By Tre Gabriel
Flawless Fellow
What is PeaceLove, and what exactly do they do?
The 2019 Annual Peace of Mind Storytellers event answered this question: PeaceLove helps people achieve peace of mind. The Storytellers event brings together leaders, experts, and anyone else working to create peace of mind in their own lives and the lives of others. This year’s event featured inspiring performances by poets, chefs, high school students, musicians, doctors, business leaders, advocates, performance artists, entrepreneurs, and athletes…to name a few!
The night before the big day, the Flawless team attended the kick-off party—a reception-style gathering where the PeaceLove staff and Storytellers got to know attendees. In every conversation, I got the same reaction after I admitted this was my first PeaceLove event: “Wow, you’re in for a treat!” The hype heightened my expectations, but I was still blown away by the actual event.
Everything about it was moving: from the soothing vocals from the Broadway Quartet to the infinite knowledge of Dr. Husseini Mangi, from Abbie Stenberg’s personal accounts of hardship to the youthful hope and courage of Perri Easley. Samantha Ramirez-Herrera’s relatable perspective of dealing with mental health challenges in the minority community while not having good access to care. The way Erick Kelly use athletics to show that, despite your failures, you can’t ever break down. The scientific creativity from Dr. Kate Stone. The entrepreneurship of Mark Brand, helping those who need a helping hand. The limitless friendship between Scott Sorenson and Devin Wildes, the way Devan Mulvaney raised his voice in song to keep his family’s memory alive, and U-Meleni Mhlaba-Abedo’s gift for bringing a crowd of strangers together in rhythm and song. Finally, it was the classical musical genius that is Philip Sheppard, who ended with an inspiring tribute to Jeremy Richman, a beloved member of the mental health advocacy community who just passed away.
Everyone had a story. This event showed the peace of mind that comes from sharing your experiences. Telling your story brings acceptance, understanding, and hope, not only to the storyteller, but to those who are privileged enough to listen. Telling your story can turn painful memories into growth opportunities.
I was truly fortunate to witness the inspiring individuals who draw on what they have been through to give others the gift of authenticity, hope and connection. The people at the kick-off party were right: I was truly in for a treat.
