17 Jun Interview with Keris Jan Myrick
By: Sylvie Trevena, MBA
Sylvie’s podcast appearance link on UBU: https://unapologeticallyblackunicorns.podbean.com/e/let-your-freak-flag-fly-with-sylvie-trevena/
Keris, we met back in 2022 at a mental health event in Arizona, it is great to connect again and catch up. What are some new developments in your world?
Working at Inseparable VP of Partnerships and Innovation and love it!
Took a Children’s writing course and finished up a children’s/adult book (not yet published but figuring out its next steps). The book is about self-worth and has a lot of double entedres that adults will understand/resonate with, and children may not but will get the main meaning of the message (don’t want to share the title as I don’t want it stolen or out there yet).
Connecting with cool people around the world around all sorts of things like art, creativity, Curiosity, Tarot and Oracle systems and cards (yes, that is a form of art, creativity and curiosity)
Binged watched Schitts Creek and Blackish (haha) – especially love the roles of the women in both shows, Moira Rose, due to her prodigious lexicon and philavery and her avant-garde sartorial choices (said of course in my best Moria Rose accent and affectation) ; and seeing how she grew over the course of the series to be less self-centered and care about her children, friends and the community. And Rainbow (Bow) Johnson in Black-ish, Her character is one that has to protect herself against the snide remarks of the mother in law, protect her children from the snide remarks of her husband yet there is a free spirit, woman in control that also sometimes is at a loss character. I love her portrayal of postpartum depression and not wanting to seek help – very real especially for black women to see that on a show in a real/relatable way.
And speaking of Moira Rose – I am creating an African American version of Moira Rose cosplay named Moisha African-Violet that also has her own sensibilities, wild outfits and interesting verbiage that has a bit of an Afrocentric twist. That has been a fun project over the past year or so too.
And, of course, started a podcast, Unapologetically Black Unicorns or UBU, which is still up and running.
With UBU, you look for people who “symbolize freedom, power, strength, and are a true force of nature.” Giving people a voice is so impactful; thank you. Did you initially start UBU with that framework?
YES – I know so many people many are Black and Brown (People of Color) speak truths about the needs for minoritized or minoritized folks such as POC, Women, LGBTQ2SI that sometimes do not get “center stage”. And I as was asked by someone if I knew more people like her (She was feeling alone as a black leader with a mental health condition), so I reached out to all the folks, particularly black or women of color that I know doing amazing things in the mental health space that had lived experience and I couldn’t understand why she would not have heard or known about them. It is simply because we are not at the front of the room. So often, I will see a conference advertise panels or plenary sessions, and to this day, they will have panels without one person of color or even some still with ZERO women – come on now!! What year is it??!!
When we say representation matters – it really does and that is what made me start the podcast to capture these wonderful stories, experiences and conversations to be examples to others of what is possible and most importantly, to know that we are NOT alone!
When I was lucky enough to be a guest on UBU, it struck me how vulnerable talking about yourself is. As a writer, I tend to be more comfortable and adaptable to sharing personal details in written form but talking for a podcast felt different. However, after listening to the finished product, I was in love with the process, though uncomfortable at times. How do you make yourself feel comfortable and centered when speaking publicly or in areas of your world that can sometimes be anxiety inducing?
Sorry to break this to you but it is anxiety provoking even as the host of the podcast and public speaker and NO imagining people naked does not calm the nerves – eww. I think if it is not anxiety-provoking or making someone a bit nervous, there may be two things to think about –for me – Am I being vulnerable in ways that I do not cause trauma to myself and thus to others; is the world in such a place that what I am talking about is so normative that there is no need to be nervous. I doubt it is the latter. I have my boundaries, too. It may appear that I am an open book, but there are things that I will not share publicly. Anything I share needs to have a purpose – what I call purposeful disclosure. Will it provide an opening for someone else to share (create a safe space); will it make someone feel less alone (see you are not the only one and hey public see this is not a unique thing) and also it may advance something someone else is saying. I had to learn how to do that overtime and I think as a woman and woman of color, how I say what I say is also important – some people may perceive me to be an “angry black bitch” if I speak in a particular tone. That is how the world imposes norms on women and women of color I think to keep them quiet. I also have a deep voice that was shut down by a teacher who, when I was about 6 years old, told me in music class to only move my lips because my voice was too deep to sing with the girls, and she was so ridic that she never thought that as a girl I could sing with the boys (idiot!).
I learned to find my voice, to use it in ways that I can be heard, to share my truth and that of other folks as well in order to make waves – it took time and practice to find MY voice and to also respect how other women and people of color show up in using their voice as we need everyone to speak up in the ways that are work for them!
I heard from Gen Z content creator (award winner at that) about the importance of being vulnerable as there are so many others out there just like me or you or him or them – out of the mouths of babes. I could not agree more. Do you boo (UBU in my vernacular)> The only person who can do your best is YOU.
By the way, if people don’t like what I have to say and that has something to do with me being a woman or being Black or Indigenous … that is also ok, I may not be their messenger, or they may not be ready for the message – but better to speak than to be silenced Audre Lorde in her poem litany for survival wrote “for many of us we were not meant to survive” and that is why I try to speak up and share when I can what I can.
Life seems to be a series of events and occurrences that shape us as individuals. Your NY Times piece on your personal experience with mental illness was powerful for so many people (me included). How did you personally find your voice for advocacy?
Two things come to mind –
First, I could not find people who looked like me sharing their recovery story when I was not doing well. When the NYT approached me to share my story – I thought about the former me, the one looking on-line or in the library for anything that was representative of my experience and wondered who else was like me. Perhaps if one person who is like me reads the story, they too will get what I was looking for back in my darkest days. Sharing my story was the opportunity maybe for that one Black girl, woman or Person of color to get a dose of hope. The kind I needed but could not find.
Secondarily, I say I am an accidental advocate. I think what happens when a person feels “wronged” is that we get angry and either turn that anger inward to self-hate or outward which can look many different ways. Most of my life the anger had been focused inward- I am a bad person, I am not good enough, I deserved what happened or to be treated this way’. I have to give kudos to my parents for repeatedly telling me that I could do anything and nothing can or will get in my way and that they would support me no matter what. Seeing my mom and dad fight misogynoir and or racism, seeing how my entire family tree had fought against what society determined they could or could not do – it gave me the internal fortitude to speak up about the things that I felt could be done better. BE THE CHANGE. I learned how to be the change.
What do you think is the most valuable thing you have learned in working in mental health and specifically the nonprofit world? The most surprising?
I think it is to be a good listener – did you know that listen and silent have the same letters- what a great anagram! Also, a reminder of what I have learned as a leader and what is important to understand the people I work with and the people we serve. I also have learned the power of curiosity – what lay before may be more than what I see (think Titanic – it was the part of the iceberg beneath the surface that was most damaging not the visible portion that could be seen entirely too late).
What has surprised me most – I wish I could say it isn’t surprising as it is human nature and happens in other sectors too – and that is that there I stigma and discrimination in our field, in systems, in our agencies in the places that train our providers and also the places that are to serve folks with mental health conditions. Stigma does not stop at the front door of where we are doing our work. If we keep that in mind we can address and eliminate stigma with intention, strategy and persistence (and love!!)
I was surprised as a woman that no one was cared about my reproductive goals, ignored them when I made them known and made decisions somehow that a person with a mental health diagnosis could not be fit to be a mother – policy and regulations also perpetuate this belief when someone is under involuntary orders, when someone wants to adopt and or foster care for example. Not only did I experience this personally but also when I was working in mental health I heard repeatedly from women or female presenting persons how they felt about not being heard relative to their personal and reproductive needs. As a nonprofit leader I was surprised no one else was talking about or addressing this issue.
Lastly, I think the hardest thing about being a nonprofit leader as a woman and as a woman of color is finding my peer group. Sometimes it can get pretty lonely – I have to be intentional about being in community with other leaders who look like me and or ‘get it’ in order to not feel so alone. It takes work and it takes time, but it is a MUST to survive in order to as my dad says – keep on keeping on-.
About Keris: Ms. Myrick is a leading mental health advocate and executive, known for her innovative and inclusive approach to mental health and substance use reform and the public disclosure of her personal story. Ms. Myrick is the developer and host of the podcast “Unapologetically Black Unicorns” focusing on mental health, race equity and lived experience, is an in-demand national trainer and keynote speaker, and has authored several peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters on the peer workforce, inclusion of lived experience and digital therapeutics in mental health. She is known for her collaborative “whole person” approach to mental health care and a proven national expert in management, program development, evaluation, policy formulation, communications and strategic planning.
Ms. Myrick has over 20 years of experience in mental health services innovations, transformation, peer workforce development and addressing race equity throughout her work at the local, state, federal and national levels. Keris Jän Myrick is Vice President of Partnerships at Inseparable, Co-Editor of the Lived Experience Inclusion and Leadership column of Journal of Psychiatric Services and board member for Mental Health America (MHA), Disability Rights California (DRC), and The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS). She is an inaugural member of the Lived Experience Council (LEC) of the Global Leadership Exchange (GLE). As an early adopter, self-identified “geek” with interest in leveraging technology to aid in behavioral health recovery and wellbeing especially as it pertains to ensuring access for communities of color, Ms. Myrick serves as a clinical Advisor for Harvard Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Digital Psychiatry Program, has led the development of a peer designed and delivered Digital Health Literacy Curriculum for Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and and served on the American Psychiatric Association’s App Advisor workgroup. Ms. Myrick is a Certified Personal Medicine Coach (CPMC) and has a Master of Science degree in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology of Alliant International University. Her Master of Business Administration degree is from Case Western University’s Weatherhead School of Management.
Ms. Myrick resides in Los Angeles, California with her dog Obi.
About Sylvie: Sylvie Trevena is a professional writer with a strong focus on lgbtq+ advocacy, mental health, and inclusion for all. She has worked in nonprofit organizations since 2016 with roles that include data collection, program evaluation, blog writing, operations management, and education. She received her MBA with a nonprofit concentration from Springfield College and holds a BS from the University of South Florida in Behavioral Health. Ms. Trevena has been a free-lance columnist for Watermark Publishing Group since 2018. She is a member of PFLAG and Kiwanis of Plant City.
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