by Exhibiting Author Lisa G. Eley

When I moved from Baltimore nineteen years ago, I knew very little about Montgomery County, and even less about Gaithersburg, the city with the forest oak tree emblem. Touted as one of the best places to live, Gaithersburg has had an incredible influence on the well-being of my family. This city offered so much of everything: excellent educational opportunities, ongoing community engagement, cultural diversity and enrichment, and numerous resources for abundant living.

I’ve always supported programs that helped others and brought people closer together. After I settled in Gaithersburg with my family, I volunteered for different causes and events within the community. One of those events was the 2015 Gaithersburg Book Festival (GBF). I was tasked with managing the Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion. The first authors on the schedule to speak were Richard Peabody, Rose Solari, Mary Kay Zuravleff, and James Grady.

Richard Peabody wore his hair in a loose ponytail, and was comfortably dressed for one of the hottest days in May that I could remember. He took the stage alongside the other three authors. For nearly an hour, I had the pleasure of listening to nothing but unadulterated praise for the author known for his selfless mentoring. The accolades of love and respect hurled upon Mr. Peabody–by his colleagues–reverberated throughout the entire city of Gaithersburg, I’m sure.

When I witnessed this moment of genuine humanity from my position at the rear of the pavilion, my mood slowly went from astonished to sad, when I recalled a personal tragedy that I had only recently overcome. A person who I perceived as a mentor and trailblazer led me straight into an asylum at the pinnacle of my career. He used his senior position of trust and authority to bully his staff. I was one of his employees, and came very close to being a suicide statistic.

Unlike these GBF authors, I had zero admiration for the man who should have been paving the way for the next generation of respectable leaders. Even while I was working for one of the most popular events in this great city of mine, it never occurred to me that someday I’d have a story to tell.

The only thing I had in mind to do when I first picked up a pen and pad was to make others aware about the devastating effects of bullying and the mental illness that followed. This ultimately led to me writing my memoir – Thirteen Geese in Flight: One Black Woman’s Ascent Into Mental Illness.

I knew nothing about mental illness, or how depression could take over your thoughts and lead to death. I represent a population of patients who are rarely noted: bullied workers whose jobs caused their mental illnesses.

Since recovering from that ordeal, I’ve become an advocate for mental health awareness, especially in the African American community where mental illness is seldom discussed. It’s a topic that isn’t popular with my culture, my faith community, or companies that condone hostile work environments.

I survived what no one should ever have to go through when she reports for work to do her job. I was going to do all that I could to prevent this from happening to another person. Never mind that I am an unknown, self-published local author who has no writing credentials to my name. I have compassion for the welfare of fellow human beings; I have a voice.

I was grateful for the chance to be an exhibiting author at the 2017 Gaithersburg Book Festival. I couldn’t have imagined just how far my voice would carry before the day would end. It turned out that teachers, counselors, soldiers, and teenage girls were some of the visitors who stopped by my booth. Sadly, they understood how it felt to be the target of a bully. As one student told me, “I get it.” Those three words from that young lady struck a chord with me. I had to raise my level of mental health advocacy so that fewer people will “get it.” Mental illness doesn’t discriminate, and bullying has no age limit.

The first public official I solicited for support was newly elected Gaithersburg City Council Member Laurie-Anne Sayles. Within weeks of our first meeting in January 2018, Mrs. Sayles spearheaded a Health and Wellness Committee to encompass health and wellness initiatives and priorities city-wide. Her acting so quickly, while respecting the sensitivity of this issue, elated me.

Gaithersburg has always been a model for other locales to follow, and wisely investing in the mental wellness of its citizens is no exception. That’s what makes Gaithersburg such a wonderful place to live. One voice can make a difference in a city where CHARACTER COUNTS! and everyone matters. From mental illness survivor to GBF author and community advocate, I get it….your MENTAL WELLNESS COUNTS!

Lisa G. Eley is an advocate for mental health awareness, and speaks from experience about the crippling effects of workplace bullying. She shares her faith journey from victim to victorious in her debut book–Thirteen Geese in Flight: One Black Woman’s Ascent into Mental Illness–to let others know there is hope in any adversity. Follow 13geeseinflight on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more information.