“Have you ever heard of This is My Brave?”
It was early 2016 when I first heard about This is My Brave. I had
just written a revealing blog about my suicide attempt in 2014, and the dark
depressive episode that followed.
For nearly two years, my depression consumed me. I developed
anxiety about working at my eight dollar an hour retail job when I was once a
promising television reporter. Eventually I stopped working, and became a
recluse. I did not bath, brush my teeth, or comb my hair for weeks. I remember
pulling my hair out at the roots, and picking scabs all over my body, never
giving them time to heal. The physical pain reminded me that something in my
now numb, sensory deficient body could still feel.
October 2015, I was prescibed an anti-depressant that slowly
removed the dark storm cloud that seemed to color every part of my life. Months
later, I remember sitting in front of the television watching Joyce Meyers. She
was talking about depression and how it is a battlefield of the mind. I am
not sure why, other than the voice of God, I recall feeling a voice in spirit
say, “It’s time to speak your truth. People need to know why you are no longer
living your television dream. Tell them why.”
That night I could barely sleep thinking, how I could ever write
about trying to take my own life, or revealing to the world that depression
took every part of myself that I held dear? I got up and wrote the blog,
“Standing in My Truth.” I posted it online with a picture of what I looked like
when I was on air, and how I looked post depression. Black, deep dark circles
around my eyes, broken off hair, and a chubby overweight face. My
family’s phone was ringing early the next morning, relative were pleading with
me to take the post down. They said I’d never get hired. They said it was no
one's business. They said it was too much. That was the beginning of a battle
to own, speak, and share my own truth. It lead to an intense separation
with my family, but also liberation from shame.
The blog had also reached a former television friend of mine, who
called to tell me she understood. Her own brother struggled with mental illness
and something that helped her understand was a show called This is MyBrave. It started in Arlington, Virginia. The show featured people
living with mental illness. People all over the country were writing blogs like
mine and taking to a stage to tell their stories to a live audience, my friend
explained.
When I finished talking to my friend, I Googled everything I could
about This is My Brave. I read countless blogs on the This is My Brave site,
and watched countless videos of people sharing their stories in front of a live
audience. Those people gave me a backbone, they gave me hope, they showed me my
voice mattered. As afraid as I was in the beginning of writing about what
mental illness did to me This is My Brave showed me my story mattered, and I
had a right to tell it. (Watch the promo below to learn more about the
nonprofit)
A year later I wrote a blog about one of my experiences in a
psychiatric hospital that lead to me finally accepting my mentally illness. The
blog was featured on the This is My Brave website. 2018, I had to experience
the show for myself, and see an advocate I admired T-Kea Blackman. After
sitting in the audience watching people of all ages, races, professions talk,
laugh, and cry about life with mental illness, I made it be in a This is My
Brave show. I got that dream October 2018. Here is a YouTube video of that
experience.
I knew then Hampton Roads had to experience this type of advocacy.
The freedom it gave me, had to be experienced in my hometown. That’s why every
day I am working on the This is My Brave show is lving a dream. This nonprofit
inspired me to keep writing, and because of that I’m walking in a life purpose
I never would have dream for myself.
I am producing the first This is My Brave show in Hampton Roads.
That’s so incredible to write. Many of you have followed my journey
and now I am calling on you to make this one of the best shows This is My
Brave has ever had. If you have a story of lived experience of mental
illness and/ or substance use disoder, consider auditioning for our first show.
You can share your story in song, dance, writing, spoken word, or essay. Use
this link www.calendly.com/bravehamptonroads to sign up for auditions
in January.
Part of my duties as a producer is to secure sponsorships and
advertisments to help finance the show. As I’ve been reaching out to
businesses, I’ve been thinking how much I’d love for Good Girl Chronicles to be
a top level sponsor. My busines is all about empowering people through storytelling.
My ultimate goal is become THE top level sponsor which is $5,000.
I have started a crowdfunding campaign to reach that goal. You can help with a
donation of any size. Our show is scheduled for April 19, 2020 so I am going to
run this crowd funding through the end of April. Whatever I raise between now
and then will be the sponsorship level I take. You can donate here . Donations to this crowdfunding campaign go directly to This is My Brave and are tax deductible. Or if
you would like to sponsor or advertise in this show email me at my This is My
Brave email lhope@thisismybrave.org
We’re already getting some great press. Check out my CBS6
Interview about auditions
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