Kay Warren | Host & Main Session Presenter: Kay Warren cofounded Saddleback Church with her husband, Rick Warren, in Lake Forest, California in 1980. After the death of her son, Matthew, who lived with serious mental illness for most of his life, she founded Saddleback’s Hope for Mental Health Initiative as a way to support individuals and family members of loved ones with mental illness and suicidal ideation. Kay is a board member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention and is active in mental health and suicide prevention efforts in Orange County, CA. Kay has written multiple books including, Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn't Enough.

Dan Allender, PhD, MDiv | Session Presenter: Dr. Dan Allender has pioneered a unique and innovative approach to trauma and abuse recovery over the past 30 years called the Allender Theory. Dan serves as Co-Founder of The Allender Center, Professor of Counseling Psychology at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, and continues to speak nationally and internationally. Dan is the author of several books, such as Healing the Wounded Heart, The Healing Path, and To Be Told. Along with his newest book, Redeeming Heartache, co-authored with Cathy Loerzel.  He also co-hosts The Allender Center’s weekly podcast with Rachael Clinton Chen. Dan and his wife Becky live on Bainbridge Island, where they enjoy time with their grandchildren and their three adult children, Annie, Amanda, and Andrew.

Robin L. Kissell, MD | Panelist: Dr. Robin L. Kissell is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and a Training and Supervising Psychoanalyst at the New Center for Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles. Between 2005 and 2016 she was director of the Borderline Personality Disorder Initiative, a residency-training clinic devoted to the study and treatment of personality disorders. Currently she is Director of The Mentalizing Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to training community-based clinicians in Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT), and other evidence-based treatments developed for those with personality disorder with the aim of increasing the availability of proper treatment for a patient population known to be underserved. In addition to keeping a busy private practice, she supervises clinicians, teaches the core-curriculum on personality disorders to psychiatry trainees, consults to clinical teams and research projects implementing MBT and speaks frequently at conferences on personality and personality disorders.

Eric & Christy Weissmann | Panelists: With many years of lived experience as a family member/caregiver, both Eric and Christy Weissmann are passionate about ending mental health stigma and providing families with needed support, resources, and hope. Eric and Christy are tireless advocates in their church and community and use their experiences to come alongside and walk with people in pain. Their deep compassion is a powerful tool they use to help people feel seen, heard and understood.

Meaghan Grider | Panelist: Meaghan Grider is the Director of Celebrate Recovery at Saddleback Church and on the National Team for Celebrate Recovery, which is a global ministry that has transformed millions of lives. She is committed to sharing the message found in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ set us free”. She has been a Children’s Director, Youth Director, Drama Director, Women’s Minister, and Recovery Minister in her almost 30 years of ministry. She and her husband, Ken, have been married since 1992 and have 3 children. Together they have walked through the diagnosis of multiple special needs and anxiety/depressive disorder in their two sons as well as one son’s ongoing struggle with psychotic depression and suicidal ideation. With the help of her Savior, Meaghan lives out her mantra, life is hard but God is good.

Anne Melanson | Panelist: Anne Melanson’s story as a parent of a child diagnosed with a serious mental health disorder began over 25 years ago. In addition, her daughter has also struggled with numerous chronic health issues. Surviving these challenges while at the same time raising three other daughters in a blended family home, God has brought breath and renewed hope to Anne through many difficult seasons. Her pains have turned into a deep passion for advocacy as well a gentle heart to support, hope, love and encourage other parents/caregivers traveling a similar journey. Being actively involved in the Saddleback Church Hope for Mental Health Ministry – Anne has been blessed with the opportunity to launch and lead a ministry at another campus, facilitate support groups, as well as participate, volunteer and present at prior Breathe events. Another community involvement has been with NAMI - co-facilitating programs, coordinating their holiday gift drive, and helping with its annual walk fundraiser. Late 2020, Anne and her husband, Dan, relocated from Orange County to Las Vegas, Nevada, moving closer to three of her six grandchildren. When asked, she will tell you how often she turns to her life verse for comfort, Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

Brooke Thompson, M-HYI | Special Feature: Brooke Thompson is a certified Holy Yoga teacher who also specializes in Holy Yoga Touch & Holy Yoga Kids. Her joy is creating space for body, mind and soul to be NOURISHED by the Spirit through movement, breath and meditation on God’s Word. She runs a home studio and lives in Ladera Ranch, CA with her husband and three daughters.