Today we’d like to introduce you to Bianca Danielle.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I began my journey to developing Crying Voice Project after a series of hiccups and battles with mental health. I grew up in a two-parent household, three siblings and became a preachers kid early on. Growing up in the church was not easy but it made me who I am today. I was an athlete early on starting at the age of six and continued through college but let me back up. I went to traditional schools, had a fairly normal life with my immediate family for the most part but the extended relatives and sense of family lacked due to relational differences. I never seemed to have it easy with school, from being mistreated to being bullied in High School.
I got accepted into college, studied psychology, ran track and went through the ebbs and flows of my college days at a rate I thought was normal. My first year in college I went on academic probation but still managed to graduate honors. After graduation is when I felt everything truly went left, surely life before that was not perfect but I did it. I remember graduation and after that thinking now what? My cousin committed suicide in 2010, and life made no sense. I already questioned my existence but this took the cake, not thinking shortly after I would attempt suicide. I began seeing a lot around me, feeling inadequate, not feeling purposeful and got into a car accident in 2011, that left me with no job, living in my car (too prideful to ask for help), and looking for love in all the wrong places.
At this point, I had nothing but darkness and all I wanted to do was run and that is what I did. My boyfriend at the time was in Atlanta and offered to move me, so I moved within two weeks. I up and moved to Atlanta, lost, numb and uncertain. The relationship was not good for me, I made a lot of money but purchased my happiness with lavish gifts and staying out so I didn’t have to return home. I moved out and because I knew no one I was back feeling lonely, heartbroken and pushing not to go back to Texas. So I stayed and pushed to make it work and shortly after I found myself back on my bathroom floor trying to take my life a second time. It did not work again.
I found myself in another relationship that was not for me, created a nonprofit that was geared towards helping young girls to embrace being different. It did not work and I knew at that point I had to find my purpose as an individual. It was not easy to change the trajectory of my life but I did it. Now here is how I embraced myself, I first gave my pain a title, a voice and got therapy. I worked through my issues and made sure I dedicated myself to self. In the interim I just finished my first masters and started Crying Voice Project, I was apart of Black Wall Street tour where I had the outlet to start telling my story boldly in Greater Atlanta, and multiple title 1 schools within Georgia. I decided that I wanted to use my overcoming to help others, the idea of starting a nonprofit was scary but it needed to be done.
I have been running my nonprofit on my own for two years and have helped multiple students and families who are suffering from losing someone to suicide completion, suicide ideations, and anti-bullying initiatives in schools. I have also wrote a book called Can You Hear Me Now that gives people a lens into what it is like to live free with mental health. I am a survivor but I am also an advocate for change. I have dedicated my life to giving back without asking twice. It is my mission to walk in my purpose, on purpose, for purpose. My goal is to continue to educate the youth about Mental Health, give them a voice and teach them the importance of getting the help they need in order to live a life filled with purpose. I just completed my second master’s degree and have now began working on my PH.D. I appreciate every opportunity I have been given to speak out about my battles with Mental Health, my overcoming and my rights to live freely.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Absolutely not. Nothing worth having is ever going to be easy. Many of the struggles came from me not believing in my capabilities to see beyond my pain. I did not take the necessary steps in order to be healed so I can function. Instead, I found myself always criticizing and putting myself down.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Crying Voice Project – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Crying Voice Project is a nonprofit organization that focuses on the importance of suicide rehabilitation and anti-bullying initiatives in schools. Our goal is to educate and offer the necessary support to the youth, help them to find their voice and to be a pillar in society. We are known for our voice in the community, being led by me. Someone who has a lived experience with suicide, mental health, and overcoming. I am proud that my nonprofit has been known as a place someone can come to. Because I am a survivor, I am able to offer up personal experiences, techniques, and tools that work for me. I am also fully educated and certified to offer the services needed for a successful organization.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My plan for the nonprofit is to build a building in honor of my cousin Sydney Nicole Williams, where families, students and anyone needing support and services can come to free of charge. I want to open the doors for individuals to come and talk, scream, get the help and give their pain a voice. In addition, have on-site counselors, support groups and professionals to create a safe haven for our participants. I also plan to create a curriculum for schools to aid them in starting the conversation, building strong relationships and being crisis ready.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cryingvoiceproject.org
- Phone: 678-902-6340
- Email: cryingvoiceproject@gmail.com
- Instagram: crying.voice.project
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/speakbdanielle
Image Credit:
Third Eye Vision Photography; Thee Gifted Photography
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