Meet Lisa

My name is Lisa, Founder and President of SPECIAL, LLC. Special was born to be a voice, to embrace the uniqueness of each and every person. No judgement, no shame, just love, respect, empowerment, and acceptance. Stop the stigma of going againt the grain, embrace what makes you Special and be you….What makes you YOU? This is our purpose statement.

Knowing firsthand that talking about mental illness is frowned upon I want to stop the stigma. I am a voice for people who are different, whether it is through mental illness, sexual orientation/identity, or anything else that makes someone feel as if they cannot talk about who they are, or what they are experiencing. My passion for mental health, suicide prevention, and anti-bullying has been the catalyst behind Special. I have personally been to the depths of hell, but held on tight, for those who loved me, and begged God while sobbing uncontrollably for help. Through so much pain, tears, hard work and love, I am here. I want to make a difference. Suicide is not the answer. You are not alone.

Special was born in 2020 after I completed treatment for my depression called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TSM). With my depression in remission, my thoughts were clear, my sight was clear, and I was seeing the world through new eyes as if I had never seen what I was looking at before. This was truly profound! I had the second chance at life, because TMS truly saved my life. I knew that I needed to be a voice for those who struggled with mental illness or just felt like they did not fit in. I knew that I could not sit quietly, and let the world place a stigma on so many because we are shown that talking about mental illness, or difference is taboo. I needed to make a difference. I needed to create a community where people could just be who they are, openly, and honestly without fear. This is how the world needs to be; not just one community within the world. Today, there is so much judgement, and so much emphasis placed on perfection. What is perfection? It simply does not exist. Trying to hold someone to a standard of perfection is a losing battle. The reality is that no one is perfect. STOP! Stop placing unrealistic expectations on society.

I was asked the question, “when were you first diagnosed with depression?”. That was easy, I was first prescribed anti-depressants after my father passed away. This question made me reflect on my journey through this life. Every situation, every event, every experience shapes us into who we become. What was once called being picked on is now called bullying and there is now a huge campaign against it. When you are constantly being “picked on” it creates this sense of worthlessness……I am less than. Bullying, using the current term, is emotional abuse. Emotional abuse runs deep to the core, and it sticks and stays there for life. Personally, it is something that has been a part of my life that I cannot seem to escape. Being told that you are fat, you are ugly, you are worthless, no one will ever love you. Being called names and teased for not being the prettiest person, just sits inside of me causing me to always believe they were right. I sometimes rise above it, but it seems that it always just lingers in my head, a memory that cannot be forgotten. I do not like to look in the mirror. I do not like what I see, I do not see myself as others see me. What I see when I look at myself is distorted. I see the flaws and imperfections, or what I perceive to be flaws and imperfections. People do not understand that. I do not either. It is a very difficult concept to understand, but the impact of those words haunts me to this day.

Physical abuse unfortunately walked into my life as a teenager. Although I have overcome that, it changes you. There are still fears of loud voices, angry tones, intense energy, it makes me cringe causing my anxiety to spiral. The trauma of being in an abusive situation has caused these feelings to live deep inside, never seeming to leave me, continuing to subtly remind me of what I had once lived. Traumatic flashbacks that are embedded into my brain. I have learned to move forward, because of my treatment, therapy, medication, and thankfully, from the strength that I have within me.

Just one decision can change your life’s path. I seem to be consistent in my bad decisions. I do not walk alone in this journey, and I will openly discuss my experience, to show others who have walked a similar road that we can talk. We are not alone; we are not defined by the things we have gone through. This is just a snapshot of my life and my experience, I share it to help, I share it because it is okay to. Special was born because of the path that my life has taken and the obstacles that I have overcome. Special is here to help those who struggle, those who need a word of encouragement, an ear to listen and to simply know that the battle that they fight is not a battle that they have to fight alone. Please join our fight. Please help us to be One Voice.

You can sit in silence, or you can be a voice!