“After every storm, there is a rainbow. If you have eyes, you will find it. If you have wisdom, you will create it. If you have love for yourself and others, you won’t need it.” – Shannon L. Alder
Some of the most successful folks in our community thrive despite experiencing mental health challenges. We are inspired by their strength and honored that they would share their stories with us below.
Steff Price
Navigating life with a chronic illness that significantly impacts mental health has been a transformative journey for me. Rather than claiming to have “overcome” these challenges, I prefer to acknowledge that I’ve discovered valuable tools that support me along this path. Read more>>
Morgan Reynolds
I think mental health is a long journey you don’t really “overcome,” but learn how to work along with instead. My biggest enemy has always been my own mind. I used to be really down on myself wondering why my body felt such a disconnect from my brain. Turns out, I was running through a large portion of my life with unmedicated bipolar disorder. I needed to welcome myself and learn how to take up space. Read more>>
Ileyna Witenstien
Struggling with my mental health has always been apart of me ever sense i can remember. I was diagnosed with biological depression at a young age so that is something that I have to overcome everyday. I am very grateful to have the best family that is on my team and has done whatever they can to help me. From therapists, to different kinds of therapy ,to doctors, medicine, and so much more. I was at my worst in high school ( as most people are) and that was probably the hardest time in my life for me. Depression wasn’t just apart of me it consumed me and really,it was my identity. Read more>>
Nicole Watson
Overcoming and persisting through the challenges of mental health and substance use disorder has been a profound journey for me. When I embarked on the path of therapy and started addressing these issues, I discovered a remarkable source of strength within myself. Instead of letting my struggles define me, I chose to channel my experiences into something positive. Read more>>
Hink
There is a recurring character/visual theme in my work, which is this pink snake that typically is bursting out of another character’s empty head. (I never really have given this snake a name, but we can call it ‘snake baby’). I have always struggled with OCD and anxiety, and ‘Snake baby’ initially was a character I would use to explore the ‘creatures’ within me, and how I felt like there has always been conflicting internal and external representations of who I am, how I think, and sometimes how I behave. ‘Snake baby’ has definitely evolved past simply a symbol of mental illness though, and I see the character more so as a representation of authenticity, queerness, a truer version of myself, etc. Read more>>
Alanna Sterling
I’m no stranger to mental illness. In fact, we’ve been like a family since I was young. I’ve been in therapy since I was 4, and am continuously making efforts to work through all the battles that go on unseen in the corners of my mind. As a survivor of abuse, I’ve managed to find solace and respite in my music to ease the wounds of PTSD, anxiety and bipolar depression. All of the obstacles I’ve faced, the times where life’s been too hard and I felt like giving up – instead of fighting it and wishing I could be anyplace else, I just accepted where I was at. Read more>>
Elie Kennedy
I’ve persisted through my various types of arts and crafts that I use. To keep positive energy flowing through me by expressing myself in various forms. I developed this skill after my sons passing by suicide in 2015. It first started with painting rocks at our favorite family beach spot. After his passing I painted some simple rocks at our beach spot with just some nail polish. I left a pretty good size rock memorial. Read more>>
Jillian Goods
When I really think about it I guess I have persisted with music for about 7 years. It doesn’t always feel like I’m persisting. I’ve had a breakdown or so in my life and they’re not ever really well timed. They happen whenever it’s least convenient. I definitely don’t feel like I’m persisting when that’s happening. I think in a way working allows me to bury things. I do my best to make myself busy when I’m not feeling well. Read more>>
J. Primous
I believe, like many, I accepted feelings of depression and anxiety as the extent of my mental health issues. Commonly, I attributed my emotional imbalance as the result of being overworked, stressed about bills, single-parenting, and just a way of ‘adulting’ but it wasn’t until I intentionally perused professional help that I came to know the truth about HEALING and how to navigate my own personal journey through it all. I had to first learn how seriously I should be taking my mental health into account and then learn the processes that work for me – and choose ME despite all that I was ignorant and ashamed of. Read more>>
Keny Leepier-Freeman
When I was in my early teens, my mother passed away from a drug overdose. I was then separated from my siblings and placed in foster care. I had lost the only family I had in the course of a few months. At 13, I was hospitalized for a suicide attempt. I was diagnosed with depression early on and treated with heavy sedative medications but no one ever talked to me about my grief. Read more>>
Keagan Vaughan
I would definitely say through my art. Being a poor queer kid from conservative Louisiana, the system around here is kid of designed for me to fail. I’ve gone through a lot of trauma that often has left me feeling like I’m screaming through a mouth that’s sew shut. When words have failed, I’ve been able to draw. When support systems have failed, I’ve been able to draw. When I’ve been homeless, neglected, targeted, tormented- all that awful stuff- a white piece of paper, old napkins, discarded receipts- those things have always been there from me. Read more>>
Moira Brennen
December, 2018 is the last time I remember being at peace. It was Christmas; we were pregnant with our third child and had just taken in two adorable kittens. Despite this peace, I still had an aching feeling that something wasn’t right. That February I would discover the truth behind the sinking feeling. On Valentine’s Day of 2019, we went in for a 3D ultrasound and the doctors spoke the words “not viable for life”. So began the spiral downward. Read more>>
