From Survivor to Thriver

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Hamilton, an executive with nearly three decades of experience in the healthcare industry, brings both a vision and passion for creating innovative solutions to complex problems. However, for the first 21 years of his career, he struggled personally with behavioral issues such as panic attacks, stress, anxiety, ADHD, and, underpinning all of it, he was an alcoholic. Now sober for ten years, one of his greatest passions is bringing solutions to individuals and family members who are struggling with substance misuse or suicidal ideation. That’s why, as CEO of Youturn Health, his hope is that the organization will forever improve and change the face of addiction recovery, education, and support in the next five years. Connect with Hamilton at youturnhealth.com. Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @brushcreekthrivers Facebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Shaun, a father to a 10-year-old daughter, an ultramarathon runner, and a music enthusiast, is the co-author of the stigma-breaking book, “Boys Do Cry,” a collection of true stories by men who have overcome adversity and gender conformity surrounding their mental health and emotions. Between the ages of 7 and 17, Shaun lived in an around-the-clock fear state as a result of both the physical and emotional childhood trauma levied by his father. Through it all, he has overcome addiction, homelessness, and mental illness, re-established a relationship with his mother, from whom he was taken in a custody battle at a young age, and finally broke the cycle to become the father that he always wanted to be. Connect with Shaun at shauncoffey.com.Contact Us:Email: [email protected]: @brushcreekthriversFacebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Charlene is a mother of three amazing children, a wife, a daughter, Reiki Practitioner and Women's Empowerment Coach who admittedly spent most of her life living in a state of darkness. After experiencing nearly a decade of sexualized trauma at the hands of her grandfather, a decade of domestic violence, and more than 30 years of mental illness and suicidal ideology, she was just two days away from taking her life when, at the insistence of a friend, she begrudgingly attended a women's workshop. There, after hearing the inspirational stories of three speakers, her life changed forever. She was able to take off her blinders, begin the healing process, and ignite her life by turning her mess into a message of hope, evolution, and transformation that she now shares with people all over the world. Connect with Charlene at charlenemadden-speaker.com. Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @brushcreekthrivers Facebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Sherry is a clinical psychologist, speaker, podcaster, author, and mental health advocate whose company, ZenFounder, helps entrepreneurs and leaders navigate transition, rapid growth, loss, conflict, or any manner of complex human experience. She experienced her own cycle of grief when, in her forties, she lost her dad to cancer and, only six months later, lost her brother to suicide. In response to this journey, she penned Touching Two Worlds, a just-released book (July 26, 2022) that explores new strategies for finding wholeness in the aftermath of loss. It is her intimate and deeply personal story that is crafted like a trail of breadcrumbs for others who will, one day, experience grief of their own. Connect with Sherry at zenfounder.com and purchase her latest book at your local bookstore or touchingtwoworlds.com. Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @brushcreekthrivers Facebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Heather is the Amazon best-selling author of “Holding On by Letting Go: A Memoir,” and an award-winning singer/songwriter with four albums released to date, including her latest, “If I Could” that dropped in January 2022. Blind since birth, she struggled with anxiety from a very young age which, by her early teens, became accompanied by bouts of severe depression. Heather struggled with the total lack of control brought about by the onset of the pandemic, which sent her into a massive depressive spiral and a plan to end her life. A psychiatric involuntary stay at the hospital allowed her to find the strength for that one extra day, resulting in a renewed outlook on life. She’s now an advocate who is passionate about educating and connecting with people on the topics of disability and mental health. Connect with Heather at heather-hutchison.com.Contact Us:Email: [email protected]: @brushcreekthriversFacebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Susan is an accomplished inspirational speaker living with Bipolar 1 – a diagnosis she received in 1995. She is the author of “Some Dreams Are Worth Keeping, A Memoir of My Bipolar Journey” and gave a Tedx talk titled “Having A Mental Illness Is Not a Death Sentence.” While she experienced her first real bout of depression during her junior year in high school, it wasn’t until her first manic high, several years later, that she and her mom recognized that she was suffering from an illness to which she was genetically predisposed. Over the years, with the unending support of her parents, her loving husband, and her therapists, Susan has learned to thrive with an illness whose path is fluid and sometimes unpredictable. Today, her true passion is to help break the stigma of living with a mental illness and to bring hope to those living with one. Connect with Susan at sjohnsonauthor.com. Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @brushcreekthrivers Facebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Kevin, a social psychologist, entrepreneur, author, podcast host, speaker, and teacher discusses the results of his extensive research concerning how to live a quality life with chronic distress, pain, and illness. He also shares his personal story of living on both sides of the mental health continuum, first as a caregiver for his sick wife and then as a depressed man who was barely hanging on, all while battling Multiple Sclerosis for decades. It wasn’t until his son said, “you suck at doing things for yourself,” that he decided to continue his life journey by using both science and skydiving to save himself. Today, he empowers and educates others living with chronic illness, their loved ones and caregivers, and health and wellness professionals to improve quality of life and care. Connect with Kevin at yourlifelivedwell.co. Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @brushcreekthrivers Facebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Cheryl, an author, speaker, physical therapist, martial artist, dancer, former chronic pain patient and a survivor is the host of the popular Femininja Project podcast. At the age of 36, she hit rock bottom and became terribly depressed and hopeless, when she was told her chronic pain would never let her live the life she wanted. She eventually fired her medical team and began to explore other, non-traditional healing modalities (acupuncture, reflexology) that allowed her to once again experience the joy of movement. From her own experience of beginning her training in the ancient Japanese martial art of Ninpo Taijutsu at the tender young age of 47, following a deep spiral into PTSD, to becoming her teacher’s first female black belt 10 years later, she discovered that there is an incredible amount of strength and power in each and every one of us, just waiting to be unleashed. Connect with Cheryl at cherylilov.com. Contact Us: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @brushcreekthrivers Facebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Katty is an entrepreneur, facilitator and author whose memoir, “The Butterfly Years: A Journey Through Grief Toward Hope,” details her personal journey from darkness to healing. In 2011, after losing her stepmother, father and mother within a span of four months, she found herself trapped in a spiral of self-judgment and post-traumatic growth, often living life not for herself, but rather for those who were no longer living. She was able to begin the healing journey by both embracing gratitude and self-care while engaging with a community that allowed her to “just be.” Today, she inspires others to work through their grief, find hope on the other side and recognize that “we will stumble and fall, but we will get back up again.” Connect with Katty at kattydouraghy.com.Contact Us:Email: [email protected]: @brushcreekthriversFacebook: From Survivor to Thriver

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Todd, a Somatic Therapist and author, has personally and professionally validated the undeniable relationship between mind and body. He came into this work as a result of his own personal experiences of both being sick as a child (diagnosed with several issues years later, including Lyme disease) and dealing with childhood trauma tied to emotional and safety concerns. Today, his Nytality Method offers people the solutions they need to live healthier and happier lives through meditations, contemplations, self-care techniques, and yoga-like exercises. It also incorporates modalities for dealing with trauma, mental exercises, a series of systems for working more consciously with your emotions, a system for recalling the parts of you that have gotten lost in your shadow side, and integrating those pieces with the whole of you. Connect with Todd at nytality.com.Contact Us:Email: [email protected]: @brushcreekthriversFacebook: From Survivor to Thriver