Wellness entrepreneur, NY Times bestselling author and co-founder of Tone It Up, Karena Dawn, is announcing the launch of The Big Silence, a charitable organization and content platform dedicated to normalizing conversations around mental health issues by providing resources and support to anyone directly or indirectly impacted by mental illness.

The Big Silence - a platform featuring online and social content, podcast and merchandise - will provide support, tools and resources to anyone who has been impacted by a mental health condition. By partnering with other organizations in the mental health space and creating impactful campaigns and events, Dawn hopes to end the silence surrounding mental health topics and conversations.

Dawn says, “When I was 11, my mother was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Nobody was talking about mental health back in the ‘90s and, when my mother was finally diagnosed, I had to go to the library to find a book about what schizophrenia was. I had no one around me to talk to, no one to ask for advice and seek support from, no podcasts or YouTube videos to watch. It was a pretty traumatic experience that no one should ever go through alone.”

She adds, “We have to break the stigma around mental health and let people know that it is OK to ask for help, and to have honest and brave conversations about it. The fear and stigmas surrounding mental health issues creates a barrier of silence that leads to repressed emotions, guilt, shame, addiction, and maybe even worse. It is important to have open conversations about mental health issues that offer support to our loved ones, friends, and family members who are experiencing these symptoms, so they can heal and thrive. That’s what I’m hoping The Big Silence will do: raise awareness about mental health issues by having open honest, thoughtful and brave conversations.”

The Big Silence platform will be a community for those suffering from mental health issues, directly or indirectly, offering innovative programming, first person interviews and stories, live support groups, corporate mental health and wellness programs, and a mental health toolbox offering helpful advice.

TBS will also feature a podcast, hosted by Dawn, featuring in-depth conversations with public figures, psychologists, spiritual leaders, wellness experts and anyone willing to share their stories in order to inspire others to do the same. Topics will include addiction, trauma & PTSD, integrating mindfulness, coping with anxiety and depression, nutrition, physical, wellness and self-care, and caring for loved ones with a mental health condition.

Merchandise will also be available, with 100% of the proceeds going towards The Big Silence Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and their partners.

The Big Silence is dedicated in memory to Linda Joy Tompkins, Karena’s mother, who struggled with mental illness throughout her life, most devastatingly, schizophrenia.

ABOUT KARENA DAWN

Karena Dawn, co-founder of Tone It Up, is a wellness entrepreneur, NY Times best selling author, NAMI board advisor, and a passionate mental health advocate.

Growing up with a mother who was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic, her childhood was filled with traumatic experiences that resulted in repressed emotions, guilt, shame, depression, and a suicide attempt. She knows from experience that suffering in silence only reinforces the stigma surrounding mental health issues and creates barriers that prevent healing. She discovered that where there is darkness, there is an immense opportunity for light.

Karena founded The Big Silence Foundation to further her mission and inspire hope, promote well-being, and erase the stigma surrounding mental health.