“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.
April Vertucci
Overcoming mental health challenges has been a profound and ongoing journey for me. In my early twenties, following my first divorce, I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Mixed Connective Tissue Disease. Having been ill since childhood, compounded by the emotional toll of my divorce and inaccurate lab tests, I hit a breaking point and attempted suicide. My stay in a mental health facility drastically shifted my perspective on using permanent solutions for temporary problems. Read more>>
Miles Redman
Mental health is something we all take care of and deal with, and I have especially had my battles. Even though I haven’t even been alive two decades, I feel as if I have fought internal fights for years and years. I remember being in middle school, and noticing I was different. I had low energy, I was pessimistic, and my anger was described as “passion”. I learned of the depression and anxiety that plagued me. I got myself into bad situations with people that didn’t care about me because I didn’t value myself that much. And after years of not knowing myself or what to do with my issues, I broke. Everything seemed to collapse one day, but I was not affected; if anything, I was happier. I was elated. Read more>>
Blessing Bromgard
I have always been very stubborn, by nature that’s just who I am. When there is something I want out of life or a goal I want to achieve, I stop at nothing to realize that goal. That stubbornness, that will to get to where ever it is I want to go no matter what it takes, has propelled me forward even in the darkest, most difficult times. I have knowingly struggled with anxiety and her twin sister depression since I was in college and unknowingly, likely, since high school or even younger. I was bullied from a very young age by almost everyone, including teachers and principals that, in essence, would ask me what I did to provoke people into bullying me. Basically the leaders that were supposed to be keeping me safe and helping me to succeed scholastically were asking me what I did to deserve the harassment. That trauma and neglect instilled a deep social anxiety from an early age. It made simple things, like hanging out with friends I’d known for years, incredibly uncomfortable. I would over-analyze every syllable, every movement, every thought, the whole time thinking “am I making a fool of myself right now?” This deep seeded fear of rejection, fear of public humiliation, is what kept me from running full speed at my true passion: performance. I passed up so many open doors, so many opportunities for the spotlight, because I was terrified of making a fool of myself and being humiliated just as I was as a child. After years of letting myself down, listening to anxiety’s lies, I decided enough was enough and that I wanted to go after my craziest idea yet: starting a business. I was too stubborn to give up another dream because everyone *else* told me I wasn’t good enough and that I would never make it. Even with my own stubbornness to succeed on my side, the journey still wasn’t easy. Daily I would have to fend off intrusive thoughts of “they said you weren’t good enough, so you should quit before you inevitably fail,” and “they’re just going to laugh at you,” and “you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll be a laughing stock.” Every business meeting I had, I had to stave off the noise inside my head that begged me to quit before I was humiliated. Every self doubt amplified by a chemical imbalance. The only thing that kept me going was my own stubbornness that success was my only option, the whole time reminding myself not to buy into anxiety and depression. After what seemed like an eternity of putting up a daily internal fight against my own head, determined to prove everyone, even myself, wrong, I launched my first business. I still have days where I struggle to get out of bed, where I let the thoughts win, but now I get to show myself how far I have come despite overwhelming odds. I have physical proof to show myself that perseverance and patience pay off in the face of adversity. Even when that adversity is literally staring back at you as you look in the mirror. It’s still not easy, but being stubborn sure helps. Read more>>
Lizzie Bosen
I make it a point to prioritize my mental health and health overall. For example, I quit drinking, I got a degree, I make sure to exercise regularly and get enough sleep. I go to therapy when I need too…If I take care of myself I can be there for my loved ones and get everything done. Read more>>
Kris Long
Firstly I would like to say that mental health is a journey of acceptance for what is, and being present to the moment/experience. Accept what is happening, process the energy & emotions, shift my perspective, embrace the wisdom and learning, generate a new story, belief or thought, and be grateful. I have learned to ask for help, let go of judgement, and do the work necessary to heal/be present to myself from moment to moment. My life has drastically improved untilizing these skills. Read more>>
Rebecca Collins
When I was in my teens, I suffered immensely from depression and anxiety. It took over my life for quite a while! The way I managed to overcome these challenges was through art, acting, and musical theatre. I was part of a choir and a musical theatre company. These were the places where I could absolutely be myself. Being able to fully express myself and detach from what was going on in my head was a blessing and definitely helped me persist through all the hard times. I am also very lucky to have a fantastic family who support me and love me. They were my rock through all the ups and downs, and I could never thank them enough.nk them enough. Read more>>
Kevin Black
Friends, therapy, and understanding! I created a team of people who really understand mental health and can be there for me. Each of my friends holds a special place in my heart and fulfills different needs. I have friends for partying, friends for creativity, and friends who help me manage my anxiety and OCD. These friends have a deeper understanding of what I need and how to support me. Read more>>
Keyana Dixon
First and foremost, I started to educate myself more about the effects of trauma. After having to losing my brother in a very violent way. I had to go through that there was also video with audio. I can never bring myself to it fully watch it I tried but I had to also fight with myself on how much more it would hurt. There is also my brother every other day on the news. Tic Toks, You Tube and finally seeing the officers in real life and breaking out into hives in the court room as if I was having an allergic reaction. I had to deal with panic attacks. I wanted to get better; I realized that mental health was not just going to talk with a therapist. But mental health was finding healthy coping skills which for me is Prayer and meditation, I spent a lot of time in nature. I was/ am more conscious on what I put into my body. What type of music I listen to. What I watch on T.V. I also realized that it’s okay to not be okay and I have giving myself to continue my journey in this life as well as honor my brother’s Legacy. Read more>>
Melissa Moss
I have struggled with depression ever since I can remember but probably started when I lost all my self worth when my second-grade teacher sexually assaulted me. From there with no confidence or positive self talk, I grew up bullied and never fitting in. Because of low self esteem I fell into multiple abusive relationships as I grew older. I tried my best to be whoever someone would love. I had my son, who literally saved my life, during my second marriage. Read more>>
Hannah Rainy
For years I struggled/struggle with undiagnosed CPTSD and that came with numerous symptoms and other mental health challenges. There would be some years I felt stronger than others and at times like crashes of waves in my reality. Completely taking over my joy and gratitude for the things around me. Everything could be fine one day and the next I’m back to things I thought I let go of. Since childhood I’ve always gotten myself therapy or counseling when things get too much and I’m really glad I did that. I learned a lot about how my brain worked and how I coped with certain things. I embraced my diagnosis as it was nice to finally have a name and i stopped putting all of this shame on it. I’d say the most cathartic things that helps would be learning about Radical self love/Self acceptance from a therapist I had and also seeing that even though I struggled during the day I also encouraged and could empathize with others. That has its limits if coase and I strongly recommend understanding your limits and having strong boundaries for things that you don’t align with. Over all life is an experience and it’s okay to take it minute by minute. I also learned that it’s also okay to accept that you have a condition that turns out to be lifelong. It’s not the end of the world and you’re going to find people that will love you and support you on your journey wherever that may take you. Not everyone is going to understand your journey or story and that okay. Read more>>
Leslie Goldman
When my husband died suddenly in 2012 I was devastated. As I walked towards my husband’s grave the words, “This is the worst moment of your life,” appeared like a ticker tape in front of me. I held each of my young children’s little hands in mine but I didn’t think I would survive the ordeal. I stopped and closed my eyes and prayed, Please God, help me get through this. When I opened my eyes, I saw a ten-point buck, standing majestically, only 50 feet away. We locked eyes for a moment and then he bounded off into the trees. In that instant, it felt like a miraculous gift. I thought, My God, that’s so beautiful, thank you. Seeing something so beautiful and wondrous lifted me out of that moment of despair. It was a pivotal moment that allowed me to shift into a state of appreciation. It helped me to move through my pain. Beauty and art is a powerful force that heals, unites, and enriches our lives. Read more>>
Rachael Dunbeck
I truly enjoy being artistic and creative. I want to be an inspiration for others because I have overcome a lot of obstacles. Such as having an absentee father and being badly bullied in school, which led to my being homeschooled from 7th grade through high school graduation. I feel that part of my issues in school were due to my being diagnosed with autism at the age of 9 and my social awkwardness, even though I did receive counseling. What works best for me when dealing with emotional issues or stress is talking about it to my very close friends and family. Also doing physical activity. For example, riding my bicycle around my neighborhood. The fresh air helps clear my head and boost my mood. Read more>>
Alvin Lee Sealy
Mental health is a major topic and area of my life that I’ve actually been studying for some years because of my own personal circumstances and experiences, and so, I believe that I’ve been able to persist because I made a decision to want to relieve myself of the problems it causes, the discomfort that other people are subjected to, and the overall repetition of negative experiences that comes with it. My studies and practices brought me to the understanding that I’m not stuck, and I can do the work that’s required despite a period of deep emotional pain; I have it in me to go through a dark tunnel of “rocks and sharp objects” if I know there’s light at the end, and resolve. Read more>>
Kristen Nett
Mental health is something I strive to be an advocate for in my personal and work life. Five years ago, I was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and it flipped my whole world upside down. In the previous months before my diagnosis, I was struggling with alarming and scary thoughts that I couldn’t get out of my mind. I didn’t know what was happening to me because I wasn’t fully aware of OCD as a disease. Many people go undiagnosed for years because of society’s stigma of OCD. For example, the narrative that OCD only correlates with being a “clean freak” or always needing to have your pencils straight on your desk. This can be true, but many don’t realize that OCD can be more than physical compulsions. OCD can be horrible, unwanted thoughts and images such as, “what if I jump off this cliff I’m standing on?” or “what if I smother my sleeping baby with a pillow?” These thoughts play over and over in your head until you start to believe that you actually might act upon them. It is truly a terrifying disease that makes you question yourself as a person and can make you not fully trust yourself. Despite these issues that I deal with to this day, I started my own nonprofit and have a successful career that I love. It was and is not easy to get to where I am today. Many times, my brain likes to tell me that I am not good enough and that I don’t deserve good things that I work hard for. I actually almost didn’t start my nonprofit because I was so scared of failure. I learned that it is important to surround myself with good people who push me to always be my best and who truly see me for the person I am. I am thankful for my family, my best friend Kylie and my nonprofit executive leadership team, Emma and Cameron, for all the support they give me. Some days, I feel lack of motivation to achieve my goals, but I know I can always count on these people to remind me who I am and what I’m worth. Read more>>
Paula Jane Newman
I was always an anxious chid. Getting to sleep was a struggle and school tests would run havoc on my immune system, cause rashes and keep me in a flight or flight state. Nowadays, we have a medical term for general anxiety but at the time I was subject to put downs, criticism and called a, “worry wort”. The blame was put on me, that I should fix it and not be so difficult. None of which helped. It made it worse. Read more>>
