16-year-old Orlando mental health advocate empowering girls through affirmations
Sumer Strawbree, a Central Florida teenage illustrator, author and mental health champion, joins WESH 2 to share her mission to boost young girls’ confidence one page at a time
GABBY DOUGLAS, SIMONE BILES, JORDAN CHILES, THOSE ARE JUST THREE TEAM USA GYMNAST AND OLYMPIC MEDALIST WHO’S TRAILBLAZING TALENT SET THE STAGE FOR YOUNG BLACK AND BROWN GIRLS ACROSS THE NATION. THEIR UNIQUE JOURNEYS ARE ENCOURAGING GIRLS TO DREAM BIG AND REACH FOR THE STARS. IT’S A SIMILAR MISSION FOR ONE MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE WHO CALLS CENTRAL FLORIDA HOME. SUMMER STRAWBERRIES GOAL IS TO EMPOWER GIRLS TO IMPROVE THEIR CONFIDENCE AND THEIR MINDSET. SUMMER LUTSK I’M SO EXCITED YOU’RE HERE TODAY. WE’RE GOING TO TALK ALL ABOUT THIS. EXPLAIN. YOU KNOW, JUST YOUR YOUR ADVOCATE FOR MENTAL HEALTH, BUT YOU’RE ONLY 16 AT TIMBER CREEK HIGH SCHOOL. SO HOW DID YOU START ALL OF THIS. YEAH. SO IT ACTUALLY STARTED OFF WITH A SAD STORY. SO I WAS ACTUALLY BEING BULLIED AT SCHOOL AND STARTING IN THE FOURTH GRADE, AND THERE WAS THIS REALLY MEAN BOY IN MY CLASS, AND HE ASKED ME THIS QUESTION THAT WOULD FURTHER LOWER MY SELF-ESTEEM, MY CONFIDENCE, AND MAKE ME FEEL LIKE REALLY BAD. SO HE ASKED, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE UGLY, RIGHT? AND YOU KNOW, THAT JUST HIT ME SO HARD. AND I BELIEVED WHAT HE SAID. SO I SAID YES. YEAH, YEAH, I KNOW I’M UGLY. AND OTHER KIDS IN MY CLASS, THEY WOULD TALK ABOUT MY PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, OTHER KIDS WOULD JOIN IN TOO. AND THAT JUST LED FOR ME TO, YOU KNOW, STOP SMILING SHOWING MY TEETH FOR PICTURES. BECAUSE WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, MY TWO FRONT TEETH FELL OUT. ONE GREW BACK IN STRAIGHT, ANOTHER GREW BACK IN CROOKED. AND, YOU KNOW, IT JUST IT WAS A WHOLE TOLL ON MY MENTAL HEALTH AND MY SELF-ESTEEM. AND THAT LED FOR ME TO STOP SMILING, SHOWING MY TEETH FOR PICTURES. AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT MY DAD NOTICED. AND THAT WAS HE TOOK THAT OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE ME TO POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS AND ENCOURAGE ME, ENCOURAGED ME TO READ THEM DAILY. PRACTICING POSITIVE BODY LANGUAGE LIKE THE POWER POSE LIKE SUPERWOMAN POSE. AND THAT LED TO THE CREATION OF MY FIRST AFFIRMATION COLORING BOOK BLACK, BROWN AND BEAUTIFUL. OKAY, SO YOU TURNED IT ALL AROUND. THOSE THOSE NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES INTO SOMETHING POSITIVE AND TO ALSO INSPIRE OTHER YOUNG WOMEN. OKAY, SO SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT. SO YOUR AFFIRMATION BOOKS, THIS IS A VERY EXCITING MONTH BECAUSE IT’S ALREADY KIND OF UNDERWAY. BUT FRIDAY’S THE OPENING CEREMONIES. YOU HAVE WRITTEN THESE AFFIRMATION BOOKS AND YOU’VE WRITTEN ONE FOR THE OLYMPICS, RIGHT? YES. OKAY. SO TELL US ALL ABOUT IT. YEAH. SO THIS IS CALLED I’M AN OLYMPIAN AND IT’S FEATURING GIRLS. YOU KNOW, IT’S VERY DIVERSE AND IT’S INCLUDING SPORTS LIKE, YOU KNOW, ICE SKATING, OLYMPIC SPRINTERS. AND IT’S JUST SHOWING THAT, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU’RE A FEMALE ATHLETE, ONCE YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO THE SPORT THAT YOU’RE IN AND YOU’RE DETERMINED AND YOU’RE FOCUSED, THEN YOU CAN REALLY BE A WINNER AND, YOU KNOW, ACHIEVE GREATNESS AND BE A CHAMPION. I LOVE IT. OKAY, SO DID YOU. WHAT MADE YOU WRITE IT FOR THE OLYMPICS? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THIS MONTH, OR ARE YOU ALSO AN ATHLETE, THAT KIND OF THING. YES. SO I DID GYMNASTICS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. I’VE ALWAYS LOVED IT MY WHOLE LIFE. AND, YOU KNOW, THE WOMAN THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT IN THE BEGINNING, THOSE WERE MY, YOU KNOW, MY ROLE MODELS, ESPECIALLY AT THE TIME. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I HAD TO STOP FOR A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE I GOT TOO BUSY WITH MY BUSINESS. BUT, YOU KNOW, I JUST LOVED THE TIME THAT I HAD DOING GYMNASTICS. I FELT POWERFUL, AND IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I WAS SO CONFIDENT IN. AND SUMMER HOW MANY AFFIRMATION BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN? SO I’VE WRITTEN FOUR. THIS IS MY LATEST ONE. YEAH, I’M AN OLYMPIAN. MY LATEST ONE. I HAVE ONE CALLED BLACK, BROWN AND BEAUTIFUL. MY FIRST ONE WE HAVE GLOW UP AND THEN MY CAREER GLOW UP. THAT’S WONDERFUL. SO WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE TO YOUNG WOMEN, ESPECIALLY IF THEY’RE GOING THROUGH BULLYING AT SCHOOL, IF THEY’VE BEEN THROUGH SOMETHING SIMILAR? I THINK THAT ALL KIDS CAN RELATE TO YOUR STORY. YEAH. I WOULD JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, AFFIRMATIONS, THEY TRULY WORK. THEY REALLY THEY TURNED ME INTO SOMEONE WHO WAS SO SHY. SO, YOU KNOW, I FELT ALONE. AFFIRMATIONS SAYING THAT I’M DAILY AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, THE POSITIVE BODY LANGUAGE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU’RE SITTING WITH YOUR ARMS CROSSED OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND YOU’RE SAYING AFFIRMATIONS, YOU’RE NOT REALLY, YOU KNOW, TAKING IT ALL IN AND SAYING THEM DAILY, THAT’S THE KEY. BECAUSE REPETITION, IT GOES INTO YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND IT CHANGES YOUR MINDSET FROM THAT NEGATIVE MINDSET THAT YOU HAVE INTO POSITIVE AND JUST REAFFIRMING YOURSELF. SO SUMMER TELL ME, LIKE I MENTIONED THE BEGINNING OF THE INTERVIEW 16 AT TIMBER CREEK HIGH, WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? REALLY WHAT I SAY MY RESPONSE TO THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, I’M ALREADY DOING SOMETHING THAT I’M SO, YOU KNOW, PASSIONATE DOING. YOU KNOW, I GET HIRED TO SPEAK AT DIFFERENT PLACES LIKE SCHOOLS, NONPROFITS, DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT. CONFERENCES AND EVEN YOU BEING HIRED ACROSS THE COUNTRY NATIONWIDE, GOING TO ATLANTA. T.D. JAKES DAUGHTER, SARAH JAKES, SHE HAS THE WOMAN OF ALL CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA. I WAS HIRED TO GO UP THERE. I’LL EVEN BE. YEAH, YOU’RE ON THE PATH. YOU FOUND YOUR PATH. OKAY. SUMMER. THAT’S SO WONDERFUL. THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR STORY AND ENCOURAGING ALL THESE YOUNG WOMEN. IT’S SO WONDERFUL, I APPRECIATE IT. YOU GOT IT
16-year-old Orlando mental health advocate empowering girls through affirmations
Sumer Strawbree, a Central Florida teenage illustrator, author and mental health champion, joins WESH 2 to share her mission to boost young girls’ confidence one page at a time
Updated: 9:46 AM EST Feb 4, 2026
Sumer Strawbree, a 16-year-old illustrator, author, and mental health champion from Orlando joins WESH 2 to share her mission to boost young girls’ confidence.Strawbree’s experience with bullying was the catalyst to her journey of inspiring hundreds of thousands of young women. The teen outlines her past troubles, present triumphs and future goals. Strawbree helps girls tap into their inner strength through her kids’ empowerment workshops and programs, as well as her affirmation coloring books.One of Strawbree’s five coloring books, “I Am An Olympian,” includes positive affirmations, trivia questions and journal prompts.The book is inspired in part by Strawbree’s experience as a gymnast. Click here to learn more.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Sumer Strawbree, a 16-year-old illustrator, author, and mental health champion from Orlando joins WESH 2 to share her mission to boost young girls’ confidence.
Strawbree’s experience with bullying was the catalyst to her journey of inspiring hundreds of thousands of young women. The teen outlines her past troubles, present triumphs and future goals.
Strawbree helps girls tap into their inner strength through her kids’ empowerment workshops and programs, as well as her affirmation coloring books.
One of Strawbree’s five coloring books, “I Am An Olympian,” includes positive affirmations, trivia questions and journal prompts.
The book is inspired in part by Strawbree’s experience as a gymnast.