Comedy can make us laugh, and it can also help us better understand our world. And for those who are good at cracking jokes, comedy can be a coping skill. This is something that comedian Elsa Eli Waithe knows very well. For their Narratively essay, Waithe wrote about how stand-up comedy helped save their life when they were suicidal. To round out Mental Health Awareness Month, we talked to Waithe about stand-up, teaching comedy to girls, their Slavers of New York campaign, and their new mental health-themed podcast.