Becky Helms

Tell us a little about how you first became involved with NFCC
I first heard about the NFCC through my brother. He was Scotty Caven and Nick Finnegan’s age when they passed, so it affected our household. I would occasionally attend the Crawfish Boils because I knew the chairs, and then my love for NFCC grew. I am a huge mental health advocate and am open about my own struggles with friends, family, and social media. I knew I wanted to be involved in the organization once I had the opportunity!

In addition to your job, you are an influencer and often share an in-depth look into your life, including sharing about your mental health. Can you tell us a little about your mental health journey and why you think it is so important to talk about?
I would like to say that I am a nurse before an influencer! Being a nurse has really changed my perspective on my mental health. I have learned so much about what I want my quality of life to look like and how I can make myself the happiest. When I went back to grad school, I went into a dark depression. I didn’t know if it was what I wanted to do, and then the stress of school heightened my anxiety. I ended up getting on medication and started seeing a therapist regularly. Those actions have completely changed my life. Being open and honest about how you are feeling is truly freeing. Because I am an open book, I turn to my social media a lot and get good feedback from people when I do so. People thank me for being “brave and sharing my story” but at the end of the day, there is nothing to be ashamed of. Life is hard, especially these days. We need people to lean on and we need to break the stigma around talking about mental health.

You have served on NFCC’s advisory board for two years. What are you most proud of NFCC accomplishing during this time? What do you hope to see NFCC achieve in the next five years?
I am proud of the participation I have gained from people outside my normal circle. It feels amazing when I speak about mental health on my social media, and people respond with their own stories or how I inspired them to get help. I recently had a male friend tell me I helped him make the decision to go to therapy and that was a huge win for me. I hope we continue to grow and continue to serve more people in the Houston community.  NFCC is doing amazing things, and I am so proud to be a part of them.