At her lowest point, Kaola Baird felt like she was living two lives. Things probably seemed fine from the outside: She had a circle of friends, an apartment, and was holding down a job in retail and as a fitness instructor.
But she was also wrestling severe depression and anxiety that stemmed from the trauma of the loss of a parent when she was a child. She was nearly unable to get out of bed let alone do well at work, she was facing eviction from her home, and she wasn’t taking care of herself.
The bottled-up feelings of despair became overwhelming and quickly pushed her to the brink. She wanted to end her life.