Here Comes the Judge

Manatee County Court Judge, Heather Doyle, joined us for a tour and left us feeling hopeful.

I was asked to give a tour to the Honorable Heather Doyle, a Manatee County Court Judge. She works at the 12th Judicial Circuit Courthouse, right across the street from where the Academy at Bradenton will be. She was very friendly and talkative, and she asked me a lot about myself. I told her about my Transitional Employment and how I now work at Publix with support from the Academy. She was a really good listener and asked me questions to get to know me better. In fact, the whole time she was on the tour, she spoke to all the members she met and asked them what they were working on.

I also told her about my upcoming trip to Michigan to present at a conference. I told her how nervous I get doing when public speaking. She said that she sometimes gets nervous too! She gave me pointers such as taking deep breaths, adopting a confident posture, and believing in myself. She made me feel confident, and it was clear that she has a heart for service, and for people.

She will tour the Academy at Bradenton when it opens, and we hope that she always feels welcome to join us. We need more judges like her who understand mental health and realize the importance of recovery.

I was super excited when, on the way out, she bought one of my paintings that I donated to the Academy and told me that she will hang it in her office. Maybe I’ll get to go there and see it!