We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lanae Dillard a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lanae thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

Last fall, I hosted a fundraiser at a skate park to raise funds to have another skate park built in the Baltimore or surrounding areas. Attendees would be able to participate in a free session, while learning more about my virtual support group for teens. A young man, who happened to attend with a friend that night, posted on social media the following day stating that he was having a very challenging day. He explained that he didn’t want to leave the house due to those feelings, but attended anyway. He went on to say that he knew after the session that he was supposed to be in that space. He said he was welcomed by fellow skateboarders, who encouraged him to keep trying when he felt he wasn’t doing his best. He ended his social media post with being appreciative for making his night between enjoying the skate session and hearing the conversation about mental health awareness as well as those who suffer in silence.

In that moment, this skater felt that he was heard, valued and apart of a community of encouragement. That sense of belonging can be intense, so knowing that a session I hosted could turn someone’s day from negative to positive will always be a win in my book!

Lanae , 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?

I am a mental health advocate and mother of 3. My story and what has led to my compassionate profession as a Crisis Counselor began in 2019. After the unexpected diagnosis and loss of my grandmother, for the first time I was faced with a mental health crisis. I found myself in a very dark space of not wanting to continue a new life without her, which ignited suicidal ideation and depression. I knew then, what I was feeling needed additional assistance, so I embarked on a quest to heal. I began attending therapy about a month after my grandmother’s passing and found it to be a very eye-opening and vulnerable stage that addressed ways that I was dependent on my grandmother as a positive energy source. Through therapy, I learned ways to manage my depressive thoughts and pour into my own empty cup. As months of therapy turned to years, I began to become inspired by the results of my healing process. Not only did I learn to accept my new life without an enormous presence that centered me, I also took on a new role to educate, address & normalize the ideals of mental health.

My thought process during this time was heavily linked to creating safe spaces for those who suffer in silence, much like myself back in 2019. So, I jumpstarted my advocating journey by hosting two virtual panel discussions to promote awareness of mental health, while allowing the space for comfort and growth. In 2022, I launched a virtual support group for teens and young adults called ALMA Support Group. ALMA was my grandmother’s first name and the acronym stands for Aim for Love Mend Awareness. Myself, along with a few other mental health professionals teamed up monthly to bring our youth closer to their mental health goals. Even though I stood strong on my unique way of reaching the community, I felt like an imposter being I had no experience in the mental health field. So, I took my passion a step further and secured a full-time job working for Community Crisis Services Inc. which services crisis hotlines throughout the nation. I am now coming close to my one-year anniversary of providing compassionate care to those in need starting as young as 9 years of age and as old as 90 years of age.

Second to achieving a major accomplishment of becoming a trained Crisis Counselor, I launched into Volunteer work with SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) to fundraise for and educate communities on normalizing not being okay, while knowing you will be okay with resources and support. This amazingly dedicated non-profit organization permitted me the opportunity to create the first Charter program for Baltimore County for continued community outreach.

Here today, I am most proud of stepping onto new grounds as a mental health advocate and embracing my calling to be an emotional servant to others, much like what my grandmother was to me. She would be pleased to know just how much her presence deeply impacted my future goals. I am a firm-believer in the act of passing the torch. Hence, taking an experience no matter how grim to inspire the next person to keep going and showing up for themselves. It has been the most rewarding and humbling profession that continuously reminds me that my mark has been made. I was meant to undergo an abundance of pain through grief in order to tap into my own positive energy source that only multiplies with each individual encounter in crisis.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

If I could go back, I would choose the same profession and learn more about the behavioral approach of mental health. With that, my retained education would have collided with my grandmother’s unfortunate death. And I would have been awarded the space to assist and inspire others sooner.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What has helped build my reputation is the creative approach with outreach. When you are courageous enough to share an idea and articulate the passion behind it, people will in fact listen. It is a matter of putting yourself out there and finding comfort in that. As the dust of vulnerability settles there’s more room for growth. I’ve found my most authentic connections have come from a simple conversation about what my passions are. When I conduct community events, my belief is that even if one person is inspired, it was successful. Showing up for myself for the cause is a snapshot of my willingness to follow through with my calling by any means necessary.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/Ianaedillard
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lanae.valise?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thedisconnect438
• Other: www.almasupportgroup.com

Image Credits
Personal Photo Credit: LaQuisha Hall – Mrs. Maryland International 2023 / Positive Vibes Only Fashion Show