I cried. I cried for Sheila, for David, for Sophie, for myself, and for those that I love. All the Things We Never Knew: Chasing The Chaos of Mental Illness was painful to read but so incredibly powerful. I feel I know Sheila and Sophie from years of being Facebook friends with Sheila and also being a fan and follower of her work on Kink.fm radio. Sophie is close to the age of my boys so we commented and liked each other’s posts, mostly about our children. I’ve always loved how friendly Sheila is and I really admired and appreciate how she connects with her community.
Since finishing, All the Things We Never Knew: Chasing The Chaos of Mental Illness, I’ve gone on to encourage all my friends and clients to read it. Additionally, it’s been the final push for me to share my own personal story in a public forum, so that I can be part of the moment of healing and change when it comes to mental health. I am so incredibly passionate about a holistic approach when it comes to healing the brain. As Sheila keeps saying and a nutritional therapy practitioner, I completely agree and share the same approach: we need to stop separating the brain from the body and look at brain illness as a dysfunction in the body.
Here’s what I posted on my personal Facebook page then later shared in my Amazon review:
I’ve been TRYING really hard to not be THAT person with good intentions that everyone dreads, rolls their eyes at, or perhaps get offended by. I KNOW I have been that person sharing my passion for nutrition. Realizing I had been somewhat in your face, evangelical about it, I’ve taken it down a notch and have resigned to sharing my passion on my business page and on my Instagram account.
THAT SAID, I’m going to risk having you roll your eyes again or maybe be offended but here’s the thing, we are ALL affected in some regard by mental illness. Perhaps it’s you, a loved one, an acquaintance, a co-worker, a patient, a client, a students, etc. We are ALL affected in some regard. In order to prevent unthinkable things from happening, I believe if we are all better educated about this, the better chance of a more positive outcome.
I just finished reading Sheila Hamilton’s new and POWERFUL book All the Things We Never Knew: Chasing The Chaos of Mental Illness. Sheila is an icon in the Portland community with an impressive background in all facets of journalism, she currently is the news director and morning show co-host of my favorite radio station, Kink.fm. I’ve been a fan of her for years and have watched her daughter Sophie grow up via Facebook for the last 5 years. I read this book in tears, sometimes sobbing (don’t let that stop you, though…this is important!).
I encourage everyone from middle school on up to read this. In my opinion, it should be considered mandatory reading in health class so students can perhaps recognize symptoms in themselves or at least have the knowledge as they move forward for themselves and/or their loves ones. All The Things We Never Knew reads like a novel, but it’s all true and is the story of the family of one of my community members…it’s utterly gut wrenching. Included at the end of each chapter is a well written, well organized section on mental health resources that are extremely valuable all on their own.
This, my friends, is a must read!”
Upon completing, All The Things We Never Knew, I felt empowered, I scheduled a talk to share my story and to raise money for The Flawless Foundation, which Sheila is a board member of. The Flawless Foundation promotes a holistic approach to brain illness. From The Flawless Foundation’s website:
“Our mission is to revolutionize the way the world perceives, prevents,and treats brain based behavioral challenges. We envision a society where every person is understood and embraced as Flawless.”
It wasn’t a huge event, less than 20 people. I didn’t raise a huge amount of money – less than $200, but it was a start! A special thanks to The Cultured Caveman in Portland, Oregon who generously donated the space for me to present my talk.
The review above and comments on Sheila’s blog posts prompted Sheila to contact me for an interview! So, I would be honored if you would tune in on Sunday morning (11/08/15 ) at 6:30 AM Pacific on Kink.fm (FM 101.9) Speaking Freely or KXL (101 FM) at 7:00 AM ( you can can tune in on your radio or listen online).
My passionate about the connection between nutrition and mental health, especially the health of the gut and how it relates to brain health is what lights me up. I stand by Sheila’s mission to change how we approach mental health – holistically. Sheila’s book, Brené Brown‘s new book, Rising Strong, and my work with Diane Sanfilippo (blogger, podcaster, and author of 3 books, including the NYT Bestseller, Practical Paleo) has given me to strength to be honest and vulnerable and to share what I have experienced and learned so that others can stop suffering and heal.
I’m especially excited about how nutrition profoundly affected my youngest son’s life (it was the final confirmation for me that nutrition plays a significant role in brain health) – his story is a major component of my story. For my middle son, it was a path for incredible athletic performance. For me it was both mental and physical – and profoundly so.
To celebrate my “coming out” of being open and honest about my struggles and for Sheila’s important book and her work, I’m giving away a signed copy of All the Things We Never Knew: Chasing The Chaos of Mental Illness together with a comprehensive before and after nutritional assessment with an hour phone or in-person consultation. Additionally, Diane Sanfilippo is generously donating her book, Practical Paleo. The entire package is worth over $200! Please comment on this blog post and tell me why you need this book and the nutritional assessment and consultation. If you are afraid to post in public, you are welcome to send me an email at [email protected]. The giveaway ends Monday, November 23rd, 2015 at midnight Pacific time. I’m personally selecting who I think I can help the most.
I’m also committed to providing more articles and tools here on my blog to help those that have limited resources. I remember looking for help everywhere and it was dispiriting that everything cost money and we were already spending so much on medical care. So, please sign up for my newsletter so I can let you know when I have an article that can maybe help you.
I am also available to come talk to your group or organization. I want to talk to schools especially. We need to stop shaming challenging children and their parents and start truly helping and supporting them. It’s time for me to give back. I’m ready now, so let me help!
If I have enough local (Portland, Oregon) interest, a support group might be a good way to connect! Let me know in the comments!
I love to post about nutrition and nourishing the mind, body, and spirit. So please follow me on my Facebook Page, Nourishing Excellence by Holly Morello and my Instagram and Twitter Accounts: @NourishingHolly. If you are in Portland, I facilitate the Portland Paleo Primal Network Facebook Page and Group. It’s not strictly “Paleo” but a place where you can learn about local whole food and holistic living resources.
Note: I sometimes have links in my blog posts about products and services and I love and trust. As a thank you, some (not all) of these companies pay me a small affiliate fee. It’s not much but you should know! 🙂
You are Beautiful! You are Worthy! xo -Holly
