Meet Trailblazer Jessica Hermann

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Hermann.

Jessica, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I always knew that I wanted to do something with my life that would help others – I volunteered at a variety of different organizations to see which spoke to me the loudest. All of those causes were so beautiful (I am still involved with most of them!) but it wasn’t until my life took an unplanned turn that I finally realized my true cause.

It wasn’t until I was 21 that I was diagnosed with my anxiety disorder and that was AFTER I had a maniac nervous breakdown that almost took my life. Although traditional treatments did provide some relief, they were not 100% effective. I wanted different options that were more accessible, more affordable and allowed me to connect with the larger mental health community. I also wanted to educate my peers so others did not have to experience a tragedy in order to be diagnosed or receive assistance. Over the past couple years, I came to realize that I wasn’t alone, so I created The Rebel Mind Project.

I worked on building the foundation of The Rebel Mind Project for 2 years – with the support of my amazing friends and family – and was finally granted 501(c)3 status in early 2018. Now I am focused on fulfilling RMP’s mission – speaking out about mental health and alternative methods AND then doing something about it!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road – getting 501(c)3 status is no joke! – and this rebel road that I am on is never going to be completely smooth, and that’s okay! It just means I need to buckle in and have some fun!

The best advice I could give to anyone starting their journey is to NEVER doubt yourself. As long as you are humble, honest and do your best – there is NOTHING that can stop you.

Step outside your comfort zone and do it often. This was an important lesson that I had to learn quickly. As a natural introvert, networking events made me sweat. The thought of having to put myself and RMP out there seemed so daunting – what if people didn’t like RMP? What if I wasn’t as good as them? What if they didn’t like me?! Again – as long as you are humble, honest and do your best, you will attract the positive people and energy that you need to keep moving forward. I started going to more and more networking events, connecting with the community and let me tell you, it has been worth it!

The last piece of advice I will give is to always challenge yourself – whether it be personally or professionally. There is nothing more motivating than accomplishing a goal – for example, last year I set a goal to run 1 5k a month and when I reached that goal, I felt beyond AMAZING! I was so energized and confident in such a positive way that I am now continuously looking for new challenges to keep that feeling going! Whether you succeed or fail, it’s the work, the strength, the dedication that goes into trying to reach a goal, that is vital for significant growth and development. What will be your next challenge?

There are many forces out there in our world that make it easy to give up or not even start at all – DON’T FALL FOR IT! Go after your biggest dreams because you can and you will achieve them. You are a ROCKSTAR!

We’d love to hear more about The Rebel Mind Project.
I chose the name – The Rebel Mind Project – because I wanted to offer a unique perspective on mental health. I wanted to ‘rebel’ against the norm and challenge the status quo. Having a ‘rebel mind’ can mean that your chemical makeup is different than what society calls “normal” or it can mean that you and you alone will choose what mental health treatment is best for you or it can mean that you are able to share your story and inspire others that are on a similar journey; it is a powerful state of mind.

The Rebel Mind Project offers alternative methods such as fitness, art and music therapy as well as Rebel Therapy. Rebel Therapy involves different activities that provide peace and relief from mental illness symptoms such as volunteering, reading, cooking, meditating – it truly is designed for each specific person and what speaks to them. RMP is always open to new ideas and learning about new methods that work for YOU.

RMP also offers educational classes and conducts public service campaigns to educate our community on mental health and what we can do to support each other!

I am proud that The Rebel Mind Project provides a unique and honest voice – with that and a little dash of rock n’ roll, RMP truly has a chance to make a positive change in this arena.

“It’s important to try to step into the unknown.” – Joan Jett

We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I believe that one of the biggest barriers today to female leadership is supporting each other. We, as women, should be able to support and champion one another without any competition or comparison – if another woman does well it is not a poor reflection on ourselves. While this isn’t a universal truth, it is all too common.

We are all rockstars in our own unique/beautiful/rebellious/unexpected way and that’s what we should be celebrating! Our strengths alone are powerful but together they are unstoppable.

My challenge to you is to look at the women in your life – what are their strengths? What is their passion? What is their mission? – and then look at yourself – how you can support their strengths, passion and mission?

How can you be a REBEL and change this backwards trend?

I look forward to hearing all about your journey to change the world!

Contact Info:

• Email: therebelmindproject@gmail.com
• Instagram: @therebelmind
• Facebook: The Rebel Mind Project
• Twitter: @therebelmind

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