Who are we?
Villain Esteem is a mental health service dedicated to creating a world that promotes resilience and empowerment of individuals by helping establish a more inviting, relatable informational platform that increases accessibility for all people. Informed by science, inspired by the anguish of humanity, and motivated by empathy to break the stigma of mental health.
What are we aiming for?
Our aim is to make mental health actually cool. Not Forever-21 cool, more along the lines of “safe as you are, even if that’s a Metal-Head, or LOR Geek, kind of cool” So many people are afraid of talking about the hard things because so many others are eager to judge them for it. You know, if you aren’t feeding your kids kale chips for snacks, and if their toys aren’t from strictly sustainable resources, you’re failing as a Parent. You knew that right? We all know it. The secret is, there is no one right or wrong way to be. Feeding your kids kale chips is awesome. Kale is a superfood. If we could get a book about how to get them to eat it without complaining, I would buy that shit. That’s what we aim to do. Talk about the things no one is talking about. Like the fact that kids (or at least none I know) aren’t going to eat kale chips willingly. *I know there are people out there that like kale chips, try to dig deeper for the analogy here, rather than actual preferences.
Similarly, people don’t like talking about the fact that they aren’t happy. Happiness as mandatory in public is taught to us one and all in grade school, and some even younger at home. Have you noticed most people’s reaction to “How’s your day?” is “Great!” even if that person didn’t in fact, have a “great” day at all?
We don’t fit the social norms. As a lesbian couple, one a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and the other a Small Business Development Consultant, our dreams are to leave a lasting footprint on the world through this informational podium.
Who Should Apply
We welcome you to apply to be a Guest Blog Writer if you share the sentiments above, and want to contribute to the cause. We welcome all walks of life. If you’ve struggled with one of the many mental illnesses firsthand, or if you’ve helped a friend or loved one through it, we want to hear your perspective. The readers would benefit from the diversity, and you would get your work out there! We welcome you to familiarize yourself with our writing style and the general feel of our blog.
We are open to the following topics, but this list is in no way meant to be exhaustive. If you have a topic that’s not listed here but still contains a mental health message, please keep reading. Even if a topic below has a current hyperlink, we are still open to hearing your ideas if you have a perspective that differs from what is already represented here.
Abuse of all types
Acute Stress Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder ADHD
Anorexia
Anxiety (GAD)
Autism (ASD)
Bipolar
Binge Eating
Bulimia
Communication
Codependency
Current Events
Differences in therapy models
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
Equine Therapy
Exposure Therapy
Grief/Mourning
Histrionic Personality Disorder
Insomnia
Nutrition
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Paranoia
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Postpartum depression (PPD)
Psychosis
Social Anxiety
Substance Use
Trauma Experience
Work-Life Balance
Content We Will Likely Pass On
We aren’t looking for sales-focused ads. While we will promote all published posts equally on social medias like Instagram and Facebook, we ask you don’t attempt to use our blog as a self-promotional platform.
*Because we are fighting the stigma of the Beauty Industry repackaging as Self-Care, we will not be accepting Beauty post submissions at this time.
Self-diagnosed conditions. Please only submit if you or your loved one were diagnosed by a professional. I know some special cases do exist, so if you think you’re one, please reach out and let us know what the full situation is so we can make educated decisions.
Content We’re Looking For
*You do not need to have the content ready before submitting. It may take longer to get to you, but if you want to get your hat in the ring while you curate something, or if you want to wait and see if you’re selected by your portfolio, we are happy to take a look.
Professionals are welcome to apply, but we are also interested in first and second-hand personal experiences. If you or a loved one has gone through anything listed above, your perspective would be welcomed.
We ask that your submission is honest and as accurate as possible. We ask that if your submission is fabricated, you disclose that. Being driven by the ethics of counseling, we believe in Informed Consent. We are eager to have personal experiences, but please don’t write about someone else’s story as if it is your own unless you disclose that directly. Please do not disclose names, any time a name is needed for the cohesiveness of your post, please change them to protect the person you’re writing about.
All submissions are required to have a mental health focus. This is our niche, we won’t post things that don’t apply. However, some aspects of life lead to mental health like physical wellness and child-rearing. If your field of expertise can affect mental health and you can evidence that in your post, we welcome you to apply.
Submissions must have a “How to” aspect to them. We want people to relate and to get the feeling of familiarity that is sparse elsewhere. We also don’t want people walking away feeling like they can’t do anything about their situation. The submissions that clearly explain what the reader can do to take steps out of the issue being discussed will be the ones that get posted.
Please make your submission unique. We aren’t looking for reposts at this time.
The best posts will have the history and/or science behind the situation. It might just be me, but knowing the nitty-gritty of the situation helps me break it down mentally and take it less personally.
If you have backlink requests, please include them with your submission. Please note that we may choose to interlink where applicable, but are happy to backlink to your blog or site if you’re chosen to be published.
Evergreen and time-specific posts alike are encouraged. Whether your post is applicable year-round, or you want to write in anticipation of a holiday, or awareness day (awareness day list coming soon), we want to see your work. If you’re writing in anticipation of a holiday, we ask you to give us a minimum of 30 days before the date you’re anticipating. If chosen, we will publish the post 7 days before the date to allow time for the post to be promoted.
What you Can expect
We will post the blog on our website with our branding and graphics which will be shared to our social media profiles to bring in readership. You're welcome to advertise the post on your own social media profiles under your own branding, or ours.
We will mention you on social media when advertising the post to help expand your followership.
The blog will be posted with you listed as an author with any credentialling you hold as well as a picture of you. If you have a specific picture you would like us to use, please send it to info@villainesteem.com
Requirements
Your post and topic must help someone. We aren't all uppity about being positive, but our platform is for improving people's lives.
Please have an action list of at least 3 things they can do to make a difference. If you need help with this, please reach out.
We don't have a word requirement. We want it to be natural. Our blogs range between 800-2500 words, but we are open to others as well. Whatever it takes to make your topic impactful.
Your post must contain at least one curse word. "Shit," and "fuck" are our favorites, but you can be creative, just please don't tear people down with names. "Bitch" doesn't count as a curse word, though you're free to use it! If you need an example, read Michela's blog about how to stop being an asshole.
Please provide a blurb about yourself, as well as a link to your website and social media profiles, if you have them. If you need help with this, please reach out.
Submissions: You can submit by applying below, or you can email a Google doc to info@villainesteem.com
Other Ways You Can Get Involved
Join the Mental Health Demystified Book Club (and invite your friends!)
Guest on our Podcast (same application, just express interest)
Record a Blogcast.
Write to your congress.
Submit your Mental Health Art.
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