Julie McLean had a suicide attempt and realized that she needed to change her life and her mindset. This is her story and she is resilient.

Submit your story of resilience to be published in The Global Resilience Project Book 2: http://www.bit.ly/GRP2023.

Learn more about The Global Resilience Project, read the stories of resilience, sign up for the newsletter and submit your story here: https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/

Trigger Warning: The Resilience Project provides an open space for people to share their personal experiences. Some content in this podcast may include topics that you may find difficult. The listener’s discretion is advised.

About the Guest:

Since the age of 16, Julie has thought about suicide almost daily and has acted on those thoughts many times. She felt like she couldn’t do anything right. She was overcritical of herself and thought no one could truly love her for her. This led Julie into mental health crisis after mental health crisis. Thanks to Toastmasters, she finally found her voice. She learned how talking about her mental health, and mental illness challenges were vital for herself and others.

After a mental health crisis, Julie trained to identify when others are in crisis and what needed to be done to help get needed treatment. She learned not to be afraid to ask if someone is okay, did they want to hurt themselves, and if they had a plan.

As a speaker and mental health advocate, Julie has done things she never thought possible. This came to fruition in 2021 when she was on the TEDxOcala stage talking about her mental health and mental illness. From there, Julie was certified as a coach to help others find ways to positively impact their mental health and speak to groups on how to end the stigma of mental illness.

Ending the stigma of mental health has become her mission. Asking the right questions can save a life. It did for Julie.

Links:

Website: Home - Start the Convo

Facebook: Start the Convo - Home | Facebook

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-mclean-dtm-99b76612

TikTok: Julie McLean (@starttheconvo_with_julie) | TikTok

About the Host:

Blair Kaplan Venables is an expert in social media marketing and the president of Blair Kaplan Communications, a British Columbia-based PR agency. She brings fifteen years of experience to her clients, including global wellness, entertainment and lifestyle brands. She is the creator of the Social Media Empowerment Pillars, has helped her customers grow their followers into the tens of thousands in just one month, win integrative marketing awards and more.

USA Today listed Blair as one of the top 10 conscious female leaders in 2022, and Yahoo! listed Blair as a top ten social media expert to watch in 2021. She has spoken on national stages, and her expertise has been featured in media outlets, including Forbes, CBC Radio, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global. In the summer of 2023, a new show that will be airing on Amazon Prime Video called 'My Story' will showcase Blair's life story. She is the co-host of the Dissecting Success podcast and the Radical Resilience podcast host. Blair is an international bestselling author and has recently published her second book, 'The Global Resilience Project.'  In her free time, you can find Blair growing The Global Resilience Project's community, where users share their stories of overcoming life's most challenging moments.

Learn more about Blair: https://www.blairkaplan.ca/

The Global Resilience Project; https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/

Alana Kaplan is a compassionate mental health professional based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She’s a child and family therapist at a Winnipeg-based community agency, and a yoga teacher. Fueled by advocacy, Alana is known for standing up and speaking out for others. Passionate about de-stigmatizing and normalizing mental health, Alana brings her experience to The Global Resilience Project team, navigating the role one’s mental health plays into telling their story.

Engaging in self-care and growth is what keeps her going and her love for reading, travel, and personal relationships helps foster that. When she’s not working, Alana can often be found on walks, at the yoga studio, or playing with any animal that she comes across.

The Global Resilience Project:  https://theglobalresilienceproject.com/

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You can read stories of resilience and share your story at: www.iamresilient.info

Trigger Warning: The Resilience Project provides an open space for people to share their personal experiences. Some content in this podcast may include topics that you may find difficult. The listener’s discretion is advised.