For Readers Who Want to Know More About Me, Why I Write, and How I Help Others Improve Their Mental Health
Excerpts from my interview with Dr. Mehmet Yildiz
Dr. Mehmet Yildiz prefaced his interview of me with these words:
In this story, I will introduce Wendi Gordon, a writer for more than a decade who has contributed to my publications on Medium.com for a long time. Her inspiring and insightful stories touched my heart, gave me unique perspectives, especially on mental health, a topic close to my heart, and impressed our readers. Therefore, I decided to interview her and give you a glimpse of Wendi’s life and work.
You can read the full interview on Medium here, in his ILLUMINATION publication. It’s also now available in his newsletter on Substack:
I’m sharing excerpts to help “Changing Lives” readers learn more about me, why I write, and how I help people improve their mental health.
Hi Wendi, tell us a bit about your background.
My personal and professional backgrounds have always been closely connected. When I was in high school, I decided I would become a pastor. Gerald Krum, the pastor of the church my family attended then, inspired me. He and his wife Jean, my English teacher, were like my second parents. We still keep in touch.
I graduated summa cum laudé with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work in 1990, then headed to seminary to get my Master of Divinity Degree. Of course, the idea that any human could ever master divinity is absurd!
I met my husband, Steve, shortly after I arrived at the seminary. We got engaged a few weeks later and married on May 26, 1991. Pastor Krum officiated at our wedding and later preached at our ordination service.
Steve and I celebrated our tenth anniversary with a trip to Hawaii in 2001, and we loved it so much that we moved to Maui a year later! …
We lived on Maui for ten years and loved it, but we wanted to resume our careers as pastors. We were part-time pastors of small churches on Oahu for five years before we became co-pastors of a Texas congregation in 2017.
Covid-related issues brought an unexpected end to that work in 2020, and subsequent interviews with other churches did not pan out. That led us to explore new ways to generate income.
I’m now a freelance writer, mental health peer support guide, and part-time tutor. My husband is an Uber driver and software developer.
What are your hobbies?
When I’m not immersed in a book, I love to immerse myself in nature. When we lived in Maui, I snorkeled near sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, dolphins, and many other magnificent marine animals. Here in Texas, I walk at a local park where I see herons, rabbits, wildflowers, and amazing sunsets.
My love of wild animals and beautiful scenery is also what led me to become an amateur nature photographer. Readers can see some of my best photos, including underwater photos of Maui’s marine animals, here.
I also created a “Nature + Nurture” ebook that combines my nature photos with short original quotes inspired by them. It’s the project I’m proudest of and had the most fun making.
![photos of a fish, waterfalls, pelican with ducks on a lake, and a sunset.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06bbca4e-36e1-43b8-8ab5-3d1d85022d47_1414x2000.jpeg)
![photos of a fish, waterfalls, pelican with ducks on a lake, and a sunset.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa5c5bb9e-6f73-427f-8919-d86a41fb50ca_1414x2000.jpeg)
![photos of a fish, waterfalls, pelican with ducks on a lake, and a sunset.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F086a0565-0fbd-4c60-ae2c-0bd7673ed604_1414x2000.jpeg)
![photos of a fish, waterfalls, pelican with ducks on a lake, and a sunset.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_720,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff4194244-6356-43f1-a4d7-e8e31b9cb0bc_1414x2000.jpeg)
What are the top three books that affected your life?
It’s impossible to narrow the long list of books that have significantly affected my life down to three!
My top five mental health book recommendations are listed here. If I had to choose only one, it would be The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture by Dr. Gabor Maté.
The Bible obviously affected my life since I studied it extensively in seminary and preached sermons based on passages from it for many years.
I also love fiction, especially murder mysteries. I can’t choose just one book, but my favorite author by far is the late Andrew M. Greeley. His Blackie Ryan series of murder mystery novels has the most memorable and entertaining characters I’ve ever encountered.
Why do you write on Medium?
I write on Medium (and elsewhere) because I’ve always loved to write and have been told I’m good at it. I self-published a book, Timeless Truths for Troubled Times, in 2011. It got multiple 5-star reviews and is still available on Amazon.
Writing is also a way to express my opinions and share my experiences, connect with readers and other writers, and earn money. …
Most of the writing I do now is for … “Changing Lives.” I’m also a freelance writer for publications that have paid me $1K or more for a single article.
What are your values as a writer?
My top values are being truthful and accurate, helping others by sharing my wisdom and experience, and advocating for social justice.
I am passionate about sharing information and practices that have helped me improve my mental health. I am also passionate about pointing out the obvious contradictions between the words and deeds of people like Donald Trump and those of Jesus.
I will never understand how anyone familiar with Jesus’ teachings and actions in the Bible can believe Jesus would approve of false claims, cruelty, or violence.
What are your plans as a writer?
I will continue to use my “Changing Lives” newsletter and articles on Medium and elsewhere to share information and practices that readers can use to improve their mental health.
I also plan to write about my 1:1 peer support services via phone and my speeches at mental health workshops and other events.
My ultimate goal is to combine my writing and other work to create a financially viable enterprise that provides emotional support to people struggling to cope with life’s challenges. My mental health website is a step in that direction.
I hope you enjoyed learning more about me and my work. Please share this post with anyone you know who is interested in mental health. I’d be especially grateful if you share it with editors of publications who may want me to write for them or leaders of organizations who may want me to speak at their events!
This was great! I didn't know you wrote a book in 2011. What a great title!
So glad you got this interview with Dr. Yildiz. Cool!