WE SPEAK on Wellness & Empowerment

07/03/2025

🚨 Big News! WA SPEAKS is now WE SPEAK 💬✨

We’ve officially launched our new name and website. Same mission, bigger vision.
We’re expanding beyond Washington to connect more communities with powerful stories of lived experience.

💻 Explore the new site, meet our speakers, or apply to become one: wellness-empowerment-speakers.com or the link in our bio 🔗

Together, WE SPEAK for wellness, empowerment, and the power of being heard.

06/17/2025

Thank you to everyone that came to our Together We Speak event in Spokane! We heard some incredible stories and got to be in community with each other.

We have some exciting changes coming for our program soon, and this was a reminder that the work we do to empower these voices is important 🙌

05/20/2025

🎤 Just Announced: Free WA SPEAKS Virtual Training This Saturday! 🎤

Have you been thinking about becoming a WA SPEAKS speaker? This is your chance!

Join us Saturday, May 24 from 9 AM to 2 PM for a powerful, supportive virtual training that will teach you how to turn your lived experience into a story that inspires hope and builds connection.

This training is completely FREE, but may not be after June 30 due to funding changes. So if you’ve been waiting for the right moment—this is it.

✅ Learn how to share your story
✅ Build public speaking confidence
✅ Connect with a statewide network of changemakers

Whether you’re brand new to storytelling or ready to grow as a speaker, we’d love to have you with us.

💻 Save your spot here: https://www.allwellconsulting.com/event-details/wa-speaks-virtual-training-2025-05-24-09-00

Let’s speak truth. Let’s build community. Let’s do it together.

Join us for the recurring WA SPEAKS Virtual Speaker Training. This training will set you up for success in public speaking about your lived experience.

05/20/2025

✨ Real stories. True connection. Community that gets it.⁠
Join us in Spokane on June 13 for Together We Speak, a powerful in-person evening celebrating lived experience and breaking stigma. Hear from local speakers, meet people who understand, and leave feeling inspired. Light snacks and community resources included!⁠
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📍 Northeast Community Center, Spokane, WA⁠
🕕 6–8 PM⁠
🔗 RSVP at allwellconsulting.com/wa-speaks

05/07/2025

📣 Mark your calendars for the 2025 Washington Behavioral Healthcare Conference — happening in person June 12–13 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick!

With 34 workshops, 4 TED-style talks, and an incredible lineup of keynote speakers, this year’s conference will spotlight topics like recovery, leadership, corrections and mental health, and innovative care practices. 🧠💬

🎤 Featured speakers include:
✨ Nora McInerny – Author, creator & podcaster known for honest conversations on grief and resilience
✨ Dr. Stephen Loyd – Leading voice in opioid use disorder treatment
✨ James Forman, Jr., JD – Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Yale Law professor

👩‍💻 A virtual law & ethics pre-conference training will be held May 28–29.

✨ Scholarships are available for consumers, advocates, and peers:
Scholarship Info: https://web.cvent.com/event/48e7e537-cf5e-477e-ac25-75b494ea5543/websitePage:c83f207f-8d45-4a38-9a7b-712f29bbc2b8

🗓️ Registration opens Wednesday, June 11 at noon
🎉 Don’t miss the welcome session from 4:30–6:30 PM on June 11
🔗 Register or learn more: https://web.cvent.com/event/48e7e537-cf5e-477e-ac25-75b494ea5543/summary

WA SPEAKS is proud to share this opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together in the behavioral health field.

05/06/2025

Join us every Wednesday to explore the many facets of wellness! Just as every recovery journey is unique, so is each individual's path to wellness, especially as a peer support worker. Whether you're eager to share what wellness means to you or curious to learn how others nurture their own, this is your space to connect, grow, and inspire!

Sign up for the Washington Peer Network: washingtonpeernetwork.org

05/06/2025

Put some pep in your step with the Washington Peer Network, Peers Empower Peers, Washington State Community Connectors, and the Washington Recovery Alliance weekend wellness event!

Register for this event here - https://washingtonpeernetwork.org/networks/events/119574

04/24/2025

🧠 Mental Health Matters: Voices of Hope and Healing⁠
Sunday, May 18 | 11 AM–1 PM | on Zoom⁠
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Real stories. Honest conversations. A space to feel less alone.⁠
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In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, a few of our trained WA SPEAKS speakers are sharing their lived experiences—what’s helped, what’s been hard, and what’s given them hope.⁠
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If you need a reminder that healing is possible and you’re not the only one going through it, this is for you.⁠
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RSVP to join us 💛 https://www.allwellconsulting.com/event-details/mental-health-matters-voices-of-hope-and-healing

04/21/2025

🛑 What’s at Risk with Medicaid?⁠
Maybe a better question is: Who’s at risk?⁠
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🗓️ Tuesday, April 22 | ⏰ 3:00–4:30 p.m. ET⁠
📍 NAMI Virtual Town Hall – Free & Online⁠
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Medicaid isn’t just a program. It’s how nearly 2 million people in Washington alone get their health care needs met—including half a million kids on Apple Health.⁠
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Across the country, 1 in 3 people with mental illness rely on Medicaid, and proposed federal cuts could impact millions of families, veterans, working adults, and children.⁠
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If you care about mental health, if you care about equity, if you care about your neighbors—this is the event to attend.⁠
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💡 What you’ll learn:⁠
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What Medicaid really covers and who depends on it⁠
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What changes are being discussed in Congress⁠
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How to take action to protect mental health care access⁠
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👥 Speakers: Hannah Wesolowski & Jennifer Snow of NAMI National⁠
🖱️ Register here: https://nami-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_X7v1zTuwRQO3eZ6dZ4WEFw #/registration

03/25/2025

📢 Registration is NOW OPEN for the WA Statewide Family Network 2025 Children’s Behavioral Health Summit!

🌟ADVOCACY UNMUTED: Breaking Stigmas, Empowering Families, Creating System Change🌟

Register here: https://forms.gle/rvG66yXpcYwTjbsK9

Join us as we bring together system partners, parents, caregivers, and young people to explore how personal stories can be a strong tool for advocacy.

🌟 What to Expect:
🔹 Engaging discussions on the value of lived experience
🔹 Insight on where your voice can make the biggest impact
🔹 Breakout sessions on advocacy & training opportunities
🔹 A dynamic panel featuring youth, parents, and system partners sharing how they got involved in advocacy and why it matters

📅 Don’t miss this opportunity—register today and be part of the movement for change!

Special invite: Join us on Sunday at 6:00pm for a special 10th Anniversary Celebration Dinner!

Register here: https://forms.gle/rvG66yXpcYwTjbsK9