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Stick Around - A Suicide Discussion

Stick Around - A Suicide Discussion

By Kell Bjorn

If you are struggling with mental health, hopefully the experiences discussed here will help you know that you're not alone. Let's open up about mental health and suicide so more people WANT to Stick Around.
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Episode 8: Wendy Tyler

Stick Around - A Suicide DiscussionJul 01, 2020

00:00
35:29
Episode 46: Clifford Bauman
Dec 20, 202148:33
Episode 45: Jon Gossett
Nov 10, 202101:00:57
Episode 44: Sharon Greenwald
Oct 27, 202126:49
Episode 43: Leslie Weirich (Round 2!)
Sep 10, 202148:15
Episode 42: Kara O'Daniel
Sep 01, 202141:23
Episode 41: Ashley Kesner
Apr 28, 202144:49
Episode 40: Melissa Rohlfs
Mar 31, 202130:16
Episode 39: Tasha Hunter

Episode 39: Tasha Hunter

Tasha Hunter is a mental health therapist and suicide attempt survivor. The author of the book, “What Children Remember” (which you can purchase here: amazon.com/whatchildrenremember). This memoir poignantly sheds light on the emotional effects of childhood abuse. As a mental health advocate, Tasha specializes in the treatment of PTSD.

One other podcast that Tasha likes to recommend for her clients is "The Adult Chair" by Michelle Chalfant: theadultchair.com/podcasts.

Mar 17, 202140:49
Episode 38: Todd Sylvester
Mar 03, 202155:59
Episode 37: Jessica Northrop
Feb 17, 202131:01
Episode 36: Tim Kellis
Feb 03, 202148:39
Episode 35: Ali Psiuk
Jan 20, 202142:52
Episode 34: Jeff Marconette Jr.
Jan 06, 202150:33
Episode 33: Danielle Smason
Dec 23, 202042:39
Episode 32: Sandahl Taylor
Dec 16, 202047:53
Episode 31: Gordon Corsetti

Episode 31: Gordon Corsetti

Gordon Corsetti has experienced mental illness first hand and has survived suicide attempts. Gordon has collected various tools in the pursuit of permanent recovery from depression and anxiety. He writes about philosophy, and different modes of thought that he has experimented with to refine his perspective on life on his website: MentallyAgile.com. He also speaks to the unique human ability to change our minds, and shows how to use tools to accomplish that change.

During our chat, Gordon mentioned an article that was written about him on the US Lacrosse Magazine website. That story can be found here:
uslaxmagazine.com/lacrosse-saved-my-life-a-story-of-friendship-and-survival

He also referenced the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's website: afsp.org of which he is a field advocate for.

Gordon then recommended a couple of books:


Dec 09, 202044:53
Episode 30: Johnson Chong

Episode 30: Johnson Chong

Johnson Chong is  the award-winning author of Sage Sapien: From Karma to Dharma. He was  the founder of Sagehouse in Singapore, a studio for yoga, pilates,  meditation and spiritual workshops and coaching. He is a native New  Yorker, and has lived on 3 continents, currently based in Sydney,  Australia. He specializes in helping people break free of their mental, emotional and spiritual roadblocks so they can live more aligned to their inner peace and joy versus their fears. Having worked with corporate professionals in various fields, he has a strong interest in working with members of the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized populations. He has also spoken and led workshops at companies like Unilever, Facebook, Nike, UBS, UOB and various other organizations.

Johnson is known as a bridge between ancient wisdom and direct modern  application. In his dynamic coaching style, he integrates the practical  and most useful parts of yogic wisdom, meditation, somatic movement,  energy medicine and shamanic journeying to help his clients breakthrough daily self-criticism and emotional overwhelm. The unique experiences  that Johnson curates offer a profoundly healing self-discovery  experience, followed by very practical and actionable steps to create the most powerful breakthroughs.

In this episode, Johnson shared some resources and links to how you can find him and the work he is a part of:

He also recommended the following books by Lynn McTaggart: 


Dec 02, 202001:14:26
Episode 29: Ricardo Zulueta
Nov 25, 202001:11:49
Episode 28: Genesis Amaris Kemp
Nov 18, 202045:59
Episode 27: Heidi Vawdrey

Episode 27: Heidi Vawdrey

Heidi Vawdrey has been a registered nurse for 20 years, 17 years of which were in adult intensive care and the last three as an advanced practice  registered nurse working in family medicine.  In the ICU, she frequently cared for people who had survived overdose suicide attempts.  When she began her doctoral program at the University of Utah to study to become a  family nurse practitioner, it became apparent very quickly how much  mental health is deeply intertwined in physical health. 

Heidi has been volunteering with Healthy Riverton, a citizen led community committee, for nearly five years now, and one of their primary focuses is on suicide  prevention.  Through Healthy Riverton, she is a certified QPR instructor, a  nationally recognized suicide prevention curriculum.  In her private medical practice, she screens widely for mental health symptoms and unresolved trauma. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Utah in the College of Nursing, and educates her students on this approach as well.  She was never trained or particularly comfortable with having hard discussions about suicidal thoughts as a bedside nurse, and it's become such a pressing problem that it is part of her quest as a professor and provider to normalize this for the new generation of providers and give them the tools to handle it.

Some resources Heidi shared during our chat include the following:


Nov 11, 202047:50
Episode 26: Movember
Nov 04, 202012:51
Episode 25: Lark Dean Galley

Episode 25: Lark Dean Galley

Oct 28, 202045:10
Episode 24: Mitch Strahlman
Oct 21, 202030:51
Episode 23: Christian Hampshire
Oct 14, 202048:18
Episode 22: Mental Illness Awareness Week
Oct 07, 202016:09
Episode 21: Felix Dey
Sep 30, 202043:60
Episode 20: Laura Warburton
Sep 23, 202042:26
Episode 19: Suicide Prevention Month
Sep 16, 202035:40
Episode 18: Leslie Weirich
Sep 09, 202001:03:27
Episode 17: Damian Todd
Sep 02, 202053:23
Episode 16: Jeff Riseley

Episode 16: Jeff Riseley

With a decade of sales experience, Jeff understands the importance of Mental Health in achieving peak sales performance.

Battling anxiety, insomnia and panic attacks throughout his sales career - Jeff has used his knowledge of Mental Health to inspire sales teams to reach their full potential through better Mental Health and well-being.

This became especially important, when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in the summer of 2018.

The same strategies involving - mindsets, perspective, self-awareness, empathy, self-control, mindfulness, optimism, grit and habits - that made him successful in sales also aided in his swift recovery.

As a successful individual contributor, sales leader and of late - sales mentor/consultant - Jeff has experience working with sales teams of any size at any stage of growth.

Jeff is the primary voice of the Sales Health Alliance and available for Speaking Engagements, Custom Tailored Workshops and One on One consulting projects.

During our chat, Jeff shared insights from the book "The Wisdom of Anxiety" by Sheryl Paul and also recommended "Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization" by Scott Berry Kaufman as a great resource for mental health study.
amazon.com/thewisdomofanxietybook

amazon.com/transcendbook

Jeff also mentioned that he has a series of e-books that can be accessed here: saleshealthalliance.com/category/e-books/

For all other information about Jeff's trainings, insights and consulting, head over to his Sales Health Alliance website at: saleshealthalliance.com/

Aug 26, 202042:02
Episode 15: Kabri Lehrman-Schmid
Aug 19, 202036:34
Episode 14: Tyler Menke
Aug 12, 202030:23
Episode 13: Mary & Jason Sturgeon
Aug 05, 202038:45
Episode 12: Kristen Coltrin

Episode 12: Kristen Coltrin

Kristen Coltrin is currently finishing her last semester of her masters program at NNU as a Clinical Social Worker. Last year she interned at the Idaho Suicide Hotline and trained and spoke with over 1,500 church leaders and members about how to address suicide. This year she has been  counseling students, substance abusers and facilitating a high school LGBTQ group.

Kristen  has been married to her boyfriend Cory Coltrin for thirty years and together they have three amazing children. She is passionate about  helping to break the stigmas surrounding mental health and getting the help needed to live a healthy life.

During our chat, Kristen mentioned JustServe.org as a great way to get involved in your community and also a book by Thomas Joiner titled "Why People Die By Suicide", which can be found on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/Why-People-Suicide-Thomas-Joiner/dp/0674025490/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1K2N6XFLLWI16&dchild=1&keywords=thomas+joiner+why+people+die+by+suicide&qid=1595952596&sprefix=thomas+joiner+%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-1

Jul 29, 202033:28
Episode 11: Pearl Phelendaba Chunga

Episode 11: Pearl Phelendaba Chunga

Pearl has over five years of experience in community engagement. Currently, her focus area is mental health awareness and is the founder of the Walk With Me Foundation, a mental health awareness and support non-profit organization. She also runs her own business as an event planner. With alcoholism and drug abuse very close to home, and her personal experiences with anxiety and depression which included not being able to freely speak about it or access help easily, Pearl is passionate about getting Zambia to a place where mental illness is openly spoken about and given equal priority to physical health. She is a 2019 Mandela Washington Fellow and also a Top 2019 Unleash Talent. Pearl is determined to grow and expand her work in the mental health sector in Zambia and across the African continent.

During our interview, Pearl mentioned the app "The Mighty" as a great resource for anyone struggling with mental health. The Mighty is a safe, supportive community for people facing health challenges and the people who care for them. You can find this resource at themighty.com or in your mobile app store.

Jul 22, 202047:14
Episode 10: Dan Rowe
Jul 15, 202059:29
Episode 9: Darrell Robinson
Jul 08, 202035:40
Episode 8: Wendy Tyler

Episode 8: Wendy Tyler

Wendy Tyler and her husband have been married 34 years and have five children. Their youngest son, Christian, took his life almost 4 years ago... when he was 15. Wendy had no idea at that time how  prevalent suicide was and had no idea it was the second leading cause of death for adolescents in Texas. Not long after Christian died, she got involved  with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and served on the  North Texas board for a year. Wendy also chairs the Out of the Darkness Community Walk in Prosper, TX every fall. This November will be their 4th walk.

Wendy is also a huge advocate for Hope Squad in schools. She introduced them to the district leadership in Prosper and they have been roiled out to all schools; elementary through high school.  Word got out to other districts, and they are being implemented in many  districts in the surrounding areas now.

Wendy is an educator and teaches seventh graders at a middle school in Frisco.

Jul 01, 202035:29
Episode 7: Morgan Kartchner

Episode 7: Morgan Kartchner

For a good portion of his childhood, Morgan Kartchner grew up on a small military base in Utah called Dugway Proving Grounds. Since there wasn’t much to do, he spent a good majority of his time at the gym. In high school, Morgan participated in almost everything available - cross-country, baseball, basketball, track, theater and band. By the time Morgan graduated high school, he had already completed his Associates Degree as well. He then went on to graduate from Utah State University with a Bachelor’s in Information Systems Management and now works as a Director of Engineering for one of the biggest websites on the Wasatch Front in Utah. Morgan and his lovely wife of 10 years have two beautiful children. Also, he loves Ice Cream.

Jun 24, 202028:19
Episode 6: Steven Jarvis
Jun 17, 202031:33
Episode 5: Judi Van Eperen: PART 2

Episode 5: Judi Van Eperen: PART 2

Judi  Van Eperen is a wife to Ray and mother to 5 children and one angel.   She lost her middle son to suicide in December 2017.  Her family, her  life, and her outlook have changed forever.  In honor of her son Chris  she strives to promote mental health and suicide awareness, perform  daily acts of kindness as he did, and encourage others to do the same.

Jun 10, 202031:04
Episode 4: Judi Van Eperen: PART 1

Episode 4: Judi Van Eperen: PART 1

Judi  Van Eperen is a wife to Ray and mother to 5 children and one angel.   She lost her middle son to suicide in December 2017.  Her family, her  life, and her outlook have changed forever.  In honor of her son Chris she strives to promote mental health and suicide awareness, perform  daily acts of kindness as he did, and encourage others to do the same.

Jun 03, 202032:51
Episode 3: William Brown
May 29, 202030:34
Episode 2: Jason Webb
May 29, 202037:26
Episode 1: Kell Bjorn Intro

Episode 1: Kell Bjorn Intro

This is an introductory episode describing my background and why I  believe the conversation of suicide and mental health needs to be more  open. I'm obviously not a professional by any means on this topic but  I'm passionate and curious and look forward to learning from others in  this journey.

May 26, 202017:39