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Michelle Yang, Writer & Activist for Mental Health Wellness
Michelle Yang is an advocate whose writings on the intersection of Asian American identity, body image, and mental health have been featured in NBC News, CNN, InStyle, Shondaland, and more. When not writing, she loves exploring new areas with her family and smoking up the kitchen with spicy recipes. Other projects: To learn more of my story, please see my writing here or see press features here. Please see here to listen to my story at upcoming conferences, classes, nonprofits and podcasts. For writing inquiries, podcast interviews, or other collaboration opportunities, please contact: michellehyang@gmail.com
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Michelle Yang, Speaker
View this post on Instagram OPAWL showing up for the Ohio Asian Mental Health Conference! @michelleyangwriter was the best part! #OPAWL #cincyOPAWL #asiancommunityalliance #ohioasianamericanhhealthcoalition #michelleyang #mentalhealth #AAPI A post shared by OPAWL (@teamopawl) on Oct 19, 2019 at 5:32pm PDT I cannot begin to express how it felt to tell my story in front of a large audience, especially one of predominantly Asian Americans. Though I had done many podcasts and online interviews as a mental health advocate by now and done some smaller speaking engagements, this Ohio Asian American Mental Health Conference was the first one for which I was being flown halfway across the country as a plenary.…
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flipping the statistic
"Everything is still possible. You can have any kind of life you strive for. Bipolar disorder is a health condition that can be managed with medication and treatment. This is not the end. It is still the beginning of your story."
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When Headlines Affect Mental Health
There was yet another shooting in America yesterday. https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/29/us/gilroy-california-food-festival-shooting-victims/index.html? This beautiful 6-year-old, Stephen Romero, was at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California with his mom and grandma when he was killed by a random shooter. This photo could be of my little boy, who is nearly the same age. This is my worst fear about living in the US. When I worked at a large liberal corporation in a landmark building in the PNW, I lived in perpetual fear of a shooting at work. My child was attending daycare in that same building. Panicking any time there was an unexpected drill, I’d fly down 7 flights of stairs, heart pounding,…
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“Coming Out”
On Wednesday, May 1, 2019, I “came out” to the world about my mental health. My story, “My Mental Illness Did Not Prevent Me From Suceeding, But The Stigma Nearly Did” was published on a major outlet. I had pitched my story in early February and was over the moon when the editor responded later that month. I had been eagerly anticipating its publication ever since. There would be no turning back after this “Coming Out.” Sure, I had already told my story to my own social circles, but this was a national, even international, stage. I set out to tell my story to make myself an example, an advocate.…
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Just say hi
Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash I drove by a homeless man today sitting in front of a drug store entrance with a cardboard sign. When two people walked out, he smiled brightly and greeted them. They in return averted their eyes, pretended not to see him, and shuffled quickly away. What would it be like to have your presence invalidated all the time? For people to not see you? I live in a city where many complain of a “homeless problem.” “Some people just don’t want to be helped,” they say. I have heard kindhearted people dehumanize the homeless. Making jokes, even taking photos of them while they’re sleeping, without consent, and…
