“I will not lie to you, sometimes it starts getting difficult.” Those are Maurice Benard’s own words about State of Mind — the podcast he built during lockdown that has become one of the most important mental health platforms in the entertainment industry. And the reason he keeps going is exactly why fans love him.
This weekend, Benard shared a preview for an upcoming episode of his YouTube podcast, State of Mind, alongside a deeply personal Instagram confession. The man who has played Sonny Corinthos for three decades admitted that carrying other people’s stories — week after week, trauma after trauma — takes a toll even on him.
Why He Started
Maurice launched State of Mind during the 2020 lockdowns, when isolation was pushing mental health issues to crisis levels worldwide. What started as informal Instagram chats about anxiety and depression escalated into a fully produced podcast featuring TV stars, athletes, co-stars, and public figures willing to speak openly about their struggles.
The foundation was already there. Decades before “mental health awareness” became a mainstream conversation, Benard went public with his bipolar disorder diagnosis. He didn’t just talk about it — he wove it into General Hospital’s storytelling, bringing Sonny Corinthos’s mental health journey to millions of viewers who had never seen their own experiences reflected on screen.
The Recent DV Interview
This isn’t just about Benard’s personal journey. In a recent State of Mind episode, actress Chauntal Lewis opened up about her domestic violence trauma — one of the most difficult interviews the podcast has aired. Lewis shared details that most public conversations about DV either avoid or sanitize.
The impact of hosting these conversations is cumulative. Each interview requires Benard to hold space for someone else’s worst moments. And he does it without a production team, without a network backing him, without the resources that shows like Drop Dead Serious have.
“If They Can Do It, I Can Do It”
When Benard explained why he continues despite the difficulty, his answer was simple: “If they can do it, I can do it.” The logic is circular in the best way — seeing others overcome their struggles makes the impossible feel possible, which is exactly what he hopes viewers take away from watching.
It’s a reminder that the actor behind one of daytime television’s most powerful characters is doing something far more important than playing Sonny Corinthos. He’s dismantling the stigma that kept people silent for generations. And he’s doing it one honest conversation at a time.
Have you watched State of Mind? What’s your favorite episode? Share with fellow fans below.
