About Us

Growing up in a family oriented and supportive household, I was always taught that great effort will yield great reward in nearly any aspect of life. In 2012, I began my secondary education at Mariemont High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. During my first year, I experienced struggles in my classes, as I was not returning the results I had expected. With pressure from myself, I began developing underlying symptoms of anxiety. At the time, I was very unaware of mental illness and proceeded to live my life, day by day. Fast forward to the fall of 2018, I returned to Miami University with great excitement to continue my education in my third year of college. After unexpected life changes, the illness I had felt at a minor capacity became a prevalent issue and much more. I was overwhelmed with depression and anxiety and did not know what to do. As a young man, I felt mentally lost because I had heard a lot of information about mental illness and possible treatment, but none of it pertaining to other men my age. As a result, I felt ashamed of my problems, and began to internalize my feelings rather than reaching out to other for help. Little did I know this would only make my illnesses much more severe, and much harder to overcome in the long run. Looking back today, I wish I would have known that receiving support for a mental illness isn’t something to be ashamed of, even though society’s stereotypes make it feel that way. From my own experiences with mental illness, I hope I can help people my age and younger overcome the negative stigma surrounding mental health treatment, and improve the available resources so no one has to feel alone in a battle.

I grew up in Columbus, Ohio with my parents and three younger brothers. I graduated from high school in 2016 and went off to Miami University in the fall. During my first semester at college, I began to become increasingly pessimistic and anxious about completing schoolwork, being social and working on my personal relationships. At the time, I did not realize but, I had fallen into a depressive episode. Toward the end of the year, I neglected friendships and began missing class more often. After school had finished for the semester my anxiety decreased and I enjoyed being at home with friends and family. This was my first experience with anxiety and mental health issues. Throughout college, I had struggles off and on, but I kept to myself and rarely sought help. During the beginning of the pandemic, my anxiety and depression began to manifest again and I became increasingly sad. I did not know what to do and I was afraid of telling my friends and family because I was embarrassed and felt weak. During this time, I went through a bad breakup, had my job delayed and caught covid-19. At the lowest point of my sadness, I finally opened up to my mom. She was extremely supportive and helped me get help. I began to see a therapist, speaking to friends and actively trying to be happy. I continued to struggle but with my support systems my mental health began to improve. I want to make sure that no one is apprehensive about speaking out about their mental health. High school and college aged men and women should not face a stigma when sharing their struggles. Mental health resources should be available to everyone and no one should fight this battle alone.

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and like many people, I’ve had my own battles with mental health. During my time at Miami University, I faced challenges that tested me deeply, and I watched close friends go through their own struggles and traumas. Seeing how often we all tried to handle things on our own made me realize how powerful and damaging the stigma around mental health can be. As a young man, learning to speak openly about mental health was not easy. There’s a pressure to stay strong, to keep it all inside, and to pretend that everything is fine. But I learned that true strength comes from honesty, reaching out, listening, and from allowing yourself to be helped. That’s why this mission means so much to me. No one should have to carry their pain alone. By breaking the stigma around mental health and creating a space where people feel safe to share their stories, we can help others understand that asking for help isn’t weakness, it’s courage. Together, we can change the way the world talks about mental health, one conversation at a time.

Hadley George works in nonprofit digital fundraising at Breakthrough T1D, where she uses technology and passion to drive impact. After navigating her own mental health journey (and continues), she is committed to breaking the stigma and supporting others in theirs. She enjoys long dog walks, getting lost in a good book, and takes great pride in a well organized to-do list.

I joined Standing Up to Stigma because throughout my life, I’ve seen my friends & family struggle with their mental health and realized how important support and understanding are. Witnessing their challenges motivated me to get involved and make a difference in others’ lives by offering help, raising awareness and helping people get the support they need to tackle their mental health struggles head on. There are not always resources for people to rely on when dealing with mental health issues, and being able to be a part of something that helps people get those resources is very important to me.