We recently connected with Marie Antoine-Pierre and have shared our conversation below.

Marie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The story behind Carmel’s Depression & Anxiety Wellness Foundation (CDAWF) started with a message from God. It was clear, powerful, and purposed-driven: I was being called to take my own lived experiences with depression and anxiety and use them to help others.

At firs, I was hesitant, but I knew I couldn’t ignore it. That divine moment gave me the courage to step into something greater than myself. While CDAWF isn’t a faith-based organization, it was very much born from a place of faith.

I founded CDAWF to create a space where people, especially adults 18 years and older could feel seen, heard, and supported in their mental health journeys. So many suffer in silence, and I wanted to change that. Through education, advocacy, and access to wellness resources, we’re working to break barriers, create safe spaces, and uplift those navigating depression and anxiety.

This mission is personal, it’s purposeful, and it’s rooted in love. That’s the heart of CDAWF.

Marie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Marie Antoine-Pierre, and I’m the Founder and CEO of Carmel’s Depression & Anxiety Foundation (CDAWF). While CDAWF was officially launched just a few years ago, the true foundation was lad decades earlier-22 years ago, to be exact, when I first began silently battling depression and anxiety.

Back then, I didn’t have the words, the space, or the support to fully understand what I was experiencing. I simply carried it all and kept going. But 22 years later, I received a message from God-clear, direct, and deeply personal. That divine moment became the push I didn’t know I was waiting for. It wasn’t just about acknowledging my own journey anymore, it was about using it to help others find their way out of the silence too.

CDAWF is not a faith-based organization, but it was absolutely born through faith, through a call to purpose that wouldn’t let me ignore the pain of others who, like me, were struggling behind closed doors.

What we offer at CDAWF is more than programs-It’s connections, understanding, and empowerment. Through workshops like our “Let’s Talk Mental Health: Depression & Anxiety Summer Empowerment Clinics,” we’re creating safe spaces where people are speaking up for the very first time about how they feel. They’re meeting mental health professionals, learning about treatments, and understanding their mental wellness in a way that’s empowering, not intimidating.

The impact is growing beyond our sessions. The library is seeing increased visits , where people are now waking in asking for resources. Community members are sharing their stories, finding each other, and healing together. Some are reconnecting with their families. Others are discovering purposes. And more than anything, people are realizing they are not alone. We’ve already touched hundreds of lives, and we are reaching for millions more.

As part of this journey, I also published Buzz Off Funk: I Got This Mind- A Recipe for Battling Depression & Anxiety. A heartfelt guide created to assist individuals in managing their depression and anxiety. It combines personal reflection, practical tools, affirmations, and everyday recipes that support emotional wellness. While it is written from a place of deep personal experience, I am not a mental professional, and the content is intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. If you are struggling or in need of help, please contact a licensed healthcare professional immediately for appropriate medical advice and treatment.

I always say “our people,’ because I include myself in this disorder too. This isn’t about me standing in front, it’s about walking beside others. I want people to get to a place of wellness where they can manage their mental health, chase their dreams, uplift their communities, and eventually join us in helping others get to that same place.

This work isn’t about a title or a nonprofit. It’s about love, community, and walking the journey together.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One of the most defining moments of resilience in my journey came when I received the divine message to launch Carmel’s Depression & Anxiety Wellness Foundation (CDAWF). For years, I had been silently battling depression and anxiety. When that message came, it stopped me in my tracks.

God told me, “I need you to share your story because I need you to help me save my other children.” That message shook me to my core. But even with such a clear calling, I hesitated. For six months, I struggled with doubt, wondering how I could possibly take on something so heavy and personal. I was afraid of the stigma, of being labeled “crazy,” of reliving painful experiences. I told myself I wasn’t ready to be that vulnerable, to take that kind of leap. And, then, the very next morning something happened. I usually sleep with the television on, and that day, I woke up to Ginger Zee, the Chief Meteorologist for ABC News on Good Morning America bravely sharing her mental health journey publicly for the first time. I remember thinking, Wow… how ironic is this? That moment felt like divine confirmation. It was as if God was gently nudging me again, this time with proof that I wasn’t alone, that others were stepping into this truth, too.

I immediately reach out top my business coach and share both signs with her, the message I had received and waking up to Ginger Zee’s story. Without hesitation, she said, ” Yep…it’s time to make this happen.” That moment sealed it for me. I knew this calling was real, and I knew I couldn’t ignore it. I didn’t feel fully ready, but I took the first step anyway, trembling, uncertain, but obedient. And that was the beginning of everything.

Now I stand here humbled and grateful, gracefully walking in my life’s purpose, not because I had it all together, but because I said yes. And because I said yes, lives are being change, and so is mine.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

For a long time, I thought I had to wait until I “had it all together” to speak up, especially when it came to something as personal as my battle with depression and anxiety. I believed that people only respected strength, and in my mind, strength meant being over it-not still living through it.

So I kept quiet. I hid my story behind service, behind busyness, behind showing up for everyone else. But the truth is, my healing didn’t begin when I “got better.” It began when I allowed myself to be seen, messy and in progress. When I finally received that divine message from God to share my truth and help others, I still questioned whether I was the right person for the job. I told myself I wasn’t qualified. That I wasn’t ready. That maybe someone else could tell the story better than I could.

But I had to unlearn that perfection is what makes you credible. I had to learn that being real is what makes you relatable. That honesty creates impact, not just experience. The people I serve through Carmel’s Depression & Anxiety Wellness Foundation (CDAWF) don’t need a perfect version of me. They need the honest one. The one who knows what it feels like to be in the dar, but also knows there’s a way forward.

So now, I live by the new message: You don’t have to be fully healed to be helpful. You just have to be willing to be honest. That the message I carry, and the one I hope others learn to believe, too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cdawf.org
• Instagram: carmels.dawf
• Facebook: carmels.dawf

Image Credits

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