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Jackie Simmons' Why
Owner of Success Journey Academy and
Director of the Teen Suicide Prevention Society
For many years, I kept silent on the turbulence I felt at home. We were a normal, middle-class American family. In June of 1995, my 3 daughters were in high school and middle school. It was the start of summer vacation and the girls were getting ready to visit their dad and his family one state away, and that meant . . . shopping!
My middle daughter Stephanie was in-between her sisters, in between schools, and in between clothing sizes . . . the shopping became an adventure. Outfit after outfit, store after store, nothing fit her. And that’s what we can home with, nothing . . . except an attitude.
Alone in her bathroom, Stephanie’s attitude dissolved into depressing thoughts. The pain of not fitting into any clothes became proof in her mind that she didn’t fit in anywhere. That pain was more than she could bear . . .
What followed that day . . .
Years of counseling, therapy, medications, and interventions. And more silence. I sold myself on the idea that as long as Stephanie was getting professional help, we didn’t need to talk about it.
I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t know how to talk about it. What if I said something wrong and put the idea back into her head?
I didn’t know that was a myth. I didn’t know that having the talk about suicide was the safest action I could take. I didn’t know that not talking about it put her at higher risk. I didn’t know that when it comes to suicide, silence isn’t golden, it can be deadly.
Now Stephanie is on a mission to help teens break the silence. We’re working together to get the emotional intelligence and resilience skills into the hands, heads, and hearts of teens and adults before they're needed, before there’s a chance for suicidal thoughts to get stuck inside someone’s head.
Becky Norwood's Why
CEO - Book Publishing Expert
Having lost six family members to suicide, I know the pain all too well. I also know the long range effects of those left behind, and have suffered through terrible bouts of depression centered around those losses. What kept me from taking that action was knowing how much those I love, and who loved me, would suffer. I would not be responsible for continuing an ugly family tradition!
As I have healed and weathered the storms, I became aware of the diligence it takes to rise above the dark thoughts and thrive. Self-care and diligent awareness is the key. Watching for the triggers, forming circles of support and a commitment to make a difference in our world has been my saving grace. If even one thing I do, or one word spoken could make a difference for those contemplating suicide... young or old - my heart would rejoice.
Kim Serafini's Why
CEO & Founder of
Positive Prime Technology
Being a teenager is a difficult phase, caught between being a child and an adult, teens are faced with tremendous responsibilities and pressure. They need to socially fit in, at the same time perform in school really well and do household chores responsibly. This is also a time where to discover sexual identity and need for independence, which often cause conflicts with rules and expectation set by family and society.
No wonder the teens are feeling anxious and stressed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24 in the United States.
As an aunt with 2 teens, this topic is super important to me, I want to help create awareness for not only parents but for all adults that the teens in their lives are at risk of suicide, even if there are no signs.
There are lots of interventions that can prevent suicidal thinking from getting stuck in a teen’s head and I want to help make this knowledge available to teens, all teens, everywhere. And I want to help adults create spaces where their teens feel at home and safe to be vulnerable.
This is of paramount importance because the rate and pace of disruptive change being observed and experienced by today's teens and the adults in their lives; especially in the USA; requires new skills that are created and enhanced via the awareness programs of the Teen Suicide Prevention Society (“TSPS”).
There’s a new demand to increase our children’s ability to adapt to disruptive change with more grace and greater ease. We’re very proud to partner and support everything that TSPS does that helps a teen choose to stay.
Rev. Kelly Kaelin's Why
Rev. Kelly Kaelin Coaching
WHY AM I HERE?
My life came to a crashing halt when my Mom took her own life. I was 18 and my sister was 16.
I remember seeing, sensing, feeling what she was experiencing as she passed. I felt it all even though I was 1200 miles away.
It took me 10 years of dealing with the grief, the shame, and the GUILT, before I was able to live my life again. It’s not the person who dies who suffers the most, it’s who they leave behind. We are the ones who feel the pain, who try to understand what happened and why they wanted to leave . . . us.
I learned that the suicide of a loved one is not something that you get over; you just get through it.
After decades, I now know that when a person is in so much pain that suicide is an option, they cannot see other available options. They can’t see past the pain. They can’t see their kids. They can’t see their loved ones. It’s like they’re in a corner and there are two ways out . . . a life of continued pain or dying.
The Teen Suicide Prevention Society has The Talk That Saves Lives – which brilliantly backs people off the ledge before they even know they are at the edge.
Conscious Transformational Coaching™ (“CTC”) through Success Journey Academy, helps a person change the trajectory of their lives quickly, easily, and effectively. Together, these are an effective one-two punch that can make all the difference in a person’s life.
My mission is to light people up from the inside out. Together with The Teen Suicide Prevention Society and the tools I have learned through CTC, I see how we change lives. I see how we save lives. I see how we effectively support the precious lives of our children and loved ones in a way that I’ve never seen or experienced before.
I’m here because I know that suicide is usually not the answer to the pain a person is experiencing.
I know that we can change people’s lives and it isn’t that difficult.
Changing the way people think about suicide requires that we look at it; that we bring it out of the silence and into the light. By shifting the way we look at and talk about suicide, we can bring it to an end.
THAT’s why I’m here. We’re making a difference and helping people to live their lives . . . and STAY because they want to.
Bruce J Barnes' Why
Owner of
Actualize Your Full Potential, LLC
Helping the youth is very important to me because I started getting very sick when I was a teenager. Things got very bad and for a few seconds, I thought about taking my life. While I did not act on that thought, I know that many teens do. I want to give teens hope and encourage them to choose life.
I had numerous surgeries over the years, including spending almost a year in the hospital. I almost died several times and have received many divine messages which have given me inspiration and guidance. One of my last messages was shouting at me, "Help the kids!"
I have helped with youth programs at my church and am always looking for ways to support teens and kids of all ages. I feel the Teen Suicide Prevention Society (TSPS) is a great way to provide support to teens and adults in their lives. In addition to financial support, I look forward to additional opportunities to support and partner with TSPS.
My experiences uncovered my intuitive powers, which I continue to refine and use in all areas of my life, including my business. One of my special gifts is being able to help you find small changes that will make a BIG impact in your life. My framework involves optimizing your Mindset, Wellness, and Communication, and then incorporating that knowledge into your daily routine, so you can Actualize Your Full Potential.
Natan Verkhovsky's Why
Founder, Director, Advisory Board
Member & Head Instructor of
The Essential Academy
The Teen Suicide Prevention Society is a shining light in a time when there is a lot of darkness around mental health, thoughts and feelings of suicide - especially among younger people. Knowing that there is a community to support and nurture others, and that there are thoughts, efforts and feelings that go out to others in their time of need and struggle is why I wanted to expose my community to TSPS and raise awareness, raise funds and raise hope!
The Essential Academy was the proud sponsor and host for the "Momentum for Suicide Prevention Gala FUNraiser!" It was a 7-hour-long, recorded, gala in every way! We are honored to be associated with such an incredible organization and community and applaud their leadership and all their philanthropist endeavors!
YouEQ
The relationship architects at YouEQ reveal the simple secrets of relationship building through conversation.
Social, Emotional, and Conversational Mastery is the foundation we use when supporting people around the globe to create an environment that nurtures relationships in every realm of life.
Special note for parents/adults responsible for teens. Our programs are for adults and, with your permission, teens age 13 years-of age and older.
For more information on our programs, get the guide to "The Talk That Saves Lives" and we'll send you our menu of services.
Teen Suicide Prevention Society, Inc. is a Florida Not-For-Profit Corporation in good standing since April 1, 2020, with an active IRS 501(c)3 Charity status.
FEIN #85-0630760
