00:55
Rayshell Chambers Highlight
We can thrive. We can—no matter what—heal, and we can be a community through all the hurt and pain.
About Rayshell
- Growing up, I struggled in school and was even kicked out of first grade, but my mom never stopped believing I could find my voice.
- In college, I felt lost, stayed an extra semester, and really wasn’t sure what my future would look like.
- While working at a group home during college, I realized I wanted to build programs that truly supported people facing mental health challenges.
- I was greatly inspired by one of my public policy professors who showed us “The Matrix” and asked which pill we were going to take—would we build systems or destroy them?
- I moved to Los Angeles searching for opportunity, taking jobs, making connections, and slowly learning how systems and policies shape people’s lives.
- I co-founded Painted Brain—originally a community-based project—to create spaces where people with mental health challenges could function and thrive.
- I began advocating at the state level, bringing the voices of people without access to power directly to lawmakers and policy decisions.
- Today I lead Painted Brain’s expansion while staying rooted in my mission to build systems where people can heal, connect, and thrive together.