Join us on Tuesday, April 28 and watch Marja’s Story-part 2 on YT

I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on what it really looks like to live a life of “Beyond The Conversations.” Our friend Marja Bergen is the living definition of that. Since 1993, she’s been a pioneer, standing up and saying, “I have bipolar disorder, and there is no shame in that.”

She built something so special—the Living Room peer support groups—where faith and mental health could finally hold hands. It was a movement that changed lives across Canada. But here’s the raw truth: being a pioneer is exhausting. Between leading her ministry, caring for her aging parents, and managing her own health, Marja reached a point where she just couldn’t carry it all alone anymore.

The hardest part of her story isn’t the illness; it’s what happened when she had to step back. Instead of being supported, she was met with the very stigma she spent her life fighting. She was misunderstood and pushed to the margins by the communities she served so well.

Marja is sharing the “hidden” side of this journey in her book, One Such as Me. It’s a story of deep resilience and the kind of faith that survives even when people let you down. Please, take a moment to look into her work—she is burning her light brighter especially for people that are experiencing stigma.

❤️ Visit Marja’s world here: https://marjabergen.com/ Marja Bergen

youtube.com/channel/UCVXxhr53ojJ4XFPHK5gLgEA Neil Parker