Teaming Up to Battle Stigma

In 2010, Angie Hampton, CEO of Egyptian Health Department, offered me the opportunity of a lifetime -- the chance to battle the stigma of mental health as an employee of Project Connect at EHD. However, she was really the one who was taking a chance in offering a Social Marketing Coordinator position to someone who had no formal education in marketing. Luckily for me, she had been observing my faithful work to educate the community and my publicity during 2009 when I was Mrs. Illinois International. Angie, who is passionate in her work to a truly admirable level, recognized that I had passion as well, and intended to have me on a team that would make a difference in our communities -- I am so grateful she believed in me.

2009 - Eddie & Me

When I think back to how many skills I developed during 2009, and how many people I met who changed my life forever, I can't help but to appreciate what pageantry gave me, how it improves my life continually, and to this day, helps me change other lives as well. And here's where the story intertwines with another person that means a great deal to me. In 2009 when I was at the Mrs. International Pageant, I met a man by the name of Eddie Peterson who was the director of the California International Pageant. I had looked forward to meeting him because we had something in common -- we were both psychotherapists, not something common to the pageant population. Eddie shared with the contestants that year something he was developing called "You Don't Know My Life," and it was then that I knew I had a forever ally in educating others about mental health and battling the stigma that surrounded it.

When I made the trip back to the Mrs. International Pageant this past July as Mrs. Midwest 2012, I looked forward the most to seeing Eddie again and feeling that spirit of empowerment that comes so naturally to him. As I believe that God is orchestrating a plan we are most times unaware of, I listened to him tell more about his foundation and how "You Don't Know My Life" is continuing to grow -- and a feeling began to overwhelm me about Eddie's ability to reach out to audiences of all types. I knew then that I wanted him to come to Southeastern Illinois to make an impact with his story, his therapy skills, and just the magic that he seems to leave behind everywhere that he goes.

My coworkers & friends from PC

When I returned home after the pageant and talked with the core Project Connect Team, they were completely on board with bringing Eddie here to help us battle the stigma that keeps families from seeking treatment, and empower them with the message of not being judged by others because they don't walk in your shoes everyday. We decided to create 3 different workshops for people of our community while he was here -- one for child & family serving professionals, one for parents, and one for youth.

Continuing to be great friends & colleagues!

I can't express how happy I was to have Eddie here in Illinois helping Project Connect with our mission to share information about mental health and increase the number of families receiving support. Altogether, 160 people participated in our three events with absolutely glowing reviews about Eddie and his message. The most common thing I was asked was "When is he coming back again?" His visit here once again made me appreciate the melding of my job, mission, passion, and friendships with that of my pageantry experience and I love being able to expose others to the positives that can be found there.

If you are in need of a great motivational speaker that will empower you and help you to keep an open mind about life, Eddie Peterson should be the only person to consider! If motivational speaking doesn't fit your need, don't tune out just yet, because Eddie is such a talented therapist and presenter, I'm sure that he has the right fit for your organization's needs. All you need is to just talk with him once and you'll feel the power he has been blessed with.

In sum, I am thankful for the people who are by my side in the journey of mental health education. Angie, Eddie, the Project Connect Team, and most importantly my family, who also pitched in to make the events with Eddie the best they could be. So give a big cheer with me...Go Team Anti-Stigma!