“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.
Lindsey Leaverton
I wouldn’t say I’ve necessarily overcome, but I’ve definitely persisted. I couldn’t not keep putting one foot in front of the other because I have tiny humans counting on me. I love my kids more than anything and anyone in life and believe they need a mom who is strong, resilient, empathetic and healthy. I have my own challenges with mental health in the form of generalized anxiety disorder and PTSD, but my life has been most impacted by a spouse who struggles with mental illness. Read more>>
Christina Sayles
Mental health issues and struggles are something that I’ve dealt with for a majority of my life. I’m a mix of anxiety, ADHD, depression, Autism, eating disorders, & PTSD (& more!) all rolled into one. I’m a full-time mom, who once upon a time, tried to have a full-time job in front of a computer. However, I quickly learned that my ADHD was a major hindrance to my ability to get the job done. It wasn’t fast paced enough to hold my interest. So, I traded in the slow-paced office job for a faster paced warehouse job. Read more>>
Jessica Salina
Those with PTSD or CPTSD (such as myself) will know that those of us with trauma are no strangers to rejection sensitivity. That makes the fact that I wanted to publish my novels a bit ironic since the publishing industry is famous for being loaded with rejection. In the course of any given year, there is a 1 in 3,00 – 6,000 chance of an author getting a literary agent. To put that into context, you are more likely to get into Harvard (1 in 300 applicants get accepted on average). Read more>>
Ryley Fredericksen
Unlike most people who start to show signs of mental illness during early adolescence, I was diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder before I even started Kindergarten. I have had more time than most people to figure out how to function with a mental illness. For me, my anxiety is not something that can be cured. I was born with a chemical imbalance in my brain. Read more>>
Roy Rutto
This might sound weird or corny or whatever some may or may not say but; I just decided instead of fighting whatever mental battles come my way, it’s better to wear it on my sleeve & mold my best self around them. While still being aware of the negatives & positives that come with or without them. You know? Read more>>
Autumn Liv Cyr
Mental health has been a major struggle throughout my life, however it may very well be the driving force behind the kind of work that I do. I grew up in a sort of dysfunctional household situation where art, music and literature were some of the only activities I could dive into freely and find comfort in. I struggled severely with mental health in my youth when I couldn’t make art. Read more>>
Lily Monge
I always had this feeling of wanting more than a regular 9-5 career, but at the time it felt so unrealistic to achieve these big dreams when I was internally going through the darkest times. Few are aware, but since 2019, I’ve battled with severe anxiety that has left me hospitalized more than once. Read more>>
Shaneka Woody
As a business owner, overcoming mental health challenges requires a multi-faceted approach. Self-awareness is key, acknowledging the impact of mental health on personal and professional aspects. Engaging in creative work provides not only distraction but also a constructive outlet, fostering a sense of accomplishment. Read more>>
Paige Smith
I’m always grateful to be interviewed and I’m always happy to put my thoughts and my experiences on record, but I freely admit, I’ve been dragging my feet on this one. Usually the interview questions center more about accomplishments and the step by step record of how those accomplishments were met. In past interviews, I always felt comfortable with an autobiographical style of telling my story, as sort of a testimony of my existence to be sent aloft into the cloud forever, like a record of my presence in this crowded world. Read more>>
Kimaiya Hall
I continue to find god and find healthy ways to cope. A few years ago was hospitalized for a suicide attempt, about a year before that my mother and sister came home just in time to stop the other. My experience taught me I love life and I want to be here. I have to fight depression like I’m fighting in a boxing ring! Having routines helps and being honest with at least one person you trust makes a world of difference. Through constant prayer, affirmations and a proper workout routine, I also learned the art of not giving a F which helps as well. I have a ways to go but I’m honored to have the community, friends and family I do that keep me afloat. Read more>>
Avgousrtina Papadopoulou
For me, creative blocks often arise from low confidence or feeling I lack original ideas. Instead of focusing on perfectionism, I’ve created a safe space for myself as an artist. I’ve learned not to expect greatness from the first draft. I embrace the process of continuous editing, gradually refining my work until it reflects my voice and my artistic vision. This mindset allows me to keep writing and creating without the pressure of immediate perfection, fostering a more productive creative practice. Read more>>
Kelly Walden
The Holy Trinity of Overcoming Writer’s Block By Kelly Sullivan Walden. When I was a sophomore in high school, my English teacher gave me the dreaded assignment of writing a creative essay. That night, instead of doing my homework, I told my parents I had a late-night study session at a friend’s house but snuck out with my boyfriend to the Odyssey, an underground Hollywood nightclub. Read more>>
MsSassy theAuthor
Writers Block can be so frustrating but I’ve discovered is that it’s normally a sign that I need to rest and take a break or steer my thoughts and focus to another project/book. Read more>>
Jessica Gabrielle
I overcame writers block by just not forcing the music. I create music from real life situations or what someone may be going through and ill use it to my advantage to speak for someone who can’t for themselves at the time. As for me, it gets frustrating when I can’t find the words or a beat that fits. Then I have to remember to take my time, live life a little so that I can complete the story I’m trying to tell. Read more>>
Marthese Fenech
I love to write. Creating images with words has always felt like a kind of magic. But words are not always compliant. Sometimes they rebel. And the mind can be a terrible enabler.Enter writer’s block, that horrible affliction whereby an author experiences a creative downshift. I recall days spent staring at a blinking cursor on a blank page, overcome by the urge to tip my laptop off my desk onto the floor, where my dreams already lay in so many pieces. Read more>>
Verified Youngin
Sometimes I like to go outside and experience new things on stuff to talk about or I’ll just listen to music and close my eyes, and reflect on past situations and stuff that I could also use. Read more>>
Neha Samdaria
onestly, inspiration is overrated. The reality of running a business, even a creative one like mine, is that you will often feel blocked. What matters is that you show up regardless, every day, and try. Cultivating a daily practice for my craft, regardless of my mood or how blocked I feel, is what ultimately unlocks moments of clarity and flow. There are small tricks I use to “wake up” my brain – going for a brisk walk, making a pot of coffee, catching up with a friend – but at the end of the day, it’s the daily ritual of work that counts the most. Read more>>
Julian Haskins
In moments of a creative block, I have learned that it’s my Que to rest. Whether it be for a day or a month. I take that time to experience life. Try new things that I’ve never done or experienced. I let the creativity re-ignite naturally. Anytime something is forced, it’s never going to be enjoyable or come out the way it should. Read more>>
Mary Kendall
The no mercy rule.. If I view my writing as my job (which I do), then that means I have to see measurable advancements and accomplishments in that job. It’s different from a regular gig with a boss because…I am the boss here. I have to answer to myself. A bit weird but that’s the deal. Magical thinking comes into play to keep the boss happy and get the job done. Read more>>
Evan Harris
This is a great question! Creative blocks, from my perspective, usually stem from burnout, and burnout can really break you if you don’t address it. I usually get creative blocks when I’m overwhelmed by numerous things happening all at once. I learned to do one thing to help blocks: BREAKS. Taking a break and stepping back from work helps me a lot. I still stalk Pinterest and Instagram for project ideas to keep my creative juices flowing. Finding new ideas actually helped me overcome blocks numerous times, and gets me fueled up to get back out in the field and create more art. Read more>>
Jerome Wetzel
I am always searching for new ideas. I work with actors in developing my content, and they often have opinions about where their characters would or would not to. I am happy to discuss their feelings, and I get a lot of ideas from those performers. Read more>>
Won You
Being a designer, it can be a challenge sometimes to constantly stay creative, especially in the face of a looming client deadline. And early in my career, I used to struggle with creativity blocks quite a bit, because I had the dual pressure of having an imposter syndrome as well as a deep-seated desire to always make something original or innovative. And what I’ve learned which helped me the most is that originality doesn’t come from the ether. I always found myself procrastinating because I was awaiting some kind of divine inspiration before I started making something. Read more>>
Jesse Dvorak
I don’t believe in creative blocks. There is always an infinite source of ideas available at any moment, and we can always take action. Part of the process of reaching new creative heights and depths is getting through all of the garbage ideas that will be left on the cutting floor. It’s really just about understanding where I am in the process. I may write 10 songs or 10,000 words, and I think all of them are garbage, yet that is good. It means I am mining towards something more true and once I hit it, I will know it in my soul. Read more>>
Nichole Ferro
I spent many years disconnected from myself and my creative flow. I always knew I was meant to do something different in this world yet my vision was so blurry and unclear. However, I was determined to create and live a life that was truly aligned for me. The most profound way I began to overcome my creative blocks was by doing deep healing work on myself to remove all the stagnant and dense energy blocking my flow. Read more>>
Julie Navickas
I do not believe in writer’s block. Let me explain that! If I’m struggling with a scene in my fiction novel and the ideas and words just are not coming, I step away. But I do not step away from writing. As an author there are million other things that I can be doing that involve the skillset: social media, a new blog post, my next newsletter, a book blurb, a character profile, an interview questionnaire for a feature, website updates, etc. Read more>>
Stix Nilsen
Great question. This may sound very elementary, but I walk away from whatever I’m working on for a reset. What I mean by “reset” is, I disengage from the stalemate I may be in and engage in something completely different. This could be catching up on the numerous blogs I read, (when in season) go snowboarding (I’m 1/2 hour from my home resort), going to the gym, calling a friend whom I’d been meaning to catch up with, meditating (yes, I actually slow down sometimes), cleaning my house, etc. Read more>>
Dream Gray
I’ve learned to take it one step at a time and to use energy on fixing it instead of letting my feelings get the best of me. Read more>>
Nicole Stevens
I think in one way or another, everyone is working through some aspect of mental health. To me, it’s a journey that doesn’t ever really end. There is constant work and checking in with myself that I need to do. Like so many of us, I have anxiety and OCD. It can be really difficult to stop my mind from going into obsessive spirals, and I struggle sometimes with remaining positive. Read more>>
