ABOUT
About Speak Your Truth!
We started this as an event to talk about mental health in a way that's entertaining & engaging. Since 2017, there has been poets, visual artists, dancers, clothing designers, etc. sharing their experiences with mental illness. Diverse "speakers" - both upcoming & established - from all over the world have participated live & virtually. We keep coming back to do the event because it champions people in the struggle & brings awareness to that struggle. In 2023 we formed a 501(c)(3) non-profit with an aim to grow beyond one yearly event in Annapolis to do other activities in other areas. Hit us up to be a part of it - as a "speaker," listener or contributor.
Meet the SYT! Crew
Co-Founder & Head Organizer
Tyler Calabrese, PsyD
Tyler has been a licensed psychologist since 2012, after working in the helping professions since 2002. He’s been practicing in & enjoying various aspects of the field, including therapy, disability evaluations, psilocybin clinical research & supervising doctoral students. Tyler isn’t an artist, but a “patron” of the arts & has loved creating a platform for Speakers to educate, destigmatize & connect with others. He keeps active beyond SYT with his 3 kids, family’s food business, & various passions (e.g., snowboarding, live music, travel).
Co-Founder & Event MC
David Idemudia, LCSW
David is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a deep-rooted passion for the arts and healing others. He has spent over a decade serving in Crisis Intervention and Human services in Anne Arundel County. The Arts have played a big role in his life as a D.C. native, raised in Annapolis where the arts thrive. Currently, providing therapy and counseling services can be reached through Psychology Today. As co-founder of Speak Your Truth, it has been a dream of his to collaborate with the community to end the stigma of mental illness. His goal is to be a catalyst in building our community’s connection to wellness through art, mental health support, and advocacy. Most importantly, he wants everyone to know they are never truly alone.
Event MC & Board Member
Malcolm McFadden
Malcolm (AKA, Justice the Genius Child) has been an MC for SYT since it’s inception, keeping the events’ energy up while simultaneously arranging the sound & live stream! He is Annapolis born & bred contributing tremendously to the area art scene with his own creations, which include MCing, beat making, & comic book writing. Malcolm also does so much to promote & foster local arts with hosting shows, teaching beatmaking, & dialing in sound for venues.
Video Production & Board Member
Brian Morrison
Brian is an award winning documentary filmmaker, healthcare media consultant with over 20 twenty years of experience. His first documentary feature film, Bastards' Road (addressing combat Veteran mental health) won 9 film festival awards in 2020. Brian was awarded a Capital Region Emmy award for the documentary film "Covid-19 in Nursing Homes". His success led him to be featured by national institutions & media outlets, as well as being a mentor at UMD’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. Brian is a proud husband and father of two young daughters that reside in Crofton, MD.
Executive Director
Joe Gagliardi
Joe is a professional artist and two-time Iraq War Veteran as a United States Marine who now lives and works in Annapolis, Maryland. Joe's passion for non-profit work was born out of his mental health struggles post-war and how a couple of non-profits really changed his life in amazing ways, Speak Your Truth being one. Having worked professionally as both a stand-up comic and improvisational actor prior to the pandemic, Joe gained a great deal of experience in the entertainment/fund raising space but ultimately lost nearly all performance work when covid hit in 2020. Being out of work, Joe began to experiment with other art forms, including spray paint art, and ultimately pioneered a whole new painting technique. Under his brand, Ethereal Marine Art, Joe creates unique hand-painted spray paint artwork that changes based on the light in which it's viewed. He is proud to be associated with SYT and looks forward to growing SYT's message of love, inclusion and healing through the arts.
Press Liaison & Board Member
Christine Russell
Christine is a mother of two currently living in Pasadena, Maryland. Christine has been active with NAMI since 2017. Christine first got involved by taking their "Family-to-Family" class. Christine is passionate about supporting the mental health of those in her community, which led her to become involved with SYT since 2018. Christine is a graduate of Towson University. She has continued to serve others as an Occupational Therapist for over 20 years, 17 of those year in the school-based setting.
Legal Advisor & Board Member
Christopher Gowen, JD
Chris is a practicing lawyer and an adjunct law professor at the American University Washington College of Law, where he has taught since 2010 and the University of Baltimore School of Law. Chris has been honored by American University for his teaching and has been designated by Super Lawyers Magazine as a top-rated attorney in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Chris has worked for former President Bill Clinton, former Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, & PA Governor Tom Wolf. Much of Chris’ work involves the representation of children who were victims of abuse, neglect, negligent supervision, wrongful death, professional negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. His desire to help others led him to become involved with SYT, where he offers both legal & planning advice.