THE RED SONGBIRD FOUNDATION’S COMMUNITY TOWN HALL ON MENTAL HEALTH & SUICIDE

Hilary Roberts, is a singer and songwriter who uses the darkness of her past to inspire others. Her goal with her music and speaking is to be a beacon of hope and empowerment to all. In 2009, she founded The Red Songbird Foundation which was established to help the less fortunate obtain the care they need for recovering from trauma, mental health and alcoholism or substance abuse.

Hilary sings and speaks about many tough subjects including the ones she is most passionate about with her foundation. After suffering many years of trauma, torture and abuse herself, Hilary made the decision that she could no longer deal with those demons alone. On May 9, 1997 she reached out to a mentor who offered her solutions and a way of life to which she could recover one day at a time. She has been sober ever since.

Hilary is not only a trauma survivor, but at 14 years of sobriety she also survived open heart surgery after being diagnosed with a very rare congenital heart defect to which she was given a 50% chance of success. After the surgery, she lost her voice…. But eventually got it back after a year and a half. All of these situations launched her into focusing on a life of giving back and spreading the message of hope wherever she goes.

In 2018, she signed to her own record label, and through it released her single "There for You" which rose to Top 10 on the Billboard Dance Club Chart. Roberts returned for a second run, reaching the coveted Number 1 spot with "Back to Life", a cover of Soul II Soul's 30-year-old smash "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)!". Her third single, "Fight to the Other Side" was released in May 2019 in honor of her friend, who suffers from a rare form of muscular dystrophy. In March of 2021, she released her single, “Born to Fly”, a song written for The Red Songbird Foundation and performed it for MTV’s The Hills: New Beginnings.

Hilary’s desire is to move people’s hearts and help them grow through situations in order to achieve a new level of healing and spirituality.

“Life is about giving to others, to help each other grow, learn, feel and live life to the fullest.”

www.redsongbird.org

www.hilaryroberts.com

YouTube: youtube.com/officialhilaryroberts

Instagram: @officialhilaryroberts

Facebook: facebook.com/hilaryrobertsmusic

My career spans over 30 years of professional work in the behavioral health arena. I have served in various administrative and clinical roles entailing direct service, management and supervision, administration, consultation, staff training, product design/development and implementation.

My passion, purpose and lifework have been and will continue to be to help marginalized populations such as those afflicted with the disease of mental illness and/or drug addiction find their place, speak their voice and master their specialized needs to engage and reenter their home community living as independently as possible.

I am delighted to serve as the Administrator/Program Director of SoCal Mental Health’s short-term crisis and transitional residential social rehabilitation programs serving the dual diagnosis, co-occurring disorder population of adults coping with primary mental health challenges and secondary substance abuse problems. We offer a novel perspective of incorporating therapeutic recreation to achieve well-being and mastery of life skills to build character, confidence and self-reliance.

Lawrence V. Tucker, M.D. is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine, practicing in pharmacological management of psychiatric disorders and addiction medicine. Dr. Tucker attended UCLA for his undergraduate degree, where he obtained a B.S. in Physiological Sciences. He then attended UCLA School of Medicine for his Medical Degree and performed his residency in Psychiatry and Neurology. He has been in leadership roles since 2006 and is a Certified Physician Executive. Prior to attending UCLA, Dr. Tucker served in the United States Marine Corps, Infantry, and served in Desert Storm. Among the long list of accomplishments, Dr. Tucker feels most accomplished with his blended family of 5 children and his wife of over 13 years. Dr. Tucker has had extensive experience within the county of Los Angeles department of mental health and jail systems, State mental health systems, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, as well in the Federal Veterans Administration Medical Center, where he established the first suboxone clinic within the VA system nationwide. This clinic decreased the ER utilization of chronic opioid users as well as decreased the number of morbidities, mortality and overdoses. Dr. Tucker also has experience in the private sector managing inpatient and outpatient hospital systems. In 2016, Dr. Tucker established the first Chemical Dependency Recovery Hospital with the American Addiction Centers located in Orange County. This is the first CDRH that has been established in the state of California in over 20 years. In addition, Dr. Tucker has a private practice in Newport Beach CA. His paradigm of treatment is that he: “Treats a person Not a Diagnosis”. He uses a holistic model and incorporates sobriety, exercise, diet, therapy, supplements, as well as psychopharmacological therapies.

Preston Durnford carries an unmatched level of passion and dedication to help others. His commitment to showing others the beauty of life and the depths of their potential allows Preston to become a partner in each client’s life coaching process. Of course, his ability to inspire greatness in others has come about only after facing his own tribulations. While Preston’s passion for life is truly contagious, his desire to live a beautiful and productive life only came about after he walked away from a life flooded by addiction. For years, Preston struggled with serious heroin addiction and when he finally hit rock bottom, he knew there was no other option. After freeing himself from the shackles of addiction, he lost his father to suicide and his brother to a fentanyl overdose. These tribulations were incredibly hard on Preston, but he held strong in his recovery, as well as his mental health. Today, he uses his life experience as the fuel in which to help others struggling with mental health and addiction. He empathizes with and connects with his clients on a level that not only inspires sobriety but success as well. His passion and excitement are unmatched qualities that continue to inspire those around him. Preston equates success not with the amount of time that he or others have in recovery, but rather, success is the ability to embrace life to its fullest potential.

Ottis is one of the Icons in the field of recovery. For over forty years he has displayed a passion and commitment to helping individuals and famines suffering from Substance Use Disorder. His resume both personally and professionally is unapparelled. He is currently serving as the Executive Director at Johnson and Associates a consultant firm providing marketing services, program development, interventions, coaching, workshops and seminars for treatment centers here in southern California. His direct contact with individuals and their family members allows him to form a bond of trust and faith that moves people into the recovery process. Even though he is strongly based in the 12 step programs he utilizes a variety of modalities, Mindful Meditation, Neural Linguistic Programing, Cognitive Behavioral Behavior, self-care and nutrition guidance. He currently oversees the Family Recovery Program at Tres Vistas Recovery with Dr. Daniel Headrick. He has worked with some of the largest providers of health care in Orange County, American Addiction Centers, New Directions for Women, Sure Haven Recovery, Charter Hospitals, Hoag Hospital and is a member of the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals, Men’s Association for Addiction Treatment. He is in constant demand for workshops, seminars, and films statewide.

The youngest sister of Nicole Brown Simpson. Living through global criminal case, “The Trial of the Last Century” I was not permitted to FEEL as a result I developed unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Not knowing what mental illness was, I didn’t deal with stress, grief, and codependence in healthy ways. This led me to attempt suicide in 2004. It’s not that I wanted to die, I just wanted the pain to stop.

With my family behind me, encouraging me to get help, I journeyed into the process of healing.

I’ve been suicidal and exhausted from unresolved pain, grief, anxiety, and stress. And on the other side of it, I’m thriving and bringing hope back to others.

Now, my goal is to talk about the ONE THING no one wants to talk about: Mental Health.

As a self-care advocate with a master's in psychology counseling, I equip you with the tools necessary to optimize your mental health and well-being.