Today we meet Alexandra Nyman, the founder of The Break Free Foundation. Alex shares without how The Break Free Foundation and its Bi-Annual New York Fashion Week Fundraiser came to be. September is National Recovery Month and National Suicide Prevention and Awareness month. Alexandra’s life has been impacted by chronic, progressive, and potentially fatal illnesses and it in combination with her creative outlet in fashion created a drive to advocate for change in access to care. This all lead to Break Free and its incredible services, as Alexandra says “everything happens for a reason.”
Meet Alexandra Nyman.
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See full transcript below.
00:01
You’re listening to The Embrace Family Recovery Podcast a place for real conversations with people who love someone with the disease of addiction. Now here is your host, Margaret Swift Thompson.
Intro: Surprise and welcome back only for a quick two-part episode to introduce you to someone who is truly talented and an advocate for change. I hope you are making time to play this summer! I am on hiatus still from my weekly podcasts dropping.
However, I had to get back on because I am so excited to introduce you to the organization the break free foundation and the founder Alexandra Nyman on September 11th in New York City I will have the privilege to be a sponsor at her upcoming event to help people access resources for mental health care and treatment through scholarship programs that her organization offers.
Alexandra has incredible creativity and has ingeniously combined the worlds of fashion, mental health, substance use disorder and advocacy under one umbrella called the Break Free Foundation. Trigger warning that part of Alexander’s story touches on suicide. Please meet Alexandra Nyman.
01:10
The Embrace Family Recovery Podcast
Margaret 01:25
I have an exciting opportunity for the listeners today I have a guest with me who is unique in many ways, but the way that we found each other was through a mail out. But first, let’s introduce you, Alexandra Nyman, who is the CEO and founder of Break Free, which has the best logo I’ve ever seen. I’m very, very inspired by your logo. Alexandra, tell everybody a little bit about you. But first, just for the sake of the way we always do it on this podcast. Do you have a qualifier someone in your life that started you on this journey about recovery and understanding the disease of addiction?
Alexandra Nyman 02:07
Yeah, so my qualifier is my uncle, as well as my step grandfather, seeing their struggles definitely made me want to learn more, as well as to abstain from drinking, and from getting to that point.
I think it was maybe like six or seven. And I very vividly remember my uncle like crying and like telling me not to be like him. I didn’t really understand what he meant. But I understood that he was very, very, very sad. He would always talk about like, don’t smoke cigarettes, and not do that. And then he would kind of allude to the drinking. But I think he understood that that was harder to understand or grasp. So, he would just really harp in on smoking. And then when I had my ten years at Soberocity, which unfortunately is no longer on the web anymore, it was an online sober blog. That’s really where I got my deep dive into the recovery community, and learning about the recovering out loud movement, and really seeing that there is so much hope out there. And it just really changed my perspectives and kind of brought back those childhood memories of my family members. And it kind of filled in a lot of blanks for me.
Margaret 03:32
So, we’ve got to unpack all that, because that’s some really good stuff. So, when you look back this childhood moment, was there anybody else in the family discussing problems around alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, was it discussed at all with any other family members? Or was it that kind of moment that you just remembered when you started looking at it differently?
Alexandra Nyman 03:54
So, my uncle that I’m really, really close with. I know he really struggled to quit smoking. And so, we had like that dialogue, and my dad would also talk about it, he was very against drinking in excess. I only would ever see him have like a beer when he was having a pizza. And that would be like it would never be anything more than that. I never remember there being alcohol in the house. I know he and my mom used to be smokers in the 80s. And then my mom, she’s very health conscious. She works as a pediatric RN. She saw like an article, and she immediately forced them to quit.
Margaret 04:38
Okay. So motivated by risk of health issues.
Alexandra Nyman 04:43
Yes, I would say that’s definitely also been the motivation for my partner, who is completely straight edge and has never tried any sort of substances or alcohol in their life. Okay.
Margaret 04:57
Okay. So when you got into the blog, Argh, name the blog again for me, so ferocity What a great name. So Soberocity when you were involved in that blog was that when you started to kind of understand better the dynamics in your family?
Alexandra Nyman 05:12
I definitely would say so. Especially since around that time, my dad died when I was 12, of colon cancer. And unfortunately, my mother found it to be a bit easier to not stay in contact with my dad’s side of the family, for whatever reason. So as a young woman in her 20s, when I got with my partner, he and I went, and we reunited with my dad’s side of the family, and it was absolutely wonderful and delightful.
And then I would say maybe like two or three years after that, I bumped into my uncle, who, I mean, I hadn’t seen him, since like a Thanksgiving when I was like, I don’t even know probably like seven was like the last time I ever saw him. And then he never went to any of the other family functions, like he was just kind of shunned out, it was a very interesting conversation, because he was very open about his struggles with his mental health and with depression.
I’ve reconnected with my cousins, one of them has become a certified recovery peer advocate. And I’m absolutely in awe of her and in what she does. And I know that there was unfortunately a lot of pain there. And I just wish that it could have been there for them when I was growing up. But it really felt great that he was able to be so open and honest, even though he was like, I wanted to punch your dad in the face. I was like, well, that’s a bit uncomfortable. But it’s kind of understandable. I’m sure in your perception, my dad being so against your lifestyle, and being very questioning, that must have been very difficult to swallow when you’re like, oh, I don’t have a problem.
Margaret 07:11
So, what led you to be involved with that bog? You know, have you had an inclination to be an ally, or an advocate or a part of?
Alexandra Nyman 07:24
So, I had been working for a marketing firm at a company that they went under with the pandemic, which was the greatest sense of liberation for me. I had hated working there for so long, okay, the owner and the upper-level management, really, they just didn’t care about anything or anyone other than just making our quick dime. And I had to be really transparent with my colleagues at Soberocity and be like, listen, like I understand that you’ve hired on our firm to promote your site, but they’re not doing right by you. And so, after that very candid and transparent conversation, they brought me on to the board, and I became the editor in chief at the site.
Margaret 08:08
And you said, it’s no longer happening. Is that true?
Alexandra Nyman 08:12
No, it went under officially late 2021. Due to just a lack of finances. We had been one of the number one recovery blogs for a long time, we had just celebrated our six-year anniversary, and it was exceptionally painful to have the site shut down. And there were so many people who would reach out to us looking for help, looking for resources, wondering how do I enter into recovery? If I can’t afford it? I can’t afford to go to rehab. So, what am I expected to do? Do I just drink myself to death? And it was just a very difficult position to be in to, like have these questions and have no solution to be like, well, I don’t know. You could like see if the independent centers that you’re applying to have scholarship programs, but that, in and of itself, takes a need to be clear, I need to be able to have the capacity to even do that.
Margaret: Right.
Alexandra Nyman: Most people when they’re looking for these funds, like you’re in the throes of your addiction. So how can you even successfully navigate the system when people who are in recovery and of clear mind? Have difficulty doing it have difficulty finding these financial resources?
Margaret 09:40
It’s a tough system.
Alexandra Nyman 09:42
Oh, yeah. And that always stuck with me that never left me.
Margaret 09:48
So, do you recommend people who reach out to you in that very unfortunate situation who used to get support there? Do you recommend 12 step meetings, SMART recovery, She Recovers any of those outlets that are out there for people?
Alexandra Nyman 10:02
We had a whole list of resources that we would send over. So it’d be like, the National Suicide Hotline, the Crisis Text Line, the veteran hotline. And then also just like, hey, you could like, check out and see if there’s any meetings in your area. But the main complaint is that they wanted to do in person.
Margaret: Yeah.
Alexandra Nyman: This one particular person had told me it’s three hours one way to the closest meeting. And I was like, oh, my gosh, and they were like, I just don’t know if I can like, stick with it anymore. I’ve been doing this for eight months. And while it’s very helpful, that’s an entire day. And I can only go maybe once a week, sometimes I’ll try to stretch it to like once every two weeks, and I know I feel myself wanting to slip up.
Margaret 10:55
So mental health and addiction have been in your life for a long time, peripherally, directly, indirectly. Tell us a little bit about what led you to be the founder of Break Free, where did break free come from?
Alexandra Nyman 11:11
So, it came from a combination of different aspects of my life, one of which is understanding the deep Impact that behavioral health has had on my life with my younger brother living with bipolar two disorder, and with my mother living with multiple mental health diagnoses. Just seeing my brothers struggle to get access to resources, and like, I didn’t think it would be that difficult to find resources in northeastern Pennsylvania. Because I’m like, well, we’re not like in the middle of the South, we’re like, only an hour and a half outside of the city. There’s got to be something, nothing. And as I’ve talked with colleagues, it hasn’t even really gotten better since I’ve left. The therapists that are there. Most of them are an accepting of new clients. And if they are, they’re not going to accept anybody under the age of 18. So, if you’re a kid looking for help, you have a tremendous uphill battle to gain access to resources. So that was one contributing factor.
Another was my passion for the recovery community through working with Soberocity. And then the other thing was the haunting question of why is there no way to help individuals gain access to treatment, and a portion of that solution emerged after very aggressive googling late into the night. And that’s how I met Jean Krisle from 10,000 Beds, who has her one bed one life scholarship program, where they partnered directly with the treatment providers to provide inpatient scholarships for individuals struggling with substance use. And for our first two runway shows, we partnered directly with them to fundraise. And were able to grant a dozen scholarships to individuals, which was incredible. And so, I kind of wanted to go further, and to be able to also offer outpatient behavioral health services, as well as sober housing and long-term care for disordered eating.
So, we have decided to partner together us and 10,000 Beds where they’ll focus on the West Coast will focus on the East Coast and will also act as a referral network as well. If someone on the West Coast reached out to us, they could then be referred to 10,000 Beds to apply for their scholarship. So that’s kind of how that piece came together.
The fashion piece, I work as a designer, I don’t make any money off of it. For me, it’s just my release, my outlet, my form of therapy. And I thought, for me, it’s difficult to like to come to terms with like, creating cute clothes. And like that’s it, like it’s just something to fulfill your vanity. And so I was like, Well, what if there was a way to tell a greater story through my collection, and that’s where the Thought for Therapy came from, which told the story of my younger brother’s journey to his bipolar type two diagnosis, from his final suicide attempt all the way to where he was now where he has the tools that he needs to be able to cope and to be able to thrive.
Margaret: Wonderful.
Alexandra: So, I was like, huh, like, I think I should visit the intersection of fashion, mental health, substance use and co-occurring disorders because there’s so many people in the industry that struggle with these things, but don’t talk about it. I mean, we think about heroin chic, that trend during the 90s
And, yeah, we act as if there’s no substance use issues in the fashion industry.
Margaret: Right
15:07
This podcast is made possible by listeners like you.
Bumper: Hi everybody! I thank you for being a part of The Embrace Family Recovery Podcast community. Thanks to you we have crossed a milestone of 20,000 downloads! Its mind boggling and I appreciate you, each of you for your part in making that happen.
Excited to be coming back on September 3rd with season four of this podcast! Wow do I have a lineup for you. I have a couple sharing their experience, strength, and hope. I have Karen Casey! Can you believe it, this amazing woman in her recovery journey has written 40 plus books for us out there on recovery journeys.
I have the privilege of spending time with her Mary Beth O’Connor the author of Junkie to Judge which is such an inspiring recovery story. I am so excited to share them and more with you in the coming months.
Some of you may know that in my recovery from food addiction I developed a pension for coffee, I like coffee now which probably is another 12-step meeting I might want to look at.
But in the meantime, I’ve added to my podcast the opportunity for you to buy me a coffee and it’s not really buying me a coffee though wow, wouldn’t it be wonderful to sit down together and have a cup of coffee and a good conversation.
This is an opportunity for you to contribute if you found value in this podcast in a monetary way where you can buy a cup of coffee and the funds contributed through that cup of coffee will help build and grow this podcast even more.
So, if you’re so inclined buy me a cup of coffee and I will be eternally grateful for the contribution to growing the podcast.
Enjoy the last few weeks of summer and if they’re as hot as they’ve been here maybe having an iced coffee, iced tea!
Can’t wait to be back with our new season and wonderful episodes on September 3rd, take care of you!
16:06
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Margaret 16:17
So, it’s kind of a combination of a number of your passions all under one umbrella.
Alexandra Nyman 16:24
Yeah, I just kind of got tired. Having my foot dipped into advocacy and fashion. I have to merge them together, or I’m going to be split into two.
Margaret 16:38
And so, when did you merge and create the umbrella?
Alexandra Nyman 16:44
I had had the idea for the runway show since 2019, then COVID hit. So, I was like, well, we’re not gonna have a show for a bit. And then we finally held our first show on February 14 of 2022, when the restrictions were gone, and when we felt like it would be safe for people to publicly congregate.
Margaret 17:07
And how was that event?
Alexandra Nyman 17:10
It was beyond what I thought it would be. We sold out within a week of the event. So that was very surprising. And I mean, overall, I think the message was heard loud and clear from our designers, from our peers who were walking the runway. That led to us having a representative from the mayor’s office, attend our show this past February. As well as Tiffany Cabán from the City Council who sits on the committee for mental health, disabilities and addiction.
Margaret 17:44
Look at you. So, when you say the message came across from our designers and our participants, explain to the listeners what that means, like what was your vision? What is it that you do?
Alexandra Nyman 17:57
We have our scholarship program that people can apply for in order to gain access to treatment without having to worry about finances. We also offer a variety of different support groups like for individuals in the LGBTQ plus community, women led support groups, early recovery relapse and grief support groups. And we also have our monthly webinars where we talk about various different aspects of recovery. For this show, what makes us different is that we’re fundraising for our scholarship fund. And we also have our nonprofit partners speak on the runway, about mental health, and about substance use and about different pieces of policy. For this past February, we advocated for the passage of Daniels Law, and we gathered around 75 signatures in support of it. They were sent over to our state senators here in New York, which was great. And most, if not all of our designers are advocates in their own right for behavioral health and for substance use as well as our models.
Margaret 19:04
Sorry for my ignorance, Daniels Law?
Alexandra Nyman 19:07
So, Daniels Law is a piece of legislation introduced by the state of New York, which would recategorize behavioral health crisis’s from a public safety issue to a public health issue. And it would deploy peer response teams that are trained in de-escalation to help with individuals in crisis.
Margaret 19:32
Fabulous.
Alexandra: So, with the one coming up that I am so excited to be a part of as a sponsor, it’s like my first sponsor opportunity. I’m really excited because it’s nothing I’ve ever done before. What is your theme? Is there such a thing and what is your goal? Have you said now that you’ve done it twice? Correct two fashion shows.
Margaret: three times
Alexandra: three times? Okay, so each time you’ve had a goal, so tell us more about the one coming up September 11.
Alexandra Nyman 19:59
So, we’ll be spreading a message of suicide awareness and prevention since the 10th is the last day of Suicide Prevention Awareness Week, in September, in addition to being National Recovery Month is also national suicide prevention and awareness month. So, we will be doing a live art installation of white paper butterflies where people can write a letter to the younger self, or to honor the memory of a loved one loss to suicide or overdose, as well as having a Narcan demonstration on the runway by Big Vision where you can also go to their table and view other harm reduction measures. And we’ll have NAMI NYC share information on how to assist a loved one who is experiencing suicidal ideation.
Margaret 20:51
Phenomenal. And sadly, we know that unfortunately, the disease of addiction and suicide attempts or completions are linked together. And so, an audience that you are familiar with, you said, with your brother, Is he part of the inspiration for this being the topic this year for you?
Alexandra Nyman 21:14
Yeah, I mean, he’s been a part of the inspiration for all of my advocacy work. He’s had multiple suicide attempts, after he came out in our small town and was told by our priests that he was going to burn in hell, unfortunately. And really, this started as wanting to create a space to show him that there are people out there that care, and that your pain can be turned into inspiration and really help others in a meaningful way. So, for me, suicide awareness and prevention is something that’s profoundly and deeply personal.
Margaret 21:55
Has your brother’s seen what you do, been a part of it in any way?
Alexandra Nyman 21:58
Yeah, he saw me when I showcased for my very first show back in 2019, I believe. And then I don’t remember if he’s been able to see any of the Break Free shows in person, but he always tunes in virtually.
Margaret 22:20
That’s wonderful. Must be proud of you.
Alexandra Nyman 22:23
Yeah, he definitely is.
Margaret 22:26
And I’m sure it’s mutual. I mean, as much as it was very difficult. And I’m so sorry for someone being so ignorant and it feels evil to me to say that to a child, that he has found his path and your role in that sounds important because you supported, advocated, tried to assist him in his journey in any way you could, I’m sure.
Alexandra Nyman 22:48
Yeah, it was a wakeup call in the broken behavioral health system and trying to navigate it. It was very difficult because I didn’t know anything that I know now. I wish I had, but I didn’t, I was only like 19 or 20 when all this started occurring, and everything happens for a reason.
And so, I think that really ignited in me how I’ve always loved doing service, like, as a kid, literally, the year after my dad died, we brought to our town Relay for Life. And we were able to raise like a quarter million dollars the first year, and it just kept going up and up and up from there.
So, I’ve always been deeply rooted in health parity and advocacy, even from a very young age and not even knowing what that word means.
Margaret: Right,
Alexandra: But just knowing that there are people who can’t afford to get the help that they need.
Outro: I have to acknowledge my place of privilege. Where I worked for decades, I served clients who needed and deserved help, who had means whether financially, family support, insurance coverage.
I am so excited to bring attention to Break Free whose mission is to remove financial barriers for everyone. You can make such a difference through attending the Break Free events, making donations. And during next week’s episode you will learn more about the impact of this wonderful organization called Break Free.
Margaret 24:24
I want to thank my guest for their courage and vulnerability and sharing parts of their story. Please find resources on my website,
This is Margaret Swift Thompson. Until next time, please take care of you.
