M Abeo Speaking Fee: $10,000 and Below

M is a newly published author, mental health advocate, TEDx speaker, and photographer from Seattle, Washington. In 2017 M started the Faces of Fortitude project: An ongoing art and storytelling installation, shining light on stories of fortitude and resilience within the mental health and suicide epidemics. The project initially began as a way to help M in their own healing of losing their only brother to suicide when he was 26. In just 8 years it has grown into a body of work (both digitally and in person) that uses story-telling around pain as a testament to the different levels of grief. M’s goal is to capture the resilience and fortitude of the human spirit. They hope the project can become a mirror for people, to help them see the light and joy in their own images, as they realize they have survived the darkest of moments. M is determined to show how much power can be found within when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and share our stories. Recently, M published their first book entitled The Little Bloom Book. It contains stories, lessons and plant care based steps - born during the early years of quarantine when their own mental health struggled. M is currently working on their second project, a fine art portrait book entitled The Faces of Fortitude.