Dartanyon Crockett, 28, calls himself an underdog. He says he had three strikes against him growing up in the inner-city of Cleveland, Ohio: he was black, poor and physically limited. Having been severely near-sighted all his life, his mother died when he was 8, his father battled drug and alcohol addiction, and he grew up …
Category Archives: Suicide
091: Eli Brown: Entrepreneur Shines the Light On Mental Illness with his Inspirational Clothing Brand
Founder and CEO of the inspirational fashion brand ShineThe Light On, 25-year-old Eli Brown knows first-hand what it’s like to struggle with mental illness. An avid tennis player since the age of four he was so good that he later received a tennis scholarship to attend a prestigious university and compete with Team Canada. But …
090: Betty Jean Bell: When Doctors Told This Aspiring Opera Singer she Wouldn’t Sing Again, She Turned Her Adversity Into Being Badass
Betty Jean Bell wanted to be an opera singer since she was 4. I mean, not just dream about it—she truly had a gift. She actually began performing when she was 8. She had steep ambitions and clearly knew what she wanted to do all her life. But then tragedy struck when she was about …
084: Susie Reynolds Reece: Making the Topic of Suicide More Comfortable
Suicide prevention strategist, author and speaker Susie Reynolds Reece is trying to educate and spread awareness about the topic of suicide less and make is less uncomfortable to talk about. She says that if we’re more comfortable with the subject, then we’ll be able to help those who need support and also make it more …
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082: Tracey Maxfield: Why Escaping Depression Became a Gift
Tracey Maxfield suffered from severe depression. In her book, Escaping the Rabbit Hole: My Journey Through Depression, she describes how a ghost-like presence followed her, even whispered in her ear and told her all the ways she could do herself in. She called him DBS. DBS stands for Death by Suicide. Tracey says it was …
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080: Barry Martin: Finding an Answer to his Prayers on a Basketball Court, Overcoming Odds to Paying it Forward
Feeling abandoned and hopeless, 17-year-old Barry Martin prayed for help. Within a couple of minutes, he found a sign literally on a basketball court. Barry had a tough childhood–an abusive father and an addicted, neglectful mom. At age 10 he had to find odd jobs in order to buy food and clothes for him and …
077: Abby Hanneman: How Positive Affirmations and a Boogie Board Helped Stop Her From Committing Suicide
Transformational coach Abby Hanneman tells herself that she can do more to help others who are suffering from suicidal thoughts. She should know; Abby’s attempted suicide at least four times and has the scars on her arms to prove it. But since she’s learned to change her daily affirmations from hating life to loving it, …
058: Dan Zerin: How This Stand Up Comedian Uses his Tourette Syndrome as a Way to Raise Awareness in his Show
A manager at the only comedy club in Iceland, Dan Zerin found what he says a fun way to raise awareness about Tourette syndrome, a disorder where he began noticing having symptoms since he was a kid. Feeling like what he calls a “freak,” Dan says he didn’t know exactly what was going on with …
050: Jacqui Letran: How This Refugee and Teen Mom Became a Mindset Mentor and Award-Winning Author
Author Jacqui Letran shares the story of her and her family narrowly escaping Vietnam amidst gunfire and then running out of drinking water while adrift at sea in their escape boat. She also talks about her struggle between living a traditional culture at home while trying to assimilate to American life as a teenager. And …
048: Gabrielle Bergan: One Woman’s Journey From Darkness into the Light
Author Gabrielle Bergan talks about her memoir, Return to My Soul: My Journey from Darkness into the Light. She shares her years of struggle, including depression, an attempt at suicide, and her former belief that something was wrong with her. She explains she believes a part of it had to do with her relationship with …
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