As this time in lockdown goes on I am starting to lose my sense of self, my sense of who I am, my identity, what it is that makes me tick…..and that is a good thing. 

As someone who has worked very hard my whole adult life my identity has been strongly rooted in work. My sense of self-worth has a direct relationship to what I am achieving at that time through work. My sense of purpose is directly connected to what I have ahead...

After watching A Star is Born I cried. 

I cried all the way home, I cried myself to sleep, I cried the next day, I was sad for days. 

It really got me, it got inside my head and heart. It felt like my heart was being torn apart again. 

Memories came flooding back, hurt and pain took over my body and soul again. 

It was intense.

But very healing.

It was good for my soul to have that release.

It was hard but in the end helped me on my...

Meet Michaiah! Michaiah lives in New Zealand with her husband, step-son and her two fur babies.

When Michaiah isn’t with her family, she runs three businesses – Deluxe Events, Le Ball and Al Volo Pizzeria.

Michaiah shares her lived experiences with depression, suicide and bipolar, and how her mental health effects her on a personal level, her family life and being a business woman. Michaiah also shares honest and courageous insi...

Interview in the NZ Business Magazine 

Michaiah Simmons-Villari believes ‘wellness whatever it takes’ is the key to business success. She shares her success recipe around self-care and business (aka work-life balance) and highlights the importance of mental health, particularly for business owners.  
 

Being able to survive in business in a very competitive industry is something to be proud of, but it can also take its toll on y...

This afternoon I gave myself some down time. I chose to relax for a few hours.

That might be odd to some considering it’s Sunday. But to me I feel guilty if I am not doing something.

Achieving something.

Even if it's just catching up on emails or working on one of my projects. 

I have worked hard for my whole life. I’ve always strived to fill my days with work. I’ve always been very driven but at what price? 

My health for start...

Behind this smile there are days of anxiety. 

Behind this smile there are days of depression. 

Behind this smile there are times of crippling self doubt. 

Behind this smile there are times of overwhelming sadness. 

Behind this smile there is pain. 

Behind this smile there is a feeling of not being good enough, successful enough, pretty enough, cool enough, strong enough. 

But behind this smile there is also happiness, days of feelin...

Not for the one who chose to leave us but for us the ones who get left behind... the wife, the partner, the best friend, the mum, the dad, the brother, the sister, the children. 

What are we supposed to do? How are we meant to go on living when we are so broken. So betrayed by someone we love. Everything we thought we knew gets turned upside down.

For me my whole life was completely changed in that moment. That heart breaking gu...

Today is not a good day for me. No idea why to be honest. I just didn’t want to get out of bed, but I made myself. I didn’t want to leave the house, the thought of seeing people made me sick to my stomach, but I made myself take the dogs for a walk and actually the fresh air was nice.

I wanted to go back to bed but instead I put myself in front of my sewing machine and started sewing. At least I am doing something I guess.

My he...

Suicide - Depression 
Kate Spade - Anthony Bourdain 
Two brilliant creative minds who felt they had no place on this earth any longer. 
Two passionate people who were the masters of their craft. 
The beast got them. Depression won the battle they had probably been fighting their whole lives. Maybe even part of the reason they were so successful at what they did. 
Why is it that they finally gave in when most would say they wer...

Happiness....what is it? What does it mean? Is there such a thing as universal happiness? Or is it completely individual? When you hear the word what do you think? What do you feel? 

Its kind of ironic that we spend our lives chasing 'happiness' yet its not even an actual thing. You can't see it, its not something you can physically pick up, its a notion, its an idea or a feeling and yet there are billion dollar industries buil...