SoundMinds 2026 "Share The Load: Learning + Lifting + Building Together"
About this Event
Join us for the 6th Annual SoundMinds Mental Health Awareness & Solutions Conference in Chicago! Attend in-person or virtually.
This year's theme “Share The Load” is rooted in love, resilience and responsibility. It’s a call for all of us to learn together, lift together and build together. Because when we share the load, we make room for healing, hope and wholeness for everyone.
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What You Can Expect
When we say “Share The Load,” we’re declaring that mental health is everybody’s business. We’re creating space to learn new tools and resources, to share information across communities, and to normalize reaching out for help - not as weakness, but as wisdom.
Through honest dialogue, SoundMinds 2026 will educate, encourage and empower us to stand in truth: mental illness is impacting our families and our communities.
At this one-day conference, there will be:
- Raw + Real Panels: Featuring mental health professionals, people with lived experience and advocates.
- Impactful Resources & Tools: Providing attendees with access to mental health resources and support services.
- Networking Opportunities: Facilitating connections among professionals, advocates and community members to foster collaboration and support.
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Why You Should Attend
Because the truth is:
No one should have to carry this alone.
Mental health impacts every family, every community and every generation, yet too many people still feel like they have to face their struggles alone.
SoundMinds Mental Health Awareness & Solutions Conference creates a space where honest conversations, practical resources and lived experiences come together to help us better understand and support one another.
When you attend SoundMinds, you will:
Learn
Gain insight from mental health professionals, advocates, faith leaders and people with lived experience who are committed to changing the way mental health is shaped and shared in our communities.
Lift
Be encouraged through transparent conversations that reduce stigma, strengthen understanding and remind us that healing is not a solo journey.
Build
Leave with practical tools, connections and strategies to support mental health in your family, workplace, faith community and beyond.
Whether you are a parent, caregiver, educator, faith leader, advocate or someone simply wanting to better understand mental health, SoundMinds Conference is a place where your presence, your voice, your questions and your experience matter.
This Conference is for the Village:
The parents holding it all together.
The caregivers doing their best with what they have.
The teachers noticing a shift in a young person’s behavior.
The pastors who want to learn how to serve their congregants better.
The neighbors who see something, but don't know how to say something.
The advocates who keep showing up.
And anyone who believes that healing is a community effort.
You don’t have to be a clinician to make a difference. You just have to care ... and be willing to learn how to be an advocate for yourself and others.
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Why Minority Mental Health Conversations Matter
Yes - mental health affects everyone. But the disparities in stigma, care and advocacy for Black and Hispanic individuals are real. From misdiagnosis to lack of culturally competent care, from systemic barriers to deeply ingrained stigma, these challenges demand not just awareness, but action.
If we are to dismantle the barriers to care and healing, we need more than just those directly affected to show up. We need people willing to listen, learn and stand in the gap.
We need YOU in the room! Join us at SoundMinds 2026 online or in-person and be part of the solution.
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Registration is required by all attendees.
Register to attend in-person or virtually. We even have a virtual host!
Early Bird (through May 28) In-Person: $30 | Virtual: $20
General (May 29 - June 24) In-Person: $35 | Virtual: $25
Late (June 24 - July 8) In-Person*: $40 | Virtual: $30
*In-Person is subject to close when capacity is reached.
Complimentary registration codes are available for those in need. Please email: [email protected]. No questions asked.
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Sponsorship Opportunities
For sponsorship opportunities, email [email protected].
Agenda
🕑: 09:00 AM - 10:00 AM
In-Person Check-In
Info: Check-In and visit Resource Exhibitors. Doors open at 9:30AM CT/10:30AM ET for Virtual Attendees.
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Welcome, Greetings, Live Performance
🕑: 10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Keynote Message
🕑: 10:35 AM - 11:20 AM
What Happens In This House Stays In This House: Breaking Generational Silence
Info: In many families, silence has been survival. Trauma wasn’t discussed. Mental illness wasn’t named. Pain was carried quietly and passed down quietly. This session examines the impact of generational silence on mental health and family dynamics.
🕑: 11:25 AM - 12:10 PM
No Cap, Just Care: What Young People Need Us to Hear.
Info: A brave panel of adolescents (ages 13-19) share their lived experiences navigating mental health in today’s world - from academic pressure and social media stress to identity, stigma and silence.
This session invites parents, guardians, educators, faith leaders and community members to listen with openness and curiosity as young voices speak their truth about what support looks like and what it doesn’t.
🕑: 12:10 PM - 12:30 PM
Resource & Refreshment Break [20 minutes]
🕑: 12:30 PM - 01:15 PM
Beyond Prayer: The Church’s Role in Mental Health Support
Info: Faith communities are often the first place people turn in times of crisis. But many churches are not fully prepared to respond to mental health challenges in ways that address both spiritual and clinical needs. While prayer is powerful, it is not always sufficient on its own. This session explores the gap between intention and preparedness and why effective mental health support requires community, collaboration and connection to professional care.
🕑: 01:20 PM - 02:05 PM
Giving Without Losing Yourself: Mental and Physical Wellness for Caregivers
Info: Caregiving is an act of love, commitment and sacrifice. But when the responsibility to support someone else becomes constant, many caregivers find themselves physically exhausted, emotionally overwhelmed and unsure where their own needs fit in. This session explores the realities of protecting your own well-being while caregiving.
🕑: 02:05 PM - 02:20 PM
Resource + Refreshment Break [15 minutes]
🕑: 02:20 PM - 03:05 PM
Strong But Struggling: Men + Depression
Info: Depression in men is rarely discussed and often misunderstood in our communities. Instead of being recognized as a real mental health challenge, it is dismissed, minimized or hidden behind responsibility, silence and isolation. But the pressure to perform, provide and persevere can take a serious emotional toll. This candid conversation creates space for men to talk openly about depression, loneliness and the pressure to carry everything alone - whether they are experiencing it personally or witnessing it real-time in the lives of men they love.
🕑: 03:10 PM - 03:55 PM
The Hot & Heavy Reality: Women, Menopause + Mental Health
Info: For many women, menopause is not just a physical transition, it’s an emotional and mental health journey that is rarely acknowledged, openly discussed or properly supported.
In our communities, conversations around menopause are often silenced, dismissed or misunderstood. Mood changes, anxiety, depression and emotional shifts are minimized or misattributed, leaving many women to navigate this season alone. This panel creates space for transparent dialogue about the intersection of menopause and mental health and how the lack of conversation is impacting women’s quality of life.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 04:15 PM
Closing Remarks
🕑: 04:15 PM - 04:45 PM
Last Call! Make Connections + Grab Resources
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00 to USD 44.52
