Achea Redd knew something was wrong when she started losing sleep, experiencing body aches and tremors and a racing heart. She said she thought, “Is this Parkinson’s? Multiple Sclerosis? What is happening?”

A series of doctors’ appointments and tests ruled out physical disease and led to psychological assessment for anxiety and depression.

“There was a lot of my life that I suppressed; a lot of issues, a lot of trauma,” she said. “What we know is that your body stores everything… at the most inopportune time… I had a breakdown and that led me to seek treatment.” 

Redd, a Columbus native who is married to former Ohio State and Milwaukee Bucks basketball player Michael Redd, said she was surprised by the barriers—both internal and external—she had to confront to get help and to feel acceptance. And it’s those first steps she would like other women, particularly Black women, to take.

“If I didn’t get the help, I don’t know that I’d be here today,” Redd said.

Early in her treatment, what began as an unfiltered blog for close friends grew into a series of three books, and a public role as an advocate for acknowledging and dealing with mental health issues. By writing about her life, Redd turned a lonely and frightening time into a way to connect to other women experiencing similar struggles.

Redd said her books are “easy, to the point, and relatable,” important elements, particularly for people whose depression or anxiety make focus and concentration difficult. Her hope is to offer a way out of dark times to readers as if they were talking together around the kitchen table.