How it all started
This TODAY Show story from March 25, 2021 describes the past eight and a half years in a nutshell, but the text version below provides even more details. :)
In August of 2011, more than six years after my bipolar disorder first surfaced, I decided to start a blog. It became a place I turned to write about my life as a wife and young mom to two small kids, and writing helped me to heal.
I wrote anonymously at first, because I was afraid of being judged and worried that disclosing my mental illness may make future employment opportunities difficult. For eighteen months, I wrote and found community online. Other writers who were sharing their stories openly inspired me, and when I landed my first paid writing job, I decided to stop hiding behind a pen name.
When WhatToExpect.com published my first article with my byline, it was also picked up by AOL.com (the parent company). The outpouring of support and gratitude when that piece hit the Internet with my real name was overwhelming. I knew immediately that I had made the right decision. I could finally talk about all parts of my life, and not just the shiny, fun moments.
My co-Founder, Anne Marie Ames and I after the first This Is My Brave show in may 2014.
It was around the same time that I had the idea to launch a theater show. I wanted to give others the same opportunity I had - a platform on which to share their story of living a successful life despite mental illness. I met my Co-Founder, Anne Marie Ames, at a mutual friend's party and recruited her to help me put the project out to the world. We launched This Is My Brave on Kickstarter in October of 2013 and the excitement surrounding the project grew and grew. We offered tickets to the first show and handmade "BRAVE" bracelets, among other items, as rewards for financial pledges of support. Within 31 days we had surpassed our goal of $6500 to fund the first show to end up with over $10,000 in contributions. It was clear that the community wanted to help bring this show to life - they believed in us and we weren't going to let them down.
After the success of the debut show in 2014, we began receiving interest from individuals in other cities to bring the show to their community. This Is My Brave, Inc was formed as a 501c3 and our organization began to expand to new cities through the support of volunteers willing to donate their time and expertise to coordinate shows. Since 2014, This Is My Brave has produced over 110 unique shows in cities across the United States featuring over 1,200 storytellers sharing true, personal stories on overcoming depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, psychosis, OCD, postpartum depression, borderline personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder, trichotillomania, anorexia, bulimia, sexual assault, alcoholism, substance use disorder and more. We also have a branch of our work in Australia (affectionately known as TIMBA), led by my dear friend Tim Daly.
After ten years of relentless dedication to breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness and substance use disorders, we have reached a turning point for our organization.
Our contact-based stigma-reduction program, This Is My Brave – The Show, has been fully developed as a comprehensive, evidence-based intervention that is now freely accessible to communities across the country. This Is My Brave is now available as a public mental health intervention through The University of South Florida’s Stigma Action Research (STAR) Lab.
With this transition also comes bittersweet news: This Is My Brave, Inc., will officially cease operations as a nonprofit organization by the end of 2024.
This, however, is not an end but a new beginning for This Is My Brave. With the launch of our toolkit for This Is My Brave – The Show, communities across the country will have the opportunity to independently produce shows that break down stigma and offer hope, just as we have done together for the past decade.
We are so excited to see where This Is My Brave will go from here! And we are immensely grateful for everyone who supported us over the last 10+ years.
Stay connected with us on our new website & social media:
Website: https://thisismybrave.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/thisismybrave
Instagram: http://instagram.com/thisismybrave
Twitter: http://twitter.com/thisismybrave
