Karena Dawn Dares to Share

Speaking up about challenges opens the door to help and healing. The Dare to Share campaign features personal videos from celebrities and kids sharing their experiences with mental health challenges and opening up about what we gain when we #DareToShare.

Learn more at Dare to Share.

Karena Dawn is the co-founder of Tone It Up, wellness entrepreneur, NY Times best selling author, NAMI board advisor, and a passionate mental health advocate.

Growing up with a mother who was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic, her childhood was filled with traumatic experiences that resulted in repressed emotions, guilt, shame, depression, and a suicide attempt. She knows from experience that suffering in silence only reinforces the stigma surrounding mental health issues and creates barriers that prevent healing. She discovered that where there is darkness, there is an immense opportunity for light.

Karena founded The Big Silence Foundation to further her mission and inspire hope, promote well-being, and erase the stigma surrounding mental health. Her debut memoir, “The Big Silence, A Daughter’s Memoir of Mental Illness and Healing,” a personal story of her mental health journey from crisis, addiction, and depression to a life of hope, healing, and happiness was released nationwide on April 26th.

Speaking up is important, but it can also be hard. These resources can help:

• How to Talk About Mental Health Issues
• How to Help Kids Talk About Learning Disabilities
• How to Talk to Your Parents About Getting Help