Blog Posts by Alison Malmon
Celebrating the Past, Mobilizing the Future: 20 Years of Active Minds
It’s December. As we spend the holiday season gathered together with family and friends, this time of year is often marked by connection and reflection. For me, this rings especially true on the anniversary of our founding month as I think about the work and powerful impact that the Active Minds community has accomplished over…
Calling Gen Z: Let’s Talk About Mental Health
When I founded Active Minds nearly twenty years ago, a few things were clear to me. First, we needed to open up the conversation about mental health — stigma was incredibly pervasive, and far too many people were struggling in silence. Second, I knew where I had to start: college campuses. Young adults were going…
A Year of Growth, Impact, and Changing the Culture Around Mental Health
It’s been a year. An absolutely extraordinary year to be a part of Active Minds. For most of our history, Active Minds has been an organization that impacted so many but was held and managed by so few. As the founder and executive director, I’ve typically worked with a small (but mighty!) team to help…
Mental Health Belongs in the Workplace – Thoughts from Active Minds’ Founder
Active Minds is headquartered in Washington D.C., and for many years, I was too. I went into the office each day on a consistent schedule, and from there, it felt easy to achieve a work/life balance. I gave my all to our team in the office and was able to focus on my loved ones…
Reflecting on the Past Two Years: Mental Health During COVID-19
Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide. Two years. It’s been two full years since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in the United States and the effects have been as deep as they have been wide. We have all experienced loss in our own ways. From those who battled COVID themselves, to those who…
Permission to be Human
I grew up in the gymnastics world where things were never good enough. Coaches were demanding, sure, but my pursuit of perfection and pushing through difficulty had nothing to do with them. It was all in me. When the world gasped when Kerri Strug completed her vault on her injured ankle in the Atlanta Olympics…
Discomfort and Chaos — What I’ve Learned Over 20 Years Since Losing Brian
Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide. What a moment we’re in. It feels tone-deaf to talk about this now. But, as I grapple with what is appropriate and what isn’t during this chaotic, unprecedented, and uncertain time, I realize that nothing happens in a vacuum. The experiences we’re all feeling around COVID-19 are…
In Memory of Sue Cimbricz
Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide. Last month, Active Minds lost a force. I met Sue Cimbricz just a handful of months after she experienced the most extraordinary loss anyone can endure: the suicide of her oldest son, Sam. From the moment I met her and was let into her world and her…
In the Wake of Tragedy, Discuss Mental Illness in Ways that Help, Not Hurt
Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of suicide and gun violence/school shootings. August 5, 2019 — In the wake of the tragedies in El Paso and Dayton, I am devastated to have to bring the message I wrote last year following the catastrophic events at Stoneman Douglas High School forward again. I am devastated not only because…
Welcome to Wentworth Miller, Active Minds Ambassador
Our office manager brought the staff meeting to a complete stop when he looked at his laptop and said, “We just got an email from Wentworth Miller.” Stunned silence. Is it spam? No, it looks legit. And that’s when the energy in the room went sky high! For several months, many of us had been following Wentworth from afar….
Active Minds is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization promoting mental health awareness and education for young adults.