Yashi Brown

Spoken Word Artist & Mental Health Advocate

Yashi Brown

Spoken Word Artist & Mental Health Advocate

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Biography

Yashi Brown is an author, writer, poet, public speaker, and a leading voice in the mental health space since 2011. Also, a member of the world-famous Jackson Family, Yashi’s poetry became her chosen creative expression upon experiencing severe bipolar depression and mania symptoms as a young adult. Fueled by a burning desire to feel empowered and her deep spirituality, Yashi realized her path to recovery. Today, she is an award-winning mental health advocate and artist/public speaker thriving with bipolar type I.

Yashi’s poetry, spoken word and story of recovery have been featured on the Today Show, FOX News, CNN (In Session), HuffPost Rise, SIRIUS XM, CBS, ABC, KTLA, Ebony/Jet and TeenVogue media outlets and publications. Yashi has published mental health pieces for Thrive Global, Huffington Post, NAMI National, NAMI Advocate and our HHS Department with a focus on recovery and its many faces, self-empowerment, eliminating self-imposed stigma, and manifestation.

In May 2020, she was invited to speak for We the Planet Mother’s Day Summit featuring Marianne Williamson and Jane Seymour where she provided a personal narrative and spoken word performance as well as for Deepak Chopra’s NeverAlone Mental Health Summit featuring Arianna Huffington, Deepak Chopra, Don Miguel Ruiz, Russell Brand.

Google’s privacy team invited Yashi to speak during their “privacy week” panel discussions on user features and mental health privacy and she performed and/or keynoted at SXSW, BlogHer Health, NEXUS, NAMI, LACMA Mental Health Culture Change and Mental Health First Aid Summits. Yashi again provided a personal narrative and shared spoken word at We Rise 2018, Los Angeles County’s hugely successful mental health awareness campaign and featured in the kickoff rally with Common, Black Eyed Peas and Why we Rise with Patrick Kennedy. She returned for We Rise 2019 and appeared with advocates, Madchen Amick and Mariel Hemingway.

Most notably, Yashi participated in former President Obama’s 2013 National Dialogue on Mental Illness campaign in response to the Sandy Hook shootings. For the administration’s SAMHSA 2016 Voice Awards, presented by Dr. Oz, Yashi, her mother Rebbie and sister, Stacy Brown, received the Special Recognition Voice Award, one of America’s highest mental health honors for her role in leadership.

In the meantime, Yashi’s upcoming Instagram Live Series, audio re-release of her book of poems, Black Daisy in a White Limousine and an immersive music and spoken word experience is keeping her busy. She is passionate about continuing global advocacy in Africa while keeping up with her poetry workshops at mental health locked facilities in the Los Angeles area. Yashi wants the world to know that with loving support, proper treatment and perseverance, mental health recovery is not only a reality but should be an expectation.

Speaker Videos

Poet and Mental Health Advocate

On Eyewitness

Speech Topics

It’s Ok to Talk About It: Depression in Families

How to open up and navigate the world of mental health.

Discovering the Sweet Spot: How Bipolar Disorder Became a Blessing…Not a Curse

An illness that’s for many, either a literal or figurative death sentence, can be the catalyst to one achieving long-lasting happiness.

Coming Out: From Powerless to Empowerment

The process of healing from a self-imposed stigma and how telling one’s personal story can fast track and cement mental health recovery.

Meditation & Medication: Spirituality, Healthy Living & the Holistic Approach to Treating Depression/ Severe Mental Illness

While on her steady and bumpy journey in recovery, Yashi came across meditation. A new world emerged as she was able to self-medicate her bipolar mania/psychosis symptoms without pharmaceuticals. Then, she unfortunately experienced a toxic and drawn-out divorce. On the heels of two more manic relapses she uncovered the beautiful synergy that exists between medication, meditation, and healthy/positive living.

Know the Signs: Depression in Young Adults

Inspired by her personal journey and "Campaign to Change Direction’s" 5 Signs of Emotional pain.

Testimonials

"I would like to acknowledge again the heartfelt and outstanding poetry workshops you held. Your workshop was the first program-wide poetry workshop designed for our forensic patients in the past 15 years. While we may offer various therapeutic services and treatment modalities, we have not had an opportunity to bring in someone who uses poetry as the treatment focus for working with patients who have been diagnosed with borderline personalities, schizophrenia, and major depression. The residue of your experience, training, and knowledge regarding mental illness and the use of poetry continues to be mentioned throughout the hospital. The patients have not stopped talking about it. In addition to your workshops with the patients, I would like to recognize the very informative and interactive presentation as our keynote speaker that you did at the MSH-NAMI meeting. It appears every time you come to Metropolitan State Hospital, you change the lives of so many people. Thanks again for your time and efforts to assist our patients in their wellness process."

- Chief of Rehab Services, Metropolitan State Hospital

"Yashi gave one of the motivational speeches at the Los Angeles County NAMI Walks. She is a compelling speaker who tells her unique story in an interesting and emotional way. Her natural charisma gets the crowd’s attention and she has the ability to use both prose and poetry to communicate her message."

- Board Chair, MHALA

"Yashi is naturally generous and open-minded, and she shared that with our large audience. She considered our suggestions about the morning program’s script and enhanced everything with her own perspective, tone, and outgoing personality. Her speech was thoughtful and from the heart, not recited from prepared notes. She was truly inspirational in her talking about mental health and the challenges and opportunities that accompany it. Her spoken word piece resonated deeply with our crown of 4,500 attendees. Her cadence in her presentation and her confidence in her lived experience set her apart from all of our other speakers that morning. She amped us up, renewed our spirit of compassion and advocacy, and made us feel connected and cared for. No one could have served us better in that capacity and we very much look forward to coordinating with Yashi again in the near future."

- Executive Director, NAMI Los Angeles Country Council