Mental Health Champions: Why & How Myke Celis Is Helping To Champion Mental Wellness
An Interview With Michelle Tennant Nicholson
You deserve to be loved and appreciated for who and what you are so take time to enjoy life a little bit more. Buy that pair of shoes you want. Get a massage. Have your facial. Pamper yourself and shower yourself with kindness and words of affirmation. It helps you realize your true worth.
As a part of our series about Mental Health Champions helping to promote mental wellness, I had the pleasure to interview Myke Celis, M.A., PCC.
Myke Celis, M.A., PCC is a multi-awarded Global Master Coach and the international best-selling author of the #bestmeever book series. A Celebrity Life Coach in the Philippines, he is an in-demand coaching expert/resource person across print, radio, TV and digital media worldwide and writes thought leadership articles for the International Coaching Federation and Life Coach Magazine.
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 grew up in a time when mental health was not yet a big thing then. However, looking back now, I feel that it could have done wonders for me if I had that kind of access to coaches or mental health professionals. You see, growing up gay in a highly conservative family and society wasn’t that easy. Been bullied, discriminated, had toxic relationships — -you name it, I’ve probably experienced the horrors others just dread. Those fateful events served as turning points in my life, which led me to discover #bestmeever , my coaching platform across multi media that helps people from all over the world become their authentic, unapologetic, grandest versions of themselves. It focuses on self-empowerment and holistic wellness and well-being, which includes becoming and staying mentally fit.
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?
My coaching platform, #bestmeever advocates for self-empowerment, holistic wellness and well-being. I always believed that one’s mindset is just as important as one’s physical and emotional health because it can make or break a person, so to speak. Through mixed disciplines in coaching, I help people overcome limiting beliefs, rise above daily stress and gain clarity along the way as they become the person they’re meant to be: their own #bestmeever , while allowing them to stay mentally fit
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
I already found myself before in a very dark space at the lowest point in my life when I got betrayed by a friend who left me bankrupt and was in a physically abusive relationship. I was about to commit suicide then and had everything planned. But a single pressing thought stopped me: “What if I start all over again?” I had nothing else to lose so every new step is growth, technically. And that’s when I realized that I needed to listen to my calling and allow myself to be the person I wanted to be: a life coach. I felt that it’s where I will feel happy, complete and fulfilled. So I turned my back on a lucrative advertising and marketing career and embarked on my own coaching journey while writing inspirational books drawn from my own experiences. It wasn’t easy so to speak. But 6 years later, I find myself now helping people with their own mental health concerns and inspiring them as a multi-awarded Global Master Coach and 5x International Best Selling Author. I am thriving, finally. And I know I can help others do just that too.
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?
After that near-suicide episode I had, I realized that life is too short to be wasted just thinking about what could have been and failing to see what is and what can still be. Seeing that I had nothing else to lose at the lowest point in my life made all the difference and gave me the inspiration to start all over again. And today, I am giving people from all over the world the gift of hope to carry on and the inspiration to be the person they’re meant to be: their own #bestmeever , no matter how that may look like. It’s all about taking up space and not be apologetic about it. Because we all deserve that.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
I think it’s with a teenage client of mine who had attempted suicide 3x before I got to journey with him. Receiving a random message a year after thanking me and telling me that if it wasn’t for me he would have been dead by now was life changing. And yes, he’s finally pursuing his passion for sports again now while rebuilding his relationship with his family, something which he put to a hard stop while he was undergoing rough times and feeling unworthy. I am quite proud of his next chapter.
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?
I am so happy to be surrounded by my family, friends, mentors, coachees and mentees — — amazing people who genuinely love and support me in my journey as they strive to be their best. I am also blessed to be trusted by a number of companies, organizations, media and brands and have the opportunity to work and grow with them beautifully. These awesome relationships inspire me to do better In my practice and go further while helping others do the same.
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 think people in general are afraid and indifferent towards what they’re not familiar with. And that includes dealing with mental illness. It also doesn’t help how mental illness has been exaggerated by media in their portrayal of the issue through the years. The fear of being judged by others (and at times, one’s self) outweighs the need to seek treatment. And that’s something that must be corrected. Know that seeking help for mental illness is not a sign of weakness; it’s actually a sign of strength as you accept yourself whole heartedly without giving in to the critical reactions of the society. Your response to your own mental health needs matter.
In your experience, what should a) individuals b) society, and c) the government do to better support people suffering from mental illness?
This goes for all three: First, everyone should be well-informed. Education is key. Facts only please. Next, do away with judgments. Your judgments, assumptions and biases block the progress of people who have mental illness (and the ones carrying them, too). Third, just be present and let people know that help is readily available. Also, less is more at times: you just have to sit beside the person and listen if you don’t know whether what you have to say will work or not. Your intentions may be good for launching yourself into an endless lecture of how things can be better, but hey, it may not be taken as the same by the person suffering as of the moment.
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?
- Be intentional in finding (and experiencing) simple joys.
Life can be overwhelming at times and we tend to attach our happiness to big milestones or life changing events that we lose track of how beautiful it is to live in the present. Practice mindfulness and seek out the beauty in the little things, whether you bask underneath the morning sun, seeing kids at play or watching the stars at night. These help relax your mind in the process.
2. Learn to let go of things beyond your control.
You can’t control everything and that’s ok. You don’t have to. Learn to let things be and trust the process. After all, stressing over things beyond your control won’t change them. Changing your attitude and perspective over them, will.
3. Do hard stops.
You’re not a machine. You’re only human. So don’t ever feel guilty for giving yourself a much-needed break. Work can wait. Your life can’t. Sleep for 8 hours. Go out for a short walk. Turn off your phone. Do what you must for your own good.
4. Stop self-diagnosing.
Leave the diagnosis to the experts. If you are feeling unwell or bothered, don’t come to google for help and then formulate your own verdict afterwards. Remember, every site in google might have a different take on the same issue so stop confusing yourself by just going to the expert as you seek professional help, Just think of how abused the word “depressed” is nowadays.
5. Celebrate yourself.
You deserve to be loved and appreciated for who and what you are so take time to enjoy life a little bit more. Buy that pair of shoes you want. Get a massage. Have your facial. Pamper yourself and shower yourself with kindness and words of affirmation. It helps you realize your true worth.
What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to be a mental health champion?
Loving my own so I would say my #bestmeever book series and #bestmeever podcast (which will be re-launching its new season soon, so stay tuned). Haha! Kidding aside, if you’re into daily dose of positivity and inspiration, then these ones are for you.
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?
No matter who or what you are, you have the power to take up space and inspire others to do the same. Make today count. One day at a time. One life at a time. One choice. One action. And that begins with you.
How can our readers follow you online?
They can visit my website www.coach-mykecelis.com .
My other social media links are:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachmykecelis/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mybestmeever
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/my_bestmeever/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/coach_myke_celis
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/bestmeever
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.
