Sterling Wilmer is a psychiatric nurse, a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins, and the founder of Holistic Hands. In this episode of HerStory Hour, she sits down with Emmanuel Sims to share how her own experiences with trauma led her into mental health care, and the patient who changed how she practices. She talks about building Helping Hands AI to connect underserved communities with mental health resources, explains what coping really is, and makes the case that healthcare should be a human right. She also talks about knowing when a season of life is over and why mentoring young nurses means the most to her. She closes with a letter to her younger self.

Content advisory: This episode includes discussion of childhood trauma, domestic violence, suicide attempts, and substance use.

If you or someone you love is struggling, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, U.S.) or visit 988lifeline.org.