The Story:
I began using wellness to build a foundation of strong mental health in 2005.
A decade later and that foundation supported earning a degree in music business, coaching and mentoring hundreds of student-athletes and speaking live to almost one million people as talent in sports and entertainment.
That same year I found a purpose…
The Mental Health Hype-man:
In 2015 I began working with a mentor. One day we discussed advocacy. He suggested creating a persona. I thought about a photo taken during a concert I’d hosted in college and arrived at The Mental Health Hype-man.
In music the role of a hype-man is to support the artist. We don’t have an artist, but we have a mission: to move the culture of mental health toward wellness. As The Mental Health Hype-man, I advocate for that cause.
A Moment of Clarity:
I founded Respect Your Gift in January of 2017. A few months later I was asked to present to an auditing organization on the topic of soft skills.
The message for that presentation was about optimism and effective communication, and that’s when it clicked: Optimism is how we communicate the value of our mental health.
From Enhancing Lives to Saving Them:
I believe that we respect our gifts by taking care of our mental health. And I believe that taking care of our mental health is about wellness. Wellness is the active pursuit of good health, and when it comes to mental health, wellness is the closest thing to a solution.
From enhancing lives to saving them…
My purpose and the mission of Respect Your Gift is to move the culture of mental health toward wellness with an optimistic message that motivates people to take care: mind, body and spirit.
Small steps. Great distances.℠
You know… Let’s go!℠
– Blake Kirinovic –
