About Erin Callinan, MSW
AUTHOR I KEYNOTE SPEAKER I MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTANT
MY EXPERIENCE DIDN’T BEGIN IN A CLASSROOM.
My Why
I’ve spent nearly 20 years leading, training, advocating, and responding when life gets complicated. I’ve also spent most of my life learning how to live honestly and fully with a mental illness.
That combination is why I created Beneath The Brave—and why my work goes far beyond raising awareness. To me, bravery isn’t hiding what’s hard or proving how much we can carry. It’s creating space to be honest about mental health, ask for what we need, and take back control without shame.
That is what “getting beneath the brave face” means.
FLAGSTAFF, AZ ROOTS WIFE & STEPMOM BOOK OBSESSED U OF A WILDCAT PHOENIX BASED
I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder 1 at the age of 17
What followed was not a clean, quick, and inspiring journey toward instant acceptance and recovery. There were hospitalizations, medication resistance, shame, fear, setbacks, and years of learning how to understand a diagnosis I never asked for.
I had to figure out how to advocate for myself, build the right support, and create a meaningful life without pretending mental illness was no longer part of it.
That experience shaped me. But it sure at hell does not solely define me.
It gave me an unfiltered understanding of what stigma costs people, why asking for help can feel terrifying, and how powerful the right conversation can be.
It also showed me that hope does not have to be polished to be real.
Professional Expertise. Real World Tools
My career spans nearly two decades of leadership in mental health advocacy, crisis response, domestic violence, suicide prevention, health advocacy, and community education.
I hold a Master of Social Work from Arizona State University and have served in executive and statewide leadership roles. I’m also a certified Adult and Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor, a QPR Suicide Prevention Instructor, and a Crisis Counselor with the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline.
I’m the author of Beautifully Bipolar: Ditching the Shame With Hope, Humor, and Hustle; an honest look at mental illness, recovery, advocacy, and building a full life without hiding the complicated parts.
But credentials alone are not what make people feel understood.
I bring the expertise to know what matters, the lived experience to understand what it feels like, and the relatability to make difficult conversations feel human.
#REAL PEOPLE #REAL LIFE #REAL TALK
Clients
