#BeReal – JENNIFER ORTOLANO

My #BeReal guest today is Jennifer Ortolano. Jennifer originally wrote for me about being Bulimic.  I knew this series needed her voice. I am so happy to include her perspective here. We all fight with insecurity.  We can learn and we can grow from them. We can be better today than we were yesterday. Thank you Jennifer! I am the…

#BeReal – HOLLEY PERRY

My #BeReal guest today is Holley Perry. In preparing today’s post I discovered something pretty kick ass about Holley I didn’t know – she has interviewed some pretty cool REAL people.  Check out her interview page HERE. I also discovered this little gem HERE. Holley, thank you for allowing us to get to know you…

#BeReal – NICOLE LYONS

My #BeReal guest today is Nicole Lyons. I am very excited to showcase my guest today.  She has a way of making you feel at home with her words.  Nicole is a mental health warrior fighting the stigmas that come with mental illness.  Not only does she educate and inspire, she also hunts down and…

#BeReal – TOM PETTY

Don’t back down, just be you! Be sure to visit this weeks #BeReal guests. SARAH FADER LARON CHAPMAN BYRON HAMEL LIZZI ROGERS HASTYWORDS If you like the idea of the #BeReal campaign, and want to share your views on it, please link up with us. You can help make this a bigger, brighter movement than…

#BeReal – SARAH FADER

My #BeReal guest today is Sarah Fader. Sarah runs a worthwhile non-profit called Stigma Fighters.  She fights stereotypes about mental illness, a cause I am very passionate about. Real people struggle everyday because of the misconceptions surrounding people with mental health issues. Sarah is only one of thousands of people who are coming out of…

#BeReal – LARON CHAPMAN

My #BeReal guest today is Laron Chapman. I am drawn to him because he has a very welcoming smile. When he says, “Hey, whats up?” it’s not a simple greeting but a question he means for you to answer. Recently, we spent time getting to know one another and my first impression was accurate but…

#BeReal – BYRON HAMEL

Byron Hamel is my #BeReal guest today. There are many things I love about Byron. I think he is the kind of REAL that changes lives. But I don’t want you to take my word it; I want you to discover him for yourself. Here are a just a few of his stories. If you…

#BeReal – LIZZI LEWIS

We strive to feel connected.  To belong. It’s not a surprise we try so hard to conform to societal standards.  But do you ever wonder who is building the construct?  We advertise belief and preference just by existing.  We build the constructs with every choice we make. “Who are you?” Chances are you have difficulty…

STAINLESS

***TRIGGER WARNING*** Some stories you hear stay with you and you have to write them out or go mad.  In many cases all I have to do is read a news blurb and my mind twists and turns in agony with the pain of it all. Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what…

CHARCOAL DIALOGS

I was flying Supported by strings Like a kite Made of newspaper With happy headlines And the next moment I was falling, descending Towards a cardboard stage My life, a flat character Chaotic and muddled Skewed by the reality Of a developed depression It crept quietly into my head In the darkest part of night…