“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.
Ines Gen
My acting career requires constant management of my public image, especially on social media, which is key for visibility and credibility. But being an actress also means opening up, sharing my emotions and vulnerabilities. This can be challenging, particularly when dealing with anxiety, depression, and ADHD. These struggles make everyday life more complicated and sometimes prevent me from functioning like most people. Read more >>>
Nina Kresky
Like a lot of business owners, I didn’t realize just how much of myself I’d be bringing into the work when I started. I’ve always been creative, driven, and deeply invested in the people I work with. At the same time, I live with diagnosed panic disorder and anxiety. The symptoms often show up in ways that mirror ADHD, depression, OCD, and other neurodivergent traits. Read more >>>
Michelle Miller
I haven’t completely overcome my mental health challenges, as I’ve battled depression since my teens. Some days are difficult, and I may struggle with focus or experience brain fog. On those days, I’ve learned to adapt by giving myself grace and shifting to lighter tasks that require less decision-making, such as reading or organizing. Read more >>>
Wild Mike
I’ve battled depression for a long time, and it’s not something I hide from anymore. There were times it tried to knock me off track—times I didn’t feel like creating, working, or even showing up as a father and a man. But what’s kept me going is faith, family, and art. Read more >>>
Cameron Parker
On February 7th, 2024, my wife and I lost our son Titus to a devastating abdominal disease called Necrotizing Enterocolitis, or NEC. The loss of a child is the hardest thing a human can endure, and the mental health challenges that followed were crushing. When you lose a child, you lose a sense of purpose, a sense of direction, and even the will to live. Read more >>>
Dominique Ayers
On the days when you feel like you can’t do anything else — just show up. Having a strong support system makes all the difference when you need that extra push in life. I’m also a big believer in therapy and how powerful it can be! Read more >>>
Spike Gillespie
My business partner once tried to engage me in an exercise in which I would assign certain points to certain aspects of my life—a way to prioritize things to help me see what I count as most important. Upon considering this exercise and some examples he offered, I responded, “ALL of my points go toward one thing—my mental health.” It’s true. Read more >>>
Natasha Norris
For me, overcoming the challenges tied to mental health hasn’t been about pretending they don’t exist; it’s been about giving myself permission to acknowledge them, feel them, and then do the work to heal. As a survivor of childhood trauma and someone who lives with fibromyalgia, I’ve had to navigate both emotional and physical pain that, for years, I carried in silence. Read more >>>
Aharon Weinstein
I have struggled with mental health issues my whole life. I was diagnosed with depression, and some anxiety disorder that I don’t recall the name of, when I was in elementary school. I was abused when I was a little kid and it caused those mental health issues to drastically worsen. Read more >>>
