Mental Health with Holly Waszkiewicz

Holly and I met on Instagram and instantly bonded over our shared passion of ending the stigma around mental health. We met at a local coffee shop in Gardnerville and chatted about her upcoming event benefitting the Nevada Peer Support Network. We ended up talking about so much more than that and both said we felt like we were supposed to meet.

Holly is organizing an amazing event called Candles for A Cause at Big Daddy's Bike and Brew in Gardnerville, NV on May 22, 2021. This event will be benefitting First Responder Peer Support groups. These groups are formed in all different First Responder agencies around the state of Nevada with the purpose of serving as an outlet and providing resources available to any First Responder or Staff that may be struggling without the fear of judgement or retribution.

First Responders, along with our Military, see and experience trauma consistently with little or no resources available to them. The number of suicides within the community is rising at an alarming rate and affecting so many families around not only the State of Nevada but the world. Holly's hope with this event is to shine a light on mental health and the need to support our First Responders.

Holly also owns a handmade candle company that pours soy wax candles in small batches. Her hope with her candle company is to shine a light on mental health and let other's know that they are not alone. She shares a lot about her own mental health journey and hopes to consistently remind others that suicide is not the answer. She says that pouring candles helps her cope and helped to save her life.

Holly said that, "by being open and honest with my personal struggles and allowing open, honest and raw conversations to happen and having the tough conversations one day at a time, one friend or family member at a time”, she’s working to accomplish that goal. “Mental health matters, talking about it matters and I know if we start to normalize discussing what we truly feel we can all end the stigma together."

If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health, reach out. May is Mental Health Awareness month and it's so important that if you notice something, you say something. You could save a life.

If you would like to support Holly and her journey you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook @nvcandleco. You can also visit her website to order candles or request custom poured candles!