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WORK TITLE: Strong in the Broken Places
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.quentinvennie.com/#
CITY:
STATE: NJ
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/wc/quentin-vennie
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Male.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author, speaker, and wellness expert.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Quentin Vennie’s Strong in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Addiction and Redemption through Wellness, cowritten with Jon Sternfeld, tells the story of how the motivational speaker struggled with an addiction to prescription drugs and mental illness. “His unbelievable road to recovery,” declared the author of a short biographical blurb appearing on the author’s home page, the Quentin Vennie Website, “has been publicly celebrated by notable figures in the world of wellness and beyond.” “Pill abuse, addiction, and depression,” said a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “[forced] Vennie to deal with his past and finally move forward.” “Vennie grew up in an impoverished neighborhood in West Baltimore, with a single mom struggling to raise him,” said Gina Tomaine in Organic Life. “He was constantly surrounded by a negative and violent environment from drugs, to shootings, to, he explains, being looked at from the outside world with disdain—as if he was doomed to fail because of his circumstances. Over time, these negative influences both got him into trouble, and debilitated him mentally…. But after a suicide attempt, through a combination of meditation, spirituality, and lifestyle and eating habit changes, Vennie was able to change his life for the better.”
Strong in the Broken Places details the ways in which seeking wellness helped Vennie to overcome his illnesses—both mental and physical—and the poverty and violence of his background. “As a black man raised in an impoverished neighborhood by a single mother,” Vennie wrote in the introduction to Strong in the Broken Places, “I was not exposed to even the most basic forms of health and wellness. For me and my mother, survival had a decidedly different connotation. For many people who grew up like I did, wellness is viewed as a luxury—something to maybe embark upon once the bills were paid or during a free Saturday, if they had one. But that’s not true at all; it was my commitment to being a healthy person—inside and out—that brought me back from the brink.” “I chose to write a book detailing my struggles with a mental health disorder and addiction,” Vennie stated in an interview appearing in Rolling Out, “because I wanted to help save other people from having to go through what I did. I wanted to shed light on these issues in a way that was relatable, personable and approachable. My ultimate goal is to be a beacon of hope to anyone out there suffering.”
BIOCRIT
BOOKS
Vennie, Quentin, and Jon Sternfeld, Strong in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Addiction and Redemption through Wellness, Rodale (Emmaus, PA), 2017.
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, February 27, 2017, review of Strong in the Broken Places, p. 89.
ONLINE
MBG, https://www.mindbodygreen.com/ (November 8, 2017), author profile.
Organic Life, https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/ (May 31, 2017), Gina Tomaine, author interview; review of Strong in the Broken Places.
Quentin Vennie Website, http://www.quentinvennie.com (November 8, 2017), author profile.
Rolling Out, https://rollingout.com/ (February 23, 2017), “Quentin Vennie Chronicles His Mental Illness in Strong in the Broken Places.”
Author Photo
Quentin Vennie
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Quentin Vennie is a writer, speaker, wellness expert, and author of the forthcoming memoir Strong in the Broken Places (Rodale, 2017). He continues to share his experiences of growing up in Baltimore, the impact poverty has had on his life, and how he overcame addiction, an anxiety disorder, and depression using his personal "Trinity of Wellness." Through his many philanthropic efforts, coaching, and speaking, he aims to continue motivating and inspiring people to rediscover their truth while helping them uncover the tools needed to rewrite the story of their lives. He is living proof that it’s never too late to become a better version of yourself.
You can find more information on Quentinvennie.com and follow him on Instagram, @quentinvennie.
Quentin Vennie is a celebrated wellness expert, motivational speaker and author of the forthcoming memoir, Strong In The Broken Places. He grew up in Baltimore, a city once identified as the “Heroin Capital of America,” under conditions defined by adversity, struggle, and hopelessness. Raised by a single mother who fought tirelessly to give him a better life, get him out of the city, and on a path to something better.
Plagued with low self-esteem, and feelings of abandonment, he was diagnosed with anxiety and depression at age fourteen. Years later he developed a prescription drug and alcohol addiction that drained him of everything, including his desire to live.
After years of fighting a war of anxiety, depression and addiction, he set out on a journey to heal himself. With nothing more than faith and determination, he was able to successfully overcome his addictions, as well as develop a system to better manage his anxiety disorder.
His unbelievable road to recovery has been publicly celebrated by notable figures in the world of wellness and beyond. Quentin’s transformation has inspired thousands worldwide and has raised global awareness of anxiety, depression and addiction. He is living proof that during our weakest moments we have the power and ability to unlock unimaginable strength.
Quentin Vennie chronicles his mental illness in ‘Strong in the Broken Places’
By Tigner | February 23, 2017 8:00 AM EST
Quentin Vennie, Motivational Speaker & Author - photo Credit: Daryl Taylor
Photo credit: Daryl Taylor
After many years of fighting mental illness, motivational speaker and author Quentin Vennie can freely speak about his liberation.
At the age of 14, Vennie was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Now 33, Vennie was able to beat his mental disorder, drug addiction and alcoholism. In his memoir, Strong in the Broken Places, Vennie talks about his “Redemption through health, wellness and God.”
What steps should be taken in treating a mental illness?
There are multiple factors that contribute to mental illness, including genetic, behavioral and environmental causes. The first cause of action when combating a mental health disorder should not be medication in all instances, and there should be stricter laws, guidelines, regulations and requirements in place to help minimize the over consumption of prescription drugs.
The fact that most doctors are not properly educated on nutrition or naturopathic treatment options serves as a major disadvantage in effective, actionable solutions to such a complex illness. People are more likely to trust the advice of their physician, as opposed to spending hours researching and going through a personal process of trial and error process, therefore alternative information should be a tool used in every doctor’s arsenal.
You said yoga, meditation, and juicing were key to your recovery. Did you also seek counseling? If yes, what happened? If not, why not?
Yoga, meditation and juicing played a very instrumental role in my recovery and current management of my addictions and anxiety disorder. However, I did not seek counseling for two reasons: First, I didn’t know about CBT therapy or any other form of therapy to combat anxiety. From the time I was 14, medication was always the only thing recommended. Second, I had lost complete trust in the medical system because of how my primary physician chose to handle my admission of addiction. Also, addiction runs rampant in my family. My father was an addict, my grandparents were alcoholics, cousins, uncles, etc., so I was honestly a bit embarrassed to be looked at as just another addict in the family tree. I chose the longer, harder road to recovery, but in that process, I learned so much about myself — strengths and weaknesses.
What three things do you want people to take away from your book, Strong in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Redemption Through Wellness?
Generally, I am an extremely private person. However, I chose to write a book detailing my struggles with a mental health disorder and addiction, because I wanted to help save other people from having to go through what I did. I wanted to shed light on these issues in a way that was relatable, personable and approachable. My ultimate goal is to be a beacon of hope to anyone out there suffering, so the three things that I hope people take away from reading my book is pretty simple: You are able, God is real, and prayer works.
What is next for Quentin Vennie?
For as long as I’ve been doing this work, I still feel like this is only the beginning — I’ve barely scratched the surface. After my book is released I’m going to continue doing speaking engagements and wellness workshops across the country. Currently, I’m working with an organization in New Jersey, the Newark Yoga Movement, which provides yoga and meditation services to students and faculty in public schools in Newark.
I’ll be partnering with multiple yoga, mental health and addiction organizations in the near future to continue raising awareness and providing healthier alternative solutions to combat these life threatening issues. I’m also working with a few rehab facilities in New Jersey, assisting in expanding their mindfulness services to the patients in their programs, and we’re hoping to expand into Maryland within the next year or so. We’re also in talks about doing the same for a few criminal institutions as well.
I’m in talks about opening a juice bar in my old neighborhood in West Baltimore in the next few years. The goal is to employ members of the community to operate it, that way we are not only just providing healthy food options, but we are also providing employment opportunities for the community.
Strong in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Redemption Through Wellness
Publishers Weekly. 264.9 (Feb. 27, 2017): p89.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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Strong in the Broken Places: A Memoir of Redemption Through Wellness
Quentin Vennie, with Jon Sternfeld. Rodale, $24.99 ISBN 978-1-62336-822-7
Vennie, a freelance writer and wellness speaker, writes of the ups and downs of inner city life in Baltimore in this potentially inspiring but ultimatelyuneven memoir. As a young child, he felt abandoned because of his father's drug addiction and his mother's struggle to provide a better life for him. The author witnessed violence in the neighborhood, and himself turned to petty crime, feeling unheard, angry, and lost. When he welcomed a child of his own into the world, Vennie tried to improve his life, but the child's mother left and Vennie succumbed to a deep wave of the depression that he'd battled since the age of 14. As time passes, a new love enters his life and another child; things seem to be going well until he finds himself suddenly coping with debilitating anxiety. Pill abuse, addiction, and depression drive Vennie to deal with his past and finally move forward. He finds healing in juicing, yoga and meditation, though unfortunately, the latter two are discussed only briefly and and at the end of the book. He adequately describes his tenacity in dealing with his addiction and overcoming life's obstacles but falls short in capturing his own path to wellness. (May)
WELLBEINGHAPPINESSI Overcame Drug Addiction And Mental Illness Through Meditation, Diet And Yoga—Here Is My Story by Gina Tomaine May 31, 2017
quentin vennie
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF QUENTIN VENNIE / DARYL TAYLOR
"This book is something of a miracle," Quentin Vennie writes in the first page of his memoir, Strong In The Broken Places: A Memoir of Addiction And Redemption Through Wellness. Vennie grew up in an impoverished neighborhood in West Baltimore, with a single mom struggling to raise him. He was constantly surrounded by a negative and violent environment from drugs, to shootings, to, he explains, being looked at from the outside world with disdain—as if he was doomed to fail because of his circumstances.
Over time, these negative influences both got him into trouble, and debilitated him mentally. He was battling a prescription drug addiction and experiencing chronic anxiety and depression. But after a suicide attempt, through a combination of meditation, spirituality, and lifestyle and eating habit changes, Vennie was able to change his life for the better. He started with replacing alcohol binges with juicing after seeing stories of life changes in the documentaries Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, and Crazy Sexy Cancer, which follows Kris Carr's battle against cancer with juicing, diet, yoga, and meditation. Vennie followed suit, and also started dealing with his depression through yoga and meditation training.
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"My life seemed predetermined," he says, "Fortunately, I was able to defy the odds and go on to accomplish something that no one, including myself, would have ever expected."
In his new book,Vennie writes about how for people who grew up like him, wellness was viewed as a luxury, when the truth is that struggling communities like his could benefit the most from having more exposure to wellness practices like diet, exercise, yoga and meditation. His book is sectioned into three parts with titles of yoga poses: Child's Pose, Cobra Pose, and Tree Pose.
Vennie, who now lives in North Jersey, says that there are some fantastic books on wellness out there, but "none from a perspective like mine." In his writing, he hopes to show impoverished minority communities that there can be a different way of living, and that it can look just like him. We caught up with him for a few questions about his new book.
Buy it: Strong In The Broken Places by Quentin Vennie, $17, Amazon.com
What has been the most validating thing about publishing Strong In The Broken Places?
I was able to turn my pain into my purpose and share it with the world. Since birth I was dealt a difficult hand: I was born and raised in one of the most dangerous cities in America, my father was a heroin addict, my mother struggled financially to take care of me. I was shot at before I turned 12, and witnessed things that most people only read about in the newspaper or see in movies. I was voted least likely to succeed by my peers in 9th grade, I struggled with a severe anxiety disorder, panic disorder, major depressive disorder and a prescription drug addiction. I survived an accidental overdose and two failed suicide attempts. As a kid I was told that I’d be lucky if I graduated from high school and was expected to be dead or in prison before I turned 21. And knowing that I was able to get to this point in my life, 13 years after my predicted demise, shows the world what we’re truly capable of.
What are you currently working on?
There are millions of people struggling with mental health and addiction, and although my book isn’t the cure, I’m hoping it can serve as the inspiration to incite change. I’m also working on partnering with multiple mental health and addiction organizations to provide additional resources to establish healthier alternative solutions in the fight against mental health disorders, suicide prevention and drug/alcohol abuse. I’m working to expand the mindfulness programs of a few non-profit organizations in New Jersey and Baltimore, with hopes of getting yoga, meditation and nutrition education into more public schools, while also pushing to get one of the mindfulness programs I co-created specifically for recovering addicts, into additional rehab facilities across the East Coast. I’m also in talks with a few people about providing similar programming to a few prisons.
Related: I Quit A Successful Career To Find A Life That Was More Authentic—Here's What Happened
What do you wish people you could share with others struggling with mental health issues?
At this point my goal is to end the stigmas associated with mental health and addiction, and push for healthier treatment options to be the first rule of defense in many of these cases. There are too many people suffering in silence because they are afraid of how others will perceive and treat them if they seek treatment—that needs to end. Right now the over prescriptive nature of our medical system is doing a lot of harm. I feel, if we’re able to increase people’s awareness and availability of healthy foods and activities, we will significantly decrease many of the illnesses we’ve been plagued with, thus minimizing the need for excessive medication.
Related: 21 Ways To Be A Happier Person Every Day Of Your Life
What does organic living mean to you?
Organic living is of the utmost importance to me. Living organically, to me, expands way beyond just the food we consume—it’s about the way we live our lives daily. It’s recognizing who we truly are, who we’re meant to be, what we ultimately want and how we treat others along the way. It’s our dreams, our goals, what we need to let go of, and what we need to allow more of. For me, living organically is my morning gratitude prayer. It’s honoring my place and purpose in life. It’s my morning meditation practice and my daily green juice. It’s spending time with my significant other. It’s getting my kids ready in the morning and taking them to school everyday. To live organically means to live your truth—to offer something of value to the world greater than just your physical presence and do it with love.
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What’s something you love to do just for fun?
I love cooking. I have an extensive library of cookbooks and different family recipes. I eat a very strict diet, one devoid of gluten, red meat, pork, and processed foods, so I enjoy the task of taking ordinary recipes and creating healthier versions without compromising taste or quality. Cooking is a stress reliever for me.
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Related: 10 Best Foods To Prep On Sunday So Your Meals Are A Breeze All Week
What are your best 3 pieces of wellness advice for our readers?
Make time for yourself, practice gratitude daily, and do everything with love as the premise.
Why was it so important to share your story?
We’re all battling something and sometimes all it takes is to see someone else rise from the ashes to inspire someone else to do the same. If Kris Carr had never shared her documentary of her story of battling cancer, changing her diet and going against traditional medicine, chances are I would have attempted suicide again at some point. And who knows, maybe the next time it wouldn’t have just been an attempt. She inspired me to take the necessary steps to help myself, heal myself and ultimately save myself. Had it not been for me finding her during my time of need, I wouldn’t have had a point of reference to know that natural healing was even possible. Sharing my story is continuing that cycle: share, inspire, change. When people read this book I want them to see themselves in my journey. I want them to know that they are not alone.