On this week’s 51%, the female part of toy company Melissa & Doug has written a book about her journey from darkness to light, telling others they’re not alone.

Melissa & Doug is a half-billion-dollar success story, its products found on toy store shelves and children’s bedroom floors everywhere. The Melissa behind the company — Melissa Bernstein — has been the chief designer of more than 5,000 playthings. But until recently, she kept secret her lifelong battle with severe depression and anxiety. Her new book, Lifelines: An Inspirational Journey from Profound Darkness to Radiant Light, tells the story of her journey inward toward self-discovery, detailing the ways she has adapted her thinking and practices to feel at home in her body and in the world. The book offers solace, connection, and support to others struggling with feelings of depression, anxiety, isolation, or loneliness. We asked her how she came to write Lifelines.

That was Melissa Bernstein, co-founder of Melissa & Doug and author of Lifelines: An Inspirational Journey from Profound Darkness to Radiant Light. And she and Doug Bernstein are launching and underwriting LifeLines.com, an online community, resource center, and content hub.

That’s our show for this week. Thanks to Tina Renick for production assistance. Our executive producer is Dr. Alan Chartock. Our theme music is Glow in the Dark by Kevin Bartlett. This show is a national production of Northeast Public Radio. Follow us on Twitter @51PercentRadio.

Photo courtesy of lifelines.com.