WHAT IS STIGMA? 

Today Luis(Founder of PsychoSocial) talks about stigma and everything that surrounds mental health. We sit down and answer all these hard questions and get to the bottom of what we can do to break the stigma:

What does it look like?

Labeling: what are some common labels associated with mental illness?

How does it affect us?

What can we do to recognize it and put a stop to it?

How do we break the stigma on a global and individual level?

We hope you learned something from todays topic and join us for the topics to come!

Justine is the definition of a "Mental Badass" and lets us in to her story! She talks about the struggle of being under the care of terrible mental health professionals and how that played a role into her life. We then went on to talk about her experience with being bullied, her bipolar diagnosis and her past relationships. A lot of life can happen to us and sometimes we just get lost while trying to pick up the pieces. A warrior was born and she continues to fight but she is no longer a victim!

Here's the link to her podcast "Mentally a Badass" go check it out!

https://open.spotify.com/show/56NquFQSpjngMjNt7cPqZs?si=XzN_E4NpT_S0sYhNcbIK-A&dl_branch=1

Life shouldn't be a place you have to worry about what you wear outside. Unfortunately for Peggie that was her experience when she was sexually assaulted. Her strength and bravery had assisted in a very dangerous man going to jail for a long time. This event changed her life and has put her in a place of facing constant adversity within herself and others. Now she is no longer a victim to her story and uses her voice to advocate, educate and inspire the world! Thank you for your vulnerability Peggie!

Normalizing these discussions allow for episodes like this one to really show what life can be like for some of us. Erin's story about living with schizophrenia is an ongoing battle that is not going to stop her from achieving her dreams. She is the mental health warrior she needed in her life and now she's looking to get back in the world and show that nothing can stop you from being the change we need in this world. Thank you for your vulnerability and strength Erin!

REAL STORIES by REAL PEOPLE!

When you think of super heroes you think of Superman and Black Panther but we forget about the hero that's within ourselves. Armando takes us through a journey of him facing adversity and finding the strength to become the "CEO of his life." Thank you for becoming the man you are today my friend and demonstrating how advocating for your own life can lead to helping so many others. If you would like to share your story please reach out to me and let's continue to live Above the Stigma.

Real stories by real people!

Amy opens up about her story and how she turned her mental health around. She is a wonderful warrior and will continue to shine her light to help others find their way to happiness. Thank you all for listening and please reach out to me if you're interested in telling your story. YOU MATTER!

Abby opens up about experiences during her childhood to becoming the woman she is today. This is what being a advocate is all about, using our lived struggles to empower us to helping others find their voice. Thank you Abby for all of your strength.

Sofia opens up about her struggle through school and growing into the advocate she is today! Finding your voice is hard but struggling alone is harder. Join us in our community of people that care about people!

Kenya opens up about her story and her raw human experience. She talks about different struggles and what living with OCD is like. Being busy with life has not stopped her mission to help youth and their struggles. A super advocate is the best way to describe this mental health warrior!

Victoria opens up about her story on today's podcast. Fighting cultural norms, pressures of succeeding in school and work, struggling with her mental health along the way, Victoria is a true fighter in every sense of the word! Thank you for your strength and vulnerability, Above the Stigma is happy to have you in our community.