PTSD Parent is a team of two dynamic individuals.
Kelly Wilson, Author and Comedian
Kelly Wilson is an author and comedian who entertains and inspires with stories of humor, healing, and hope. She is the author of Live Cheap and Free, Don’t Punch People in the Junk, and Kelly Wilson’s The Art of Seduction: Nine Easy Ways to Get Sex From Your Mate. Her latest book, Caskets From Costco, has been chosen as a finalist in the 18th annual Foreword Reviews’ INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards, the 10th annual National Indie Excellence Book Awards, and the 2016 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest.
Kelly’s work has also been featured in a variety of anthologies (see Books to Buy for a full list) and she has published a wide range of work for both children and adults. Her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, Feminine Collective, and Sweatpants & Coffee, among others.
As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Kelly writes and speaks about finding hope in the process of recovery. She has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. She is the founder of PTSD Parent, a website and podcast that educates, supports, and inspires all people living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in their homes and families.
Through both stand-up and improv comedy, she brings laughter to audiences of all ages using a wide range of subject matter, including silly songs, parenting stories, and jokes and anecdotes revolving around mental health issues. Kelly works for Stand Up for Mental Health, where she teaches people with mental illness how to write and perform stand up comedy. She also volunteers with her local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), presenting her story to help shatter stigma about PTSD.
Kelly Wilson currently writes for a living and lives with her Magically Delicious husband, junk-punching children, dog, cat, and stereotypical minivan in Portland, Oregon. Read more about her at www.wilsonwrites.com.
Chris Jacobsen, Media Producer
Chris is a multimedia producer who loves to craft and share stories in ways that make them attainable, accessible, and engaging to the world at large. Using still photography, video, and audio production, Chris has captured and shared stories of individuals and organizations in the United States, Canada, Dominican Republic, India, Uganda, South Africa and Armenia. He has cultivated a deep love for culture and for communicating the intricacies and nuances of navigating life across social, economic, and racial lines.
Chris was born in Fresno, California, where his birth father served the first of two prison sentences. He grew up in East Texas, raised by his mother and grandparents and surrounded by family that originated in Ireland, landed in Texas, and found a vocational existence in the military, law enforcement and full-time ministry.
With a history like that, story was an integral part of his existence from his early days. As he grew, Chris took the stories of his family experiences and learned not only how to share them, but explored why those stories were important. Searching for opportunities to connect with others over shared experiences and find common ground became a bit of an obsession. After being asked politely not to return to Bible college, he focused on the learning the technical aspects of shooting, capturing, editing and producing. Chris fell in love with the idea that he could take stories and share them in ways that could inform, motivate, and encourage those around him. Chris mastered his skills in the Portland radio market where he worked for 7 years for the Entercom Radio group as a broadcast engineer, and occasionally sat in front of the mic chatting it up with the masses.
Chris lives in Portland with his beautiful wife, and three kids. His wife is a lifelong 49ers fan, but Chris will not give up desperately trying to turn his children into fans of the Dallas Cowboys. Let’s just say, it’s not going well. Find out more about Chris at www.thecreativelounge.net.