The Road to Recovery from the Football Field to Fatherhood
BRANDON & MICHI MARSHALL Powerhouse Couple’s Quest to End Mental Illness By Hillary Latos • Photography by Andrew Werner | AndrewWernerPhotography.com Stylist: Corey E. Parker | about.me/corey_parker Hair: Dion Moore for Angelo David Salon | ELCHIM Milano Make Up: Alma Sadeghi for Angelo David Salon | Luminess Air Manicurist: Marjanna Kryekuh for Angelo David Salon | Patricia Nail Lacquer Car provided by: Long Island Sports Cars | longislandsportscars.com Shot on location at the landmarked Brooklyn Trust Company condominiums at 138 Pierrepont Street apartment 6L | Thebrooklyntrust.com http://mobile.bhsusa.com/brooklyn/138-pierrepont-street-6l/condo/12426513
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here’s an old saying where the grass is always greener-meaning that by comparison on the surface another person’s life seems better than yours. However two primary colors are needed to create green-just as in life individuals were created with imperfections and were not meant to be whole until joining with their symbiotic partner to make them a better person. A perfect example of this deep symbiotic connection is the relationship between Michi and Brandon Marshall. Though they seem to have everything they want in life- the fame, the money, the glory, this picture of perfection was shattered in 2011 when Brandon Marshall was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Since seeking treatment his life has changed. With the loving support of his wife and family he has turned his life around. Recognizing the stigma attached to this often undiagnosed disease, the Marshalls are using their celebrity to eradicate the stigma and provide Youth Mental Health First Aid trainings to teachers, clinicians, parents, and more through their non-profit, PROJECT 375.
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RM: You seem like a very loving couple. How did you meet and what is your secret to making your marriage work? MM: That is a loaded question. We actually met during my junior year of college. I was walking across campus and Brandon saw me with one of his friends, Darcy Johnson, and told him, ‘That girl is going to be my wife.’ A couple of days later, we crossed paths and he said “Hi, nice to meet you. Can I be your friend?” I responded, “Eh no,” because at the time I had a boyfriend and I knew he played football and felt that this was just about my looks. Ever since then whenever I saw him on campus I’d say, “Hi friend.” Even to this day I say, “I love you, friend.” But the discrepancy with his version is that he always says that I was walking across campus in heels, but I was in flats. In his mind he thinks I was struggling across campus in six inch heels! We’ve been married for six years and the secret to a good marriage is hard work. Like anything you want to be good at, you have to invest the time and effort. You have to love the person for who they are and
who they are not and you can’t turn somebody into something which you want them to be. Where he has strengths, I may not. And where I have strengths he may not. And that’s how we’re able to be one. BM: On campus, when I was walking to the student union I saw this beautiful and interesting girl in jeans and high heels. I stopped to talk to her and that’s where it started. People have to understand that married relationships are no different than a career. The mistake a lot of couples make is that they put a lot of effort into their careers, but not the same effort into their relationships. I think that’s why we see a lot of broken homes and failed relationships. RM: How do you complement each other? MM: I’m super organized to the point where it can drive somebody absolutely insane, but Brandon has a laissez faire attitude with organization. He tends to misplace things, his closet is disheveled