An Interview With Melissa Llarena

Our guest, Michelle E. Dickinson, is a Wellbeing Strategist and passionate mental health advocate. She is also a TEDx speaker and a published author of a memoir entitled Breaking Into My Life: Growing Up with a Bipolar Parent and My Battle to Reclaim Myself.  Michelle goes first and sees herself as the bridge that helps people get comfortable with their mental health so that they reach out and get the support they need before they hit a crisis. She makes it okay to not be okay and thrives on making a real difference in the lives of others – especially around their wellbeing.  After years of playing the role of child caregiver, Michelle embarked on her own healing journey of self-discovery. She went on to spend years working to eradicate the mental health stigma within her own workplace by elevating empathy and compassion, causing more open conversations, and leading real change in how mental illness is understood. She also knows first-hand what it feels like to struggle with a mental illness after experiencin