This Is My Brave Co-Founder Named Washingtonian of the Year
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JENNIFER MARSHALL, THIS IS MY BRAVE CO-FOUNDER,
NAMED WASHINGTONIAN OF THE YEAR
— Mental Health Nonprofit This Is My Brave Hosts Performances Across the U.S. —
DECEMBER 18, 2018 — This Is My Brave, Inc (TIMB) announces today that Executive Director and Co-Founder Jennifer Marshall, has been named one of the 2018 Washingtonian of the Year honorees. For more than 40 years, Washingtonian magazine has honored residents who are working to make the Washington DC region a better place. Each year philanthropists, professional athletes, elected officials, business and nonprofit leaders, and community organizers are honored.
The Washingtonian of the Year Award celebrates leaders who are making the DC region a great place to live through creativity, innovation, and commitment. A mental health nonprofit serving people across the country, This Is My Brave is headquartered in Dulles, and Marshall is a resident of Loudoun County, VA. The organization hosted its very first storytelling performance in Arlington, VA and has continued to host shows in the DC region over the past five years.
“It is an incredible honor to receive this award on behalf of my team,” commented Marshall. “Our local Producers and Storytellers are the ones who have made This Is My Brave the thriving community it has become. Our brave storytellers have been coming forward for five years now—since our start right here in Arlington, VA—and I couldn’t be more proud of the movement we’ve built. We are changing the way the world views mental illness and addiction, one story at a time.”
One in five American adults face mental health issues (National Institute of Mental Health), yet the topic continues to carry shame. Founded in 2014, TIMB is a national mental health nonprofit organization dedicated to ending this stigma and silence by celebrating the stories of real people living successful lives, with mental health challenges. Community members from cities and towns all over the U.S. and Australia share true stories about their personal challenges and triumphs with mental illness and health. These live storytelling events open a dialogue and create new opportunities for participants and audiences to thoughtfully engage around the topic of mental health.
Since its first show in 2014 in Arlington, VA, This Is My Brave: The Show has featured over 665 people sharing their stories in 55 performances across the United States and in Australia. Each performance is hosted by a local producer or partner organization, with support from TIMB. Performances encompass perspectives on any form of mental illness including depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, schizophrenia, PTSD, and more. Stories are shared through spoken word essay, poetry, dance, or original song; caregivers and loved ones are also encouraged to participate.
After performances, This Is My Brave continues to support storytellers after performances through a strong online network of fellow cast members. Stories are filmed at every show, shared online via YouTube, and alumni will often share updates and written pieces through TIMB. Programs will continue to expand in 2019 with new Boston-based university pilot program, a podcast, and a new short documentary.
MORE ABOUT JENNIFER MARSHALL
Jennifer Marshall is a speaker, writer, and Co-Founder and Executive Director of This Is My Brave, Inc. Marshall was diagnosed with Type 1 Bipolar Disorder in 2006 and was hospitalized four times in five years. Writing became her way of healing and her award-winning blog, BipolarMomLife, became an inspiration to many. After a positive outpouring of support in reaction to her personal story, Marshall wanted to provide that same opportunity to others living with mental illness. She envisioned a theater show concept, and together with Co-Founder Anne Marie Ames, created and funded the inaugural This Is My Brave show. The movement became a nonprofit organization the following year.
Marshall’s blog, now jennifermarshall.me, has been named Healthline Bipolar Blog of the year for four years in a row (2014-2017), and in 2014, she was a “Rookie of the Year” finalist by WEGO Health. She’s been featured in The Washington Post, O, The Oprah Magazine, and BPHope Magazine. Marshall gave a TEDx talk in 2016 entitled “Mental Illness: Being Brave Saves Lives,” and speaks regularly at mental health and storytelling conferences. In 2018, she was awarded the prestigious Clifford W. Beers Award by Mental Health America.
ABOUT THIS IS MY BRAVE
This Is My Brave was co-founded by Jennifer Marshall and Anne Marie Ames (1958-2017), two women passionate about ending the stigma surrounding mental illness. In 2014, TIMB hosted its first ever live show in Arlington, VA, Over the past five years, the nonprofit organization has hosted performances across the United States and in Australia, including Greenville, SC; Valparaiso, IN (Chicagoland); Denver, CO; Iowa City, IA; Washington, DC; Baltimore, MD; Los Angeles, CA; Boston, MA; Lewiston, ME; Wheeling, WV; Boise, ID; New York, NY; and beyond. In 2019, TIMB will celebrate five years of brave storytelling. For more information about This Is My Brave, visit www.ThisIsMyBrave.org or http://youtube.com/thisismybrave.
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