Inspiration

Exciting news — “Stand Up & Speak Out!”, the anti-bullying musical created by Emmy-nominated composer, Jill Nesi, is set for an extended run. After its successful debut last October, the musical will return to once again delight audiences at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Connecticut — as has been recently hinted on the musical’s official Instagram account. “Stand Up & Speak Out!” tells a “full-circle” story of bullying from multiple perspectives, including the person bullied and the bully.

For Irann Orozco, fighting isn’t just a sport—it’s survival, healing, and growth. Today, Orozco is a rising star in amateur MMA and Pan Am Games champion and world bronze medalist representing the U.S. National MMA Team. But her journey to the podium began in pain. Her parents sent Irann to a military school as a 13-year-old, hoping the structure would help her stay on track. Instead, she found herself the target of relentless bullying…

There are many places you can go to find definitions for mental health: Webster’s Dictionary, National Department of Health; National Department of Mental Health to name a few. (For those of you not residing in USA I bet your national government has an agency that also defines mental health.) Please refer to these sources if you’re interested in a formal definition. I have included some in abbreviated versions at the end of this post. I want to offer you a working definition that helps define daily habits and practices.

What is meditation? How is it done? What are the benefits, and why should you (and I) do it? It’s simple. Meditation can change one’s life from the inside out. The memory of my first meditation remains with me, and it has evolved from a 5-minute meditation to an hour meditation, twice a day. Since the first time I sat up in bed to meditate, I have become more conscious of the changes inside my mind, spirit, and external physical life.