Deborah Derrickson Kossmann won Trio House Press’s inaugural 2023 Aurora

Polaris Creative Nonfiction Award for LOST FOUND KEPT: A MEMOIR (January

2025).

Deb’s writing has been published in The New York Times, Nashville Review, Memoir Monday, Psychotherapy Networker, and is upcoming in PSYCHE and Bellevue Literary Review, to name a few.

Deb is a clinical psychologist in private practice for more than thirty years. For more info: lostfoundkept.com

Rebecca Wei Hsieh (she/her) is a NYC-based Taiwanese American actor and writer who feels awkward writing about herself in the third person. Her acting work encompasses voiceover, stage and screen. Her writing has been featured in outlets like We Need Diverse Books and Wear Your Voice Magazine. She has a BA in theatre and Italian studies from Wesleyan University, and is currently co-writing a memoir about Tibet. Site: rwhsieh.com. Twitter/IG: @GeneralAsian

  Mukangenzi Florence is a general practitioner in Rwanda with a deep passion for mental health care. She is devoted to breaking the stigma and cultural barriers that often prevent people from seeking help or speaking openly about their struggles. Despite her own personal challenges, Florence remains dedicated to her patients and community, using her experiences to offer compassion, understanding, and hope to those she serves

Gabe is an award-winning podcast host, author, and sought-after speaker. Over the years, he’s had countless public speaking engagements and remains a go-to expert at conferences and in other media on matters of mental health and wellness, living with bipolar disorder, and governmental or social challenges faced by people living with mental illness. 

Gabe is the only person living openly with bipolar disorder who hosts a podcast for a major media company. Inside Mental Health can be found on platforms like Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, YouTube, and over 1,800 other players. Each week, Gabe interviews celebrities, experts, and other notables about psychology and mental health in a relaxed, conversational fashion anyone can understand. 

Gabe is the author of Mental Illness is an Asshole and Other Observations. He has also appeared in numerous publications and websites, including Bipolar Magazine, WebMD, and Healthline.com.

Psychotherapist by day and writer by night, Hannah R. Goodman prefers tea over coffee, cats over dogs, and staying in over going out. Her latest book, I Love That Girl, a New Adult romance novel, was published by The Wild Rose Press this year. One Goodreads reviewer says I Love That Girl is "simultaneously joyous, sexy, and uncertain" and is "the perfect book for any season of life." Reviewers and readers have praised her award-winning YA romance series, The Maddie Chronicles, for tackling tough issues with humor and sensitivity. Hannah has also been published by several online publications. She currently writes about writing, publishing, and mental health on her Substack called Writing My Way Through It. 

JASON SCHREURS is a music and mental health writer, host of the Scream Therapy podcast, mental health advocate, and self-proclaimed punk rock weirdo living in the qathet region of British Columbia, Canada. He feels most alive when he's screaming into dented microphones and beating on his guitar like it’s a percussion instrument. His desert island band is, and always will be, Fugazi.

Katie R. Dale is a voice of faith and reason, reconciling these within the roles of author, artist, and advocate. An advocate for mental health equity among the sickest while speaking, writing, and serving multiple mental health organizations, Dale has combined personal lived experience with mental illness and professional training in mental healthcare. She is an award-winning author, having written and published a memoir chronicling her journeys through her bipolar episodes while holding fast to her faith. Her passion is communicating dynamic insights to enlighten through her writing and advocacy, while showcasing her artistic talents in her small business, Communikated Expressions LLC. She's married to her hero in uniform, Chris, and is a mom to Jaxon in heaven and Kylie on earth, thriving wherever the US Air Force takes them.

https://katierdale.com/

Kavita Sarmah is a freelance writer, editor, mental health advocate, and a queer person. She has been published in Cosmopolitan, Homegrown, Arré, ScoopWhoop and other Indian and foreign publications. Kavita's creative endeavours are rooted in open-mindedness, curiosity and her Assamese upbringing, frequently aligning with her personal efforts at mental health awareness, women empowerment, and LGBTQIA+ advocacy. You can follow her on Instagram @kavitasarmah to find her latest writing and other life-things.

Laura Farrell is a somatic therapist, editor,  producer, and writer living in Philadelphia. She has been a part of Recovery Diaries since 2013. Laura recently opened her own somatic practice in Philadelphia. In her free time she works on her personal writing projects, dances, spends time with loved ones and enjoys nature.

Morrene Hauser currently lives in Columbus, Ohio. For a little over 30 years she was a court reporter. Upon retirement, Morrene started writing children's books about the many wonderful animals she had while growing up and the powerful impact they have had in her life. In addition to writing children's books, Morrene also writes about mental health. Morrene has two grown children that also live in Ohio.

Peter Leman is a writer and English professor living in Utah. As a professor, Peter challenges his students to excel as writers, readers, and critical thinkers, but he also strives to focus increased attention on the mental health challenges students face in the competitive and demanding environments of higher education.

Rachel Davis, MD is Associate Professor of psychiatry and Vice Chair for Clinical Strategy at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.  In her various leadership roles, she leads initiatives and programs that focus on mental health for physicians and health professionals, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and cutting-edge treatments like deep brain stimulation for psychiatric disorders. Dr. Davis is also a living liver donor and animal lover, sharing her home with four small dogs, a cat, and three birds. 

Reed Smith is a podcast host and a documentary filmmaker based in Philadelphia.  He developed a deep love and fascination for movies at a young age, which eventually led him to get an MFA in Social Documentary Filmmaking at the School of Visual Arts.  Reed is  the host of a podcast called Cinema on the Spectrum. Reed is currently making a film called. Making and Keeping Friends about his struggles to make and keep friends from 1st grade to 12th. grade the years he was a part of the lower merino school district. He has extensive experience in editing, transcription, and creating visual narratives. Reed loves filmmaking and is proud of the ways audiences react to his work. 

Sheila O’Shea is a writer who lives with bipolar disorder. She draws flowers to give away to people even though she can’t draw. You can find out about her Ten Thousand Flowers Project at http://wonderbink.com/10kflowers. She also works as a freelance copywriter, with an emphasis on narrative marketing; information on that is available at http://sheilawrites.com.

Tree Franklyn is a bestselling author, coach and founder of the Empathic Awakening Academy. She helps sensitive, empathic people to master their energy so they can heal their past and create a new and empowered future.

She’s a faculty member at The Shift Network and her work has been featured in ABC, NBC, The Huffington Post, Elephant Journal, Tiny Buddha, MindBodyGreen, Guideposts, Authority Magazine and more. Her international media appearances include interviews in Inspired Coach magazine, Entrepreneurs on Fire podcast, Kauneus & Terveys magazine and more. She’s also featured as a Quiet Revolutionary in Susan Cain’s Quiet Revolution.