Meet Michelle Ortega
The theme this year for World Mental Health Day is ‘It’s Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace.’
Michelle Ortega, Sustainability Engagement Lead at Fonterra, champions mental health within the Co-op, and has built a community on LinkedIn through her honesty, openness, and ability to inspire others to speak up.
Her vulnerability and storytelling has helped many, and encourages us all to have the conversation around mental health more freely within our workspace.
Read Michelle’s story below.
I was born in Manila, Philippines, the eldest of four. When I was seven, we immigrated to Aotearoa New Zealand where I grew up in a small town called Whakatāne.
Funnily enough, when I think back to arriving in New Zealand, the first thing that comes to mind is the memory of drinking a fresh glass of milk. It was truly life altering after having grown up on the powdered stuff!
I guess you could say I’ve had an interesting life. If you can imagine a 10-year-old with broken English (I taught myself English by reading a dictionary), desperate to fit in and be liked, while at the time also grappling with complex emotions. Because I not only looked, sounded, and thought about things differently, I was bullied persistently from the age of 10 to 15.
In my first year at high school, I started to develop symptoms of depression and anxiety (not that I knew this at the time). I would hide in the library during lunch breaks, and struggled to make any sense of life outside the comfort I found within the pages of a book.
When I was 15, my stepdad found and read my diary which consisted of all my deepest and darkest thoughts. Instead of trying to understand what was going on, he told me that I was crazy and needed to be locked up in a ‘loony bin’.
It was at this point that I lost all sense of hope. I’m alive today because of a single phone call from someone who recognised that something wasn’t quite right – that someone is now my foster dad.
Workplaces are simply the most effective way of reaching people. More than ever before, people want their workplace to feel like a community, where they can find purpose and meaning in life.
So, at 15, I moved out of home and became legally emancipated. I worked in a café to supplement my government welfare benefit and scraped enough high school credits to get into university. In my first year of Uni, I was finally diagnosed with PTSD, Anxiety and Clinical Depression.
Albeit a couple of years behind my peers, I eventually graduated with a degree in Business Management and Economics. The first ever in my family to do so. I didn’t think I’d be able to do it, but when I eventually did, I felt truly proud of myself for the first time in my life. That feeling will stay with me forever.
You may be surprised to know that despite having lived with a mental health condition for over two decades, that it was only six years ago when I finally plucked up the courage to open up about my mental health, and at work of all places.
They say that shame dies when stories are told in safe spaces, and had it not been for the support of the Fonterra community, I would never have had the courage to keep sharing. So, for that I will be forever grateful.
Workplaces are simply the most effective way of reaching people. More than ever before, people want their workplace to feel like a community, where they can find purpose and meaning in life.
I still remember the first time I shared my story publicly, to a room full of people at work. When I stood up in that auditorium, paralyzed by fear and ashamed of what I was about to share, I knew there was no turning back. But I also knew things had to change. Sharing my story so openly was a significant turning point in my life, and through platforms like LinkedIn I’ve been able to reach and meet so many incredible, like-minded, and supportive people who have helped me on my recovery journey.
I can’t promise that any single story is going to change someone’s life - mental health is far too complex for anyone to make a claim like that. But stories do have the potential to make the world a kinder and more understanding place where people feel more comfortable to talk about their struggles, instead of keeping them locked away inside.
By sharing stories, we might be able to help people find the words they need to start a conversation with those they are concerned about. Because ultimately, that’s what stories are. Stories are powerful conversation starters. With every telling, I learn a little more about myself. I hope that I can use everything I’m learning to help make the world a better place for everyone. Maybe together we can save lives.
Are you or someone you know going through a hard time? The following helpline services are available to help you:
- Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP).
- Youthline – 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat.
- Samaritans – 0800 726 666.
- Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO).
- Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202 (to talk to a trained counsellor about how you are feeling or to ask any questions).
For more resources, visit the Mental Health Foundation.