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Listen "16 | Kyleigh Leddy, Author of The Perfect Other: Shining Light on Schizophrenia, Tips for Aspiring Authors & More"
Episode Synopsis
TW: schizophrenia, suicide
In this week's episode, Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree, published author and licensed therapist, Kyleigh Leddy, joins the pod to talk about her book The Perfect Other, the importance of mental health, her creative process and what self-discovery means to her.
About The Perfect Other:
As a child, all Kait Leddy had ever wanted was a little sister. When Kyleigh was born, she and Kait were inseparable; Kait would protect her, include her, cuddle, and comfort her. To Kyleigh, her big sister was her whole world.
But as Kait entered adolescence, her personality changed. She began lashing out emotionally and physically and sometimes lost touch with reality, behavior that worsened after a traumatic head injury. The family struggled to keep this terrifying, often violent, side of Kait private—at school and in her social life, she was still the gorgeous, effervescent life of the party. Powerless to help, Kyleigh watched in horror as her perfect sibling’s world began to collapse and Kait was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Then, in January 2014, twenty-two-year-old Kait disappeared. Though her body was never found, security footage showed her walking to the peak of Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Bridge, where it is presumed that she jumped. In this extraordinary memoir— a story of hope, grief, mental illness, and enduring love—a grieving Kyleigh reflects on her sister and their life together, honoring their bond and searching for answers and a way to find meaning in this devastating loss.
Topics Discussed:
About The Perfect Other
How she followed her childhood dreams of becoming an author
Winning The New York Times Modern Love College Contest Essay
How winning the contest opened up doors and led to her first book
Kyleigh’s forthcoming book
Her definition of self-discovery
The book writing process
Looking at mental illness holistically
Looking ahead: where she wants to take her career
Advice she'd give her college self
The importance of advocating for yourself
Advice to enhance creativity
& more!
--
Buy The Perfect Other: Amazon, Bookshop, Target
Kyleigh's Modern Love Essay: "Years Ago, My Sister Vanished. I See Her Whenever I Want."
Kyleigh's The Cut Essay: "Are There Nightclubs in Heaven?"
Press about The Perfect Other & Kyleigh:
- Forbes 30 Under 30
- Boston College Magazine
- People Magazine
Learn more about Kyleigh: https://kyleighleddy.com/
Follow Kyleigh:
IG: @kyleighleddy
Tik Tok: @leddyky
LinkedIn: Kyleigh Leddy
--
Check out Theory & Practice: https://www.theorynpractice.com/
IG - @theoryandpracticewellness
Tik Tok - @theorynpractice
--
Follow Ana:
IG - @anacordera
Thank you for listening!
In this week's episode, Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree, published author and licensed therapist, Kyleigh Leddy, joins the pod to talk about her book The Perfect Other, the importance of mental health, her creative process and what self-discovery means to her.
About The Perfect Other:
As a child, all Kait Leddy had ever wanted was a little sister. When Kyleigh was born, she and Kait were inseparable; Kait would protect her, include her, cuddle, and comfort her. To Kyleigh, her big sister was her whole world.
But as Kait entered adolescence, her personality changed. She began lashing out emotionally and physically and sometimes lost touch with reality, behavior that worsened after a traumatic head injury. The family struggled to keep this terrifying, often violent, side of Kait private—at school and in her social life, she was still the gorgeous, effervescent life of the party. Powerless to help, Kyleigh watched in horror as her perfect sibling’s world began to collapse and Kait was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Then, in January 2014, twenty-two-year-old Kait disappeared. Though her body was never found, security footage showed her walking to the peak of Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Bridge, where it is presumed that she jumped. In this extraordinary memoir— a story of hope, grief, mental illness, and enduring love—a grieving Kyleigh reflects on her sister and their life together, honoring their bond and searching for answers and a way to find meaning in this devastating loss.
Topics Discussed:
About The Perfect Other
How she followed her childhood dreams of becoming an author
Winning The New York Times Modern Love College Contest Essay
How winning the contest opened up doors and led to her first book
Kyleigh’s forthcoming book
Her definition of self-discovery
The book writing process
Looking at mental illness holistically
Looking ahead: where she wants to take her career
Advice she'd give her college self
The importance of advocating for yourself
Advice to enhance creativity
& more!
--
Buy The Perfect Other: Amazon, Bookshop, Target
Kyleigh's Modern Love Essay: "Years Ago, My Sister Vanished. I See Her Whenever I Want."
Kyleigh's The Cut Essay: "Are There Nightclubs in Heaven?"
Press about The Perfect Other & Kyleigh:
- Forbes 30 Under 30
- Boston College Magazine
- People Magazine
Learn more about Kyleigh: https://kyleighleddy.com/
Follow Kyleigh:
IG: @kyleighleddy
Tik Tok: @leddyky
LinkedIn: Kyleigh Leddy
--
Check out Theory & Practice: https://www.theorynpractice.com/
IG - @theoryandpracticewellness
Tik Tok - @theorynpractice
--
Follow Ana:
IG - @anacordera
Thank you for listening!
In God we trust