The story behind the business
My name is Joëlle Perras. I am the founder of Struggles-2-Strengths Consulting.
I am a BC-certified Teacher, a Peer Support Worker (PSW), and a seasoned group facilitator. But the most important thing about me isn’t my credentials — it’s that I am deeply committed to being real.
For much of my life, I hid behind a smile. Over time, I came to understand that the very things I tried to conceal — living with a severe mood disorder — could become a source of connection, meaning and service to others.
I thrive with bipolar II disorder: a chronic episodic illness marked by shifts between hypomania and depression. I have been in sustained recovery* with both mental health and substance use challenges since 2011.
What ultimately matters is not the story itself, but rather what we choose to do with it.
This is what I’ve chosen to do with mine.
The why beneath the work
What motivates me is creating spaces where people can transform their lived experiences into lasting strengths.
Every single person has a gem inside of them, yet many think “if I could just get rid of my difficulties, then I’ll be ok”. I help them see the magic found in their own story, which is the gold they’ve been seeking all along.
I am passionate about two things: mental health and facilitating transformative group experiences. Together, these drive me to pursue great heights. Though it wasn’t always the case.
The young and rocky road
The mood instabilities started when I was 15 years old. And the passion for transformative experiences was already in my bones. An energetic and creative young person from the start, my exuberance often seemed “too much” for people. I was “too hyper” or “too depressing”.
I danced between both polar opposites by using music, sports and outdoor adventures to calm the inner beast. Soon enough, in my 20’s, alcohol had become my mainstay to deal with the terrifying mood shifts I was navigating. I tried to hide them because it felt shameful to not be able to control myself.
After years of pursuing an outdoor education career with The Oliverian School and Thompson Island Outward Bound (what is now called Cathleen Stone Island), the alcohol use turned into an addiction I could no longer manage. Fear was at my doorstep, and I left my dream job sleeping under the stars in New Hampshire, USA, and moved back to Canada to stabilize my health.
Breaking down to build back up
I was next drawn to The Coast Salish Territories on the Canadian west coast. Finally, I thought, I could do my teaching degree at Simon Fraser University and sleep in my own bed instead of a tent, which I believed would help balance out my confusing mood swings.
A few years later, I was living my dream as a French Immersion teacher when, in 2011, I had a terrifying mental health crisis in my student-filled classroom at age 33.
Years of substance use to self-medicate an unknown mood disorder led to a suicide attempt and, finally, a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder. I was relieved to finally better understand what was going on inside my mind.
This marked the beginning of a long road of recovery: building a new foundation of routine, self-awareness and finding purpose.
Years of psychotherapy with a phenomenal psychiatrist, psychiatric medication trials, mood disorder support groups, a 12 step program for sobriety, daily mood charting, and both failures and successes eventually became the pillars of my life today.
“The mood instabilities started when I was 15 years old. And the passion for transformative experiences was already in my bones”
“ (…) finally, a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder. I was relieved to finally know what was going on inside my mind.“
“Because I live with what is clinically referred to as treatment-resistant bipolar disorder, I learned to develop strong self-management practices through lifestyle adjustments, psychotherapy, and community support”
“(…)my vision: to use my lived experience with a debilitating stigmatized mental health condition as an asset”
Struggles-2-Strengths
Consulting:
transforming lived experiences into lasting strengths
Read my blog to know more about my personal journey and my current tools for daily mental health management.