Mental health has become something of a buzzword, but what does it really mean and why is it important? Mental health encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social well-being and can directly affect our chance of developing health conditions. One in five Americans, or 57.8 million people in 2021, live with a mental illness. Young adults 18 to 25 years old also experience mental illness at a far higher rate (34%) than older adults (28.1%) and seniors (15%). Despite the prevalence of mental health conditions in teens, this group receives fewer services (58%) than older adults (67%) and seniors (71%). Therefore, this age group requires more educational resources and support to properly address their challenges.
This Is My Brave is a national nonprofit specializing in mental health storytelling through the production of performing arts events. The company was founded in 2014 by Jennifer Marshall and Anne Marie Ames to give people a sense of community and self-empowerment despite suffering from mental health challenges. The inspiration for This Is My Brave came from Jennifer Marshall’s own experience of finding support from strangers within her community. In August 2011, Jennifer had been managing her bipolar I diagnosis secretly for many years. She was scared to reveal her condition to those around her for fear of judgment but started an anonymous blog to share her life as a wife and young mom living with a mental illness.
For over a year, Jennifer wrote Bipolar Mom Life and gained supporters who were also sharing their personal experiences with mental health conditions. Bipolar Mom Life’s popularity led to Jennifer’s first paid writing position and her decision to publish without hiding her identity. After being picked up by WhatToExpect and AOL, she experienced more support and gratitude from readers which fueled her to build the concept of This Is My Brave™.
With the help of Anne Marie Ames, a growth strategist, Jennifer’s idea came to life. This Is My Brave’s first show, This Is My Brave - The Show in Arlington, VA, sold out and the 12 Brave cast members were able to tell their stories and normalize conversations about mental health.
This Is My Brave has always focused on helping people of all ages who are facing mental illness and addiction, but they've recently dedicated more time to focusing on teens. In fact, they have recently announced a new campaign to designate the month of August as Teen Mental Health Month. This Is My Brave believes this yearly event along with support from partner organizations will normalize conversations about teen mental health and let teens know that it’s okay to ask for help.
Executive Director Erin Gallagher is very passionate about This Is My Brave’s Teen Mental Health Month project because of her personal connection to the topic.
“My son Jay died by suicide 7 years ago. He kept his struggles a secret because of the stigma around mental health and it only made him feel more alone, which is what I want to prevent in other teens. So when I met Jennifer Marshall, and saw the work she was doing with This Is My Brave to break down stigma, I knew I wanted to be a part of that effort.”
The tagline of This Is My Brave is “Storytelling Saves Lives.” This Is My Brave is focused on establishing August as Teen Mental Health Month in order to inspire teens, their families, communities and others to prioritize teen mental health. As a nonprofit, they are passionate about making sustainable change that will normalize conversations about mental health, break down stigma, and offer hope to those that need it the most.
Since 2014, This Is My Brave has held over 90 shows with over 1,000 storytellers and audiences of 18,500. Their shows have been produced in more than 53 US cities. During a Brave show at The University of South Florida in April 2022, Erin had the pleasure of hearing a Brave performance from a young adult who was inspired to share her story by a former teacher who had once performed with This Is My Brave™. It represented what the organization refers to as #BraveMultipliesBrave and demonstrated the power and influence of Brave shows.
“At This Is My Brave, we want to inspire people to speak openly about their experiences and to normalize conversations around mental health and addiction. We invite you to share our message that Storytelling Saves Lives. Even if you aren’t ready to share your story on a Brave stage, you can be a part of this mission and join forces with us for Teen Mental Health Month this August. There's always room for more stories and voices to join the conversation and end the stigma,” Erin Gallagher says.
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