“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.
Vanessa aka Pumpkin
OMG it’s hard to know where to start. I think talking about mental health is so important but the stigma of it can be unbearable. I’m grateful and so very blessed to have family that works in mental health. It made it so that I feel like I’m able to ask for help. Read More>>
Julia Krasinski
The main thing that’s kept me going in life is my future. My dreams. Along side of course my family and friends. But the main thing that’s kept me going is hope, hope for my future, and hope that I’ll be where I want to be regarding my career(s) within the next 5-10 years. Read More>>
Mac Watson
My name is Mac Watson and I’m a Canadian film multihyphenate — actor, writer, director, producer, and sometime VFX coordinator. After seven years in Toronto, an undergrad degree in political science, and after one particularly demoralizing commercial audition, I decided it was time to pursue my lifelong dream of going to film school. Read More>>
Annie Lure
Merge the physical with the psychical. Western knowingness disarticulates the two. Refute medicalization. All its nomenclature. Diagnosis. Prognosis. You won’t process what you won’t name or entertain. Body forth vitality by crucible. I do site-specific durational performances, one of which was Sicilian tarantism. The crux is to willingly undergo the bite. Then move with seeming automaticity. A woman possessed. Read More>>
James Harris
When I hit rock bottom with my mental health, I was forced to slow down and truly engage in therapy—something I hadn’t fully believed could help before. Through that process, I learned to accept that there will always be hard days and that it’s okay not to be okay. Read More>>
Heather Sears
A major challenge I have overcome involved navigating the loss of my husband and suddenly becoming the sole provider for my family of four young children. It was a time of intense difficulty that forced me to re-evaluate every aspect of my life. Read More>>
Patrick McGuirk
I was diagnosed bipolar at 23. I was diagnosed autistic at 28, which put me in a tough spot because there aren’t many services when you’re an adult. My best answer to how I overcome and persist everyday comes from the successes I’ve had in the past. I remember the times when I overcame and they help me to overcome more. Read More>>
Niqane
I have continuously overcome and persisted in life, despite facing challenges relating to mental health issues, because of God. I have always been an advocate for mental health and treating everyone with kindness. I have struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts on and off for most of my life. Read More>>
Laura Muensterer
I’ve learned to manage my mental health by staying connected to what grounds me. Spending time with my pets and being out in nature helps me reset when life feels overwhelming. I remind myself of my why and focus on what matters most to me. I’ve also learned to try new things and lean on my friends for emotional support. Read More>>
Nadia Atkinson Maldonado
Growing up in the inner city of New York City, I was surrounded by low vibrations and crime left, right, front, and center. Over the years, I’ve suppressed the trauma related to my experiences until the age of 33. That’s when I began facing my emotions head-on instead of numbing or ignoring them. Healing wasn’t linear, it came through therapy, spirituality, solitude, and self-education. Read More>>
