Just a few short years ago, it would have been hard to imagine that famous figures ranging from musicians to athletes would be openly sharing how they’ve wrestled with mental illness. We’ve made great progress as a society in increasing awareness of mental health conditions and tearing down the stigma that often surrounds them.
Yet, this stigma still overshadows the suffering of the one in five Americans who live with mental illnesses. Continuing to dispel misconceptions and negative attitudes requires keeping the conversation going, and I’m grateful for the many celebrities and everyday folks alike who are leading the charge. Continue reading
Last year on World Mental Health Day, when Michelle Staubach Grimes, daughter of Dallas Cowboys legend Roger Staubach and author of two popular children’s books, saw several people speaking out online about the difficulty of dealing with mental illness, she decided to do the same. It was an easy decision, she says, because she had little to lose, and she wanted to help normalize mental illness for the sake of those who are often stigmatized for it. While Michelle has struggled with mental health challenges since childhood—particularly acute anxiety and depression—until then she’d kept her struggles private. 
In my career serving with nonprofits, I have found that one of the most critical elements for success, yet one of the most challenging to lay hold of, is a cadre of volunteers who are both faithful and proactive. At The Well Community we are fortunate to have a host of such