Michelle Hammer is a schizophrenia activist who spends her time passionately fighting stigma. She is a New York City native who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 22 and uses her art to start conversations, educate people, and break the stigma of mental illness.

Michelle is featured in the WebMD documentary “Voices,” which was nominated for a Tribeca X Award at the Tribeca Film Festival. At 27, Michelle decided to use her artistic talents and fearless personality to do something that could benefit the mental health community. In May 2015, she founded a mental health-focused clothing brand called Schizophrenic.NYC with the mission of reducing stigma by starting conversations about mental health.

During this episode, you will hear Michelle talk about:
● Experiencing her first symptoms of schizophrenia in high school and college
● What it’s like for her to experience hallucinations and delusions
● What inspired her to start her clothing brand, Schizophrenic.NYC
● People’s reactions to her designs and pop-up events in New York City
● Challenging stereotypes and misconceptions about schizophrenia

About the Beyond 6 Seconds: Neurodiversity Stories Podcasts: First impressions can take only 6 seconds to make! But if you’re neurodivergent, those quick judgments about you can be misleading. That’s where the Beyond 6 Seconds podcast comes in! Join Podcast Host Carolyn Kiel as she interviews neurodivergent entrepreneurs, creators, advocates & more about their lives and identities on this multi-award winning podcast. Their stories shatter misconceptions, break stigma and showcase the vibrance of neurodiversity.