In the News Spotlight on Recovery: Carol KivIer Emily Grossman, Graduate Student Carol's energy is contagious. Just spend a day with her and you become caught up in the whirlwind of charisma and enthusiasm that define her effervescent personality. Carol wears many hats. In her public life she is a speaker, author, coach, and corporate trainer. In her private life, she is a mother and grandmother. She is also a survivor of a major and recurrent mental illness, or a consumer. In Carol's presence, it is easy to forget that she has had bouts with depression so severe that she had to receive electro convulsive therapy (FCT). She has a very "up" personality, and is always speaking about new and creative ideas for her two businesses. Her first business, KivIer Communications (www.kivlercommunications.com), has been successful for many years, but is growing larger all the time. In this business, Carol does speaking, coaching, and training with a self-help emphasis. Her clients include anyone from large corporations such as Ernst and Young to major universities such as Princeton. Carol has also authored and co-authored two books. The first, Fantastic Customer Service Inside and Out is a book in which customer service people from around the country give their advice. Her chapter is entitled "What It Takes to Give 'And Then Some' Service". The other book is an interactive journal entitled Blessings: My Journal of Gratitude. After working in the speaking business for sometime, this entrepreneur had another brilliant idea for a business. She decided to use her experiences with mental illness to start Courageous Recovery (www.courageous recovery.com), another business in which she speaks about her experiences with depression. Carol speaks to associations, organizations, corporations, school systems, and government agencies in order to "raise awareness to remove the stigma of mental illness and to instill hope in those who live with it"'. Carol has had much success with this. Her clients, who include Seton Hall and Wyeth Research, have given her rave reviews. One nursing student from Seton Hall writes: "Bravo! Carol! Your personal story was extremely enlightening both personally and professionally. Not only did you take the negative stigma away from mental illness for me, you reinforced the very reason why I chose to go into nursing in the first place- to make a difference". Carol is really doing her part to eradicate stigma. When asked why she does such work, Carol says that she believes that God gave her this illness for a reason. She believes that it is her job to speak out and help others who are struggling as well as to make people aware that mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of She says that she thinks that in the next couple of years, we are going to see less and less stigma, and she wants to be at the forefront of the movement to de-stigmatize the illness. Carol, it would seem that you are already there! 2 - ibid Carol A. Kivler Courageous Recovery "Changing the face of mental illness" 33 Traditions Way, Suite 101 Lawrence, NJ 08648 (609) 882-8988 carol@CourageousRecovery.com www.CourageousRecovery.com A Division of Kivler Communications www.kivlercommunications.com