About Us
At Iron Minds we are inspired and motivated by the work of the Greco-Roman Stoics. The tools found in the philosophy share striking similarities with those used by contemporary mental health professionals.
Stoicism isn't about avoidance of emotion. It's about acceptance, action, and awareness. Similar to the philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous, we seek serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
We look not to a power above us, but to a strength deep within us. We use the beautiful literature of the Stoics to help our mentees build timeless resilience.
Where emotion has rusted the mind, Stoicism offers a welding arc of reason, fusing pain to purpose, fear to understanding.
About the Mentor
Cassandra Brandt is an author and scholar with a background in sociology and education. A survivor of religious trauma, undiagnosed anxiety, addiction, untreated depression and catastrophic spinal cord injury, Cassandra credits Stoic philosophy as a catalyst in her mental healing.
A former structural steelworker, today Cassandra lives a quality life as a complete quadriplegic, producing work she's proud of, and enjoying an inner peace she never knew on legs. Her therapists were the Stoics of first century Rome, teaching resilience and providing the essential cognitive tools needed to face incredible trauma. Now Cassandra is committed to helping others heal.
“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.”
Seneca
I've lived trauma: from upside-down in a crushed car to listening to a ventilator keep me alive; from watching my loved ones walk away to watching my body deteriorate. I've been marginalized and institutionalized. I've been invalidated by loss of my career. I've experienced soul crushing depression and suicidal ideation. But there was light waiting deep in the darkness. Upon discovering my inner strength, learning acceptance and gratitude, and cultivating a new perspective, I'm inspired to pay forward the peace I've found.
"Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it."
Marcus Aurelius