Ep. 126 Josh Meredith: From Mental Health Struggles to Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation
Josh Meredith faced challenges and mental health struggles growing up as a queer youth in a small town in West Virginia. The hardships he faced helped him discover a passion for mental health advocacy.
Josh moved away from home, graduated from Marshall University and worked as a main stage performer on Disney Cruises. He later moved to New York City where he worked at Joanne Trattoria, a restaurant founded by Lady Gaga’s parents. The restaurant also served as the meeting space in the early days of the Born This Way Foundation. As a firm believer in asking for what you want, Josh put himself out there and asked if the foundation was hiring.
After joining the foundation as an Executive Assistant, Josh is now the Chief of Staff for the Born This Way Foundation, assisting the President and Executive Director and managing day-to-day operations. He is passionate about the foundation's mission to promote kindness, validate the emotions of young people and eliminate the stigma around mental health.
In this episode of Flip Your Script with Kristi Piehl, Josh shares the Lady Gaga song that changed his life and what it was like to meet her in person. He also talks about his passion for storytelling, mental health awareness and LGBTQ+ advocacy.
Josh shares many resources in this episode including the Be There Certificate, an online course for people looking to support someone struggling with their mental health and Channel Kindness, a digital platform for young people to share their stories of kindness and resilience.
CHALLENGE FOR LISTENERS:
Be kind.
CLOSING QUOTE
“Individual acts of bravery and compassion can change the world.”