My Favorite Bit of Information From The Week:
Thank You: Inspiring Stories
As some of you may know I was on Conversations Cafe – Hope For The Day’s monthly podcast – this past week, and I met some truly amazing people and got to share my story. This week, I thought I would share a bit about some of the folks that inspired me through their stories and their art. You can check out the full podcast and my story when it goes online this Friday Dec. 20th
Rick Osowski: The founder, producer, and host for Anthologies of Hope – the podcast that Conversations Cafe was born out of – Rick Osowski started a beautiful platform for folks to share stories of hope through his podcast and blog, and then continuing that platform onto Conversations Cafe with Hope For The Day once a month. He shines beautiful light on other people’s stories, and they are all worth checking out on his website. However, my personal favorite was his very honest and moving letter to his friend that he lost to suicide, which you can read on his blog. I thought his own personal story is incredibly inspirational as well, and you can hear in our podcast together through this link under “Hope For The Holidays”.
About Anthologies of Hope: “It is our profound belief at Anthologies of Hope that talking about the hard things in life makes them more bearable and more manageable. Some of the most difficult situations we find ourselves in, as people, are mental health-related and current or recurring mental health issues, but feel we cannot talk about them due to fear, shame, or stigma.This podcast will serve as a story-telling vehicle for our friends who found themselves in similar situations, but feel compelled to share their story to help others in a similar time of need or crisis.”
The Right Now: Stephanie Berecz from The Right Now, was also a guest on the podcast. She was so articulate and vulnerable, a real hero to me. Her words and stories brought me to tears and her music was very healing and cathartic because it felt so connecting and generous. You can hear her share a bit of her story and catch some of the band’s music in the Live At The Hideout Video on their website. I would also recommend checking out the rest of their music! I just heard them for the first time this past week, but I am already a huge fan and listening every day on the train. If you are hooked, and want more of Stephanie and The Right Now You can hear more of their music and more details of Stephanie’s journey in our podcast together through this link starting on Friday 12/20.
The Eating Recover Center: The ERC sponsored the evening and I was so blown away by their kindness warmth, and services provided for the community! You can check out their website for more information. Or check out their “About Us” Video. How to Talk To Someone With An Eating Disorder Over The Holidays. This post from their website was very helpful to me, especially at this time. There are many other such helpful resources on their website.
Hope For The Day: You may have heard a bit about them through me in the past, but it bears repeating. I found them because I wanted more education on mental health after losing my friend Jesse to suicide. They have changed my life for the better and I believe in them because of the real impact they have made in my life and education with regards to mental health. This incredibly grass roots organization is so passionate about making the conversation around suicide and the stigma on mental health prevention a safe space, and they and so generous with their support for others who wish to do the same. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend checking out their free education opportunites for the community, their coffee shop Sip Of Hope, and their website for How To Talk to Someone who may be suffering. It could save a life. I only wish I would have found them before losing so man of my friends.
Update On My Show:
1. We’ve had two rehearsals this past week and there is a sneak peak video of the material coming your way soon! Stay posted!
2. One of my rehearsals this past week was with my incredible puppet director Vanessa Valliere! She has been working on her own show and is showing a snippet of it on Dec. 20th and 21st – if you happen to be in town she is well worth your time! A true artist and creative, I am constantly inspired by her. Check out more about the show on her facebook event page!