We had the good fortune of connecting with Michelle Hammer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, how does your business help the community?
Mental Health is something people often stigmatize. When a person gets diagnosed with a mental illness they have to come to terms with it. When I created my company Schizophrenic.NYC Mental Health Clothing and Lifestyle Brand I wanted to show people that having a mental illness is something not to be ashamed of. Wear it proudly. Have no shame in having a mental illness. Let’s start a positive conversation about mental health.

What should our readers know about your business?
Schizophrenic.NYC was created, founded, & designed by Michelle Hammer, a Schizophrenic New Yorker who wants to change the way New Yorkers feel about mental illness. I got to where I am today by being fearless and bold. It’s hard to get the attention of busy New Yorkers, but when you have a pop-up shop with a huge sign that says “Schizophrenic.NYC” it makes them stop. I have had amazing conversations with people who have connections to schizophrenia or other mental illnesses. I’ve met two young girls who had a schizophrenic mother and wanted to know what it’s like for her. I’ve met people who also have schizophrenia who love that I am out there telling my story. I’ve met psychology students who ask tons and tons of questions because I am nothing like what they learned in school about schizophrenia. And of course, I’ve met therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists who always love to ask what meds I am on.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The Schizophrenic.NYC pop-up shop.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would say who deserves recognition in my story would be Gabe Howard. He is a Bipolar Mental Health Advocate, and wrote the Book, ‘Mental Illness is an Asshole’. He is really a great advocate. We also have a podcast together called, ‘A Bipolar, A Schizophrenic, and A Podcast’. It’s a podcast where we talk candidly about mental health and each episode looks at life through the unique lens of people living with depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

Website: https://www.Schizophrenic.NYC

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schizophrenic.nyc/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-hammer-767b28108

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SchizophrenicNY

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SchizophrenicNYC

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/schizophrenicnyc

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@schizophrenic.nyc

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.