Amanda Shea: Creator, Editor & Podcast Co-Host
Topics: anxiety, self-care, body image, disordered eating, LGBT
Amanda Shea is a mental health advocate; she Created Voices of Mental Health in July 2015 as a way to share her story and the story of others living with different mental health conditions with the goal of destigmatizing mental health conditions. Amanda has worked and volunteered for a number of organizations working to empower those living with marginalized identities, and she takes an intersectional approach to her work.
Her passion for mental health started through her own struggles with anxiety and disordered eating. She believes in the power storytelling and online advocacy.
A Massachusetts native, Amanda now resides in the Portland, Maine area with her fur baby, Bernadette. She enjoys baking, making candles, and traveling New England.
Lauren Valko: Contributor & Podcast Co-Host
Topics: anxiety, social anxiety, ADHD, intuitive eating, self care, positive self-talk
Lauren runs the website Modern Day OM, where she shares articles, resources, and videos to support better mental health. She strives to be open about mental illness and remove the stigmas so less people will feel "weird" or alone in their struggles.
Lauren is also a freelance copywriter and blogger for passionate businesses and is certified as a Health Coach and Intuitive Eating Coach. She has contributed to sites like MindBodyGreen and Elephant Journal. When she's not writing, Lauren is reading good books (especially psychology-related ones!), eating delicious vegan food, practicing self-care, and cuddling with her fur babies.
Hannah Maine: Contributor
Topics: anxiety, depression, mental health awareness, self care
Hannah Maine is the creator of the blog Totally Mental and the Instagram account, @totally.mental, where she shares the reality of mental illness and encourages others in their mental health journey. She is also a freelance grant writer and helps nonprofits write and submit grant proposals to receive funding from foundations, corporations, and the government. She has a variety of writing experience, which can be found on her portfolio.
Lauren Stewart: Contributor
Topics: anxiety and highly sensitive people
Lauren Stewart is the creator of Find Your Magic as a Highly Sensitive Person, a website to help highly sensitive people learn to deal with challenges, embrace their sensitivities and feel less alone. She is also a freelance writer and works with companies to help them with their websites and social media. She has contributed articles to many websites including The Mighty, Elite Daily and MindBodyGreen. She currently resides in Michigan with her fiance and their three dogs.
Social: Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group
Linda Meredith: Contributor
Topics: PND, CPTSD, PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, Abuse, Asperger’s, Parenting & Mental Health Challenges and Spirituality & Mental Health.
Linda is the Author of Awakening Your Soul, creator of Complex Ptsd/Ptsd (Global Support/Info/Friendships) a closed FB group for people around the world facing Mental Health Recovery. Deeply passionate that no individual need journey alone through recovery nor should they be without resources. By day she is a Trauma Recovery Coach and qualified Counsellor. Her passion is for all of us to be educated, equipped and encouraged to aim for Cptsd remission. All 3 of her children have left the nest, and she lives with her favourite Manx, Panda, in sunny Brisbane, Australia.
Alicia Ramirez: Contributor
Topics: Generalized Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Depression, Self-Care, and Mental Health Awareness
Alicia is a strong advocate for mental health awareness; her advocacy stems from lived experienced and the passion in her heart. Realizing she wanted to make a dent in ending the stigma surrounding mental illness and display, in the way of words, what anxiety looks like to her, she created Twenty Something & Anxious. In her blog she shares her experiences as a person who lives with Social Anxiety, Generalized Anxiety, and a Panic Disorder. These experiences include both the struggles she endures in her battle, as well as the small victories she’s made in her journey to overcome it.
Her advocacy remains evident within her profession, as she works in suicide and substance abuse prevention. She is a trained instructor of Mental Health First Aid, safeTALK, and QPR. She hopes to continue raising the awareness of mental health, both professionally and personally.
August Blair: Contributor
Topics: OCD, anxiety, and schizoaffective disorder
August Pfizenmayer is the founder of Survival is a Talent, a health & wellness website. She is a freelance writer, blogger, and social media manager. You can find her writing in anthologies and on various websites, including The Mighty and Thought Catalog. She studies writing and publishing at the University of North Georgia. In her free time, she enjoys searching for good books at thrift shops and falling asleep first at sleepovers.
Luke Tumelty: Contributor
Topics: bipolar, depression, anxiety, marriage and mental health, men's mental health, faith and mental health
Co-founder of Hope in Your Story, a mental health movement aimed at ending the stigma against mental illnesses; with accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter as well as a standalone blog and podcast. Previously a blogger, vlogger and podcaster for the gaming community but chose to give that up and use those skills to do something to benefit the mental health community. Lives in Brisbane, Australia with wife, Candace, contributor and art director of Hope in Your Story and children Eóin, Elanor and Ethan.
Social Media: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Podcast
Mel Bonthuys: Contributor
Topics: anxiety, depression, awareness, reducing stigma, and self care
Mel Bonthuys is a Mental Health author, blogger and advocate, specializing in the field of anxiety disorders. Having been diagnosed with anxiety and panic disorder in 2009, but now in recovery, Mel uses her own experiences to help others in the same position. When she is not writing or blogging, she is making videos on mental health. Mel has contributed articles to Care 2, This is my brave and more to life magazine
Although a born and bred South African, Mel lives in England with her husband and their two rescued dogs.
Nina Rondon: Contributor
Topics: Mental Health, Anxiety, Depression, Self-Care, Positive Self-Talk, Creativity and Mental Health, Writing Therapy, Motivation for Healing, College and Mental Health, and Self-Acceptance
Nina is a Latina from Brooklyn, NY and the creator of SparklyWarTanks.com. She is a blogger, freelance writer,and Skillshare instructor promoting and advocating for mental health, mental health awareness,self-acceptance, and creativity as a means of therapy and healing.
Nina uses writing as a weapon against her anxiety and depression and believes in the power of communityand vulnerability. She writes for websites such as TheMighty.com and BayArt.org to freelyand honestly share her story as a means to help others that look like her value their mental health and beauty.She recently created two courses on Skillshare advocating for "The Power of 'I'" as well as theart of managing stress to kill procrastination.
Nina hopes to continuously open up conversations about mental health in her community promoting self-care, strength, and healing.
Charlotte Underwood: Contributor
Topics: Depression, anxiety, self harm, binge eating, substance abuse, suicide loss, suicidal thoughts and body dysmorphia
Charlotte Underwood is a 22 year old from Norfolk, UK. She is a growing mental health advocate and writer with a passion to fight the stigma.
Alison Hayes: Contributor
Topics: interplay between physical and mental health, anxiety, depression, FND, pre-planning, and self-advocacy
Alison Hayes has a long history with disability and disabling conditions. She managed a mild learning disability in childhood, confusing her classmates by being in both advanced classes and the ‘resource room’. She was diagnosed with depression at the age of 9, and had her first unexplainable symptoms within a year or two of that. While in college, she started having strange movement symptoms, leading to an eventual diagnosis of conversion disorder in 2003. Since then, she
-got on to SSDI,
-got trained and certified in geographic information systems(GIS),
-discovered new muscles by pulling, straining or spraining them,
-taught college courses in GIS,
-Taught a lot of doctors about FND
-got a master’s degree in organizational change management,
-regained the ability to safely use stairs, and
-Started her own business. Twice.
She currently runs Thriving While Disabled(www.thrivingwhiledisabled.com), a blog to encourage others with disabilities to take back control of their lives, and is working on a community-building tool to enable the disabled community.
Paul James: Contributor
Topics: anxiety, depression, self-care, suicide, mental health awareness
Paul James is a mental health and addiction writer. He's spent the last year and a half spreading awareness and knowledge in hopes of ending the stigma attached to these topics.
Logan Johnson: Contributor
Topics: anxiety and panic disorder, bipolar disorder, addictive personality disorder, suicide prevention
Logan is a strong believer in empowering others, especially when it comes to those who live with mental illness such as she. She has lived for years with severe anxiety and panic disorder along with depression and has recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which only strengthened her passion towards mental health and eliminating the stigma associated with diseases of the brain. She is the creator of the blog, Facebook account, & Instagram page Highs & Lows, a media based outlet that discusses the realities of mental illness along with ways to positively cope with such.
She is attending Shorter University Online to further her career in Mental Health & Addictions. She currently lives in Georgia with her husband and jack russell puppy.