Adrian spent twenty years finding his way through the tumult of breakdowns, hospitalization, and persecution by others and self.Through good fortune and good faith, he survived the nightmares. He found common ground with others and perceives his life through the mental health community. Adrian graduated from UC Santa Cruz over 10 years ago. Over the past six years he has worked at 2nd Story Peer Respite House, Santa Cruz, where he currently serves as manager. Hehas also taught every NAMI class that one can. NAMI helped him to find his voice. When Second Story opened its doors in the fall of 2011, it was the first peer respite house in California, and the seventh peer respite in the nation. It promotes wellness and supports individuals experiencing psychological distress by providing a community-based alternative to psychiatric emergency services. Adrian speaks about lessons learned with peers and family members and believes in the merits of peer, provider, and family collaboration. He reveals ashared understanding of collective health. Health relies on the entire community.