Meg's Presentation Options
“How An Illness of the Brain Taught Me to Be Well: Self-care and Recovery in the Time of COVID”
Singer-songwriter, poet, hospital chaplain, and recording artist Meg Hutchinson discusses her journey with Bipolar I Disorder over the past 23 years, from fear and shame to acceptance and health. Strong emphasis is placed on recovery as a daily practice and the unique challenges facing healthcare workers during the pandemic. Meg shares what she has learned…
Other options with Meg
Meg Hutchinson is available for joint presentations with Kevin Briggs, and for panel discussions. Other supplemental programs from Meg include poetry readings, musical performances, creative writing workshops, and yoga/meditation workshops.
Film Screening: “Pack Up Your Sorrows”
This documentary, Pack Up Your Sorrows, is a story of illness, hope, and transformation told through the lens of singer/songwriter Meg Hutchinson. In this film, she interviews leading minds on issues of mental wellness such as Kay Redfield Jamison and Scott Stossel, and explores alternative therapies with such luminaries as Lama Migmar Tseten, Harvard Buddhist…
“How Illness Taught Me to Be Well: Recovery as a Daily Practice”
Meg discusses her journey with Bipolar I Disorder over the past 17 years, from fear and shame to acceptance and health. Strong emphasis is placed on recovery as a daily practice and the challenges and rewards this approach inspires. This presentation narrates Meg’s acceptance of the need to take medication, the profound effects that meditation…
“Singing My Way Through: Creativity as a Method of Healing”
This presentation combines Meg Hutchinson’s personal story with a musical performance of her original songs. She began writing songs as a teenager, during the same time that she began to struggle with early symptoms of Bipolar I. In the years since, Meg has released nine albums and become a nationally touring artist. Meg discusses how…
“Moving Beyond That: Illness as an Opportunity for Transformation”
In her presentation, Meg discusses her journey with Bipolar I Disorder from the age of nineteen to the present. Her story traces the illness’ onset in college, its effects on her life and creativity while untreated, her hospitalization, and the experience of receiving diagnosis and treatment during acute and recovery phases.
“Gatekeepers: A Songwriter and a Sergeant and the Questions That Save Lives”
In 2003, songwriter Meg Hutchinson read an article in The New Yorker featuring an interview with Kevin Briggs, a sergeant with the California Highway Patrol. Briggs had saved hundreds of people from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge by asking them a few simple questions. Hutchinson wrote a song called “Gatekeeper” based on those questions…
Active Minds is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization promoting mental health awareness and education for young adults.