Mental Health Champions: Why & How Meiko Patton Is Helping To Champion Mental Wellness
An Interview With Michelle Tennant Nicholson
Write: I write my daily newsletter, The Daily DeSo. Writing for me is a form of healing.
As a part of our series about Mental Health Champions helping to promote mental wellness, I had the pleasure to interview Meiko S. Patton.
Meiko S. Patton is author of I AM Unbreakable, an Adult Affirmation Coloring Book for Women of Color.
She is also the founder of, The Daily DeSo, the newsletter that helps people understand and leverage Decentralized Social Media for their business.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1974. I am the youngest of three children and the only girl. I had a very enjoyable childhood for the most part. My mother was an amazing woman. She truly loved me unconditionally. As a child I loved to read and write. I would make up stories just to amuse myself. I remember that every time I went to the store with my parents, I would run to the stationery aisle and get more pencils and paper. My mom became very active in her service to God when I was seven and we worshiped as a family and with our congregation every week. That solid religious foundation helped shape who I am today.
You are currently leading an initiative that is helping to promote mental wellness. Can you tell us a bit more specifically about what you are trying to address?
After my mom died of colon cancer in 2008, I plunged into a suicidal depression. With the help of friends and prayer, I was able to learn how to cope with her loss. Learning to cope with her death would prove to be beneficial because in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, I was routinely harassed and bullied on the job by my manager. This abuse lasted for nearly two years. As a result, I once again relied on what helped me when my mom died, but I also felt the need to help other women in my same situation. That’s why I created, I AM UNBREAKABLE, an Adult Affirmation Coloring Book for WOC. I was inspired by Beyonce’s single, Break My Soul because my employer had in effect tried to break my soul with their unfair treatment of me.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
As I mentioned, because of the terrible treatment I experienced at work, I wanted to not only help myself by prioritizing my mental health, but I also wanted to help other women in my situation. Coloring is a great way to relieve stress. Here are three reasons it works so well:
- Coloring for Mood-Boosting. Coloring is fun, builds self-confidence and reduces overall stress.
- Coloring for Brain Health. Coloring improves mental agility, decreases cognitive decline and works as a natural antidepressant.
- Coloring for Synergy. Coloring creates a similar state in the brain as that of meditation. While simultaneously saying I AM affirmations, this stimulates the production of dopamine, which makes life joyous and pleasurable.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
The only way you can truly recover from a traumatizing ordeal is to talk about it and then try to help someone else. When my mom died, I was devastated and didn’t want to continue living. I knew because of the pandemic along with this treatment I was slowly slipping back to that place. I needed to do something fast. So I relied on my religious foundation and at the same time took practical steps such as coloring while continuing to repeat I AM affirmations. The words that come after I AM are powerful because you are recalibrating your brain to take a different neural path to something more positive and beneficial.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
The most rewarding thing that has come about from having created my book is the people I am touching with it. I am actively promoting my book to different mental health organizations so that it can be included in their HR resources. Being able to alleviate the pain of one person is very rewarding.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
The most influential person in my life was my mother. When things didn’t turn out her way, she never gave up. Even when she was diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer, she fought to the very end. I had the awesome privilege of caring for her from the day of her diagnosis until her death which was exactly nine months. I call this full-circle love because she unselfishly cared for me for nine months in her belly before I arrived on the planet and I made sure to care for her the last nine months of her life on this planet. We had an unbreakable bond and that’s why even in her absence I am strong and resilient because of her love for me.
According to Mental Health America’s report, over 44 million Americans have a mental health condition. Yet there’s still a stigma about mental illness. Can you share a few reasons you think this is so?
I believe there is still a stigma because people are afraid of being judged by others. But what binds us as a society is not through the achievements we make, it is by the hardships we face and how we overcome them together. Being vulnerable and telling someone you need help is a sign of strength. Until we can properly see mental health in the same way we see a physical scar, we will continue to have this problem.
In your experience, what should a) individuals b) society, and c) the government do to better support people suffering from mental illness?
As individuals we should be willing to help and listen to our family and friends who need our help. As a society, we need to recognize that mental health is important and not be so quick to judge others. The government can help make sure that those with mental health needs are being met.
What are your 5 strategies you use to promote your own well-being and mental wellness? Can you please give a story or example for each?
1- Prayer. I pray several times a day to help me get through the day.
2- Exercise: I walk for 30 minutes every day to get my dopamine fix.
3- Write: I write my daily newsletter, The Daily DeSo. Writing for me is a form of healing.
4-Color: I color several times a week to relieve stress and to boost my self-esteem.
5. Affirmations: I say daily I AM affirmations to recalibrate my brain.
What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to be a mental health champion?
My favorite book is the Bible. I am a Web3 DeSo Educator, so I love any podcast that talks about crypto. Recently FTX, one of the largest crypto exchanges collapsed plunging many people into debt. There is a real mental health element to this too. So I read and write about ways to help others prioritize their mental health.
If you could tell other people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
If we all followed the golden rule, our world would be a better place to live in. When we do one act of kindness, it reverberates into the universe. When we make the lives of others easier, our life will become less complicated. I’m a firm believer that whatever you want in the world, you must first give away. If you feel lonely and you want more love in your life, you must first give love to someone else in need and then that love will come back to you in spades.
How can our readers follow you online?
Readers can subscribe to my newsletter at: www.smartgirlcredit.com on Twitter & Instagram @smartgirlcredit.
They can download 10 free pages of I AM UNBREAKABLE at: www.iamunbreakable.xyz
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Inspired by the father of PR, Edward Bernays (who was also Sigmund Freud’s nephew), Michelle Tennant Nicholson researches marketing, mental injury, and what it takes for optimal human development. An award-winning writer and publicist, she’s seen PR transition from typewriters to Twitter. Michelle co-founded WasabiPublicity.com.
