the-big-silence
Suffering in silence only reinforces the stigma surrounding mental health issues and creates barriers that prevent healing.”
We raise awareness, promote understanding, and aim to bring together people and organizations who want to improve public attitudes towards mental health and normalize conversations surrounding mental health topics and experiences.
Karena Dawn
Karena Dawn, co-founder of Tone It Up, is a wellness entrepreneur, NY Times best selling author, NAMI board advisor and a passionate mental health advocate. Growing up with a mother who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, her childhood was filled with traumatic experiences that resulted in repressed emotions, guilt, shame and a suicide attempt. She knows from experience that suffering in silence only reinforces the stigma surrounding mental health issues and creates barriers which prevent healing.
She overcame a dark period of depression, anxiety and substance abuse in her teens and 20s, was able to forge a path to self-discovery, build a nurturing community that has helped millions, and ultimately find peace. She has always used her platform and influence to inspire people around the world through fitness, mindfulness and spiritual empowerment and founded The Big Silence Foundation to further her mission and erase the stigma surrounding mental health.
Our Vision
To be a world leader on erasing the stigma surrounding mental health topics, and creating a society which values the importance of the integration of mental health conversations into daily lives.
Our Mission
The Big Silence Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization that provides resources and support to anyone directly or indirectly impacted by mental illness. We raise awareness, promote understanding, and aim to bring together people and organizations who want to improve public attitudes towards mental health and normalize conversations surrounding mental health topics and experiences.
MEET OUR
Chief Operating Officer
Jeremy McCassy is an entrepreneur, marketer and brand builder helping to build brands like No Fear, Oakley, Tone It Up, Love Wellness, and many more. Jeremy has executed more than 20 years as an expert in the professional marketplace propelling brands forward through key relationships and partnerships. A Vitality for life and social engagement across professional and personal pursuits, Jeremy is an opportunist and people person with an infectious laugh and vibrant energy. Jeremy balances his professional pace with his lifelong passion for surfing and his dedicated devotion to his daughter.
Executive Director
Rachel has over fifteen years of leadership experience, principally with non-profits. After more than a decade dedicated to community development through arts and culture organizations, Rachel joins The Big Silence because the cause resonates with her experience of growing up in a family altered by mental illness. As an accomplished grant writer, she has secured funding from National Endowment for the Arts, Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, National Center for the Book, and others. Rachel is also a poet and editor who believes that sharing our stories has the power to transform lives.
MEET OUR
Executive Assistant
Social Media
Deseray is our LA based Social Media Manager with 7 years of experience working in the marketing space. She specializes in brand strategy and content creation, and loves what she does! Growing with a brand is so rewarding and the people she has met along the way makes it all worth it.
ORDER YOUR COPY
by Karena Dawn
$28.95 | April 26, 2022
Karena Dawn, New York Times Bestselling Author and cofounder of Tone It Up, chronicles her brutal journey from the emotionally abandoned daughter of a homeless schizophrenic mother through her teenage years as she desperately tried to escape her own inner demons. At the heart of Karena''s story is the eternal struggle we all share-reconciling our internal voice with our external voice and moving past the pain and suffering of our battles to experience life''s joys.
We have big plans for 2022, and the newsletter will be your inside scoop into every podcast episode, special events, and book tour news! Watch your inbox for a special gift - as a thank you, you'll receive a FREE resource — "Life Lessons That I Have Learned That Might Help You"
from Karena Dawn.