No time of year is quite as contradictory as the winter. It's the season of holidays and going home to see your family; the season of warming up by the fire; the season of gratitude, gift-giving, and renewal. For others, the approach of shorter, darker, and colder days signals a season of isolation, loneliness, grief, and depression.

Many of us, though, may spend our winters feeling all of the above, all at once. Our fourth digital issue, The Winter Issue, explores the complicated dynamics surrounding this time of year and how common it is for our inner and outer selves to be at odds. We're also taking a deep dive into the real experience of depression and the ways in which it doesn't always look how you might expect. To help tell that story, we interviewed award-winning TV personality, actor, singer, and comedian Wayne Brady.

Brady has shined through our TV screens for over 20 years but—as his battle with depression highlights—mental health issues can affect anyone, no matter how successful they are or how much happiness they inspire. His acceptance and acknowledgment of the struggle and commitment to treatment and self-care strategies both big and small serve as a lesson in how to make it through our darkest seasons and come out the other side the best version of ourselves.