A Cowgirl Shines A Light On Mental Health

Jodie Morton is a cowgirl on a mission to bring awareness to mental health issues. Having lost people in her life due to depression, Jodie wanted to change the stigma that surrounds mental health. Learn more about the young cowgirl’s organization, Green, Gold and Blues.

“In 2016 and 2017, I lost friends that I thought I would still have in my life for many years to come. What that has taught me, is to never take the people in your life for granted.

“Rather than sit back and accept these losses, I wanted to do something to create some change in the world. Most of all, I want to try and prevent others from going through the same experiences I did.

“Through a series of seemingly unconnected events, this project was born, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you. The name Green, Gold and Blues came about from describing exactly what this ride is. With ‘Green and Gold’ representing Australia, and the ‘Blues’ representing depression – it embodies my mission of riding up the East Coast of Australia talking about ‘the Blues.’ While this trail may be physically taking place in Australia, the messaging is by no means restricted to Australian soil.

“As for the physical journey, I’m going to be riding 5,330km (3,330mi) up the East Coast of Australia from Healesville, VIC to Cooktown, QLD. I plan to stop at towns along the way and visit schools, universities, and pretty much every educational establishment that will have me to talk about what depression really is, what we can do to change the way it’s viewed, and what we can do to make getting help easier. Whitney Houston believed that the children are our future and I sure do agree with her!

“Of course, I am a huge advocate of work AND play, so any country towns that I come across along the way will definitely warrant a stop for a catch-up and a cuppa. I’m really excited to meet people from right across Australia and share some tall tales. I can already foresee some epic storytime sessions!

“Right now however, we have an insane amount of planning and preparation to do. Any advice, tips, or words of encouragement will be gladly accepted. I promise to share both the good times and the bad – I can guarantee that we will be experiencing both ends of the spectrum and I promise not to hold back.

Be sure to follow Jodie on her adventures by following her on Instagram here! If you’d like to learn more about Gold, Green and Blues visit greengoldandblues.com.