Storytelling can shift culture, challenge stigma and deepen awareness around mental health. This session explores how personal stories can raise awareness, inspire advocacy and influence systems that shape mental health care and support.

Through a live narrative, Shaneena Woods-Eddington demonstrates how lived experience can illuminate the realities of mental health challenges while modeling vulnerability, resilience and agency. Participants will explore how tone, pacing and intentional framing can transform a personal story into a powerful tool for education and impact.

The session also examines how identity, culture and systemic barriers influence whose stories are heard and amplified. Attendees will leave with practical storytelling frameworks and trauma-informed strategies to share their experiences safely and effectively, using storytelling to build awareness, reduce stigma and strengthen mental health advocacy in their communities.