Finding Brave:
This Is My Brave

Phoebe has struggled with depression more than half her life.

“I’ve been on medication since I was 6 or 7,” the 15-year-old said. “Most people my age don’t think of someone having a disability unless you’re in a wheelchair. People will say ‘oh, I’m so depressed.’ In a way, it’s offensive.”

In This Is My Brave, Phoebe has found a platform to talk about her experiences, and a community of people who give her understanding, and even admiration.

Jennifer Marshall founded the organization in 2013, after writing a blog for What to Expect about being a mother living with bi-polar disorder. Though Jennifer had written a blog, Bi-polar Mom Life, for a number of years, she’d always done so anonymously, fearing the stigma that can accompany mental illness.

“A lot of the stories about mental illness tend to be tragedies,” she said. “You don't hear the success stories of people who have overcome it. It can be scary to hear stories of mental illnesses left untreated and a tragedy happened. We are bringing positive stories into the light." (Continue to Part 2)

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