As I was looking through my photos just now, I realized that I never did a recap of my OCD Mormon book trip to Utah. So, I thought I would post a few highlights and bits about the trip before I forget it all!
Barnes and Noble Book Signing
On Saturday, I was lucky enough to sign some books at the Sandy Barnes and Noble (where one of my friends told me that Stephanie Meyer once signed Twilight books before they were a huge deal, so there you go). There were tons of authors and books there, and it was really cool to be sitting among the likes of the authors of Mustaches for Maddie, The Orphan Keeper, etc.
I got to sit next to Bryan Young, author of Meant for Heaven. It was almost creepy how similar our backgrounds were—he even lives in Utah where we used to live (like within a few blocks). Overall, it was great to meet new people and see some old, familiar faces come and get their books signed!
Also, there was a chameleon there (this adorable boy and his grandpa wrote a book about a chameleon. I can’t remember the name, but their story was so inspiring), and I almost really maimed the chameleon accidentally, but he ended up okay! And he climbed on my books!
Studio 5
On Monday, I taped a segment with Brooke Walker from KSL Studio 5 about the book and my story. You can watch it here. Then I signed some books at Deseret Book in SLC and drove down to Utah County, where I did a talk for some college aged students at a “feminist family home evening.”
Utah State Hospital
On Tuesday morning, I gave a talk at the Utah State Hospital to employees about my experiences, how to recognize OCD, and basics of how to treat or help patients who have OCD. I saw an old friend, Allison Shiffler, who now works there, and that was an amazing surprise! I also showed the staff, “UNSTUCK: An OCD Kids Movie.” If you ever get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it!
Mindset Family Therapy
Tuesday night found me speaking with an amazing group at Mindset Family Therapy in Provo. The room was packed, and we had a great time discussing OCD, etc. People asked really thoughtful questions, and I hope that everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!
Wednesday
I got to do some more individual meetings on Wednesday in the Springville and Provo areas, and I felt so lucky to be a part of this community and to be meeting those who are struggling and/or want to help those who have mental illnesses. I will hopefully get to be a part of a great project happening through some professors at BYU, so stay tuned for more updates on that!
Upcoming Events
As for upcoming events, let’s not forget the conference that my husband and I are planning this March in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is called Anxiety Disorders and Mormonism. We still need some volunteers to help out, so contact me ASAP if you can commit to that (you get into the conference for free). We have early bird tickets on sale through the end of the year—after that, prices go up! It will be Saturday, March 3 at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.
Reid Wilson (who I love and is great to hear live), Jon Hershfield (who my mom is super excited about, as are MANY of our OCD friends), and Julie Hanks (who I actually met in the KSL studio waiting room because she was on before me—she is fabulous and relatable) are our keynote speakers, plus we have one of our entertainers confirmed: Debra Fotheringham of the Lower Lights. I will be the emcee/host, and we are finalizing speakers/panels in the coming weeks…. It’s going to be good! And the ticket price is less than one hour of individual therapy with my doctor (who is great! Thanks Dr. Bob!), so you should just buy a ticket and come!
