Building Resilient Minds through
Consulting & Public Speaking
"OVERCOME OBSTACLES AND ACHIEVE SUCCESS BY CREATING GREATNESS FOR YOURSELF!"
Mr. Hillaker has been battling mental health obstacles his whole life. He was able to fulfill a dream of becoming an underwater welder, until his bipolar became unmanageable and he acted on thoughts of suicide. The aftermath of the overdose left him with brain damage and he had to learn how to walk, talk, and communicate with others again. After 10 years of battling treatment-resistant bipolar, he stumbled upon a homeopathic approach.
This homeopathic approach and years of therapy have given him the opportunity to overcome his mental health obstacles to achieve greatness as a triathlete and mental health advocate, while also seeking a degree in psychology from Delta College and serving as a mentor to others who face similar obstacles. He is a trained facilitator for NAMI Peer to Peer. Mr. Hillaker recently achieved his goal to complete 11 medals for the 11 years bipolar took over his life: 10 triathlons and the Mackinac Island swim in 4 short months. The Edmund Fitzgerald memorial Swim (Stage 11, 32 miles across the Saginaw bay). The Tri for Hope a 400 mile triathlon from Hell Mi. to Paradise Mi. (330 mile bike, 5 mile swim, 65 mile run) in 84 hours. These events successfully raised over $10k for non-profits. |
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I am diagnosed with bipolar I, borderline personality disorder (BPD), and ADHD.
In 2013 I acted on my thoughts of suicide. The problems I was trying to solve by ending my life inevitably created a whole new subset of obstacles in my life. 15% of people diagnosed with bipolar end their life by suicide
Why, why did I choose to take my own life instead of finding help?
Stigma…
From 2013-2022, every day was a battle for my life. My bipolar reached a whole new dimension that I never even thought was possible. The amount of brain damage was simply unimaginable from the overdose. I was in the inpatient hospital 4-6 times a year fighting bipolar manic episodes, depression, intrusive thoughts, and psychosis. I was placed on over 40 medications in an 11-year time span. I put myself through DBT, CBT, talk therapy, group therapy, and even physical therapy.
In 2021 shortly after researching how to legally and medically kill myself through assisted suicide, because I was mentally and physically exhausted of losing the battle, I found a more homeopathic approach that simply made everything just click. All the therapy I went through simply made sense.
Because of my disabilities, I have always been told, “you are a hands-on learner” or, “you will never be a college student.” My whole life I believed what everyone told me to be fact. So, I became an underwater welder. In 2022, when I came back to school my goal was to simply to get a welding certificate and then get a job welding. That is when stigma punched me right in the face and changed my life forever.
“Do I have to be worried about the other students in my class?”
This was asked after I confided in a faculty member at Delta College that I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and bipolar.
From that I day I decided to switch my major to psychology and to break stigma by achieving “Ideas of grandeur”
In the past four years:
I will continue to be driven, motivated, and determined to continue working toward my goals to honor the memory of those who are not here anymore to fight this fight, for I am their Mental Health Champion.
In 2013 I acted on my thoughts of suicide. The problems I was trying to solve by ending my life inevitably created a whole new subset of obstacles in my life. 15% of people diagnosed with bipolar end their life by suicide
Why, why did I choose to take my own life instead of finding help?
Stigma…
From 2013-2022, every day was a battle for my life. My bipolar reached a whole new dimension that I never even thought was possible. The amount of brain damage was simply unimaginable from the overdose. I was in the inpatient hospital 4-6 times a year fighting bipolar manic episodes, depression, intrusive thoughts, and psychosis. I was placed on over 40 medications in an 11-year time span. I put myself through DBT, CBT, talk therapy, group therapy, and even physical therapy.
In 2021 shortly after researching how to legally and medically kill myself through assisted suicide, because I was mentally and physically exhausted of losing the battle, I found a more homeopathic approach that simply made everything just click. All the therapy I went through simply made sense.
Because of my disabilities, I have always been told, “you are a hands-on learner” or, “you will never be a college student.” My whole life I believed what everyone told me to be fact. So, I became an underwater welder. In 2022, when I came back to school my goal was to simply to get a welding certificate and then get a job welding. That is when stigma punched me right in the face and changed my life forever.
“Do I have to be worried about the other students in my class?”
This was asked after I confided in a faculty member at Delta College that I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and bipolar.
From that I day I decided to switch my major to psychology and to break stigma by achieving “Ideas of grandeur”
In the past four years:
- Zero pharmaceutical medications in 4 years
- Lupus, vertigo, and tremors are gone; all had been side effects of medications
- Wrote a book: “Monarch” – coming soon!
- 55 college credits toward a Psychology degree
- 15 Honors credits
- Welding Certification
- Professional Writing Certification
- I am the president of the Tri-Sport Club and Psychology Club
- The Green Ribbon Initiative
- Every semester 30 local mental health resources visit the college for a two-day event, giving students access to valuable resources and breaking the stigma around mental health
- Over 200 staff members trained in mental health first aid
- There are three more components to this initiative that will be completed this semester: fidget baskets around campus that students can access at any time, a sensory room for students to sit in a quit space, and to use the money I raised during my 400 mile triathlon to train faculty in suicide awareness, lifesaving skills.
- Completed the Tri for Hope, a 4-day, 400-mile triathlon (world record)
- Swam in the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim (stage 11, 32 miles across the Saginaw Bay in 19 hours)
- Raised over $10,000 for non-profit organizations
- Competed in 16 triathlons
- United States Congressional Proclamation
- 2024 Michigan Rehabilitation Services Champion Award
- Kimberly R. Houston Leadership Endowment
- Don Halog Emerging Writer Award
- Skip Renker Writing Award
- Michigan Psychedelic Community Steward Award
- Michigan Sugar Scholarship
- Honors Scholarship
- Creative Dining Services Scholarship
- Baxandall Scholarship
- Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Member
- Multiple Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Trainings, including LivingWorks ASIST
- Keynote Speaker – 2025 Walk for Hope
- Michigan State University for Michigan Community College Association
- University of Michigan
- Michigan State Capitol
- Mackinac Women's Club
- Delta College Board of Trustees
- NAMI Middle Michigan
I will continue to be driven, motivated, and determined to continue working toward my goals to honor the memory of those who are not here anymore to fight this fight, for I am their Mental Health Champion.
