“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.

Rebecca Sculler

As a teenager, I deeply struggled with my mental health and depression. I tried therapy, psychiatric medicine, and other treatment options. It was not until I tried transcranial magnetic stimulation (or TMS) that I regained the will to live and the ability to find joy. I continue to regularly see a therapist and work on my mental health. I continue to have ups and downs, but now within a much healthier range. I would not be who I am today without having found a treatment that worked for me. Read more>>

Kelso Ayala

Since birth I always knew I was different from other kids. I learned different, I saw things differently, and I felt things differently. Coming from a single mom Hispanic home, my mental health wasn’t always taken seriously the way it is today. Growing up, I was constantly bullied for my appearance, how I spoke, and my sexuality. Even though I had a great deal of friends, I never truly felt seen or often felt lonely. I always felt like I had to pretend to be someone else, because no one would like the real me. As I grew older, this became a bigger issue. I became more insecure, struggled building healthy relationships, and didn’t have a strong sense of self. During senior year of high school, I was at my peak or what I thought was my peak. I had a boyfriend, good grades, people knew who I was. I still felt like I was hiding who I was or putting on this mask in order to feel seen and heard or fill the void of someone who never knew their dad. Fast forward to 2021, I unfortunately went through something that no 23-year-old should have to go through; an unfortunate heartbreak leading to betrayal, homelessness, financial struggle, and the absence of friends and family close enough for support. I was possibly the most suicidal I’ve ever been, and it took a lot for me to wake up every day and hope that I’d have the strength to keep going. After 3 long years, I came back home to Charlotte, NC and discovered a program called Year Up. This program helped me develop skills I didn’t think I was capable of and led me to my current full-time position at Bank of America. I was able to start taking better care of my mental health leading to my diagnosis of ADHD at the age of 26 years old and finally building the financial freedom I have always dreamed of. Despite all of the challenges I have faced, I persevered because of my family, my friends I made along the way, and myself. I gained a great deal of love and self-respect for myself and that has allowed me to slow down and take the time I need to deal with my mental health. There are still always ups and downs, but I always look back at how far I’ve come, from all the pain and tears I’ve shed to being the adult I’ve always wanted to be. I always ask myself, if I could do things differently would I? Probably, but regardless I would have still been successful, and it would’ve all led me to my final destination. Infinite love for myself and finally letting my true self be free regardless of judgement. I can use what I’ve learned to help others who are overcoming hardships and spread the empathy I carry to help my community. That is the best medicine for mental health. Read more>>

Emily Cullum

It is no secret that mental health is an extremely important topic and sensitive for us to talk about! As a queer woman who was raised in the south, it took me a long time to come to terms with the wounded girl living inside of my body. It was only 4 years ago when I started therapy for the first time, but that was after years of battling anxiety, health-related challenges and OCD without even knowing it. Read more>>

Shayna Grajo

I own that as a visionary, I’ve pushed my limits and experienced uncommon depths of understanding. I am no stranger to mystic trance, states of insight, and shamanic initiation (“severely psychotic episodes as a sort of calling,” to reference Rev. Jen-Mitzuke Peters, Doctoral Candidate, LPC, E-RYT). Read more>>

Erik Rueter

I had my first panic attack as a high school freshman when I realized I had completely blown a project deadline. I called my friend in a full-on meltdown, convinced that messing up meant I was a failure, unworthy of love or success. Looking back, the reaction was extreme—but in that moment, cortisol had hijacked my brain, and I had no tools to fight back. Read more>>

Katrina Gerlach

I wouldn’t say I’ve overcome the challenges- but I survive them. I persist.
The biggest piece is ACCEPTING that this is something that’s going to happen. Sometimes I’m going to be sick. That’s what it is. It will pass. I don’t need to beat myself up over it.
Could I have done something different to prevent or help prevent a worsening episode? Maybe, but it’s in the past. And I’m here now. So it’s just time to move on and deal with what I can. Make the next right decision. Read more>>

Leigh Nelson

I will begin with a bit of backstory. After various family traumas that I had experienced in my teens through my thirties, in 2018, I had also lost my pregnancy at 20 weeks. Then, in March of 2021, my mother, who was my best friend and a very healthy 74-year-old, suddenly had a double aneurysm and passed away the next day. Read more>>

Emilie Jordao

This question has many layers for me. The foundation of my persistence was finding my lighthouses—the people, places, and even animals that I loved more than life itself. The ones I couldn’t imagine leaving behind. My family was first, then my pets, and the support group I had created while going through antidepressant withdrawal. Showing up for them gave me strength. Focusing on my lighthouses every day kept me going. Read more>>

H. Grace Boyle

When I was younger, the world was my oyster – until wasn’t. At twenty-three, I was diagnosed with a serious mental health condition. The symptoms started when I was sixteen years old. I excelled at many things early in my life. I was intelligent, ambitious, creative, and gregarious. I had a bit of a laundry list of enviable qualities. I was also a showoff and a know it all. My ego was growing and an “I’m better than you” attitude started to develop. WELL, the universe was Johnny on the Spot to put me in check. By eighteen/nineteen I was having hallucinations of all types. I couldn’t trust my own mind. I wanted to end my life and being a chemistry major in college, I spent a lot of time researching chemicals and combinations that would help me do just that. “To be or not to be?” I wanted not to be. My twentieth year brought with it an incredibly beautiful, and for all intents and purposes, ridiculous idea. Propelled by an intense manic episode, I decided to start carving stone. As luck would have it, I found someone in the area who had blocks of Italian marble. What are the chances of that? My first piece of stone was a pyramidal block of Statuario Altissimo. With only pictures in art books and my own hands as reference materials, I carved a pair of lovers’ hands. This is how I began stone sculpture. Working in stone is a metaphor for my life’s journey thus far. Read more>>

Carington Cantarella

Mental illness start as something inhibiting your life, keeping you from functioning at full force. I let it take over, I let it consume me, and one day I realized I had only two choices left, I could let my Self die (live as a husk of a person surviving life working the typical job paying my bills and taxes and never dreaming of more-just surviving) or I could choose to live. So I fought my own brain day in and day out, slowly convincing myself I did want to live. I found my challenges and life experiences helped others. I am thankful for everything I have experienced because now I can help others choose to live. Choose themselves. Find empowerment. I let myself sink to the very bottom and I swam back up alone. The least I can do is make sure someone else doesn’t have to make that swim back up to the surface alone. Read more>>

Veda Leclerc

I remember waking up in the middle of the night. My heart was racing, and it felt as though someone was sitting on my chest. Little did I know, I was having a panic attack. That one panic attack turned into multiple. I was out of school, and sports, avoided going out with friends, and I couldn’t even enter the grocery store without panicking. My anxiety was debilitating, soon turning into depression where I didn’t want to do anything, but lay in my bed. Read more>>

Natasha Pressley

Throughout the years, even before i could pin point exactly what it was, I have struggled with depression and anxiety. To overcome those struggles, I really owe all thanks to my family support system, my ability to create, and my faith. If it wasn’t for my parents constantly affirming me of my talents and power in this world, it would be a harder road. I wouldn’t have been able to push through mental blocks and lift myself up to fight for my dreams. Creating has served as an outlet to tell my story, and help others through theirs. Read more>>

Amber Conte

There have been many times when I’ve felt like an outsider, like an alien in my own skin. It took me years to understand why I felt that way. Looking back, I’ve always faced challenges related to mental health, and I still do at times. As a teenager, I experienced depression and anxiety, though I didn’t have the words to describe what I was going through. Now, at 33, I can look back and see how much I’ve been through. I’ve survived sexual and emotional abuse and worked tirelessly to process my PTSD and the struggles that come with it. Read more>>

Mackenzie Boone

The short answer would be, to do it anyway. Do it scared, alone, while you’re not feeling good, when you don’t want to get out of bed- do it. Motivation doesn’t come naturally for me with a lot of things anymore. Now it’s more about self-discipline. I’m living with a lot of what I used to pray for, so I’ve got to continue to find gratitude in the midst of my chaos. Read more>>

Katie Butler

In January 2023, I launched my alcohol-free social media platform, “Alcohol Free in Dally,” after
realizing there was a need for a community where individuals could find support in navigating an
alcohol-free lifestyle in Dallas. I made the decision to stop drinking in 2021 and soon found
myself having numerous conversations with friends and family about sobriety. I wondered if
others were experiencing similar questions, and the idea of creating a space to share my
journey and experiences was born. Read more>>