Today we’d like to introduce you to Ramese Hearon.
Hi Ramese, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The More Than Mental Project was started as an answer to a personal cry for help, I have struggled with mental health for the majority of my life, never fully understanding what it was, always being told I had several mental issues but never really knowing what any of it meant.
One day I was sitting with one of my best friends and now co-founder Karina Jackola, and I said I wanted to start a community-based nonprofit focused on bringing awareness through therapeutic community. At the time I had just met her (Karina) so although she joined me, I could definitely see the hesitation. We are now going into our third year and all I can say is WOW! As an organization, we have grown so much and have been able to connect, impact, and reach so many amazing people. The incredible team we now have is absolutely insane, EVERYONE bringing such a different yet phenomenal set of skills, ideas, and talent to us. We have really been blessed to create new access to treatment & resources while getting in touch with our community through therapeutic events and programs such as our ‘Beyond Brotherhood’ & ‘Lifting Ladies’ our mentoring program or ‘Hallway Health’ our school program. These are just two of the many amazing ways we are starting to give back and get in our community.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
*sigh* The road has definitely not been anywhere near smooth! I mean we still face the same struggles we faced starting the project, finding time for meetings, events, and projects. Although I am now able to work for the project full time, my entire team however have full-time jobs and outside lives. I only ask them to volunteer as much time as they feel comfortable which can be a bit challenging as the organization continues to grow! Not just that, finding new and creative ways to impact and educate our communities. We live in a delicate time where we must be very cautious about how we approach such a sensitive topic for some.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about More Than Mental Project?
Primarily, our goal is to expand access to mental health resources and treatments in hopes to achieve long-term mental soundness for those who suffer, while providing knowledge to those looking to help. This is achieved by educating on the importance and complexities of mental disease, challenging pre-conceived ideas and stigmas, and connecting those in need of affordable treatment and therapy. We want to create a place of understanding, love, and stability. Where people can find companionship and most importantly, find themselves. It is too easy to lose yourself in mental illness, but we want to help people realize that we are all #MoreThanMental. The word stability is something people will hear a lot from us because it isn’t something you reach once it is a constant renewal of the mind. I believe as a team we are most proud of how far we have been able to come in such a short amount of time. We have been blessed with such amazing opportunities and people to help bring this wonderful vision to life.
What does success mean to you?
My definition of success has most definitely changed! I once believed success was what I wore, where I live, where I vacationed, and how many names I could “casually” drop in a conversation! To achieve this “success” I found myself lying, stealing, manipulating, and doing things I NEVER thought I would just to stay “on top”. Due to this I hurt and lost a lot of amazing people, unfortunately.
Now, as I have grown taken accountability for my actions, and moved forward, I know success is about doing what you love and loving what you do every day! I genuinely believe God placed everything in my life to lead me here, to a place where I can impact, change, and touch as many lives as I can because I know if I can help at least one person I have done my part and I am successful.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@morethanmentalproject.com
- Website: www.morethanmentalproject.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morethanmentalproject/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MTMentalProject
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWNTS1ZzEEwOcOVj9H8nAeg?view_as=subscriber
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/16m2IgwAqXRrvRc5z6aIuJ?si=5770a00cc09e42d9
Image Credits
Karina Jackola
Courtney Dozier
Clery Moss
Ryen Allen
