Brave Brochure

2022 Dancers in the College Edition at the University of South Florida
T H E P R O B L E M
According to SAMHSA, every year, over 46 million
people experience a mental illness, and 46.3 million
people face substance use conditions.
Nearly 60% of adults with a mental illness did not receive
treatment in the previous year.
Suicide takes the lives of over 47,511 Americans every
year.
10.3% of Americans have thought about suicide.
90% of those who die by suicide have an underlying
mental illness at the time of their death.
Serious mental illness costs in the U.S. amount to $193.2
billion in lost earnings per year.
Each year, an
estimated
46 Million
adults
experience
mental illness
The world is facing an unprecedented mental health crisis, exacerbated by factors such as
societal pressures, economic uncertainty, and the lingering effects of a global pandemic.
According to the World Health Organization, mental health conditions affect one in four people
worldwide, making it a critical public health concern. To address these conditions and the stigma
associated with them, we offer our platform for virtual and live shows in which ordinary people
share their extraordinary stories of recovery to offer hope and let others know they are not
alone.
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2019 DeKalb IL Cast
O U R S T O R Y
This Is My Brave was co-founded by
Anne-Marie Ames (1967-2017) and
Jennifer Marshall in 2014. Jennifer’s
experience as the writer of the blog
entitled “Bipolar Mom Life” led to the
creation of This Is My Brave. Out of fear
of stigma, Jennifer blogged anonymously
until she was inspired by others to reveal
her true identity. Jennifer’s decision to
put her name and her face on her blog
post was celebrated and she received
many heartwarming messages of
appreciation for her transparency.
Our Mission
This Is My Brave’s mission is to end the
stigma associated with mental health and
substance use conditions using the
powerful art of storytelling. We achieve this
by producing live and virtual events in
which ordinary people share their
extraordinary stories of recovery in order to
offer hope and let others know they are not
alone.
This experience sparked the idea for This Is My Brave: Live theatrical events where individuals are
empowered to share their personal stories of hope and recovery using the performing arts to break
down stigma. The very first Brave show took place in Arlington, Virginia. The success and impact of
that event have been replicated in cities around the country ever since.
As a result, This Is My Brave is now the leading national mental health storytelling nonprofit.
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This Is My Brave creates opportunities
for individuals to share their stories
on and off the stage.
On the Stage | In the Spotlight
This Is My Brave - The Show - Our flagship program of professionally
produced mental health storytelling events featuring individuals
from the community; 12 shows per year in cities across the US.
Specialized This Is My Brave Virtual Shows
TIMB Stories from the Black Community
TIMB Stories from the APIDA Community
TIMB Stories from the College Athlete Community
TIMB Stories from the Veteran Community
This Is My Brave - College Edition - College storytelling program
launched in 2019 in Boston through grants from Alkermes and
Ruderman Family Foundation; Year 2 of our College Edition featured
6 student storytellers in the Boston area, and in 2021, our Brave
Ambassador program was created and launched as a springboard to
bring more awareness of This Is My Brave to campuses across the
country through passionate student advocates.
This Is My Brave - High School Edition - Created in 2019, our high
school program features high school and college students sharing
their stories to break down stigma and educate their peers and the
adults in their lives.
OUR TURN TO TALK - A podcast for teens, the first season of which
was sponsored by Brave and features our national teen storytellers.
Available where you get your podcasts or at:
ht tps : //w w w.our t ur ntot alk .c om /
OUR TURN TO TALK - A documentary film focused on teenagers who
say they’re the generation to put an end to mental health stigma.
To do it, they’re telling their own stories – raw and unfiltered.
From skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression to the impacts
of racial and intergenerational trauma, these teens share their
struggles and triumphs and carry a powerful message: Storytelling
saves lives. [Released in Oct 2022; a production of Principle Pictures
for WETA in partnership with WellBeings.org]
BraveTV - A livestreamed series now two seasons strong - featuring
alumni storytellers and mental health experts covering mental
health topics, including COVID-19, current affairs and more.
Brave Beyond the Stage - Our virtual initiative to check in with our
Brave Alumni and see where they are today. We’re having candid
conversations to hear about their experience on the Brave stage
and beyond.
Off the Stage | One-on-One
Brave Ambassadors - Our new program for individuals to become
ground level, off the stage storytellers for This Is My Brave. We know
people have the power to influence their peers and open up the
conversation around mental health to change minds and lives at the
grassroots level.
Brave the Storm 5K - A virtual 5k in which participants are invited to
run, walk, or hike in the location of their choice and be a part of the
inspiration and movement to end the stigma around mental illness.
We invite participants to participate for reasons that are important
to them — for health, for well-being, for a loved one. Whatever their
motivation may be, all are encouraged to join us and help spread a
message of hope.
Jay Walkers - A challenge for the month of September (which is
Suicide Prevention Awareness Month) designed to break the stigma
surrounding mental health and suicide. Participants are asked to
form a team to complete 800,000 steps in 30 days to honor every
life lost worldwide each year to suicide. Start conversations about
suicide with friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors to break
down the barriers that stand in the way of people getting help. Jay
Walkers are encouraged to share their own stories and let others
know it’s safe to share theirs.
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This Is My Brave’s Impact
Since 2014, This Is My Brave has...
Produced
110
shows
with over
1000 story
tellers
18,500+
audience
members
in 53 cities
in the U.S.
& Australia
& 300k
YouTube
video views
Thus far, over 1000 stories have been shared through our live shows and more via our
digital platforms. Live shows are professionally filmed and published to our YouTube
channel: youtube.com/thisismybrave
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2018 Houston TX Cast

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S
Board Chair: Jessica Kennedy is the Chief of Staff and Vice President of Finance at
Mental Health America, where she has worked for over a decade. An expert in
nonprofit management, she began her career in operations before expanding her focus
to screening, workplace mental health, public education, digital marketing, mental
health policy, and program management. Jessica developed and launched Mental Health
America’s online screening program in 2014; the program has since collected nearly five
million mental health screens and is recognized as the largest database of mental health
screens in the world.
Board Member: Adam Bromberg is a Director of Public Affairs at the Charles Schwab
Corporation. Prior to that role he was a senior vice president at a public affairs firm in
Alexandria, VA. For over 20 years at the firm, he supervised the development and
implementation of communications strategy for a variety of Fortune 500 corporations,
associations and public policy groups.
Board Secretary: Kyaien Conner, Ph.D., LSW, MPH Professor and Donald M.
Henderson Endowed Chair, Director of the Center on Race and Social Problems
(CRSP) and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Dr. Conner received
her BS in Psychology, MSW, MPH with a specialization in Minority Health and
Health Disparities, and a PhD in Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr.
Conner has received several awards for her work including the Distinguished Alumni
Award (University of Pittsburgh, 2023), Chancellors Award for Excellence in Civic
and Community Engagement, (University of South Florida, 2022), and Black Faculty
Member of the year (University of South Florida, 2021).
Co-Founder: Jennifer Marshall was diagnosed with Type 1 Bipolar Disorder in 2006 at
the age of 26. She’s had four hospitalizations within five years – two in 2005 before
any diagnosis was reached, and two more because she was trying to protect her
newborn son (postpartum psychosis) in 2008 and her unborn daughter in 2010 – and
all were because she was unmedicated at the time. Writing her way through life with a
mental illness became her way of healing, and her award-winning blog BipolarMomLife
became an inspiration to many. Jenn created This Is My Brave because she learned
firsthand how powerful it was to live openly and not hide her diagnosis. She wanted to
give brave individuals from the community a platform to creatively share their stories
of living with mental illness to educate and inspire others. She lives outside
Washington, DC with her husband and two children.

“It’s been an overwhelmingly positive experience.
I honestly didn’t realize how much support I had
in my friends/family until the night of the show
when I saw everyone’s faces in the audience. It
has also given me much more confidence to
speak my truth and my story, and continue to do
so in the future. It has been so empowering to be
more vocal about my struggles, and to know that
I’m empowering others, too.”
Gianna Santoro, 2018 Philadelphia Show
“I think that, for me, performing on
stage gave me a sense of relief.
Keeping stuff like this bottled in you
for quite some time, it's quite painful.”
Cyril Koomsom, 2023 Penn State
Abington Show
Brandy Mimms, 2023 Deafinitely Inc Brave Show
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“Performing in This Is My Brave was transformative. I love my fellow cast members. I got to be brave and
share my personal experience with mental illness on stage in front of 300 people. Strangers approached
me after the show to tell me that my story gave them hope. Everything about this experience has been
incredible.” -Sarah Wissig, 2019 Orlando Show

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