For as long as I can remember, there has always been something about authentic communication and connection that heals my soul.

Growing up in house where I was quiet and easy meant often learning and playing alone. When I started working my world expanded. Suddenly, there were more people to talk to, more ideas being shared, and a plethora of new topics I could barely comprehend.

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Through the years my endless curiosity has only grown. I consume information, concepts, and ideas constantly. I love to learn from people. I’m fascinated by the things others become experts in, drawn to what brings people to life.

As the world has become more divided nd polarized, I found myself starving for deep conversations. Amid that hunger I started petitioning my business partner Michael Johnson to help me build a talk show or podcast.

I want to find the light in the dark, the places where we connect.

I want to have my ideas challenged.

I want to learn new things.

I want to talk about the deep subjects in life that lead to real human connection.

That is why I started A Lighthouse in the Dark

The first official episode needed a guest who could help me open up to the world and talk about deep topics with compassion and kindness. I wanted to set a tone. To set the light in the world you want the brightest light you can find. For that reason I picked Yvette Nicole Brown.

You can listen to us by clicking here - YouTube

I’m really proud of the conversation. Michael and I have been quietly building these projects on our own without outside support. There is a ton that goes into the planning, recording, preparing, then releasing each episode.

I hope you check it out. I would love to know what you think.

If you want to learn more about me, my motivation, or to meet Michael Johnson my business partner you can also check out our episode here:

Lighthouse Introduction

The more Michael and I build the more I thought perhaps the world needed an explanation. It’s a great place to start if you want to learn some new things about me.

I’m looking for ward to expanding interaction and sharing a lot more information here in the coming weeks.

Years ago, when I was deep in grief, I started opening up my live sessions on social media.

At first, just to connect. So many people were reaching out and I didn’t know how to thank everyone. I also needed somewhere to put the pain. I needed to speak honestly.

I wanted to communicate without filters, obstructions, or polish.

What happened surprised me.

People showed up.

Not just to watch. To share. To listen. To encourage.

To sit with one another in the messy, honest, imperfect parts of being human.

Those live sessions grew into weekly gatherings. For years, they became a rhythm of connection, reflection, and support. Eventually, they earned a name:

Mental Health Monday.

I did them every week. Then, at times, a couple of times a week. As they grew, they attracted some of the most beautiful human beings.

People with open hearts, real struggles, generous spirits, and a desire to feel connected.

What I learned was simple:

We heal in community.

We can’t have too much support.

In a world moving faster every day, with technology constantly pulling at our attention, real human connection can quietly slip into the background. We scroll more. We pause less. We react faster. We listen less deeply.

That is part of why I am creating these spaces.

I love people.

I love humanity.

I believe in the good in us.

And I also know that public spaces are not always safe environments.

As Mental Health Monday grew, I began seeing more negativity, disruption, and people showing up not to connect, but to interfere. I could handle criticism directed at me. That comes with being public. But I did not want people who were courageously opening their hearts to feel exposed, mocked, or unsafe.

So I knew something had to change.

If we were going to keep gathering, we needed a safer container.

A place where people could collect, be seen, heard, respected, and protected as much as possible. A place where participation could be more intentional. A place where community standards mattered.

At the same time, I was learning more. I expanded my psychology education, joined support groups, volunteered in person, listened to people’s stories, and kept coming back to one truth:

No one should have to struggle alone.

Mental health resources are often hard to access. Therapy can be expensive. Support can be limited. Waiting lists can be long. And when money gets tight, emotional support is often one of the first things people sacrifice.

Mental health can start to feel like a luxury item for modern minds.

But struggle is not a luxury issue.

It is a human issue.

Every person carries something. Every person needs places where they can be honest without being judged. Every person deserves connection, care, and support.

I want to be clear: I am not a therapist, psychologist, or mental health professional.

Mental Health Monday is not clinical treatment, crisis care, or a replacement for professional support.

What I am is a human being with a loving heart who doesn’t want people to suffer in silence.

My small contribution is The Safe Space Collective.

Heather Ames and I met online through a shared desire to encourage, empower, and support others. Together, we have built a free space on its own app where people can post, communicate, connect, receive community support, and attend a weekly Mental Health Monday live event.

It is member-led. People can participate as much or as little as they wish.

Some may share openly.

Some may simply listen.

Some may show up quietly because that is all they have the strength for that day.

All of that is welcome.

I cannot solve all the world’s problems. None of us can.

I cannot cure the mental health epidemic.

But we can share some of the weight.

We can listen.

We can encourage.

We can remind each other that pain does not make us broken, and struggle does not make us weak.

What I want most is for people to know:

You are not alone.

You matter.

You have every right to struggle, fall apart, begin again, and still be worthy of love.

We heal in community.

We grow by listening.

We expand by self-awareness inspired by other’s perspectives.

We become stronger when we stop pretending we were meant to carry everything by ourselves.

I am here sharing.

I am there sharing.

And I will continue building new ways for people to connect.

If you ever need a safe space to be heard, especially on a Monday night, you can visit:

www.thesafespacecollective.com

It is 100% free because authentic care should be.

I am just one man trying to shine a little light in the world.

But if each of us shines where we can, the world gets a little brighter.

Happy Mental Health Monday.

Believe in your own power.

I will keep you updated but here but for that project you can find it’s Subtstack and socials

I am so excited to share what I have been working on.

Loving our show but also as a writer myself, this section of the pilot set the tone and heart of the show. It remains authentically raw and real in way most shows never dare to be.

I posted my favorite clip the other day. That snippet of Roseanne and Dan Conner playfully in love is also part of what makes this scene both believable and redemptive. You know these two people love each other. You know they have special chemistry. You also know they are real conflicts.

As a write this scene reminds me that anything can be funny. That conflict, while dynamic and impactful, can also be hilarious.

The way the fight stops to take care of hurt kid resonates even more with me now as a parent. It takes us all straight into their world, no filters, softening, or hiding.

The acting is tremendous. Mixed emotions. Deep thoughts. Hard, imperfect conversation. Unlick all the other episodes where I can tell you what it felt like inside production, in this episode I am an observer. Meanwhile I can still recite the lines every time because we showed a portion of this to the audience before every show we ever recorded.

Matt Williams was masterful at setting up dynamics, and Roseanne brought a realness that echoes to our core.

I think every married person has been on both sides of this argument. Feeling overwhelmed, having too much to do, the burden of family responsibilities. Sometimes things fall through the cracks, but in a family, anything missed has real consequences.

This is the tone I love for comedy. Real stakes, deep stories, relatable topics.

There are two additional things I want to highlight.

Roseanne says, “You better come down off of your thrown and start helping around here because I am getting fed up.” The writing, timing, and attitude, right down to her shaking the box of instant macaroni at Dan heights the tension.

When Becky starts demanding they take Darlene to the emergency room, and Roseanne just tells her to “Shut up, honey.” Suddenly there’s just a little humor to break the tension.

I get wide eyed and watch in awe every time all these decades later.

I hope you enjoyed this clip and my commentary giving you unprecedented insight.

Love is all about the little daily details like the toast crumbs.

Roseanne and John’s chemistry is amazing. I find the scene inspiring as an Actor and Writer. There is a real, raw, authentic nature to their relationship. The playfulness is everything.

This is my second favorite part of the pilot.

For most of my life, people have known me through a screen.

I grew up in front of the world as D.J. Conner on Roseanne. Some people found me later through The Conners. Some know me from television, movies, interviews, directing, producing, coaching, advocacy, parenting, or simply from the moments where life and storytelling crossed paths.

But this space is for something a little different.

ReelMFishman is designed for the reel to meet the real.

It is a home for the stories behind the stories. The lessons behind the laughter. The life behind the character. The honest reflections that do not always fit into a caption, an interview, a podcast episode, or a sound bite.

This Substack is my personal home base.

A place where I can share more fully, more honestly, and more directly with the people who have been part of my journey.

Or the perfect place to welcome those who are just finding me now.

Here, I’ll write about life in and around Hollywood, growing up on television, fatherhood, reinvention, resilience, creativity, grief, healing, public life, private struggles, and the lessons I’ve learned from nearly four decades in entertainment and a lifetime of trying to become a better human being.

Some posts will be behind-the-scenes.

Some will be personal.

Some will be reflective.

Some will be funny.

Some will be hard-earned.

All of them will be real.

Why I’m Starting This

Social media is useful, but it is often too fast for meaningful connection.

Posts have a moment. Stories expire. And the algorithm decides who sees what.

Far too often, the deepest parts of life get reduced to a headline, a clip, or a sound bite.

I wanted a place that felt more intentional.

A place where readers, friends, supporters, dreamers and fellow travelers could gather around something more lasting than a scroll.

That is what ReelMFishman is meant to be.

A direct line.

A creative journal.

A behind-the-scenes pass.

A living archive.

A community built around storytelling, growth, humor, honesty, and light.

What You Can Expect Here

• Personal essays and reflections

• Behind-the-scenes stories from my life and career

• Lessons from Roseanne, The Conners, and decades in entertainment

• Updates on my memoir and creative projects

• Thoughts on fatherhood, family, grief, healing, and starting over

• Stories about acting, directing, producing, and the people behind the camera

• Honest reflections on public life and private growth

This will be the central place where I connect the different parts of my creative world.

Alongside ReelMFishman, I am also building two companion spaces:

A Lighthouse in the Dark — for conversations about healing, resilience, grief, hope, mental wellness, and finding light in hard places.

Fish’s Call Sheet — for celebrating the people behind the credits: the crew, creators, artists, and storytellers who make film and television possible.

But ReelMFishman is the main home. This is where all roads connect.

Why ReelMFishman?

Because life has always been both.

The reel and the real.

The public story and the private one.

The character people knew and the person still becoming.

I am proud of the work I’ve done. I am grateful for the people who grew up with me. I am honored when someone says D.J. Conner was part of their childhood, their family room, their comfort, their laughter.

But I am also more than one role.

I am a father. A director. A writer. A coach. A creator. A friend. A grieving parent. A person who has lost, rebuilt, loved, failed, learned, and kept going.

This space is for all of that.

Not the polished version.

The honest one.

An Invitation

If you’ve been part of my journey, thank you.

If you watched me grow up on television, thank you.

If you are here because you care about storytelling, healing, entertainment, family, resilience, or simply becoming more human in a complicated world, thank you.

I’m glad you’re here.

I’m building three connected spaces, each with its own purpose. You’re invited to follow any or all of them for free. You can also sign up for exclusive content for those who want to support the work and receive deeper access as each community grows.

This is not just a newsletter.

It is a new chapter.

A place to remember where we’ve been, make sense of where we are, and move with purpose toward what comes next.

Welcome to ReelMFishman. Where the next story begins.