Live Your Best Life: Ending The Mental Health Stigma with Michelle DickinsonLive Your Best Life: Ending The Mental Health Stigma with Michelle Dickinson
Hippie Haven Podcast: How To Live A Harmonious Life
Our guest today is Michelle Dickinson, a passionate mental health advocate, a Ted speaker and published author of a memoir entitled Breaking Into My Life. After years of playing the role of child care giver, Michelle embarked on her own healing journey of self discovery. Her memoir offers a rare glimpse into a young girl's experience living with and loving her bipolar mother. Michelle then spent years working to eradicate the mental health stigma within her own workplace at a fortune 500 company by elevating compassion, causing more open conversations and leading real change in how mental illness is understood in the corporate setting. She also knows firsthand what it feels like to struggle with a mental illness after experiencing her own depression due to challenging life events of her own. As a past volunteer with court appointed special advocates, the Make a Wish Foundation and serving as big sister with the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization, elevating the wellbeing of our youth matters to her. Michelle's volunteer work led her to create her own children's program called Perfect Just The Way You Are. This program was designed to help youth better understand how to nourish the body and the mind and has reached over 2000 children and their families in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania in the last five years. The program recently evolved into a school-wide and student led mental health wellness fair. Michelle's intentions are to touch as many children's lives as possible with this program so that children proactively develop a healthy relationship to brain health. In today's episode, we're talking about how to reduce the stigma around mental health, how to create more compassion in today's society, how to improve the collective mindset around mental health in your workplace, the economic benefits of investing in mental health resources, and Michelle's advice to those affected by mental illness.
23:14•5 Feb 2020
Michelle Dickinson: Transforming Mental Health Conversations
“If we stop avoiding the conversation, have the courage to have the conversation and not feel this obligation to have to fix things, we can make a big difference.”
Imagine growing up with a bipolar parent and navigating your own mental health struggles later in life. That's exactly what Michelle Dickinson shares on this episode of the Hippie Haven Podcast. Host Callee chats with Michelle, a passionate mental health advocate, TED speaker, and author of the memoir 'Breaking Into My Life'. Michelle opens up about her childhood experiences and how they shaped her journey towards mental health advocacy.
She talks about her efforts to break down the stigma surrounding mental health, especially within corporate settings. Michelle's story is not just about personal healing; it's about fostering compassion and understanding in workplaces and beyond. She highlights the economic benefits of investing in mental health resources and offers practical advice for those dealing with mental illness. Michelle also discusses the importance of peer-structured communities and creating mental health employee resource groups.
This episode is a heartfelt conversation filled with insights and strategies for promoting mental health awareness. Tune in to hear Michelle's inspiring journey and learn how you can contribute to a more compassionate society.
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