Ashley Perkins
Co-Founder & Board President at We Matter Too, Inc.
Website Address: www.wemattertoo.org
Each week on “Making a Difference,” our host, Steve Strum, interviews people making a difference in their community. Today, Steve had the pleasure of talking with Ashley Perkins from We Matter Too, Inc.
To learn more, check out https://www.wemattertoo.org.
Short company description:
We help support those with mental health issues and mental illness/disorders through first person narratives while also combating harmful stigma. The best way to prove stigma wrong is by sharing our stories and living our lives out loud.
How do you define success?
I define success by ultimately leaving my small part of this world better than I found it by striving to help others. I became a pharmacist to help others and then a mental health advocate to make sure no one navigated these things alone. Ultimately, as long as I continue to do the work I am passionate about while helping others I believe I will be able to make a difference in this world.
How did you get started in your field or work?
After I was discriminated against for my own mental health, I knew if it could happen to me, someone with all the privilege and education, then it can happen to anyone. I knew I had to do something to speak up and raise awareness. At the time, I was not sure how I could do it but I knew I would find a way.
What’s one thing we should know that makes your company unique?
Any story matters, at any point in the process, from anyone. We are not here to tell people what anything looks like, we are just here to provide support. Share stories. Have resources available if people want them and to be a community for people to find when they need or want it. This is whatever anyone wants it to be.
What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome in your business?
Haters. I have my share of them and I have had to deal with cyberbullying too. Because we use social media, mainly Twitter, as our means of communication, it has opened mainly myself up for a lot of negative things and as someone already navigating PTSD, it can be particularly rough. However, this has too many positives so I continue to power through.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://iwantabuzz.com/biz/making-difference/ashley-perkins-from-we-matter-too-inc/&media=https://iwantabuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Ashley-Perkins.jpg&description=Each week on "Making a Difference," our host, Steve Strum, interviews people making a difference in their community. Today, Steve had the pleasure of talking with Ashley Perkins from We Matter Too, Inc.){kind=link}