Turning pain into purpose

Maggie founded Your Mind Matters following the suicide of her older brother and childhood best friend, Yancey. Maggie’s goals with Your Mind Matters are:

• Break the stigma around seeking therapy, mental illness and talking about suicide
• Provide tips and resources for better mental well-being for all
• Create a safe, loving community for people to share about mental health challenges that they or their loved ones have experienced
• Give hope to those struggling with their mental health that they’re not alone and it is possible to heal

Stigma hurts everyone

Growing up, Yancey was a talented and funny friend, brother and son. He was accomplished inside and out of the classroom. At an early age, he was known for his academic achievements, continuously on the honor roll and even recognized by Duke University’s Talent Identification Program for his gifted and talented intellectual ability. Sports came naturally to Yancey, and he excelled in football, baseball and swimming.

In 9th grade, Yancey started attending boarding school where he started dealing with extreme depression. Because of his young age, many assumed he was being a defiant teenager. Yancey was ashamed to ask for help, because of the stigma around going to therapy. Because his mental health was ignored, problems worsened, and Yancey began having deeper depression issues along with mania episodes that fractured relationships with his family and friends. Once he finally started seeking professional help, he was clinically diagnosed as bipolar. Yancey battled with trying to “cure” his bipolar disorder for almost 15 years. The stigma of having a mental illness hurt Yancey’s confidence. He often said, “I just want to be normal.” Sometimes, he’d try to wean himself off his bipolar medication only to have his depression and mania seem to get worse afterwards. Following years of pain and struggling, Yancey ended his life on December 22, 2013 at the age of 28. Maggie fully believes that if there wasn’t such a stigma around mental illness that Yancey would still be here today.

Following Yancey’s death, Maggie did her best to continue her life as usual with very little bereavement. It wasn’t until she had children herself (a boy and a girl, 2 years apart from each other — just like Yancey and her were 2 years apart) that she realized she hadn’t fully processed her grief. Maggie had felt unworthy of seeking professional help, because she didn’t have a mental illness like Yancey. It took 11 years after his death for her to finally speak with a therapist, and she’ll tell you its the best thing she could have ever done. Maggie now believes her mind – and YOUR mind – matters, always. To Maggie, taking care of our mind by speaking with a therapist and using mental wellbeing practices are just as important as going to the gym to care for our bodies or the dentist to care for our teeth.

Fostering conversation

Knowing that stigma worsened Yancey’s mental illness and after discovering how helpful therapy was for Maggie’s own mind, she founded Your Mind Matters. Sadly, Yancey and Maggie’s story isn’t uncommon. More than two in five adults (42.4%) in the U.S. personally knew someone who died by suicide, and half of the world’s population will experience some type of mental health disorder in their lifetime. With suicide and mental illness so common, Maggie felt it was impertinent to start a movement opening conversation about mental health, providing resources to take care of our minds, and end the stigma once and for all.

Mrs. California America’s Mission

Maggie is currently the reigning Mrs. California America 2025 on a mission to elevate her Your Mind Matters initiative. She’s competing in the Mrs. America pageant in Las Vegas in August and hopeful that winning the national title will continue to help shed light on one of our nation’s most pressing health crisis.

How to get involved

Your Mind Matters Conversations:

Invite Maggie to be a guest speaker at your business, organization or school where she’ll share her personal story with suicide loss and mental health. Maggie will discuss ways to break the stigma around mental health issues, educate about the signs of mental illness and potential suicide, and share how we can support those struggling with mental health and/or those who have lost a loved one to suicide. Email Maggie at maggieholmesjackson at gmail dot com for availability.

Your Mind Matters Facebook Group:

If you’re a suicide survivor looking to connect with people who have gone through similar tragedies, please consider joining the Your Mind Matters Facebook Group.  This group was created by Maggie to provide comfort, community, and connection for survivors navigating grief, healing, and life after loss.

NAMIWalks Mental Health Festival:

The National Alliance on Mental Health is a fabulous non-profit organization with plenty of free resources serving those impacted by mental illness. Every year, the organization hosts local walks and festivals as an opportunity to support NAMI, as well as educate and advocate for better mental health for all.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, it’s important to seek help. In a crisis, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room.