Valerie Porr shares her journey from artist to mental health advocate, exploring how personal experience led her to found TARA4BPD. Her talk delves into the biological roots of mental illness, the importance of evidence-based treatments, and how empathy and connection can transform recovery. Valerie Porr began her career as a fashion designer and artist in New York, with work exhibited at institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her focus shifted when a family member was diagnosed with a mental illness, and she realized the significant gaps in research, treatment, and understanding of personality disorders. In response, she founded TARA4BPD in 1995, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocacy, education, and research for Borderline Personality Disorder. Since then, she has worked to improve access to evidence-based treatment, organize conferences, and promote research into new therapeutic approaches, including psychedelics and mentalization-based therapy. Her talk will discuss how a deeper understanding of the biological aspects of mental illness can reduce stigma, inform better treatment, and highlight the role of human connection in recovery. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx