We spoke to Bershan Shaw, “America’s number one business coach” and author of “The Unstoppable Warrior Woman,” about the importance of mental health. During our discussion, the speaker and strategist spoke candidly about her own experiences with mental health as well as the application she founded to help those who may be struggling.
What does mental health mean to you?
Mental health means taking care of your emotional and psychological state. It is an all-encompassing way of dealing with your mental wellness and mental being.
How has mental health played a role in your life?
Mental health has played a role in my life through my mother and myself when I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. I went through depression, anxiety and loneliness because I felt like I was alone and I was going to die. I felt like I was given a death sentence and no one could help me. I lived in a bubble with no hope until I woke up and I told myself “Bershan, you better get busy living or get busy dying. The choice is yours. If I wanted to live. I better do all that I can do to live.”
My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer too ten years before I got diagnosed and unfortunately, she didn’t make it. So, we both dealt with the same feelings of feeling alone and loneliness and that no one could help us.
Can you talk a little bit about the inspiration for your new Mental Health and Wellness Application, URAWARRIOR?
Urawarrior was birthed out of my own issues of depression and loneliness and the issues of my mother, nephew, next door neighbor and Elon Musk. My nephew came to me and told me that he felt depressed and alone and he was embarrassed to speak about it. He was only 30 years old and I was proud that he said something but he said that I don’t want to tell anyone. I’m embarrassed but I can’t get out of my own way. I saw my next neighbor the night he jumped off of his balcony of the apartment building and he walked up to me in a daze and said, “help, help” then the next morning he jumped out of his condo during covid.
Then I read that Elon Musk at the top of his game was alone and didn’t have anyone to speak to online. Everything was negative and he didn’t feel like there was a safe space where he could share his feelings and thoughts. That’s when I told myself it was time to do something about it. I was going to take the leap of faith and build this URAWARRIOR app with my own money. If I was going to do it I had to believe in it just as much as an investor did and in Sept 2020, I began building my baby: URAWARRIOR.
URAWARRIOR is a positive social networking site for support. It’s a place where there is no negativity, no trolling and no bullying allowed. It’s an app for peer to peer to support and a place to get support from experts, coaches, celebs, and motivational speakers to help you not feel alone with what you’re going through. It’s a place you help deal with your mental wellness thru our four pillars of support: Motivation, self-improvement, personal development and support. We are a one stop shop to help you get thru whatever you’re dealing with. Go to www.urawarrior.com to sign up for your perks and support.
Why have you chosen to be so outspoken on this topic? And what do you want listeners to take away?
I chose to be outspoken about this because there’s needs to be a spokesperson for everyone helping them realize “YOU ARE NOT ALONE” and letting them know that someone is out there trying to help remove the stigma. For years, no one has spoken about mental health and mental wellness. It was taboo and if anyone wanted to speak about it they would think you were crazy but it’s just not true. We have always pushed our issues away by using a pill and shutting up but I want to help the world remove the stigma and shame and talk about it so people can really get the help they need. I want my listeners to take away that U got this. Ur a Warrior. U don’t have to make excuses, let’s just deal with it.
Can you talk a little bit about your book, The Unstoppable Warrior Women, and the importance of having a warrior mindset to find strength through one’s struggles?
My book Unstoppable Warrior Woman book is in bookstores now and on Amazon and it’s a book about 40 women sharing their stories of hardship, challenges, struggles but in the end HOPE. They have overcome so much. Many of them have been thru mental abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, divorce, bankruptcy, weight gain, depression and more. I wanted to showcase that we as women can go thru a lot but still push thru because we are warriors. We as women exude strength, and power.