A SELFLESS soul dedicated to helping others, Griffith's very own Jenna Woodland has become an invaluable member of the local community through her dedication to improving mental health in the Murrumbidgee.
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The multi-talented singer, school teacher, counsellor and columnist is determined to see suicide rates reduced across the MIA, urging community members to band together and fight the insidious illness.
"I think we need to look at mental health as a community responsibility," Ms Woodland said.
"Our community is small enough to be able to come together and decide what we can do to help support the kids and adults in our community.
"It's really about the opposite of minding our own business, it's about actually reaching out and having those conversations."
Ms Woodland is a self-proclaimed seeker of justice and truth, well-known for her passionate, outspoken nature.
She has worked as a teacher for over 20 years with students from Kindergarten to Year 12, and has shown her passion for education through a number of community projects.
Her 'Tea and Talk' column with The Area News has seen great success, helping to spark conversations surrounding mental health in households across the city.
"Tea and Talk was an initiative to normalise chit chat around mental health," Ms Woodland explained.
"It's a place where people can have a quick read to spark a little bit of reflection or insight relating to themes within their own lives and what they might be going through.
"It's about breaking down the barriers between talking about mental health and realising that it's just as important as physical health."
When asked by The Area News if she had any advice for local community members, the Murrumbidgee mum said it's all about introspection.
"Stop desiring what you would like or expect life to be, just start living," Ms Woodland said.
"Take the journey inward as often as you go outward.
"In order to be a really good parent I had to face my own insecurities and vulnerabilities, so that set me on my journey into counselling and coaching.
"From there, once you start working on yourself and you've been to those places, you can be a much better guide for somebody else through their darker moments because you've faced your own demons."
