We were lucky to catch up with Jamie Rockymore-Bess recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jamie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

Prior to creating Helpful Living Magazine, I worked in a hospital setting, starting off working directly with patients, observing their behaviors, sitting on treatment teams and having conversations to understand the reason for their hospital admission. While working one of the most important lessons I have experienced is the power of someone telling their story. While working in the hospital setting it was important for patients to have a voice.

While working at the hospital in the later years of my career, I noticed the benefits of teamwork when it comes to mental health treatment. Support is valuable, and those who encounters it has a better chance at being consistent in treatment, and in their overall wellbeing.

Jamie , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Who is Jamie Rockymore-Bess? I am a child of God, wife and mother to two amazing boys. I worked in the mental health field since 2008, started as an internship and worked in residential, clinics and hospital settings. My goal in life is to help change the trajectory of mental health. While working in the hospital setting so many individuals were ashamed and did not understand the benefits to mental health treatment. I realized early on, the lack of knowledge and representation is what hindered a lot of people from receiving the care they needed. In order to live our best life, we have to be well physically and mentally, where our mind is the driving force to our decisions and the relationships we encounter in life.

The lack of information regarding mental health treatment, is what drove me into creating a product that will help families and individuals who are dealing with mental health challenges. I noticed an issue of people not talking about mental health and many didn’t know where to start. I was determined to create a resolution to a problem that was in the way of hundreds of people staying or even starting treatment. Educating individuals about mental health, understanding the benefits, what to expect, and how to advocate for yourself is something that was not highly discussed on a general level. It wasn’t a common topic of discussion and many families didn’t have those conversations until a patient was hospitalized, and even still there were no conversations on the next steps when a patient was released from a hospital stay.

What sets me a part with Helpful Living Magazine is that we strive on representation. I am passionate to have articles from people with lived experience, clinicians, and entrepreneurs who want to help others as they work on their mental health challenges. Our magazine is for the entire family, and the perspectives from different background and individuals makes the magazine welcoming and informing our readers they are not alone.

What I am most proud of is the traction Helpful Living Magazine is obtaining. We have a reach of over 10k and growing every day. We have our magazine issues in homes and office settings and we look forward to having them in school and residential settings.

Our magazine is available quarterly and we have subscriptions where readers can choose to have a physical or digital copy delivered to them every quarter. The conversation about mental health is dire, and we have to continue to talk about the challenges in order to heal. We also have to learn how to support individuals as well as set boundaries, this is all a part of our wellbeing and the more we are comfortable about setting boundaries and asking for help, the better our chances are to live a life we are meant to have.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The lesson I had to unlearn is that I do not have to always be strong. As a black women you hear the word strong as a badge of honor. Growing up I witness a lot of women holding down the household, working and becoming burned out rather quickly. Making the primary decisions while checking homework, cook, and handle emergencies, all while being graceful and mindful to not complain too much.

While I am glad to witness individuals in my life being able to hold down the fort, it was daunting. Therefore, I made it a priority to not be afraid to ask for help. To understand who my support is and to learn how to express my feelings.

Being expressive has helped me tremendously. I typically do this by journaling and expressing how I feel. Holding in hurt and anger causes stress which can be a silent killer.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

What is most helpful for me is getting started. Roll up your sleeves and learn the ropes. There are some things you are not going to learn or understand until you get involved. Become a student in what you want to learn, there are so many books, videos, and content out there to get started. We no longer have to worry about someone “showing us the ropes” personally. That is the benefit of using the internet to your advantage.

Reading is fundamental. You can learn so much by taking the time to read, and understand the dynamics in how to perfect your craft. Ask questions from your customers and know that one mistake is just another step to get closer to your goal. When I started the magazine I did not have all of the answers. Even today you can see the changes from issue one to our current issue.

Another helpful tip is this, I searched for support groups and engaged in conversation with individuals who were where I wanted to be. Lastly, don’t wait for someone’s approval, be mindful who you tell your vision to and keep striving. Doors will open as your gifts will make room for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: HelpfulLivingMag.com
• Instagram: @HelpfulLivingMag
• Facebook: HelpfulLivingMag
• Linkedin: JamieRockymore and Helpful Living Magazine

Image Credits
Belle Imagery Portraits