission to destigmatize mental health issues in the music industry.

How would you sum up More or Less for those who aren’t familiar with your podcast?

More or Less is a podcast and media platform that highlights mental health wellness amongst artists and creatives. It’s a resource and a beacon of support for the music community and fans and helps them see themselves in other people’s mental health journeys by talking about it.

Is your focus primarily on artists or is the goal industry wide, anybody in it?

I fully believe music could change the world, and that’s what I am personally so drawn to. I really believe when the content reaches that artist superfans, it can really help them and I think that’s what has even drawn me to this world is seeing artists I grew up with talk about mental health. That really helped me with my own journey.

How do you think the conversation around mental health has evolved over the years and what would you like to see progress more?

When we started during the pandemic, at that time, artists, fans, and the music community were really navigating the lack of touring, the lack of live shows, and there wasn’t this face-toface connection. Everyone was really struggling with that.

A lot of the conversations in the early days were around that and keeping up the creativity when the world is essentially falling apart. But even now, a few years later, as we are back at live shows and there’s a different era of music upon us, a lot of the conversations revolve a lot around social media and the pressures of content creation for artists. That was not really a major tentpole of conversations in the early days. There’s a lot of feelings and emotions that come when you are expected to be plastered on every single iPhone screen and app and do all the things.

Do you think it’s become easier or harder to talk about feelings because they are plastered everywhere?

It’s a little bit more comfortable to say you have anxiety or depression, but it’s still very much difficult to open up about other mental disorders - schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc - there’s a lot of different mental illnesses that I don’t think are as palatable for people to talk about, as a general society thing.

But for artists specifically, I think they are way more vocal now. We’re seeing a lot of artists cancel tours and admitting that it’s for mental health reasons. Lizzie McAlpine recently announced her routing and it’s a different kind of routing because last quarter she really struggled. She even put in her caption when she announced the tour that the routing looks like this because it’s the best thing for her health.

What do you think are some misconceptions around mental health and how can we go towards debunking them?

That’s like a loaded question. Everyone has mental health, but 1 in 5 have mental illness. So just like you would go to a primary doctor for any physical symptoms, your mental health is part of that.

I think generally society, we often like look at mental health as this thing that’s like beyond ourselves when it’s very much something that exists in us every single day, it’s just like part of you.

In terms of debunking them and therapy and treatment, that also looks different for every single person. I think we’re in like a really interesting time where I open up Instagram and suddenly everyone’s posting infographics about mental health and it can get very messy and with a lot of misinformation and self diagnose-y kind of things that I think can be more harmful than good.

How do you, Jess, find that balance of pursuing the passion to promote good mental health and taking care of your own mental health?

It has ebbed and flowed as life certainly does. I think there was a time where I was very, very ashamed of my major depressive disorder. And there was a time where I thought that that made me weaker, or if I disclosed that, that people would think that I couldn’t be successful or that I couldn’t be normal. I’ve grown a lot to know that a normal doesn’t exist, but also that I think because of my mental illness, I can see things from a lens that maybe someone else can’t.

It’s a daily thing. It’s a choice every day to kind of wake up and figure out what the balance looks like, but it’s an ongoing process.

What artist that has sat in your More or Less chair would you say that you learned the most from or somebody you’re like, “oh man, they’re struggling? I would have never known?

Bishop Briggs. The Bishop Briggs interview was incredibly special to me. It was the first time an artist had entered the room and thanked me for having a platform like this around music and mental health and that was before we had even sat down on the couch.

She shared so much about motherhood and living with mental illness and dealing with grief around her sister and her first baby. I walked away from that episode like, “Whoa, not only is this person an incredibly talented musician and kicks ass and performed at Coachella eight months pregnant, but has been through so much and is on the other side wanting to share what they’ve learned.”

What advice would you give to any artists who are struggling with their mental health, who either don’t know how to pursue their dreams and let their mental illness define them?

Success is not linear and even in terms of conversation and going viral with that pressure, I don’t think that that’s what artists should aspire to. And if it’s a slow burn, that could be even greater for your success, but also that success looks different for every single person.

The other side to it is surrounding yourself with really good people. I think unfortunately in the artist world, when the first manager reaches out to you and you’re like, “oh my god that’s it, that’s the person”, without really knowing them. I think it’s so important that you work with people you really trust, and feel comfortable enough with. To say, “hey, this isn’t working or me,” or “I’m feeling really overwhelmed right now” because if you don’t feel comfortable with the people in your circle that are working on your career, then that’s just the recipe for disaster.

What can you tell us about upcoming season six and what’s to come?

In May we will be showcasing our Minute Mic Check series where we’re posting some content pieces with different artists and sharing their stories across socials in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, while we plan on Season 6 early this summer.

What does the next six months look like for you?

The next six months are really trying to hit More or Less out of the park with the new season. We are hoping to do two seasons this year. So there’ll be a season six and a season seven in 2024. I have big dreams of merch this year. I want to do an event at the end of the year and bring people together. So more community driven things for More or Less for sure!