Shannon Dawson is an award-winning news producer and an advocate for mental health.
This week, on Kickass Personal Transformation with Marti MacGibbon, we’re focusing on destroying the stigma surrounding addiction, depression and suicide. The stigma is not only dangerous, it can be fatal for those who suffer in silence. In the wake of Robin Williams’ death, many of us are discussing, disclosing, and processing our emotions: not only our grief for the loss of a brilliant talent, but also our desire to have a conversation about these too often taboo topics that should be openly discussed and treated.
Having open discussion takes courage and hope, and my most recent guest on Kickass Personal Transformation has both.
Shannon Cagle Dawson is an award-winning multimedia news producer, an adjunct professor at her alma mater of Butler University, and a member of several charitable organizations. She is also the widow of the highly regarded and award-winning news anchor and investigative reporter Rick Dawson. Rick took his own life as a result of depression in September 2013.
I am deeply grateful to Shannon for her courage, and her dedication to shedding light on these issues. Since her husband’s death, she has passionately and consistently carried a message to the local and global community, encouraging openness, commitment to mental health, and a call to action that de-stigmatizes sufferers and energizes advocates. Listen to the interview!