“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.
Sierra Kenyon
To say I persisted despite those who made my life difficult in high school or because I was dedicated to therapy is, I think, a very surface-level answer. As a kid raised in an achievement-oriented family with high expectations to pursue STEM and excel as an athlete, I developed a gritty and competitive nature. Yet, I keep coming back to the fact that I persisted because I had to, and I was used to it. Letting it swallow me whole was never an option, even if it was the option I wanted to take. Read More>>
Sophie Wade
In 2021, my best friend, Daniella, unexpectedly and tragically passed away. I had never lost a close friend my age before, so I ended up in the worst place mentally I’ve ever been in. I lost my motivation to pursue my passions, stay connected with others, and be hopeful for my future. When I took the time to stay close to God, educate myself on grief, go to therapy, and slowly open up to people/opportunities again, I began to see myself slowly heal. Read More>>
Shayna B.
I’m still in the process of overcoming mental health issues. In addition to that, I’m still figuring out life after cancer. I’m 5 years out from ovarian cancer, which makes me a “survivor” (please leave that in quotes) from ovarian cancer according to cancer survival rate data. And I’m almost 4 years out from neuroendocrine cancer. But no one talks about survivorship and how hard it is. Read More>>
Adam Sanchez
By finding the balance between the timeless wisdom of the ancients (even if it may sound cliché: like focusing only on what’s in our control), and practical self-regulation tools such as mindfulness, breath work, fitness, balanced nutrition, and mindset training—all of which have helped me stay grounded and resilient. Life becomes easier when we recognize how many inner resources are available to us. Read More>>
Ryan Mason
The truth is, I never expected to be someone who struggled with anxiety. I thought I was built for pressure. I was winning in my auto sales career, selling over 300 cars a year. I had systems in place that pulled in leads on autopilot, I was happily married, and I felt like I had a grip on everything. Let me run you through how I fell into a panic disorder and what I did to claw my way back out. Read More>>
Briana Boyd
I come from a line of strong women who shaped me in different ways. I was primarily raised by my grandmother, who had a nurturing, open-minded spirit. She really saw me. She told my mom I was a sensitive child who would need to be handled with care very early on in my childhood. That kind of early validation—her deep understanding and unconditional acceptance—gave me a strong sense of worth. It made the effort of navigating my emotions and thoughts feel worthwhile, even from a young age. I AM a sensitive person, and it’s okay. It’s my superpower in the work I do now. Read More>>
Daisha
From 2021 to 2023, I went through one of the most difficult seasons of my life—a mental breakdown that ultimately led to a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. It was during this time that I also realized the condition had been triggered by a PTSD episode stemming from unresolved childhood trauma. Coming to terms with both the trauma and the diagnosis was overwhelming, but it marked the beginning of a long and necessary journey toward healing. Read More>>
Mattison Lewis
I’ve learned that persistence doesn’t always look like powering through — sometimes, it’s as simple as getting out of bed, asking for help, or choosing not to give up when everything in you wants to. Mental health challenges have forced me to slow down, re-evaluate my self-worth, and stop measuring success by hustle alone. Read More>>
Madelyn Gobel
The main way I have persisted despite challenges related to mental health issues is I learned how to ask for help. One of the hardest things for me to accept was that I didn’t need to struggle all alone, that there were ways to cope and make it through what I was struggling with. I would constantly have breakdown after breakdown and feel like I wasn’t enough, that I wasn’t worth enough to improve. I finally accepted that I needed to take a drastic move or I was going to harm myself or continue to hurt my friend’s and family’s feelings. Read More>>
Jordan Baeckman
Honestly, mental health has been a journey—one that doesn’t have a clean finish line. There were days when showing up felt impossible, when the weight of anxiety, depression, or burnout made everything feel heavier. But I kept showing up, even if it wasn’t perfectly. Read More>>
Shuiqing Tian
I’m currently a film editor, and storytelling has become one of the few ways I can stay afloat. I don’t think mental health is something that can be overcome—it’s something I still struggle with daily. Some days I barely manage. There are a few things I’ve found that help me keep going. Read More>>
The Moray
Blake: Knowing we have a dedicated fan base that supports us unconditionally, that we have family and friends who support us and love us and want to see us succeed. If it wasn’t for The Moray I would be in a far worse place mentally and playing with the guys gives me a creative outlet I need to be able to explore.
Shane: Having an outlet where I feel I can be completely myself, whether that’s writing songs about personal struggles, political issues, or things we have all experienced, I am able to show parts of myself that are difficult to express outside of music. It’s so incredible to be in a state you’ve never played in and have the fans sing the words back to you.
Bailey: I get to escape into a world that a lot of people don’t get to experience. I get to play with my friends and play songs for people who are also struggling with their mental health and give them an outlet through the music and the lyrics. I’ve written songs I’ve never played just to get it all out and when I do play the songs I feel connected to the crowd and the people around us.
Ronna Thompson
This really hits home lately as I have been actively trying to overcome mental health issues as we speak. I was recently diagnosed again (was when I was a young child but it fell through the cracks of life) with ADHD. Which I feel is more of a superpower than an hindrance. But I recently was in a horrific and serious car accident that spiraled me into an unmotivated and depressed person. I have been clawing my way back to my optimistic and driven self since. Read More>>
Cinnamon McKinley
I have been living with mental health issues since early childhood. I had to learn how to live with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) right out of the womb. From a very young age, I was counting everything – my steps, the number of times I chewed my food, how many pen strokes it took to write my name. When I was forced to sit still, I would count my teeth or my mosquito bites or my bruises. Read More>>
Kelly George
As a Black-Latinx, queer, bipolar neurodiverse person persisting despite the challenges related to my bipolar diagnosis meant I had to evolve.
The world can be harsh–full of stigmas, pathologizing, and racial stress all setup to seemingly diminish the value of difference. For me, especially in my early twenties, living with the intersection of my many identities seeking spaces that were psychological safe and physically safe became an exhausting task of masking, code switching and mitigating feelings of inadequacy professionally and personally. Read More>>
Nicholas Neujack Guerrero
Mental health issues can be severe. I believe a lot of the daily trials we face in life add a significant amount of stress, depression, and coping mechanisms due to severe mental health issues. As someone who struggled for years with diagnosed SPD (severe panic disorder), being in practice with mental health is something to be prioritized. It’s practice of peace and its worth every penny of the investment. Read More>>
