Uncategorized
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Michelle Yang, Writer & Activist for Mental Health Wellness
Michelle Yang is an advocate whose writings on the intersection of Asian American identity, body image, and mental health have been featured in NBC News, CNN, InStyle, Shondaland, and more. When not writing, she loves exploring new areas with her family and smoking up the kitchen with spicy recipes. Other projects: To learn more of my story, please see my writing here or see press features here. Please see here to listen to my story at upcoming conferences, classes, nonprofits and podcasts. For writing inquiries, podcast interviews, or other collaboration opportunities, please contact: michellehyang@gmail.com
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2020, balancing good v. bad in the new year
As the new year opens, I struggle to balance immense optimism and gratitude with the horror taking place in the world.
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Michelle Yang, Speaker
View this post on Instagram OPAWL showing up for the Ohio Asian Mental Health Conference! @michelleyangwriter was the best part! #OPAWL #cincyOPAWL #asiancommunityalliance #ohioasianamericanhhealthcoalition #michelleyang #mentalhealth #AAPI A post shared by OPAWL (@teamopawl) on Oct 19, 2019 at 5:32pm PDT I cannot begin to express how it felt to tell my story in front of a large audience, especially one of predominantly Asian Americans. Though I had done many podcasts and online interviews as a mental health advocate by now and done some smaller speaking engagements, this Ohio Asian American Mental Health Conference was the first one for which I was being flown halfway across the country as a plenary.…
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When Headlines Affect Mental Health
There was yet another shooting in America yesterday. https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/29/us/gilroy-california-food-festival-shooting-victims/index.html? This beautiful 6-year-old, Stephen Romero, was at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California with his mom and grandma when he was killed by a random shooter. This photo could be of my little boy, who is nearly the same age. This is my worst fear about living in the US. When I worked at a large liberal corporation in a landmark building in the PNW, I lived in perpetual fear of a shooting at work. My child was attending daycare in that same building. Panicking any time there was an unexpected drill, I’d fly down 7 flights of stairs, heart pounding,…
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Courage is not the absence of fear
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” -Franklin D. Roosevelt Over four months have passed since I began writing and talking about my mental health condition opening. Still, fear creeps in every day, haunting me. Mostly, I’m fearful about how my…
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“Coming Out”
On Wednesday, May 1, 2019, I “came out” to the world about my mental health. My story, “My Mental Illness Did Not Prevent Me From Suceeding, But The Stigma Nearly Did” was published on a major outlet. I had pitched my story in early February and was over the moon when the editor responded later that month. I had been eagerly anticipating its publication ever since. There would be no turning back after this “Coming Out.” Sure, I had already told my story to my own social circles, but this was a national, even international, stage. I set out to tell my story to make myself an example, an advocate.…
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memoir in progress
Not too long ago, I went to a book store and put my hand where my future book will be. It was a powerful feeling to put my energy there. It took me a while to admit that I’m writing a memoir. I wrote a mission statement for my book first. I had to overcome knowing how arrogant (and douchey) it sounded to be in my late thirties writing a memoir. But I’m doing it. I needed this story when I was first starting out in my mental health recovery journey and almost twenty years later and there’s still a void where a book like this should be – an…
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guilt, shame, and stereotypes
“...you can't advocate for yourself if you won't admit what you are.” -Lindy West
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Dear Potential Employers
Unfortunately, I soon found myself mysteriously passed over for jobs for which I was well-qualified. Repeatedly ghosted on opportunities where the recruiter initially sought me out, for which my skills and experience seemed perfectly aligned. Hiring managers were suddenly silent after successful rounds of interviews and much momentum.
- Bipolar, Career, Feminism, Happiness, Health, Parenthood, psychosis, Race and Culture, Uncategorized
My first podcast interview is live!
Listen here! How High Achievers Can Mask Mental Health Issues (s3e07) Michelle Yang was a very successful teenager on paper. Michelle was outgoing, earned excellent grades, and worked hard at her immigrant family’s small restaurant. Her constant battle with depression, anxiety and insomnia was less obvious to the world. The stigma against mental health conditions, especially within her family, prevented her from accessing proper help for years. Finally, while studying abroad during college, she suffered from a serious episode that led to her being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Michelle now wants to break that stigma and encourage others by sharing her own story of how a successful career, a happy…
