Apr 4, 2024
Erika shares her journey from her Gold Award project to becoming
a mental health advocate, speaker, and author. Erika's Gold Award
project combined her passion for dance with her desire to work with
children, leading her to teach dance to underserved kids in
Chicago. This experience not only fulfilled her goal of exposing
children to the arts but also taught her invaluable lessons about
love, leadership, and the impact of creative outlets on mental
health.
Erika opened up about her personal struggles with clinical
depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety, which she has been
dealing with since childhood. Her journey through these challenges
led her to become an NBA cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls, a role
that played a significant part in her path to recovery. Erika's
experiences have fueled her mission to educate and empower others
about mental health and wellness.
She has since authored middle-grade books that weave mental health
themes into engaging stories for young readers. Her books, "Squad
Goals," "Cookie Monsters," and the upcoming "Insta Famous," aim to
provide children with the language and tools to navigate their
mental health and to normalize therapy. Erika's work is a testament
to the power of channeling one's struggles into positive change for
oneself and others.
More about Erika:
Erika J. Kendrick is a bestselling author, an award-winning national speaker, and a mental fitness expert. She earned a psychology degree from Stanford University and an MBA in marketing and international business from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Erika was an NBA cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls before writing her novels, Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader and Appetite (Random House). She is currently touring her bestselling middle grade novels, Squad Goals and Cookie Monsters (Little, Brown Publishing). Her next novel, Instafamous, has a fall 2024 publication date. After battling her brain pain, Erika founded Mental Fitness for Life where she launched her Mental Fitness book tour, “Who Moved My Happy?” While talking to audiences of all backgrounds and ages, Erika shares her story of brain pain and inspires hope by creating safe spaces for life-saving conversations. She has presented, keynoted, and guest lectured at colleges and universities across the country as well as the US Army and Air Force, national sororities and fraternities, middle and high schools, conferences, and Fortune 500 corporations. She has toured with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and is a speaker with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) where she has been inducted into their Hall of Fame. Erika is a recipient of several “Who’s Who” honors, a Rising Icon honor, and several Awards of Excellence. Erika has taken the stage for TEDx, appeared on Good Morning America, NBC News, CBS News, The Wendy Williams Experience, national television and radio segments, and a host of other media outlets. She has been featured in several publications, including Page Six of The New York Post, The Huffington Post, The Chicago Tribune, and various magazines and digital media.
https://www.instagram.com/erikajkendrick/
https://www.facebook.com/erikakendrick/
http://xoerika.com/
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Editing by https://www.offthewalter.com/ Walter’s YouTube channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt0wFZRVaOpUd_nXc_8-4yQ