Last week, Mental Health Awareness Week celebrated its 25th anniversary ending with a global celebration on World Mental Health Day. This important week of awareness coincided with the release of Patrick Kennedy’s memoir, A Common Struggle, which details his personal journey as well as his family’s history of mental illness and addiction. The reveal has…
What this world needs is a new kind of army – an army of the kind! -Cleveland Amory It is October 2015. And, as of last Thursday, October 1, there have been a total of 45 school shootings in the U.S. this year. We see this news, but we no longer feel it; we mourn…
Last week I wrote a blog about suicide prevention month that included the story of Tara Dixon, an artist who just lost a dear friend to suicide. As I was writing and immersed in all things about suicide prevention, I was struck by the many innovative arts initiatives that were running through my social media…
Tara and Jim just lost their dear friend Ellie to suicide. They didn’t know each other but were connected at the funeral through their friendship with Ellie and also through a shared diagnosis of bipolar disorder. In their grief, they have courageously brought light and healing to an unthinkable tragedy and they are mental health…
I recently had the inspiring experience of sitting down with Robin Stern, Ph.D., the associate director for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, to discuss the upcoming Emotional Revolution Summit (ERS)– a game-changing effort between the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. The ERS is a groundbreaking movement that…
Since that horrific summer night in Colorado, I have been very vocal with my thoughts about the case of James Holmes. I recognized him publicly as a young man who had a documented history of treated and untreated schizophrenia and several doctors confirmed that diagnosis in his trial. While the nation was putting a young…
Over a month ago, I launched a campaign (#50til50) for the 50 days leading up to my 50th birthday. What started as something spontaneous without much of a plan has turned into a powerful learning experience for me and for others. While it’s a fun and creative project, the inspiration came from a deep place…
“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love Dear Mr and Mrs Holmes, As we hold everyone involved in…
Our perception of flags over the past month has changed. We are more aware, more conscious, and we are having an important dialogue about the power of such symbols in both our culture and our own minds. Between the intense and long overdue attention to the Confederate flag issue since the Charleston tragedy and the…
As soon as the news broke of the horrific tragedy in Charleston, SC, an editor reached out to me to ask if I would write something to weigh in with my opinion. I was cautious and apprehensive, but I sat at my laptop and shared about the need for us to stop being divisive and…
