Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dr. Tera Mcintosh. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dr. Tera , we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Like all hard things in life, from conflict, to death, to break-ups, to mental health-every challenge has an energy to it. You can take that energy and you can sit in it and let it consume you—burn you down into ashes—or you can take that energy and throw it over your shoulder and beat on and rise from it.
After the passing of my father when I was nine years old my Grandmother was never the same. I watched her grieve for my father and never rise up. Missed birthdays. Missed traditions. Missed love. She was a shell of a human and her negativity about life was exhausting. When I was 16 and finally able to drive I would stop over to her house to say hi to her regularly. Even seven years later she couldn’t find the fire in heart to get out of bed. I would ring the doorbell and she would yell down from her bedroom window “who is it”?
After a few minutes she would eventually make it to the window and finally look down to say “I just don’t have it in me today”. I would visit at least once a month until I moved out of the area at age 23. She never made it down from that window to talk to me. Whenever I reference her in stories of times past she’s been nicknamed as “Screen Gramma”. And that’s why I find the fire to rise up. To choose to connect to get out of the dark. Because I want to see the world past the screen of my bedroom window. I want to see my family light up the world, I want to watch the Northern Lights, and follow the fireflies under the moon hanging just above a North Carolina mountain holding the hand of my wife. I want to show my niblings that I came to the door for them always.
When searching for a way out—be sure to connect. There is a lifeline out there somewhere. Both my wife and I are co-founders of Misfit Mountain, a nonprofit animal rescue near Asheville, NC that also has a campground that helps support it. One of our many important programs at his nonprofit is our Summer Camp program. This program temporarily houses owners animals up to three months while they handle issues such as mental health/physical health admission, addiction treatment, domestic violence issues, and temporary homelessness. We believe in this program because (like animals) we do not believe that just because an owner is going through something that it does not make them a bad owner. We all experience challenges in our life—and with community and the right support…being resilient is not so hard. Connection and community is at the core of everything I do—-that was my path to finding joy through the dark.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
One question I hate to ask people is “what do you do”? Why, because people equate this with “job”, when realistically I want to know what do they love? What keeps them waking up at 7am day after day, what notes are saved in their phone as a parking lot of dreams, what is their hope for a better world (no matter where they are in their life).
If you asked me what I love? Well, that’s easy., I love poetry, mountains, rooting for the underdog, a good reality tv show, a super lesbian flannel on a mid- October Sunday, gooey cheese, giving of myself with the intent of never being repaid, connecting, writing, and building community. I am also one of those people that is fortunate enough to work two jobs that feed these passions—a professor at a social justice university and a nonprofit team leader for a financial company that gives lumps of money to the community in which I get to create the community projects they conduct. But outside of those virtual flexible jobs——-what do I do—-well, in the words of Mr. Rogers…..I’m a helper.
My wife and I founded and run a nonprofit animal rescue called Misfit Mountain (www.misfitmountainnc.org) that also is a campground that funds the animals rescue. From camp sites, to an event space, to a tiny house, we have 12 acres filled with dogs, cats, chickens, pigs, ferrets, rabbits and more. The cool thing about the rescue? It’s all volunteer and community based. We have put the problem of over capacity in animal shelters back into the hands of the people–as most challenges in social welfare are a complex collaborative issue that needs addressed by many stakeholders.
In addition, I do many things that I love in a more organized kind of way. From performing and competing nationally in spoken word, to spearheading a local rural southern diversity online group of 1400 people that put on their first County Pride celebration this summer (https://www.haywoodncprideonmain.org/), to writing research on the lived experience of LGBTQIA+ folks, to being an active chair for the democratic party in my county, and the chair of the SEIU Union for faculty where I teach. At the core of who I am is community, connecting, and a fire in my heart to do what is right, fair, and just.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would definitely say Education,…and that may look differently to a lot of people. Maybe its an online course, maybe its formal training, or experiential learning. Immerse yourself in the content you want to be successful at and never stop learning.
Learning that feedback is not negative, it is a catalyst to grow and change where needed. So many people see feedback or frustration as an insult….but without dialogue on what is not working we miss the ability to change and grow.
A Pack. I grew up in a conservative town with a blue collar family that consisted of steel mill workers and coal miners. This made my access to people with advanced educations/economic opportunities not very common. It was important for me to connect with people who were at levels where I wanted to be someday and to create a pack of people who could be my sounding board and poke me to become. Become more.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
Absolutely, I am a connector at heart (check out Malcom Gladwells book Tipping point to learn what a connector is)….so please connect with me. Share your story. Share what you love. Let’s do a podcast together. Lets put on a festival. Let’s have you visit the rescue and camp. Let’s write a research article together. Let’s be radical and dare to do differently. All of the information you need to connect with me is in my LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/tmacn21
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/tmacn21
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tmacn21/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://x.com/tmacn21?lang=en
Image Credits
Image Credit: Tera McIntosh
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