Express Yourself: An Evening of Storytelling & Connection

Some stories make you laugh. Some make you cry. And some do both at the same time. That’s exactly what Express Yourself: An Evening of Storytelling & Connection is all about. On Friday May 2, 2025, Maternal Mental Health NOW is bringing new parenthood stories - the good, the bad and the ugly - to light at The Taper Auditorium at the Central Library in Downtown LA to reduce stigma associated with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders - the #1 complication of childbirth! Storytellers are individuals who have experienced depression, anxiety, grief, trauma, loss or other hardship in their journey to parenthood and have found healing in the act of sharing their stories with others. They include:

• Daheli Hall
• Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard
• Alice Cutler
• Debby Villalta
• Cassie Manjikian
• Pui-Yee Yu
• Kristi Gusts
• Lisa Kotin
• Caramel Velez
• Nina Nguyen
• Lauren Aboulafia

Hosted by Nicoel Blaine, Founder of The Crow Comedy.

Musical soundscape provided by DeAnna Carpenter, She Who Builds..

Get ready to laugh, cry and be inspired to share your own story!