Speaking engagements
Miriam D.R.
Speaks.
Miriam talks to students about mental illness and substance use the way almost no one does — as the family member, not the textbook.
Now booking first engagements for the 2026–27 school year.
Why schools book her
Three things a textbook cannot do
Students can tell the difference between someone delivering a curriculum and someone describing their own house. Miriam is the second one — with the professional grounding to back it up.
Lived experience
Miriam speaks as a mother and a family member, about what mental illness and addiction actually look like inside a home. Students recognize it immediately.
Child welfare background
Years of work in Indiana child welfare shape how she talks to young people, and to the adults responsible for them.
Graduate study
As a current graduate student, she pairs the story with the research, so a talk holds up in front of staff as well as students.
Talks
What she can speak about
Each talk can be shaped for a 30-minute assembly, a class period, or a longer workshop with staff.
How addiction happens
What the brain is actually doing, why willpower is the wrong frame, and how a family ends up here.
Breaking the stigma out loud
The language that keeps people silent, and practical ways students and staff can change it this week.
Growing up with a parent who is struggling
For the students carrying something heavy at home, and the adults who want to help but don't know what to say.
Turning grief into purpose
How a memorial scholarship, a clothing line and a message came out of the worst thing that ever happened.
Audiences
Who she speaks to
- Middle and high school assemblies
- Youth and after-school programs
- Parent and family nights
- Teacher and staff professional development
- Community and faith organizations
- Recovery and prevention coalitions
Booking
How to bring her in
- 01Send the detailsYour organization, the audience and rough age range, your preferred dates, and how long you have.
- 02Pick the talkMiriam will suggest a topic and format that fits the room, and flag anything a school counsellor should know in advance.
- 03ConfirmYou get the agreed date, the run of the talk, and what she needs on site. Fees are discussed directly and scale with the organization.