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Tonja Myles
Writer. Organizer. Speaker. Advocate. Fighter.

Tonja Myles serves as the Community Engagement Advisor for the Huntsman Mental Health Foundation. In this role, she spearheads initiatives aimed at eradicating stigma around mental health, promoting access to care, and supporting substance abuse recovery.

 

Myles draws on her extensive personal and professional experiences to advocate for mental health and trauma recovery, emphasizing the importance of faith, hope, and high-quality treatment and research in mental health. Her work with the foundation aligns with her broader mission to support marginalized communities, including veterans and the homeless, and to foster resilience and recovery through community engagement and advocacy.

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Tonja is a passionate advocate for mental health, addiction recovery, and community empowerment. With a remarkable journey from addiction to recovery, Tonja has dedicated her life to helping others find hope and healing. She is a tireless community leader, motivational speaker, and life coach who works to break the stigma surrounding mental health and addiction.​​​

Tonja serves as a key figure with Set Free, a transformative organization focused on providing support and resources to individuals and families impacted by addiction. Through her work with Set Free, she has been instrumental in developing programs that offer counseling, peer support, and recovery services to those in need.

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Tonja is an ordained minister, community activist, peer counselor, veteran, and subject matter expert in mental health, untreated trauma, and a faith-based approach to substance abuse recovery. She is a sought-after counsel for community-based and system approaches. She promotes mental health awareness and rehabilitation by sharing her life experiences of being in recovery from addictions for over 36 years, surviving suicide, being a victim of childhood and adult sexual abuse, and living with PTSD.

 

Her story has been shared in published books, magazines, documentaries, and featured on talk shows and national television series. She is a passionate advocate for the humane and ethical treatment of individuals with mental illness, substance abuse, sexual trauma, domestic abuse, and those formerly incarcerated.

Unlike a clinical counselor, Tonja can openly share her lived experience in recovery while helping others change their lives. She is trained in mental health first aid for both adults and youth. As a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, an evidence-based best practice approach to treatment and recovery, she has helped reconnect substance abuse and mental health treatment to ongoing supports in recovery. Her resourcefulness, passion, and peer support services have moved thousands of people to sobriety and healthy, self-sustainable lifestyles.

 

Tonja's extensive work in social services has enabled her to develop a vast network of community leaders, public officials, law enforcement, and community resources. She was recognized by President George W. Bush during his 2003 State of the Union speech, where he acknowledged her perseverance and expertise in faith-based recovery. Tonja went on to become the face of the faith-based approach to substance abuse treatment for his administration for six years and has worked on several transition teams under various governors.

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In 2004, Tonja founded Free Indeed, the first licensed

faith-based outpatient treatment center in Louisiana. Free Indeed provided intensive outpatient treatment and support recovery services for individual and group therapy. This model was used to open many other faith-based treatment centers in Louisiana and around the country. The program also enabled ex-offenders to receive transportation, transitional housing, job placement, and life skills through the Access to Recovery grant. Tonja also initiated the Set Free Indeed community support program, which serves those struggling with addiction and provides support for their families, a program that has been duplicated across the country.

 

Tonja served in the Louisiana Army National Guard for nine years as a military police officer. Her military training and dedication to serving her state and country have enhanced her servant leadership skills and ability to mobilize quickly, contributing to her success.

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Tonja continues to use her powerful and passionate voice for advocacy and has testified on Capitol Hill numerous times, in front of Louisiana state leaders, and is a highly sought-after subject matter expert on mental illness, substance abuse, and trauma. S

 

he has served on several community boards, including The Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center and Aging With Dignity. She is a member of the Mayor's Mental Health Advisory Council, the Baton Rouge City Police Chief's Advisory Council, the Louisiana Behavioral Health Advisory Council, and the Louisiana Department of Health/Office of Behavioral Health Crisis System Implementation Plan Council.

 

She is one of the founding members of The Bridge Center of Hope board, the first crisis stabilization center in Baton Rouge. Tonja is also trained in some of the country's top suicide prevention programs, such as ASSIST and SafeTALK.

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Tonja continues to use her powerful and passionate voice for advocacy and has testified on Capitol Hill numerous times, in front of Louisiana state leaders, and is a highly sought-after subject matter expert on mental illness, substance abuse, and trauma. She has served on several community boards, including The Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center and Aging With Dignity. She is a member of the Mayor's Mental Health Advisory Council, the Baton Rouge City Police Chief's Advisory Council, the Louisiana Behavioral Health Advisory Council, and the Louisiana Department of Health/Office of Behavioral Health Crisis System Implementation Plan Council. She is one of the founding members of The Bridge Center of Hope board, the first crisis stabilization center in Baton Rouge. Tonja is also trained in some of the country's top suicide prevention programs, such as ASSIST and SafeTALK.

Tonja engaged with her community as a weekly radio talk show host for Cumulus Media in Baton Rouge called "The Tailgate Show," where she discussed topics related to her listeners' concerns with a "real and raw" communication style. Her audience was empowered by resourceful conversations with expert guests, politicians, and community leaders. For seven years, she also hosted a TV talk show called "Choices, empowering you to make better choices so you can live a better life." She mentors women and empowers them to walk in their purpose, sharing her successes and challenges so that they too can be change agents in their communities. Tonja believes it is vital to educate and encourage others to achieve greater works than she has accomplished in her lifetime.

 

Tonja is a well-known local and national speaker who has spoken on topics related to addiction, trauma, sexual abuse, mental health, and suicide in schools, prisons, faith-based conferences, churches, and business training sessions. She is open and honest about her own life experiences in these areas and her path from victim to survivor. Tonja’s message is that with proper treatment, family and friends' support, faith, and self-care, one can live a productive life. Her goal is to reduce stigma and bring hope that recovery is real.

 

Tonja's accomplishments include her 2023 book "From the Crack House to the White House" and "Peace over Politics," where she offers a vital lifeline to those seeking tranquility in tumultuous times. Drawing from her rich experience as a community activist and mental health advocate, Myles delves into the intricate dance of maintaining inner peace amidst political strife. This book is not merely a guide; it's a journey with a compassionate companion who understands the personal stakes of political engagement. With practical wisdom, Myles navigates the complexities of ideological differences, advocating for empathy, understanding, and the courageous act of setting boundaries. "Peace over Politics" transcends mere political discourse, presenting a roadmap to personal resilience and communal harmony. Both books are available on Amazon.

 

Tonja's long list of awards and accomplishments is impressive, but she says her greatest achievement is being married to her husband, Darren, for twenty-eight years.

Awards & Recognition

1999

DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INC

Community Service Award

2003

PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH
DURING STATE OF THE UNION

Special Guest Recognition

2005

LA STATE PENITENTIARY MUSEUM FOUNDATION

Volunteers for Justice Award

2018

THE BUTTERFLY SOCIETY

Butterfly Award for Domestic Violence

2022

NAACP BR CHAPTER

Community Leadership Award​

2023

C.H.A.N.G.E.

Advocacy Award for Mental Health Services

2001

BUSINESS REPORT TOP 40 UNDER 40

Honoree

2003

WAFB

Where Service Matters

Award Honoree

2005

John Hopkins

Substance Abuse Innovators Award

2019

CENTER FOR WOMEN VETERANS

Trailblazers Award

2023

"FROM THE CRACK HOUSE TO THE WHITE HOUSE"

Book Published

2023

EAST BATON ROUGE DISTRICT ATTORNEY

Community Champion

2003

Volunteer Baton Rouge

Where Service Matters Award

2004

DAILY POINTS OF LIGHT

Award

2005

LOUISIANA HALL OF FAME

Volunteer for Justice Award (75,000 Hours)

2019

BLACK BALL BATON ROUGE

Honoree

2023

SEXUAL TRAUMA AWARENESS & RESPONSE (STAR)

Champion of Change

2024

PEACE OVER POLITICS:

Book Published

"AS A PRE-MATURE BABY I CAME OUT OF MY MOM'S WOMB FIGHTING. MY DAD WHO WAS A VIETNAM VETERAN TRAINED ME TO FIGHT WHILE WOUNDED. AND MY MILITARY TRAINING TOOK FIGHTING TO WIN TO A WHOLE OTHER LEVEL."

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