This, Too, Shall Pass
Calvin is the founder of 540WMain, Inc., a non-profit e-Learning company for antiracist education. He is an adjunct faculty member at St. John FIsher College and sits on the disparities Solutions Advisory Council with the U.S. Pain Foundation.
Photo Credit: Whitney Young. Original Artwork by David A. Paul, MD. Copyright Bold & Gritty, LLC 2021. All rights reserved.
Calvin Eaton is a disabled educator, program developer and social entrepreneur whose area of expertise includes antiracist education, eLearning strategy, and instructional design. Mr. Eaton serves as the Founder and CEO of 540WMain, Inc. a non-profit eLearning company for antiracist education. He serves as an adjunct faculty member with St. John Fisher College and is a frequent guest lecturer at several Rochester area universities including Nazareth College and the University of Rochester. Mr. Eaton sits on the Disparities Solutions Advisory Council with the U.S Pain Foundation.
Calvin shared his mental health journey with the NAMI and Bold & Gritty teams. His interview with Whitney Young (WY), published here, is a testament to both his resilience and commitment to changing the narrative around mental illness and racial injustice.
WY: Have you ever had any mental health struggles? Do you live with a mental health diagnosis?
CE: I have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression in the past. Both have been related to traumatic events, stress, and of course being diagnosed with fibromyalgia and ME/CFS two chronic, disabling conditions that I have lived with since 2009.
WY: How have you healed, recovered, and grown from your experiences? If you consider yourself in recovery from something, what does recovery mean to you?
CE: Living with an incurable chronic condition, I am not sure I can say I am in recovery. What recovery looks like for me is creating a life of joy and fulfillment despite my disability. Most recently, I have been exploring more about radical rest and rest as a form of resistance, based on the work of “The Nap Ministry” (on Instagram) and practicing setting boundaries on my time, saying “No” and having no guilt behind that.
WY: What forms of mental health-related stigma have you observed or run into personally?
CE: There is so much inherent stigma and microaggression in our language ... so much of our terminology like, “that is crazy” or “they are crazy” is inherently ableist and harmful. Mental illness does not look like any one thing and the fact that oftentimes the effects are invisible -- it can be difficult for people and our culture to take it seriously. I also think about how when people behave in a racist way, there sometimes is a quick attempt to brush or conflate this racism as “mental illness.” We cannot, and should not, conflate violent racism as mental illness.
Photo Credit: Whitney Young
WY: How do you balance the pressures and stresses of being the founder of a thriving nonprofit with maintaining wellness?
CE: Balance is difficult. There are always so many moving parts to the “knowledge” work that I do. I could work all day every day nonstop if my body and mind allowed me to do so. Having a chronic illness means that, to be successful, it is important that I set boundaries for myself which looks like taking a lunch break, leaving my house to work in other locations, taking a walk, stretching, turning off my screens and things like that. I started to journal this year, and I also see a therapist and go to the chiropractor several times each month. My body also tells me often that rest is essential, and when I have a sudden flareup of my symptoms (pain and fatigue), I have no choice but to rest and just be still. Finding this balance is always a balancing act and a continuous journey.
WY: You recently shared your experience of living with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and celiac disease with The INvisible Project. At NAMI, we believe the mind and body are inextricably linked. How has living with chronic illness affected your mental health?
CE: In the early years, not well. I went through a dark and depressive period in Fall 2012-2013 while I was in the throes of a major pain flare, which was, at the time, a new experience for me. During this period, I wrote poetry to help me cope and started my career as a blogger and content creator. Since then, I have learned many strategies, including those learned during cognitive behavioral therapy, [like] how to stave off negative self-talk and all the bad practices that make my pain worse. I can say I have come a long way in accepting and maintaining a positive outlook, despite the limitations that come with being disabled. It has taken many years and a lot of practice.
WY: What mindset helps you from a mental health standpoint on the bad days or during flareups?
CE: The adage “this too shall pass” and “weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Ps. 30:5) I know that the worst flareups of my pain and/or fatigue will pass.
WY: What is your advice to other disabled aspiring entrepreneurs?
CE: Be kind to yourself. You are doing the best you can.
More about REVOLUTION: the bold & Gritty x NAMI Rochester Collab.
Bold & Gritty has this crazy idea that by honoring Black people’s contributions to the history of coffee and using it as a vehicle to tell inspiring stories from our neighborhoods – that we can liberate a group of people and inspire them to be the change they want to see in the world. From creators to doctors, we are fueling a Bold and Gritty Revolution - curating stories that elevate the culture.
NAMI Rochester is dedicated to providing support, education, and advocacy to individuals and families of all cultural backgrounds who are affected by mental health. NAMI envisions a world where stigma is no longer a barrier to treatment, support is readily available, and mental illness is universally accepted as a treatable medical condition.
Together, Bold & Gritty and NAMI Rochester launched Revolution Coffee - a project to tell the mental health journies of Black men and to raise funds and awareness for mental health initiatives within Black and Brown communities in Rochester, NY.
