Hope Starts With Us: Vulnerability is Our Superpower

August 07, 2024

We hope this podcast encourages you, inspires you, helps you and brings you further into the collective to know: you are not alone.

Episodes will air every other Wednesday and will be available on most major directories and apps.

Mary Lawal

Follow on Instagram: @journeywithmaryy

Mary Lawal (she/her) is pursuing a psychology degree at Prince George’s Community College. After experiencing stigmatization due to her cultural background, Mary had to advocate for herself to receive treatment as mental health has always been made taboo and heavily stigmatized in the African American community. She was able to do this by showing her parents that mental health does not discriminate and can affect anyone regardless of their cultural background or religious beliefs. From this point on, Mary became determined to advocate and debunk mental health stigma.

She is an activist for youth mental health, including a volunteer at NAMI Baltimore, facilitating youth support groups and being an outspoken advocate. Mary has been on multiple panel discussions, such as The Sponsor Panel, to share her testimony with legislators at Annapolis for the bill funding of the 988 mental health and crisis hotline. She has also been invited to share her testimony at the United States Capitol for a congressional hearing on teen girls’ mental health with congresswomen from the Democratic Women’s Caucus. Mary has not only started her own podcast, Journey with Maree, which addresses mental health topics but also leads a mental health awareness club, Elevated Minds Mental Health Initiative, on her college campus as the founder and president. In her free time, she loves swimming and listening to spoken words and poetry.

Daniel H. Gillison, Jr.

Social: @DanGillison

Dan Gillison brings expertise in non-profit leadership and a passion for advocating for people with mental illness to NAMI. Before coming to NAMI, Dan led the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF), where he was responsible for strategic planning, personnel management, board communications, oversight of APAF’s public education programs and outreach, and formulating strategic alliances and partnerships to further APAF’s mission. Prior to APAF, Gillison led County Solutions and Innovation for the National Association of Counties, where he was instrumental in repositioning the organization’s programs to provide expertise in health and human services, justice, and public safety.

Dan has more than 30 years of experience and has previously held leadership positions at Xerox, Nextel, and Sprint. Dan holds a B.A. from Southern University and A&M College. Dan spearheaded the creation of the CEO Alliance for Mental Health in 2020, which represents some of the most vulnerable and diverse populations affected by disparities in the mental health care system. The leadership collective has collaborated to identify and amplify their priorities for creating a future of quality mental health care for all who need it. Dan serves on lululemon’s Mental Wellbeing Global Advisory Board.