Crystal Lancaster Guthery is a writer, mental health advocate, and Long Beach, California native. She serves as the Community Engagement Coordinator for Ligaya Wellness, LLC and has spent the last two decades raising awareness and fostering understanding for mental health. Drawing on 25 years of lived experience with Bipolar 1 Disorder, she has written numerous mental health articles for such online publications as TheMighty.com and volunteers her time managing a talented team of writers for the stigma-reduction nonprofit Breaking Taboo.

In 2017, she began volunteering for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Orange County chapter (NAMI OC). There, as a certified In Our Own Voice Presenter, she spent time visiting high schools, universities and psychiatric facilities, speaking to both small and large audiences about her own story about living with mental illness. She then went on to work for NAMI OC full-time, spearheading events and stigma-reduction programs such as “Laugh Rx”.

Prior to working in mental health, Crystal had spent six years in residential property management as a leasing professional and five years in the mortgage industry. She is the daughter of a Washington, D.C. native and a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines. Crystal has a Bachelor of Arts in English from UC Irvine and is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing. She aims to bring greater understanding, compassion, and conversation around mental health.