Ending the stigma around mental illness begins with education and awareness. We’re proud to have provided mental health education at conferences, schools, and symposiums worldwide. Our programming is aimed at providing an understanding of how to identify potential signs of mental illness, addiction, suicidal ideation and gender identity issues. We aim to #endthestigma of mental illness so our youth can go on to live full and productive lives.
Courses
Presentations
Workshops
Torri is the CEO/Founder of Tangible Movement, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation established in 2016, which aims to bring awareness to the public about mental health conditions, addiction, suicide, and sexual/gender identity issues. Torri Is transgender and uses the pronouns they/he. They are a National Speaker & currently travel all over the United States giving talks/presentations and leading workshops. The topics covered include mental health awareness, gender and sexual identity issues, suicide prevention, and addiction. Torri gives these talks/ presentations to colleges, high schools, middle schools, conferences, and corporations from their own lived experience on behalf of Tangible Movement. They are also a Board Member for Our Center, Northern Nevada’s LGBTQIA Community Center. Torri is also a Board Member for NAMI Northern Nevada and a certified mental health educator and presenter for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). They speak and lead seminars for their ETS, IOOV, CIT, and Peer to Peer programs and workshops. Lastly, they are a member of the Lived Experience Advisory Committee (LEAC) for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). Torri graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a major in History and a minor in International Relations, Magna Cum Laude. Torri has struggled with depression and addiction since they were 14 years old. They are a two-time attempted suicide survivor. Since Torri was a teenager, they spent years battling alcoholism, addiction, depression, suicidal ideation, eating disorder, and sexual/gender identity issues. At one point, Torri lost everything and was homeless, living out of their car because of their severe untreated mental health condition and addiction. Their current goal is to expand the scope of Tangible Movement and further collaborate with other like-minded nonprofits to effectively end the stigma associated with mental health conditions, suicide, gender identity issues, and addiction. Torri finally found acceptance of their mental health condition in 2015 after years of misdiagnosis and denial. Their road to recovery and acceptance led them to form Tangible Movement.
Starting in junior high, Chloe began separating family and social life. She was told to keep quiet about her family’s hardships, so she started suppressing a lot of negative emotions. Throughout the following years her immediate family dealt with drug addiction, suicidal thoughts, depression, jail time, coming out, and abuse. Unfortunately she turned to partying as her outlet in college and it wasn’t until a couple years after graduating that she sought help through therapy. She was finally able to confront all of her past traumas, but continues to work through the damage today in order to fully enjoy the positivity around her. In her journey of healing, she wants to help spread awareness so that people will stop ignoring whatever dark clouds are following them and end the stigma around mental health for generations to come.
Sonny Patel is a founding Board Member and Chief Development Officer at Tangible Movement. His focus is in strategic growth, sustainable development and delivering high impact support and programs. He is also U.S. National Institutes of Health Fogarty Global Health Scholar and Fellow at the Harvard University. He has developed research protocols, programs and training to build capacity and knowledge in communities around the world from subject matters in Public Health and Community Mental Health to specialized topics in Disaster Resilience. Sonny is a frequent lecturer to academic courses on global health, community mental health, disaster management and post-disaster research. He has provided lectures and workshops both domestically and internationally, including Harvard University (USA), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK) and University of Cape Town (South Africa). Having been interviewed by various media outlets, Sonny has presented his work at leading international conferences and associations, including American Public Health Association (USA), Environmental Health International Conference (Russia) and World Association of Social Psychiatry and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (United Kingdom). He received his Bachelors from the University of California, Berkeley and received his Masters in Public Health from University of Southern California.
Raphael is a leader in creative and technology direction with his experiences in digital product development ranging from large organizations, such as Netflix, Riot Games, and SAP, to early-stage startups. He creates bold and disruptive solutions from idea to execution. His understanding of human behavior and expertise in design and development of digital products allows him to solve problems and better user experiences – ultimately helping to shape and innovate the world we live in. He comes from a multicultural background – born in Brazil, descending from parents across several continents, and now living in the US for the past two decades. On his off days, he spends his time surfing, building furniture, and exploring the world. His life experiences and the people he surrounds himself with have shaped the person he is today, so on his work days, he makes sure to implement those experiences by pushing creativity to the next level and actively developing himself and his team.
Shahla Modir, M.D. completed residency in General Psychiatry at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and a 2-year fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry at UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Modir is double board certified. This is a rare qualification in the treatment of Addiction and Psychiatry. She is a Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology for Psychiatry AND Addiction Psychiatry. Dr. Modir is a licensed buprenorphine provider and a dual diagnosis expert. She received an NIH grant to study the effects of acupuncture and motivational interviewing on methamphetamine withdrawal symptoms. She is trained in all of the evidence-based psycho-social therapies to treat addiction such as motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy. She also has expertise in pharmacogenetic testing and MTHFR mutations. Furthermore, she has worked as a medical director and chief psychiatrist for dual diagnosis residential facilities over the past 10 years. She worked with the leading experts from UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Program to develop inpatient evidence-based treatment programs. This blend of experience allows for a well-trusted evaluation and treatment of very complicated patients
Zach Skow is the founder of Marley's Mutts, a rescue organization that has saved thousands of dogs and focuses on community outreach. He is a survivor of addiction, disease, and mental illness, and now lives in good health with his wife, daughter, and dogs.
Currently Managing Director at U+, a global digital product development company launching corporate & startup innovations. U+Ventures invests in early-stage software startups in US and Europe with offices in NYC, SF, Prague and clients all over the world. Kate built products for companies such as Volkswagen, T-Mobile, E.On, Home Credit, AXA and other Fortune 500. With 8+ years of global and diverse work experience she is skilled in business development within different regions and cultures, product management and development, lean startup methodology, UX/UI and managing the projects and teams. She was leading Founder Institute in San Francisco where she is mentor at the present. Frequently invited to advise startups in Silicon Valley and Los Angeles; judge pitch events and to speak at the tech conferences. Studied graphic design and humanitarian studies. Passionate about psychology, art, travel, and empowering and supporting the people around her.
Cyn Gomez is a student at Berkeley. Cyn’s pronouns are they/he, and identify as nonbinary and bisexual. They believe mental health is intimately tied to the wellness of marginalized communities; they care about ensuring wellness because for the Brown, Black, Indigenous, Queer, Poor, and other disenfranchised and Disabled communities, mental health is often not central to the conversations, and it needs to be! In the future, they hope to be a lawyer and Congressional Official. With purpose and passion, they want to impact the lives of others through politics and human rights initiatives.
I work with a 16-member team at the Southern Poverty Law Center to raise over $110 million in annual support for legal advocacy and community engagement across five Southern states, including Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida. I have a mental health condition, as well as family members that are affected by mental health. I want to use my professional experience to help Tangible Movement spread awareness and educational programs across the US by securing corporate and private donations.