“Unlock your champion spirit, the hulk way,” said Charleston native and Olympic silver medalist Raven Saunders.
She was one of the speakers at TedX Charleston Wednesday.
The event is back on track after a two-year hiatus due to COVID.
Saunders shared her deeply personal journey through depression and suicidal thoughts.
“If I go right, I continue to drive, I continue that chapter, if I go left, I drive the car off the interstate hoping to end that story. I chose to go right,” Saunders told the audience.
And that right turn brought a new dedication to facing her own mental challenges and finishing what she started: bringing home the silver medal in last summer's 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I knew the promise I made to my community, to my country, and to the City of Charleston that I would bring a medal back,” Saunders said.
Now Saunders says she's ready to help others find that champion spirit in three steps: set a goal, know your own value, and fight for it.
Mike Sottak was the organizer of this year's TedX event.
“Raven is one of our stars, you know, obviously the most famous person, but really dug into her soul and bared her soul and the challenges she faced,” Sottak said.
A message she is now bringing to the masses.