Pete’s Story

Just recently I was elected President of the Ed Lally Foundation.  I am honored and humbled by the trust of Jordan and Megan and the rest of the board.

I have been on boards before; finance committees, school boards, recreation boards.  Those were easy and comfortable for me.  I can be the numbers guy.  But, President of a mental health awareness board.  This is different.  This is outside my comfort zone.  And that is why I said yes without hesitation.    

How did I get here?  You see, I didn't "know" Ed Lally like many others.  I knew some stories and had a few interactions.  I knew through others that Ed had some struggles.  I was told he was struggling with his business and lost a big client.  That made sense.  As a business owner, I can wrap my head around that.  A business owner isn't "supposed" to show weakness or ask for help.

But as I came to understand, Ed’s struggle was something deeper, and something I could relate to as well.  I have struggled with anxiety throughout my life.  I didn't even know what that word meant until people like Jordan started bringing awareness.  It is a lot easier to get help when others around you are speaking about it.  By bringing techniques like mindfulness, meditation, therapy and yoga into your life, you can begin to heal the mental aspects of life that are too often neglected.

I can only hope that our work with the Ed Lally Foundation will make it easier for anyone to seek help and become the best version of themselves. We all struggle with mental illness in one form or another.  Ask for help for yourself.  Get help for a friend.  One by one, we can all grow.