May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. Although the month is wrapping up, addressing your mental health is a year-round issue. 

Here are 14 experts from across the Black Speakers Network who are striving to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness by raising awareness of mental health conditions and those who have them.

1. Karl Shallowhorn (New York, New York) –  Mental health advocate, educator, and speaker, Karl Shallowhorn, has a proven track record of delivering engaging and informative presentations to wide-ranging audiences across the United States. His combination of lived experience and clinical expertise makes him a unique resource, whether you are looking for a keynote speaker or behavioral health trainer. Check out Karl’s latest TEDx Talk: African American Men and Mental Health: Crisis or Opportunity? 
2. Dr. Dominique Pritchett (Kenosha, Wisconsin) – Dr. Dominique Pritchett is an exceptional licensed therapist, speaker, and mental wellness consultant. She strives to help companies develop solution-focused strategies to create cultures of well-being and belonging. After experiencing burnout in her career due to toxic workplace culture, Dr. Dominique pivoted and opened Beloved Wellness Center, the first and only private mental health practice in Wisconsin curated for Black women and girls.
3. Fabiola Paul (Lakewood, New Jersey) – Fabiola Paul is a therapist, speaker, and coach from New Jersey whose aim is to help people live emotionally healthy lives. Fabiola uses her faith, knowledge, and passion to educate people regarding the impact of mental health, stress, and self-care so they can make choices to live their best lives.
4. Kiva Harper (Arlington, Texas) – A Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) specializing in trauma-focused psychotherapy for more than two decades, Kiva Harper has emerged as one of the nation’s foremost thought leaders in trauma treatment. Harper now speaks and consults extensively, is a frequent mental health correspondent for network TV & radio, a contributing writer to industry trades and a social media influencer.
5. Glenda Lezeau (Washington, D.C.) – Glenda Lezeau simultaneously went on a mental wellness and self-love journey after having a mental breakdown that led to hospitalization. She wrote a book, Letters to My Bipolar Self which consists of 50 loving letters that she wrote to herself. These letters document the self-love she incorporated despite mental health challenges. Through her signature letter-writing activity, she guides others into writing similar letters based on their own challenges.
6. Taharka Sankara (Long Branch New Jersey) – Standing as a source for a transformed world, Taharka has a passion for supporting youth, and their families, by helping them put the pieces of their life together. As a clinical consultant and facilitator, he has a way of fusing lived experience, education, and professional expertise to empower youth to tap internal resources to improve decision-making capacity. 
7. Katherine Barner (Houston, Texas) – Katherine Barner is a Grief & Trauma Expert, Award-Winning Author, and Licensed Psychotherapist. Katherine specializes in equipping Black women survivors of childhood sexual abuse as well as individuals recovering from significant loss with the skills to pursue and achieve, mental, emotional, and spiritual health leading to more productive and peaceful lives. She speaks on topics of Grief and Loss, Recovering from Childhood Sexual Abuse, Mental Wellness, and Spirituality.
8. Warren Mr.Bowtie Feaster (Crestview, Florida) –  As a Marriage Foundation Specialist, Warren “Mr. Bow Tie” Feaster is focused on the foundation of your relationship.a 25-year Army veteran with a love for seeing relationships prosper. He has been married over 25 years and has two children. Over the years, he has consulted numerous marriages and relationships. He is currently seeking a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. He is the author of Marriage is Work! You get out what you put in.

9. Linda McGhee (Silver Spring, Maryland) – Linda McGhee is a clinical psychologist and nationally recognized mental health speaker. McGhee has been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times, and Huffington Post. She hosts “Good Mental Health on Radio One. McGhee is a mental health expert for the Steve Fund, devoted to mental health for college students of color, and is a regular contributor to the Son Rise Project, an OWN podcast that supports families of black youth with mental illness.
10. Dr. Tyreese McAllister (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) – Dr. Tyreese R. McAllister is a Therapist, Best-Selling Author, and an Anti-Gun Violence Advocate. She has over 25 years of experience in emergency mental health and crisis intervention. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and is heavily credentialed in her field. Dr. McAllister was voted 2021 Mental Health Advocate of the Year. She is a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate in Leadership and a Humanitarian Award for her work in the gun violence arena.
11. Dr. Laura Louis (Atlanta, Georgia) – Dr. Louis has over 10 years of experience as a Licensed Psychologist, speaker, and consultant. She’s the owner/CEO of Atlanta Couple Therapy; a well-knowing practice located in Atlanta, Georgia. Her approaches have influenced couples, individuals, businesses, and companies all over the world including, Brazil, Mexico, London, Haiti, Cambodia, just to name a few
12. Melony Hill (Baltimore, Maryland) – Recognized as a survivor many times over; harnessing her drive and tenacity for strength in the face of adversity, Melony has become a role model for others who feel that life’s circumstances had knocked them out of the game. In 2017, she founded Stronger Than My Struggles, a mission-based organization with a focus on mental health and wellness. Melony created this platform as a foundation of support for survivors from all walks of life.
13. Dr. Carleah East (St. Petersburg, Florida) – Dr. Carleah East is a clinical psychotherapist, licensed mental health counselor, motivational speaker, and author. She is the founding CEO of SMILE Psychology and Associates, LLC and Dr. East Speaks. Dr. East is the author of The Hangover: Overcoming Emotional Addiction. She is a clinical correspondent with BayNews 9 and Channel 10 News, and her motivational speaking work through Dr. East SPEAKS provides keynote addresses, life-purpose coaching, personal and professional development seminars, and community-based workshops.
14. Dr. La-Toya Gaines (Southfield, Michigan) – Dr. La-Toya Gaines is owner and CEO of Family Matters Counseling and Psychological Services. Whether she’s speaking on anxiety and depression, the state of mental health in the U.S., or how to effectively communicate as a family, attendees will leave with increased self-awareness, as well as tangible solutions they can apply to life’s everyday concerns.

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