Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Sep 6, 2020 | #MyStoryMYSUPERPOWER, #WomensMentalHealth, Mental Health Matters
“Stories are living and dynamic. Stories exist to be exchanged. They are the currency of Human Growth.” Jean Houston, PhD Twenty-five years ago, these words flowed out of me: “Balanced within exultation and despair is the state of mind called reality.” The words were written above the title, States of Mind, and beneath the title was the author’s name: Leslie D’Angelo. The self-publisher? Resources for Living. And what was States of Mind? The chaos in my mind. The yearning in my heart. An embodied voice that needed more than anything else to feel, to write, to speak, and be heard. My name is Diane Kaufman. What experiences have I had and how do I allow them to define me? Or do I dare to define myself? Here goes…. I am a suicide survivor. I am a poet, artist, child psychiatrist, humanism in medicine awardee, and founder of Arts Medicine for Hope & Healing, ARTS for Living, and Creative Life Lines. I am still becoming who I am. I am a hurt little girl who grew into a sensitive and brave woman. I have Bipolar II Disorder. I am a mother, a grandmother, a sister, Aunt, and friend. Most of all I want to be a humane human being and I don’t want to stop growing. I want to cultivate and share the gifts I was born to give – just as we all are born with special gifts to help illuminate the world from human inflicted darkness. Who was this Leslie D’Angelo? My middle name is Leslie. Perhaps I wanted to be an angel. D is first initial of...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Sep 6, 2020 | #BIPOCMentalHealth, #MyStoryMYSUPERPOWER, #WomensMentalHealth, MentalHealthMatters
As proud Iranian-American author and mental health activist Melody Moezzi said, “Race is a mental health issue; mental health is a race issue. We need to stop treating them like they are two separate issues because they are not.” Discussing race and mental health is not new for ASHA International. This discussion is a part of who we are at our core. There’s never been a more important time than right now to share that with the world. The video clip below is from our 2019 Grit and Grace conference but it’s especially fitting in our current state. This year we chose to make our conference FREE because, as Melody explains, we can’t do this alone. Join us as we talk about race and mental health at the Grit & Grace Conference on September 18th. Click here to learn more and register. ...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Aug 16, 2020 | #BIPOCMentalHealth, #Grit&Grace, #MyStoryMYSUPERPOWER, #WomensMentalHealth, MentalHealthMatters
We are excited to announce the 2020 Grit & Grace Multicultural Women’s Mental Health Conference is going virtual! And it’s free of charge thanks to our amazing sponsors! We hope you will join us for an inspiring and empowering day. We have an amazing line up of speakers you will not want to miss! Since it is a FREE virtual event, everyone across the world interested in women’s mental health and well-being are welcome to join us. So please share this invite with your family, friends and colleagues and invite them to join us. The conference will feature leading mental health advocates from across cultures who will share their stories to give hope and empower us to cultivate resilience and well-being during these difficult times. Click here to check out the amazing line up of speakers and register....
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Jul 18, 2020 | #MyStoryMYSUPERPOWER, BIPOC Mental Health, MentalHealthMatters
“Sharing our stories without shame is a huge part of our journey to wellbeing” says writer, activist, attorney and award-winning author, Melody Moezzi. “We are not broken. We are brave. We are brilliant. We are beautiful. And, we are blessed.” Watch Melody’s inspiring story of how she is thriving despite her struggles with bipolar...
Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | Jul 18, 2020 | #BIPOCMentalHealth, #MyStoryMYSUPERPOWER, MentalHealthMatters
As an eight-year-old Latina girl growing up in New York, Dior wrote in her dairy – “My life is over. My mother says no my life is not over. Well, I think so. The end.” Her parent’s divorce, domestic violence, threat of eviction and bullying at school filled her with despair. But her grandmother’s love sustained and inspired her to excel at school and become an activist. Today, Dior is a Latina Feminist Mental Health Activist advocating for equitable mental health care for all. She is the creator of the People of Color and Mental Illness Photo Project, a response to the invisibility of Black Indigenous People of Color in the media representation of mental illness. She is also the editor of The Color of My Mind, a photo essay book based on the photo project. She tours the country giving keynotes, hosting workshops, and speaking on panels. Her work and insight have been covered in media outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes, Newsweek, and NBC News Latino. Dior is the recipient of numerous awards including, The White House Champion of Change for Disability Advocacy Across Generations under the Obama administration. Watch Dior’s inspiring...
