When you meet Chris Darling for the first time, you are struck by her energy and passion and self-deprecating humor. She shares openly about her work leading a Search Engine Optimization firm helping local businesses and contractors get found on the internet. You learn about her work with Rotary. She runs and is even competitive in local 5 K events, meaning she actually places in them. She has really robust relationships. This is the picture of a well-rounded, active individual enjoying her life. It is hard to believe that she still struggles with mental illness. But she does. She openly shares that she is amazed she is still here on the planet. She believes, though, that she is here in part to share her story as a way to help others.
In this moving talk, Chris calls out the stigma that surrounds mental illness and asks the audience to consider doing the most constructive thing that can be done: talk about it. As someone with a mental illness for whom simple human connection has been life saving, Chris models the reality that the fear surrounding this difficult subject is penetrable through respectful open dialogue. Drawing on stories from three distinct perspectives, this talk takes the audience through what it means to be, live with, support, or interact with someone who has a mental illness - and why connection is critical to help everyone stay on the right path.