MIDLAND, Texas — For the month of September, every Wednesday morning at 9am, LaDawnia Scott, the founder of NotPerfect JustPurposed will be hosting Facebook lives to talk about mental health and bring attention to suicide awareness.
LaDawnia Scott is a retired soldier, mother of four, newly wed and minister. Those are just a few things to describe her, but she is also a big advocate for suicide awareness. A battle she herself had to face years ago.
"I did attempt to take my own life in 2013 but after spending a week in Abilene Hospital and coming back and just really doing the work to get better, I wrote a book about my experience and that’s really how that came about," she says.
Which is why she then started her faith-based organization, NotPerfect JustPurposed.
"NotPerfect JustPurposed really got started after my own battle with mental health," says Scott.
By creating this safe space, she hopes more people will feel comfortable talking about what they are going through.
"Be able to normalize, being able to say not only is it okay that I’m not okay. It’s okay for me to talk about needing help right now in this dark place," she says.
Various topics will be discussed during this weekly live, with guest speakers also in attendance.
"This first one will just be me but I have reached out to a few people to come and maybe join me the following weeks and share their own stories and you know and things that have happened because like I said I don’t have all of the answers, I know what worked for me," says Scott.
This is all a judgement free conversation and 30 minute chat that Scott wishes she had in 2013.
"We need to be able to have those conversations without people feeling judged, without people feeling like well if I open my mouth like all of this retaliation and things are going to come out because I had some of that."
If you or anyone you know are in need of help, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 800-273-8255.