Ep #160 Eradicating The Mental Health Stigma Interview WIth Michelle E. Dickinson Mental Health Advocate and Workplace Culture Change Agent, TED Speaker, and Author

I got to interview Michelle E. Dickinson.

Michelle E. Dickinson is a passionate mental health advocate, a TED speaker, and a published author of a memoir entitled, "Breaking Into My Life". After years of playing the role of child caregiver, Michelle embarked on her own healing journey of self-discovery. Her memoir offers a rare glimpse into a young girl’s experience living with—and loving—her bipolar mother.

Michelle spent years working to eradicate the mental health stigma within her own workplace by elevating compassion, causing more open conversations, and leading real change in how mental illness is understood in the corporate setting.

She also knows first-hand what it feels like to struggle with a mental illness after experiencing her own depression due to challenging life events of her own. Michelle recently concluded her 19-year pharmaceutical career and she has emerged with a strong desire to positively impact the mental health landscape.

We Spoke About:

0:30 Growing up caring for bipolar mother.
0:50 Giving a Ted Talk About that experience.
1:00 Writing memoir "Breaking Into My Own Life", to share even more of the story. Which humanized that experience to help people understand mental illness better.
1:38 No one is immune from mental illness.
2:30 We need to be better educated what mental illnesses are.
3:40 Being diagnosed and navigating depression.
5:50 Story of adoption.
7:35 Takes courage for an employee with mental illness to speak up.
12:05 Getting out of your own head and talking to someone about it.
12:51 We're so connected yet we're so disconnected.
14:27 People want to feel heard.
And much more.