My ‘One Word’ this week is: SUICIDE

Nurturing our well-being is a 365 day challenge for all of us.

This is why with the end of May quickly approaching – marking the end of Mental Health Awareness Month – we must keep the state of the mental health crisis we are facing top-of-mind all year long.

No one understands this more than Leslie Weirich. Leslie son, Austin, died by suicide on September 10th, 2016. It also happened to be World Suicide Prevention Day.

“Suicide is the great equal opportunity offender,” Leslie told me. “It does not care what zip code you live in, does not care the color of your skin, your background, your socioeconomic group, it impacts us all.”

Despite having it all—perfect grades, scholar athlete, President of his class, the list goes on—Austin took his own life. Leslie believes Austin’s story has the power to save other young lives, and spare other parents the devastating loss she and her husband experienced.

I had the honor of speaking with Leslie recently, and it has impacted me in profound ways, especially as a dad of two adult children. Our conversation focused on how she has turned her tragedy into a triumphant mission of waging a war against youth suicides.

Leslie has taken the loss of her son, Austin and turned it into a powerful message of hope.

When I asked her why, Leslie shared something she learned from a friend that I’ll never forget:

“𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.”

Sharing our personal stories can change how others respond to the tragic moments they face in their own lives, and Leslie is a true testament to that.

Our conversation marks the beginning of a new direction for my podcast, The Catalyst Effect, but more than anything it is an opportunity to learn something from someone who is moving forward from tragedy by helping others understand mental health in new and important ways.

I sincerely hope that Leslie empowers you to nurture your mental health all year long. She certainly empowered me.

RIP Austin #HOPE37🏈