Dr. Tyler Calabrese opens the 7th annual Speak Your Truth! event by welcoming returning and first-time attendees, acknowledging NAMI as the evening’s beneficiary, and sharing a deeply personal story about his brother Tim’s battle with a serious mental health struggle — including his own failures as a supportive family member and his journey toward hope through therapy and the SYT community.
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Transcript
[00:40:58] So, this is the seventh year of us doing this little DIY grassroots art and mental health event.
[00:41:07] And every year, you guys are the coal that keeps this little train moving.
[00:41:11] So, thank you everybody in the audience and everybody online.
[00:41:14] Appreciate you being here supporting us.
[00:41:17] So, let me hear it for all the folks who’ve been out to Speak Your Truth before.
[00:41:22] Round of applause.
[00:41:24] Yeah.
[00:41:24] Thank you for coming.
[00:41:26] And being repeat customers, that’s like the highest form of compliment.
[00:41:30] So, thank you.
[00:41:31] Let me hear it for the folks out here for the first time.
[00:41:35] All right.
[00:41:37] A lot of new faces.
[00:41:38] I like it.
[00:41:39] So, thanks for giving us a shot and hopefully we turn you into repeat customers.
[00:41:45] So, for the newbies, I’m Dr. Tyler Calabrese.
[00:41:49] I’m a psychologist and one of the co-founders of this event along with David Atamudia.
[00:41:54] And we started.
[00:41:56] We started this thing as part of our volunteering with NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental
[00:42:00] Illness, who we’re raising money for tonight.
[00:42:03] And one of NAMI’s mottos is, you are not alone in this fight.
[00:42:08] And we love that motto.
[00:42:10] I mean, we literally put it on our backs.
[00:42:13] And tonight, things might get a little heavy.
[00:42:19] You might hear some war stories about those fights.
[00:42:23] But this is not a somber occasion.
[00:42:26] This is a party.
[00:42:28] We’re here celebrating.
[00:42:29] All right?
[00:42:30] Because if you’re out here tonight, if you’re connecting with people, if you’re learning something,
[00:42:34] if you’re getting inspired, if you’re transcending your pain, then that’s beautiful.
[00:42:40] It’s a positive thing.
[00:42:43] So, having so many cool, creative people share their stories and normalize mental health issues,
[00:42:51] that helps stop the stigma.
[00:42:53] And then having an audience of people that’s loving.
[00:42:56] And empathetic.
[00:42:57] And not judgmental.
[00:42:58] That helps stop the stigma.
[00:43:00] So, thank you.
[00:43:02] This is a joyous occasion.
[00:43:03] Thank you for being out.
[00:43:06] And I have a personal reason to celebrate tonight.
[00:43:11] And my little…
[00:43:12] All right.
[00:43:14] Every time I practice this speech, I get emotional.
[00:43:17] So, practice makes perfect.
[00:43:18] My little brother, Tim Grady, is out here tonight.
[00:43:20] And he’s going to speak his truth.
[00:43:24] I won’t get into his…
[00:43:26] …business too much.
[00:43:27] But his fight was with a particularly deadly foe.
[00:43:32] And it was a nightmare for him.
[00:43:34] He hated it.
[00:43:36] He wasn’t himself.
[00:43:38] And it was terrible for all of us because he was drifting away from us before our eyes.
[00:43:44] But I didn’t handle it the best.
[00:43:47] You know, I’m a psychologist.
[00:43:48] I give people advice on this stuff all the time.
[00:43:50] And I wasn’t doing that myself.
[00:43:52] I was pulling away.
[00:43:54] I was beating up on myself.
[00:43:56] I was…
[00:43:57] Yeah, I wasn’t the best.
[00:43:59] But my family, who had a lot more direct collateral damage, his loved ones, I saw them have his back.
[00:44:08] And it made me want to step up more.
[00:44:12] My therapist, Jeff, if you’re watching tonight, buddy, thank you, man.
[00:44:15] You helped me process a lot of shit.
[00:44:18] And doing this event, you know, seeing so many people come up that are winning this fight,
[00:44:24] it gave me hope.
[00:44:26] It gave me hope for my brother.
[00:44:27] And seeing all the loved ones, all the advocates, all the allies, that made me want to be stronger as well.
[00:44:34] So, lo and behold, you know, my brother is a…
[00:44:39] He can be a cocky motherfucker, but he was way too modest about how he did this fight.
[00:44:46] And he found his way.
[00:44:47] And he subdued that foe.
[00:44:49] So, let’s give it up for Tancredi, man.
[00:44:54] And…
[00:44:56] He knows, man.
[00:44:57] I’m overcome with joy sometimes.
[00:45:01] So, let’s give it up for Tan.
[00:45:03] Let’s give it up for all the other speakers out here tonight that are winning the fight.
[00:45:08] Let’s give it up for all you listeners who are loving, giving us empathy and support.
[00:45:14] So, let’s speak.
[00:45:16] Let’s listen.
[00:45:18] Let’s be moved.
[00:45:19] And let’s have a great fucking night.
[00:45:21] All right?
[00:45:23] So, I have my real brothers here.
[00:45:25] But I’m going to invite…
[00:45:25] I’m going to invite my play brothers, David and Malcolm, who are going to emcee this thing.
[00:45:31] So, come on up, boys.