Once upon a time I was a police officer. I put my heart and soul into this career as I thought it was going to be my life for 30 years. I got hired at a young age and I put everything into it as not a single day went by, I thought I would do something else.

Slowly as time passed, things were happening to me mentally that I didn't even know, until it was too late.

June 19, 2017, was when my Dr. signed me off work because I was a risk to my own safety which made it unsafe for others.

Since that day, I have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, severe anxiety and major depression. I have not returned to police work and I will never be returning to policing.

I am currently not working and this is because of my mental illness. I struggle to be in settings where conflicts arise so this eliminates a lot of possibilities for myself. Even places one would think you should feel safe, is where I feel unsafe and triggers occur.

I'm always searching for ways to help people as it's apart of me and what I love to do, and I've always loved headbands, but I'm quite particular about the fit.

When I was diagnosed, it made me realize how uncomfortable the world was with sharing my story, or being open about things and showing emotion. I've always said, I don't want people to have to feel the way I felt, so I wanted to create a space or a community where we could all raise awareness for mental health and feel safe to share our stories.

I look forward to growing this community and continuing to learn more from others, while being creative, comfortable and fashionable all the same time.