Dear TMI Project Community,

It is with the heaviest of hearts that I share the news that my wife and co-founder of TMI Project, Julie Novak, passed away on August 31st from breast cancer. As many of you know, Julie was so much more than a co-founder—she was the heartbeat of our mission, a light that brightened our entire community, and my beloved partner in life and in this work.

From the very beginning, as TMI Project was developing, so was our love for one another. I will never forget the night after our very first performance, on February 19, 2010, at The Rosendale Theatre. Something magical happened that evening—not only on stage, but between us. After the performance, we stayed up talking for hours. We committed to one another and decided we were, in fact, an item. By the next morning, unbeknownst to us, we had not only launched a movement, but begun a love story that would shape the rest of our lives. It’s hard to comprehend how much shifted for both of us on that one solitary night.

For Julie, storytelling wasn’t just a tool for change; it was a path to personal growth. Through sharing her own stories, she found a way to heal parts of herself she didn’t even know were still hurting. At our second performance, she told a story she titled “Football Princess.” I will never forget how nervous she was to step on stage and tell the audience that when she was younger, she struggled with her gender identity. It’s hard to imagine that now, but 15 years ago, she still carried so much shame. In the 1980s, the way the world reflected her authentic self back to her let her know there was no place for her. Like so many LGBTQIA+ youth, she struggled with suicidal ideation. 

When she stepped on stage to perform “Football Princess,” she had the audience in the palm of her hand. No one would have ever guessed that she was scared to death; that up until the second the lights went up, she had considered not going out there. That night, she did what she did best. She told the truth in a way that invited people in, allowed the audience to see themselves and laugh until they cried; all the while completely unaware that she was also helping them tap into a perspective they hadn’t considered before and deepening their acceptance for both others and themselves. I thought then, and still believe, she was pure magic. 

Through the TMI Project process, Julie felt like she turned her kryptonite into her superpower. Relieving herself from her own shame made it possible for her to become the superhero she craved in her youth. She was then able to do what so many of our storytellers do: take her newfound freedom and share it with others. Julie became a producer and program director at The Future Perfect Project and was especially proud of the work she accomplished in partnership with LGBTQIA+ youth. She was the host of No One Like You, a weekly radio show program on Radio Kingston where she interviewed “everyday heroes who shared uplifting stories about turning their kryptonite into their superpower.” Most recently, she shared her experience living with metastatic triple negative breast cancer on her blog, America’s Next Top Cancer Patient. She inspired many people to get mammograms and other preventative screenings. 

From the moment I met Julie, until her last breath, she dedicated her life to making sure her experiences and hardships were utilized to prevent others from having to face injustice. In addition to being a powerhouse on stage, she was also everyone’s best cheerleader. If she was in the audience, you knew it – because no one was laughing louder. From everything I have read from people from all facets of her life, she had an uncanny way of making everyone who crossed her path feel seen, heard, and celebrated. Her light shined so bright, there was enough for everyone. 

She believed that true storytelling could change the world and all of us at TMI Project are committed to making sure that legacy lives on. I know that this news is hard to absorb, and if you’re like me, you’re feeling a deep, aching loss. But, I also know that Julie would want all of you—our community of storytellers, writers, listeners, and supporters—to live louder, love more deeply, and laugh harder than you’ve ever laughed before. 

With love and gratitude,
Eva Tenuto