Other Projects  

Public Speaking

Formats:

Talks & Lectures (in person)
Workshop Creation & Facilitation (in-person)
Advocacy & Representation (radio, etc.)

Themes and Content:

Mental Illness
Resilience & Obstacles
Identity, & Privilege
Health & Embodiment

Tools Provided:

Exploratory Personal Writing
Spirituality & Mental Reframing
Embodiment & Bipolar Disorder

Mindfulness
Guided Meditation
(with 12+ years of daily, concentration style meditation practice)

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Link to a talk I gave for NAMI Marin about my story of mental health recovery:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVbukqI7VyM&t=5s

(I am currently an active member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Marin Chapter's Speaker's Bureau and a participant in the NAMI New York City poetry workshop.)

Link to show description for One-Woman Comedy show about bipolar recovery, created, directed, & performed by me for SoloCom Festival NYC 2024 at The People's Improv Theater

This show was a HUGE and really, really cool endeavor, resulting in a great debut performance and a full 50 page tech script. I will be posting much more from this debut and about this show as time goes on! Check back for more, and check my YouTube page as well for further info and clips of the show.

(Fun fact, it included two acapella original musical numbers.)

I am also proudly a part of the Center for Scholars and Storytellers Collaborator Network, as a potential resourced for discussion of psychotic and bipolar representation in media and digital storytelling. CSS is an excellent organization, connected with UCLA, that works hard to improve representation in media. I can only speak for myself, but I am honored to be involved in any capacity with such a quality organization with such compassionate and justice-focused goals.

If you click this link, you can scroll down and then find me under the tab for collaborators, specifically, among a great list of awesome people making positive change (many who are far more active and engage than I am thus far!!!!). 

More various details about my experiences

I have co-facilitated a writing for health and healing workshop, while completing my graduate degree in Narrative Medicine writing. With an undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Biology, and a small amount of direct experience in public health curriculum and internships, I am totally comfortable and equipped to provide support around mental health across generations. 

[Please note that I do not have any experience with depression nor suicidality, nor relevant perspectives to offer in any format -- but have spent more than 12 years in a daily, silent sitting meditation practice, which directly helped me overcome my experiences of panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, though I still live with other diagnoses, current day.]

In a time where mental health is increasingly forefront, and scrolling is (in all of my opinions, perspectives, and knowledge) the primary culprit for a divided, dissociative, and uncomfortable reality -- I am glad to be highly qualified to help in this exact area. 

If you are interested in my speaking or facilitation offerings, please send me an email at abby.laporte@gmail.com

If you do not hear back within 5 days, at most, please send me another email!! 

I will always respond to any booking inquiries, but I may not notice the email somehow, or it might get filled into another inbox. 

Thank you for understanding and I look forward to hearing about your event, location, or speaker needs, whatever they may be :)

Please kindly note that transit fees are always applicable, due to my own current limitations, and the nature of the job. 

Nonetheless, if you think you have an opportunity that could use a workshop or speaker, but do not have the funds, I may have the option to happily volunteer, pro-bono (so to speak,) for the speaking or workshop fees, if at all possible in the future! The cause is always more important (as long as I can more literally physically get there). [Not available for any virtual or digital offerings or needs.]

With much gratitude and I look forward to learning about you and listening to your stories, as this world evolves toward love, equity, compassion, and health and saftey on all scales. Thank you for generously taking the time to read about what I, specifically, have to offer.