Watch Kimberly Danielle (formerly Brazwell) in this TEDxKingLincolnBronzville as she discusses the dangers of stigma, stereotypes and denial regarding trauma and mental illness in Black communities. Beginning the talk with an original poem on trauma through the lens of race, class and gender, Kim invites audiences to explore the pain of systemic oppression and the power of healing, advocacy and credible storytelling. Will you choose to be a lighthouse for holistic wellness or ignite the fire of mental illness?

Watch Kimberly Danielle (formerly Brazwell) in this 2018 TEDxHilliard talk. Stories of trauma and the impact that lingers often go untold. Kim shares how her ancestral history and intersectionality of identity and rich family diversity in race, religion, mental health, language, sexual orientation and class identity propelled her work as a trauma-informed social justice advocate and entrepreneur. According to her message, going through trauma is the only way to heal and move forward. Do we know what cost these trailblazers paid to create pathways for us? Those deemed “trailblazers” have pain (trauma) stories that often go untold.

2023 marked the beginning of Kimberly Danielle’s curation of healing stories documented through a tattoo art project entitled, “Our Healing Ink”. What began as a one-time photo and video shoot has evolved into an ongoing project with other multimedia creative collaborators to use the arts as a healing component and strategy for trauma healing and mental wellness. Stay tuned to learn about her 2026 collaboration on a project about healing through scars and narrative recreation!

The mythological story of the Phoenix describes beautiful bird who is cyclically reborn after being consumed by fire and then rising from its own ashes. An illustrative rendering of the iterative struggle through failure, change, growth, progression and healing, Phoenix is a multimedia art collection loosely based on 15 self-portrait paintings by Kimberly Danielle (formerly Brazwell). Debuted March 2020 in Cols., OH, the series explores the evolution and maturation process of trauma, healing and resilience through the recreation of self in Black womanhood. Video by Aaron LaRoy is Dreaming with Dreamers.