One of my favorite parts of teaching Cypress trainings is what happens in the "in-between" moments. Not during the PowerPoint slides or the group activities, but over lunch, or after the workshop has ended and we're saying our goodbyes, even during break times when we teach on Zoom. This isn’t to say that I don’t love the actual teaching part; I always learn something from the people in the room. Every training is filled with participants who have thoughtful questions, impr

In honor of Disability Pride Month – I’m going to do something a little vulnerable. I want to talk about unseen disability. For a brief moment a couple of years back, I served as an Interim Director for the Pacific ADA Center at Public Health Institute. Their Director had transitioned from the role and I stepped in until their new Director was found (her name is Jerri Davison and she’s amazing BTW). I learned more from that team than I can take space here to write about – abo

I'm not a dancer by any means. In fact, for someone with a musical background, I'm surprisingly uncoordinated when it comes to stepping and twirling to the beat of the music. This may be why it took me so long to discover that dancing is one of my most reliable self-care practices. When I stripped away the expectations of being “good” at dancing and just paid attention to how it made me feel, I started observing how joyful I was after listening to music I love and moving my

As Mental Health Awareness Month comes to an end, I really needed to remind myself and maybe you too that caring for yourself doesn’t have to look perfect to count. Now I say as someone who really struggles with this idea that for something to count it must be for x amount of time and that progress needs to be visible.

It’s hard to believe that it’s already June. Ten years ago this month, I had just given birth to my second child. My older daughter was four, and I thought—naively—that I had parenting figured out. But when my son was born, while everyone around me celebrated and congratulated me on the birth of another healthy child, I grieved. I grieved the loss of my old self—the parent who could give all of my attention to one child, the person who had already made it through the infant

I am not exactly sure where it came from, but somewhere along the way I learned it’s rude to brag. I learned you should deflect a compliment or make an accomplishment smaller to help others feel comfortable with the success. It was such a contradiction because the expectation was always high performance – but without owning that performance. I’m not proud to say that I have been told more than once and by more than one person that I should pause and celebrate more. It’s embar

The next time you find yourself “spinning” or whatever your version of that is…try picking just one achievable thing to focus on and see if it helps.

Oakland, CA — April 21, 2026 — In an uncommon achievement, three Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instructors from a single organization will receive top honors at NatCon 2026, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s annual conference. Cypress Resilience Project, a California-based nonprofit, is proud to celebrate their MHFA instructors for outstanding contributions to the field of mental health and wellbeing: Jermaine J. Williams was named Peer Specialist of the Year, rec

The next time you find yourself “spinning” or whatever your version of that is…try picking just one achievable thing to focus on and see if it helps.

Winning the National Peer Specialist of the Year Award from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing means a lot to me. But it’s not about one moment, it’s about the small decisions that add up over time. The same kind of decisions I see people making every day in their own recovery. As I get ready to attend NatCon 2026 in Denver, I’m reminded that real change is happening all around us, not from big breakthroughs, but from small actions that keep stacking up.

Recently, I turned my daughter’s old bedroom in to my office. What I expected to be a simple weekend project, turned into a time of reflection and connection to my inner self. In my adolescence, I was deeply immersed in art. I took AP art classes in high school and even won second place at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Western Art Show. I did a little bit of everything, drawing, watercolor, sculpture, pastels, acrylics, etc. Creating was when I felt most connected to

“So what are we supposed to DO about everything, mama?” The question caught me off guard. My 14-year-old daughter and I were driving home after a long day — school, work, medical appointments, the usual shuffle. Our conversation drifted from classes to her brother’s upcoming medical tests to the general state of the world. It was safe to say we were both sitting in overwhelm. I reached for my standard response:“We’ll be okay. We just have to take it one day at a time.”

When I started my Master's of Social Work a couple of years ago, I viewed trainings as simply something I needed to prepare myself for my work in the field — a box I needed to check, offering new skills I needed to acquire. What I didn’t anticipate was the way these trainings would become part of my self-care regimen. The burden of the suffering around me has felt overwhelming at times — and when I don't feel adequately prepared to respond to the mental health challenges I'

As many of you know, May is Mental Health Awareness month. In May, Cypress will post on our social media accounts to get folks talking about mental health, and how we work to prepare folks with the skills they need to support someone facing a mental health challenge. You know how we feel about being prepared to help someone else! But this year, we aren’t waiting until May. Cypress is feeling a deep sense of urgency for the conversation now . And it’s because we aren’t okay. D

New years are LIFE . They’re full of possibility, which is exciting and hopeful… and, if I’m honest, sometimes a fast track to burnout. The moment the calendar flips, social media fills up with advice about what we should plan for, let go of, fix, or completely reinvent by 2026. Before I realize it, I’ve piled way too much pressure on myself, trying to wring every ounce of potential out of the year—only to feel exhausted before we’re even through the first quarter. So this

If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that there are things that can happen in our lives over which we have no control. We can begin our New Year with goals in sight and yet feel derailed in December when those outside forces impacted our ability to achieve those goals. I know I definitely felt that as I said goodbye to 2025. So as I sit and think about 2026, I’m turning my attention to how I’ll be doing this work and less about goals for the work itself. Th

As you may have seen recently, we suspended our donor campaign. Some folks have questioned that decision – who works at a non-profit and doesn’t ask for funding on Giving Tuesday?? I know, I know. But hear me out. I’m asking for “Friends Giving Tuesday” instead! As a person who chose non-profit leadership as a career path many years ago, I’ve learned a thing or two along the way. One of the things I’ve learned is that most of the funding you get, most of the contracts you get

As this year comes to a close, like many others, I’ve been reflecting on my own “valleys and mountains.” You know, those moments when you feel like you can't get back up, and those times you wish would never end. Instead of harshly judging myself for what I could have done differently or how I might have changed things, I’ve been taking the time to observe how I treated myself during those moments. When I found myself in a valley, did I show myself compassion and try to see b

Of the definitions of the word "give," "to provide love and / or other emotional support” resonates the deepest, especially in light of our current times – but in truth, to give in this way or in other ways that satisfies and sustains others is never out of season. I believe there is truth to the idea that serving others, giving of self to others, serves self. I give to me by giving to others, especially when my giving is directly linked to a specific need – and we all have s

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” That’s true, but in my opinion its missing a piece: Because you...