Latinas and Mental Health: Busting Barriers and Embracing Recovery

With Pamela & Myriam

5 women embracing and looking out to the sea

Monday, October 11 @ 11:00 am PST

Latinas and Mental Health: Busting Barriers and Embracing Recovery With Pamela & Myriam

In this session of #MentalHealth Monday, SHE RECOVERS Coach, Pamela Rueda Devenport, and Alcohol-Free Life Coach, Myriam Hernández-Lucena will explore:

The contrast – and often the clashing – of internal and external cultural values from family to the modern world
The common threads amongst Latinas and the diversity that also exists within
What happens when Latinas develop (or start to display) mental health issues
The challenges both have faced in their personal narratives: facing the stigma in their culture, and the need for greater resources on a systemic front
How we can all help the Latina community to embrace recovery

Together we can create spaces and healing opportunities for recovering Latina women so they may feel seen, heard, and supported.

Join us LIVE for a Q & A session following the presentation.

About Pamela Rueda Devenport

Pamela is a Certified Life Coach, Recovery Coach, and SHE RECOVERS Coach. For decades, she used alcohol as a way to self-medicate. Eventually, she quit through the 12-Steps, but after 5 years of lackluster sobriety, she fell into a long, painful, 2-year relapse. Getting sober again, Pamela knew “just sobriety” wouldn’t be enough, so she embarked on a journey to find the radical honesty and integrity she’d been missing. The result? Pamela founded My Badass Recovery in 2017 – a no b.s. online platform that looks at recovery in a new way. Through online courses and coaching, she teaches people how to start a powerful sobriety, and (truly) love the “new version” of themselves:

Unapologetic. Empowered. Shame-free – badassing life in recovery.

Connect With Pamela
mybadassrecovery.com + Instagram + Insight Timer + Podcast

About Myriam Hernández-Lucena

Myriam is a bilingual Alcohol-Free Life Coach from San Juan, Puerto Rico, serving health-conscious Latinas who wish to break free from the insidious and detrimental cycle of gray area drinking.

As a former practicing attorney, busy mother of two, immersed within a culture of normalized heavy drinking, she was all too familiar with using alcohol as her main go-to for connecting with friends and colleagues, stress management, and even self-medication. For years, her life felt like an emotional roller coaster: an erratic dance between exhilaration, anxiety, languish and depression, all cloaked under a guise of normalcy. It took deeply committing to redefining her relationship with alcohol to truly realize she was not only worthy of healing, but that it was entirely possible.

As a now certified Whole Person Coach and Gray Area Drinking Recovery Coach, through her program Diséñate Libre, Myriam offers a unique holistic approach to restoring your health & wellness by setting yourself free from alcohol, renourishing your brain and body, and reclaiming your most joyous and authentic self in the process.

Connect With Myriam
Instagram

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We believe that when women heal, families heal, and communities do too.

The SHE RECOVERS Foundation Weekly #MentalHealthMonday Educational Series is composed of hour-long, live, recovery-focused educational sessions featuring today’s leaders in women’s wellness, mental health, and addiction recovery.

All #MentalHealthMonday sessions are broadcasted on Facebook and added to our Youtube Channel for future viewing.

With Great Thanks

This series is made possible by Alkermes.

The SHE RECOVERS Foundation was awarded funding in 2021 as part of the Alkermes Inspiration Grants® program to re-launch #MentalHealthMonday in the fall of 2021. This critical grant support will help us to continue delivering our innovative #MentalHealthMonday Educational series and better meet the increasingly diverse needs of our growing community. We are humbled, grateful, and invigorated by this honor.

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Shelly Dimitrijevic

Shelly Dimitrijevic’s professional and philanthropic activities have always focused on improving the lives of others. She began her nursing career at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis and went on to become a LifeFlight nurse specializing in neonatal, pediatric, and cardiovascular intensive care.

Shelly has been involved with numerous charities focusing on children and education including the Charlee and the Chocolate Factory gala, The Venus Orbit, Design For A Cure, Jackson Memorial, and Impact Oasis. In 2010 she founded the Lotus program, a program that focused on educating parents on the nutritional needs of children and basic child development. Shelly also served on the Frost Science Museum gala committee for 7 years before Co-Chairing the event in 2015.

After a diagnosis of Celiac disease and subsequently receiving Certification as a Nutritional Consultant, Shelly recognized that topically applied products have an effect on her Celiac Disease and overall health. She turned her focus to developing skincare that was free of toxic and hormone-disrupting ingredients.

Since she lost her only sibling in 2012 Shelly has been determined to find a way to contribute to the recovery community in a way that can make a great impact and ensure that others have the resources necessary when they are struggling.

Shelly's substantial contributions to SHE RECOVERS of both time and resources have been instrumental and deeply appreciated.

Kirsten Newquist

As a result of being introduced to SHE RECOVERS through retreats and meet-ups, Kirsten will be starting her yoga teacher training in the fall. These retreats also led her to become more deeply involved with SHE RECOVERS in a volunteer capacity. Kirsten was instrumental in setting up some of the Foundation's grassroots groups and currently volunteers her time helping SHE RECOVERS Foundation to design and implement the Volunteer Chapter Network. Kirsten and her husband recently moved from Southern California to Roswell, Georgia to be closer to Kirsten's sister and two young nieces. When she isn't spending time being an aunt, you can find Kirsten hanging out with their rescue Labrador or exploring their new state.

Mary Beth O’Connor, BA, JD

BOARD MEMBER AT LARGE
she / her

Mary Beth is a founding member of SHE RECOVERS Support for Legal Professionals and is active at the local level with SHE RECOVERS in the Bay Area. Mary Beth has been living a sober life in recovery for over 26 years. She also has a history of trauma and abuse, from which she’s worked hard to recover as well. 6 years into her recovery, Mary Beth attended Berkeley Law. She worked at a large firm in Silicon Valley, then litigated class actions for the federal government. In 2014 Mary Beth was appointed an Administrative Law Judge. She recently retired, so she could devote her time to completing her writing and being more active in the recovery community.

She regularly speaks on behalf of LifeRing and develops relationships with organizations supportive of the multiple pathways approach. In August 2020, Mary Beth had an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, I Beat Addiction without God, where she described building a personal recovery plan by combining ideas from LifeRing, Women for Sobriety, and Narcotics Anonymous. In November 2020 she had an op-ed published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, I was a federal judge, and I support Safehouse. Here’s why. She is currently working on a full-length memoir.

Taryn Strong, RYT, CPRC

FOUNDER AND BOARD VICE-CHAIR
she / her

Taryn Strong is a founder of SHE RECOVERS® Foundation as well as a trauma-informed yoga instructor, recovery coach, aromatherapist, and herbalist (and daughter to Mama Dawn). Taryn has developed a unique yoga retreat program and led over 40 yoga for recovery retreats since 2012. She is also the host of the SHE RECOVERS Podcast and most recently created and taught the inaugural trauma-informed SHE RECOVERS Yoga Teacher Training Program. Operating from a trauma-informed lens and a firm believer in anti-oppressive practices, Taryn brings an empathic and invitational approach to healing - empowering women to find and follow individualized pathways and patchworks of recovery.

Taryn's courageous vulnerability and passion for recovering out-loud has made her an influential voice in the global recovery movement - smashing the stigma often associated with substance use and mental health issues. Taryn creates and lives with her beloved and two dogs within the ancestral and unceded traditional territory of the Hul’qumi’num and SENĆOŦEN speaking peoples (Saltspring Island).

Susan Carter

CEO
she / her

I am recovering from:
Alcohol use disorder, codependency, disordered eating.

The Identity-based group I belong to:
Chronic pain & auto-immune disorder, healthcare & allied professionals.

My personal definition of recovery:
My personal definition of recovery is the continual process of expanding my awareness to grow spiritually, mentally, and physically enhancing my life-long journey to wholeness.

What led me to SHE RECOVERS:
A desire to give back what I have been so graciously given that has led to an amazing life of sustained recovery and spiritual growth. I truly believe that every moment in my life has led me here. One of my favorite stories to share is how I came to find SHE RECOVERS - or rather, how they found me. In short, it involves a spark of curiosity over coffee and a remarkable moment at a SHE RECOVERS Conference that changed the trajectory of my life both professionally and spiritually. You can hear all about it here.

Why I love being a part of this team:
It brings me immense joy to work alongside such smart, passionate and committed colleagues and volunteers. I learn so much from them. Not a day goes by where I am not deeply inspired by this team and community.

Those that know me best might describe me as:
Tenacious, resourceful, and loving.

How these qualities show up in my everyday life:
Love is the foundation for all my thoughts and actions, I am resourceful when confronted with a challenge, and I am tenacious like a "dog with a bone" - I'll never stop chasing the dream.

Something unique you may not already know about me:
I have four kidneys and a double bladder. I have vitiligo, an auto-immune disease that destroys or suppresses pigment producing cells on the skin.

Something I am most proud of is…
Launching a global nonprofit for women in or seeking recovery from all things.

Radical self-care look for me looks like:
Being mindful of ease and learning to pause. And, pampering myself with modalities that foster a healthy body, a clear mind, a pure spirit, and service to others.

What I wanted to be when I grew up:
An artist.

Something that is inspiring me right now:
Supporting people to find, create, and nurture a relationship with the God / Creator / Higher Power of their understanding.

The SHE RECOVERS Intention & Guiding Principle resonating the most with me right now is…
Connection is our sole (soul) purpose. We're stronger together.

My favorite SHE RECOVERS resource is…
The SHE RECOVERS Together Online Group where connection, support, and empowerment is available 24 / 7.

SRF Blogs I’ve authored:
sherecovers.org/a-peek-behind-the-curtain/

Dawn Nickel, PhD, CPRC, SRCD

ACTING CEO, CO-FOUNDER & BOARD CHAIR

she / her

I am recovering from:
Substance use, trauma including sexual assault, intimate partner violence, codependency, anxiety, and workaholism.

The identity-based group(s) I am a part of:
Healthcare & allied professional, cancer survivor, mature woman.

My personal definition of recovery:
It changes often, but these days my definition of recovery is simply that recovery is a lifelong journey of healing. I think that not having a solid, static definition is a good thing. It opens the door to empower us all to create individualized and diverse definitions for our own recovery, and it’s a reminder that recovery differs across populations, cultures, and settings.

What led me to SHE RECOVERS:
Taryn and I talk about SHE RECOVERS being our 'accidental movement.' So not sure what led me here other than a true desire to create a connective, supportive, and empowering space for women to think / talk about and experience recovery.

Why I love being a part of this team:
I want to leave behind a legacy of hope for women in or seeking recovery.

Those that know me best might describe me as:
Grateful, curious, and a survivor.

How these qualities show up in my everyday life:
I believe that I pass recovery on to express my gratitude, and I call upon my curiosity to figure out what else I can do to support women in recovery. Oh, and I have survived a few near death experiences including surviving cancer.

Something unique you may not already know about me:
I really dislike cilantro.

Something I am most proud of:
My daughters, more than anything.

Radical self-care look for me looks like:
Rest, hanging with other women in recovery, walking in fresh air, reading novels, long hot baths, and sweet, milky tea.

What I wanted to be when I grew up:
An actress.

Something that is inspiring me right now:
The women working or volunteering to help grow SRF.

The SHE RECOVERS Intention & Guiding Principle resonating the most with me right now is…
We are all recovering from something. It all started there!

My favorite SHE RECOVERS resource is…
Definitely the SHE RECOVERS Together Online Gatherings - they are such an amazing display of everything that we are about. Volunteerism and support, vulnerability, celebration, and information.

A few of the SRF Blogs I’ve authored:
https://sherecovers.org/recovering-from-intimate-partner-violence/
https://sherecovers.org/dear-women-in-twelve-step-programs/
https://sherecovers.org/we-are-all-recovering-from-something/
https://sherecovers.org/when-your-mother-dies/
https://sherecovers.org/do-you-know-what-workaholism-looks-like/

Latinas and Mental Health: Busting Barriers and Embracing Recovery

With Pamela & Myriam

Monday, October 11 @ 11:00 am PST

Latinas and Mental Health: Busting Barriers and Embracing Recovery With Pamela & Myriam

We believe that when women heal, families heal, and communities do too.

The SHE RECOVERS Foundation Weekly #MentalHealthMonday Educational Series is composed of hour-long, live, recovery-focused educational sessions featuring today’s leaders in women’s wellness, mental health, and addiction recovery.

With Great Thanks

This series is made possible by Alkermes.

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Join the She Recovers movement!

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Shelly Dimitrijevic

Kirsten Newquist

Mary Beth O’Connor, BA, JD

BOARD MEMBER AT LARGE
she / her

Taryn Strong, RYT, CPRC

FOUNDER AND BOARD VICE-CHAIR
she / her

Susan Carter

CEO
she / her

Dawn Nickel, PhD, CPRC, SRCD

ACTING CEO, CO-FOUNDER & BOARD CHAIR

she / her

Join the She Recovers movement!

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Latinas and Mental Health: Busting Barriers and Embracing Recovery

With Pamela & Myriam

Monday, October 11 @ 11:00 am PST

Latinas and Mental Health: Busting Barriers and Embracing Recovery With Pamela & Myriam

We believe that when women heal, families heal, and communities do too.

The SHE RECOVERS Foundation Weekly #MentalHealthMonday Educational Series is composed of hour-long, live, recovery-focused educational sessions featuring today’s leaders in women’s wellness, mental health, and addiction recovery.

With Great Thanks

This series is made possible by Alkermes.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Join the She Recovers movement!

Success!

Shelly Dimitrijevic

Kirsten Newquist

Mary Beth O’Connor, BA, JD

BOARD MEMBER AT LARGEshe / her

Taryn Strong, RYT, CPRC

FOUNDER AND BOARD VICE-CHAIRshe / her

Susan Carter

CEOshe / her

Dawn Nickel, PhD, CPRC, SRCD

ACTING CEO, CO-FOUNDER & BOARD CHAIR

she / her

Join the She Recovers movement!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

BOARD MEMBER AT LARGE
she / her

FOUNDER AND BOARD VICE-CHAIR
she / her

CEO
she / her