Our Story
Who are we?
Our mission is to empower others by providing a platform to strengthen & protect mental health and to promote education, research, and support for Long COVID survivors.
How does our story begin?
Our founder and CEO, Shelby Hedgecock, is from a small town in East Tennessee. The day after her 23rd birthday, she moved to Los Angeles to chase her biggest, wildest dreams. Throughout her journey, she has hit rock bottom and bounced back with resilience and her story is told throughout Blooming Magnolia.
Shelby has built her own lifestyle brand and reality show from the ground up, became a personal trainer, competed at Miss California USA, started her own businesses, competed at Spartan races, and more. She’s accomplished a lot, but during that same time, she was also suicidal at 27, sexually assaulted right before her 28th birthday, and she fell chronically ill with long-term complications of COVID-19 at 29; however, as she always says, “The harder the ball hits the pavement, the bigger the bounce.”
One night, while extremely sick from COVID19 in May of 2020, Shelby was having trouble breathing. Every breath felt like a hot knife in the lungs. She felt she was being strangled and feared for her life. When she would go to the emergency room, they would send her home because she was “young and healthy.” That night, she prayed and promised that if she made it out of this, she would use her voice to help others.
“Blooming Magnolia”
Shelby was named after Julia Roberts' character in “Steel Magnolias,” and she’s always been a fierce advocate for mental health. Years ago, she envisioned starting a Mental Health/Self Love foundation using the name “Magnolia.” She wrote it down, sat it to the side, and never got around to starting it. A couple of rough months after being diagnosed with COVID19, Shelby came back to the idea of starting a nonprofit. She knew she wasn’t the only one not recovering and this was an urgent public health and economic issue so, although very sick, she jumped back into action. She revisited the “Magnolia” name and fell in love with it.
The magnolia has been around for approximately 100 million years. This is why one of the symbols that this flower represents is resilience. They are known for blooming and surviving through adversity, thriving in acidic soil, and adapting to different climates. Coincidentally, “Bloom” was her power word for 2020. That word helped get her through the darkest moments and still continues to do so.
After brainstorming with her mother, she had an idea to combine her power word and the flower. Thus, Blooming Magnolia, a Long-Covid research and mental health advocacy nonprofit, was born.
There are 3 branches in the logo for the 3 traumas in her life that have ultimately made her who she is today, with a 4th bud representing future growth. The shield represents strength. Her mission has always been to transform souls and impact billions of lives and with Blooming Magnolia, she is.
Empowering. Impacting. Blooming.
We are committed to empowering you in such a way that you feel like you can turn sour lemons into lemonade, too. We strive to continue impacting the world and leading the way for those suffering from chronic illnesses because your diagnosis is not your destiny. We are passionate about making a difference by ensuring survivors’ voices are echoed and blooming throughout the organization, our communities, and the world.
Our Work
Blooming Magnolia is committed to reaching out a hand to those left to drown in the backwash of this global pandemic. We are laser focused on addressing the needs of those who are in need of help. So far we have:
Funded travel expenses of a teenage girl who needed medical treatment for post COVID complications at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC.
Awarded multiple grants to Long COVID survivors who have become financially insecure due to job loss and medical bills.
Partnered with Cerebral®, a high-quality mental health subscription service that provides patients with ongoing, comprehensive access to online care and medication management.
Created and nourished the Blooming Magnolia Network, which offers emotional support and coping strategies to those who are suffering. Activities include “Magnolia Mondays,” where experts present on various topics such as: guided meditation, nutrition tips, self-care practices, gentle stretching, and more!
Check out more information about our organization by going to Candid.org!