Guest Profile

Kelly J. Mendenhall

Kelly J. Mendenhall is a disabled author, artist, speaker, and advocate. Mendenhall has been raising awareness about and fighting against medical gaslighting since 2017. Mendenhall earned her Bachelor of Science and Master's in Public Administration from Eastern Michigan University in 2007 and 2012, respectively. She dedicated her career to the service of under-resourced youth and communities until becoming suddenly medically disabled in 2017.

Mendenhall made a name for herself as a medical journalist and blogger, writing for the website BlastingNews.com in 2018, SpineNation.com from 2019-2021, and her own blog, Nerdzilla Lives! from 2017-2020. Mendenhall appeared in Business Insider and Yahoo! News in 2020, featured for her work against medical gaslighting and mindful leadership.

In 2019 Mendenhall published her first book, Skin in the Game: The Stories My Tattoos Tell, receiving rave reviews. Her new podcast, Skin in the Game: The Stories My Tattoos Tell: An Intimate Author Experiencelaunched on Spotify and all major pod-catchers in July 2023.

Mendenhall launched the Affordable Art Revolution in December 2022 with a mission of spreading joy and love to Spoonies  everywhere through art and the written word. Most recently, Mendenhall served as keynote speaker for Disability Awareness Day in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2023, as well as presenting as part of the Stop Writing, Start Stelling! Virtual Summit 2.0. You can learn more about Kelly and her various projects at kellyjmendenhall.com.