“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.
Kristi Carrara
Over the course of a few years, I experienced loss like I never knew was possible. My mother passed away, my husband and I divorced, and my son was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Read more>>
Goldyn Gambit
Battling severe anxiety and depression has always been a challenge. But it inspires my music and creativity. I use it as energy, and topics that I talk about. The feeling of anxiousness and chills up my next, the thought of darkness and dreading the horrors of life. Read more>>
Clare Kennedy
Hey there my Prozac and Paxil and Lexapro pals. Overcoming mental health challenges ironically requires a heck of a lot of proactive work. Here are some oh my general tips on how I am trying to live well with mental health struggles: Seek Warm and Competent Professional Help: Read more>>
PiPEllA
For a very long time, songwriting was the only way I knew how to deal with my mental health. I was diagnosed with Anxiety, Depression and OCD in high school and ADHD later in college. Needless to say, my brain really needed an outlet and that’s when I turned to music. Read more>>
Megan Garcia
Despite facing challenges with anxiety, depression, and OCD since childhood, I’ve persevered with the help of medication, therapy, and the support of my family and faith. These experiences have fueled my passion for psychology, leading me to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Read more>>
Bianca Solorzano
I’ve had PTSD for a couple decades and it was at it’s worst in my late twenties. I’d done therapy and EMDR but I still felt lost so I started working with energetic healers. One of the women I worked with helped me learn to identify the ways it was manifesting in my life. Read more>>
Jessica Cording
Navigating PTSD related to sexual assault as a teenager has been one of the most profound learning experiences of my life. My frustration with my mind and body and the challenges I encountered in trying to communicate those struggles to others nudged me towards the path of studying the connections between our mental, physical, and emotional health. Read more>>
Hanna Lee
Being diagnosed as Bipolar 2 has it’s ups and downs, literally, but I’ve found ways to use it to my advantage. During times when I’m in a more heightened state I can ride a creative wave for as long as it’ll take me. Read more>>
Joel Bull
In 2017 I was diagnosed with depression and began taking medication for it. I’ve been taking those meds since then and they’ve helped tremendously. Being a father of two kids has it’s own challenges but they’re old enough now that I can take them on spray painting adventures, photoshoots, and events. Read more>>
Shari Lopatin
I have struggled with anxiety my entire life, for as long as I can remember, and I always processed it through my writing. Creative writing has been a sort of therapy for me, and I believe it helped keep the effects of bullying from wearing on me to a destructive level. Read more>>
Mandy Maree
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been in a battle with my own anxious thoughts. Back in 2016, I was a teacher who had been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. Sure, I had heard that taking medicine, going to therapy, exercising, and living a healthy lifestyle would help reduce my anxiety. Read more>>
Alexandria Smith
Despite encountering challenges associated with receiving a bipolar disorder diagnosis early in adulthood, my journey has been characterized by resilience and a firm dedication to self-care. Through therapy, medication, and a supportive network, I’ve learned to navigate the ups and downs with grace and determination. Read more>>
Georgina Curtis
Grief really impacted my career in 2018 when I lost both my parents, I’d recently moved to LA to pursue my lifelong dreams and then life hands me the most devastating news. I certainly didn’t know how that would impact my minds’ health, it’s only now I look back that I realise how shattered and wrecked of a soul I was, however somehow I was still working. Read more>>
Rachel Reichenbach
My health issues, both mental and physical, have proven to be both a challenge and a blessing in disguise when it comes to running my business. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, at 21 years old, and it really threw my whole life off track. Read more>>
Alyssa Horton
In High School, I battled an eating disorder without really knowing it. I spent four years captain of my Varsity Lacrosse Team, leading campus outreach programs, travelling and adventuring and- from what looked to most people, a very healthy life. Read more>>
