In the Mix with Aaliyah Miller

Documentary poster Where there is breath, there is hope. Today I was left with those words from Tonier "Neen" Cain , a trauma survivor that endured two full decades of sexual and physical assaults, homelessness, mental abuse and many other ills that come with being a part of our broken, social, mental health and criminal justice systems. She was the keynote speaker at Clifford Beers Clinic's 11th Annual Builders of Hope Breakfast. Even as I write this post, her words "Where there is breath, there is hope," still resonate with me. The short but powerful phase is a personal reminder to me why I love stories and believe in the power of one person's story. I was invited to the event as a guest of a colleague and while I'm familiar with Clifford Beers and what they do, I wasn't sure what to expect from the speaker. I wasn't familiar with her story. The moment she stepped up to the podium she had a strong presence.  She captivated me, and I thi...

It's late, but I wanted to squeak in this blog post. I'm not going to let Friday past without getting my flashback video out there. I really like this feature and sharing some of my favorite videos and songs with you. I feel like I bring you into the things that help to shape my opinions and how I view the world at large. This week's Friday Flashback is Red Hot Chilli Peppers "Under the Bridge." I apologize for not sharing upbeat and happy-go-lucky video in advance, but I have to be real about why I choose this video to post. When this song came out I was in eighth grade. I loved the smooth and calming rock melody, but at the time I didn't realize the song was about heroin use. Initially, I think I connected to the message of loneliness and wanting to be taken away. A few years later and wiser I got the song's real message about heroin, aka  H, white-horse, candy, an alluring and secretive killer drug. What I know realize is that the message of lone...