Susan Roach
Meet Susan Roach. Susan is a compassionate and
inspirational mental health peer support provider. In addition to serving as a
Program Manager at a consumer-driven mental health drop-in center, Susan is
co-host of a television show on mental health, as well as a trainer,
facilitator, and accomplished speaker. Susan’s mission is to use her love of
speaking, teaching and sharing to instill hope in those who suffer from mental
illnesses. Her mission has certainly not been an easy one as she herself has
battled the stigma of mental illness. As a teenager, Susan was diagnosed with
Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder. Her symptoms made her
vulnerable to mood swings, self-harming behavior and suicide attempts. However,
rather than letting her diagnosis dictate her destiny, Susan overcame the stigma
of mental illness and took firm hold of her future. Susan has since discovered
new sources of joy and fulfillment: An empowering job, loving family and friends
and new means of creative expression, like photography. By rejecting despair
and sadness in favour of passion, hope and an insatiable hunger to help the
vulnerable, Susan has served as a role model to thousands of Canadians who have
lived experiences with mental illnesses. She is a true embodiment of the
phrase: “Be the change you want to see.”Recovery is Possible.
