We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brandy Menefee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brandy below.

Brandy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I was sitting in a mud hut in a remote African village using a Swahili translator to interview strangers about struggle and suicide – and I was loving it. That’s when I realized: This is my lane.

In that moment, my mind flashed back to my most soul-fulfilling jobs sprinkled throughout my documentary TV career: working undercover on a true crime series helping trauma survivors share their harrowing lived experiences. Interviewing dozens of military veterans about their most traumatic days in combat and struggles with re-entry. Helping women share their personal experiences with miscarriage and baby loss. Profiling a college community in mourning.

As I was sitting in that remote African village with humans who live without electricity, I felt at home. It didn’t matter that the Kenyans I was interviewing spoke a different language, washed their clothes in the river, and had never heard of Serena Williams.

I was in my lane – facilitating conversations about the tough stuff and finding the relatable, and the humor, hope, and humanity in each story. Just like I’d done with trauma survivors and grieving families in America.

But this time it was different. This time it was on a much bigger scale.

I was exploring mental health stories throughout Kenya, Canada, and America for the Apple TV+ documentary “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me.” Being Supervising Producer on such a high-profile mental health project has been a gift that keeps on giving. It has opened doors, accelerated conversations, and created instant connections.

The documentary’s impact has been extraordinary. First, me connecting one-on-one with strangers around the world – and then after the documentary was released, feeling the overwhelming reaction and connection from viewers all around the world.

This project cemented my passion, my purpose, and my professional path moving forward: my full-time focus would be mental health storytelling.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Growing up in a house that gave out walnuts on Halloween, I wasn’t sure I would ever excel at anything. Turns out it was the perfect backdrop to carve out a successful documentary storytelling career helping people feel seen, heard, and hopeful.

There’s no cute acronym for an interviewer / writer / producer / director / shooter / editor / candid photographer, so I usually describe myself as a creative quarterback who specializes in memoir and mental health storytelling.

I work with companies, organizations, and private clients to capture and craft personal, powerful stories, messages, missions, memoirs, and media campaigns. The non-fiction, story-driven content I’ve created has helped sell TV shows, pass legislation, raise awareness, launch businesses, preserve legacies, and energize audiences worldwide.

Whether it’s Selena Gomez’s feature-length mental health documentary, digital spots for Jewel’s mental health platform, a true crime or biography series, a reality show with a miscarriage story arc, non-profit content, PSAs, or working with private clients – I bring a high level of mental health storytelling expertise, insight and sensitivity to every conversation, every edit, and every project.

My passion is exploring and unlocking the heartbeat of a story – then leading creative teams to capture and craft fresh-focused, high-impact, human-centered narratives that audiences crave. I love helping brands identify the right stories to tell – the ones that impart both the essence of the brand while connecting them with the community that vibes with their products, services, and mission.

Do you have a story but don’t know the best way to tell it? That’s why I’m here.

Don’t know what your story is? Great – I’ll navigate and we’ll find it.

Do you have a collection of archival footage but don’t know where to start? You’re my dream client.

Have a true crime story that needs interviews and organization? My kind of puzzle.

Need a creative conductor to document and package your passion and process? Docu-follow is my top skill.

Feeling too shy to share your story but really want to feel seen? Come to Mama.

Not sure if you have a story to tell or you think your story is boring? You’re my favorite.

No matter the client or assignment, I present real people, true stories, authentic voices, personal experiences, and meaningful messages. With maximum impact every time.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’m on a mission to make sharing our mental health challenges as common as sharing our blood type. No hesitation, no whispering, no judgment.

A lot of us associate “mental health” with “dark and heavy” – and people are not looking for more dark and heavy in their day. Especially not this year – life is hard enough.

But mental health storytelling is about bringing light in times of darkness. It’s comforting and uplifting – like a good song with a great groove and incredible lyrics that speak to your soul.

Sharing the bad, good, humane, and funny details of our darker chapters is intended to comfort readers/listeners/viewers who can identify with the pain. By sharing “This is what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like for me,” we are normalizing conversations about mental health, showing others different coping tools, and restoring hope for anyone who has struggled and wondered, “Is it going to be this way forever?”

As humans, what heals and helps us through trauma is connection. When we feel safe, seen, and heard, we feel emotionally lighter. When we feel emotionally lighter, we make better decisions. When we make better decisions, ourselves and everyone in our orbit has a better day. Cue the ripple effect. And we ALL NEED that ripple effect.

I am always seeking new opportunities in TV, film, print, podcasts, media campaigns, branded content, social media and beyond to share about our mental health challenges. And when I can’t find new pathways, I create them.

When too many people I knew were suffering the private pain of pregnancy loss, I created a website where anyone grieving miscarriage, TFMR, or stillbirth can share their personal experiences, stories, and tributes. MyMiscarriageStory.com is a space to find comfort and connection during a uniquely lonely heartbreak.

I created the podcast COPING STORIES to help real people from all walks of life explore different ways of coping with the tough stuff.

And I continue to post written stories on my Instagram and Substack for readers seeking bite-sized monologues from humans sharing about their disorders, traumas, and experiences – everything from living with bipolar, addiction, heartbreak, postpartum depression – to coming out, grieving an emotionally abusive parent, the advantages of ADHD, the anxiety of managing your child’s diabetes, tackling anger issues, alternatives to talk therapy, and more.

Share a favorite sales story – a time you took a risk with the odds heavily stacked against you.

When I saw the CEO of a startup app speak on stage at a conference about how humans from all walks of life are using virtual reality to transform their mental health – I tracked down his contact info, cold called him, and pitched myself to help bring his company’s impact-driven case stories to life.

I was not calling on behalf of a production company or streaming service. I did not have a rehearsed sales pitch or PowerPoint presentation. I knew nothing about the world of VR or how communicating as avatars could help with agoraphobia, trauma, and grief.

However, my genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for learning about the intersection of virtual reality and mental health was palpable.

I shared who I was, spoke from the heart about what moved me about the CEO’s story, mission, and user testimonials, and simply asked: “How can I support you?”

His company was a start-up with zero marketing budget. I did not close a deal on that call. But four months later, when that CEO received a grant, he called me. The next month I was directing Jewel in a VR headset.

From casting, to filming in homes throughout America, to post production, I helped capture and craft three incredible true stories of real humans who’ve had mental health breakthroughs using the Innerworld app paired with a VR headset.

For each spot, we had 90 seconds to convey the heart of a patient’s deepest mental health struggles, introduce and explain an app, and sell a headset. All in only 90 seconds.

I’m proud of what we created: a compelling campaign showcasing a brand, product innovation, and real-world impact – that also connects emotionally to audiences without feeling like we’re “selling.”

Making that cold call and simply asking how I could support the CEO’s mission has led to promoting a new pathway for mental health storytelling, support, and connection. Cue the ripple effect.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.prostorytellers.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentalhealthstoryteller/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mentalhealthstoryteller/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandymenefee/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FradyPants

Image Credits

main image: Brandy Menefee

add’l images:

1 – Mark Waid
2 – Kiera Gaffney
3 – CHARLEYSTAR
4 – Brandy Menefee
5 – Minae Noji
6 – Minae Noji
7 – Jacqui Knapp
8 – Brad Hall