What if suicidal thoughts are not something to fear or hide, but something to understand differently?

 In every corner of our society, suicidal thoughts are treated like shameful secrets. They are ignored, stigmatized, and kept silently in the shadows. But avoiding difficult conversations, like these, has not been helpful. Suicidal thinking is only one example of the many hard, emotional realities we tend to try and bury hoping they just go away. But if we thought about them differently, we would no longer have to carry our pain and struggle alone, isolating ourselves.

 I chose to write this book in context of suicidal thinking because it represents one of the most severe, urgent, and prevalent challenges of our time. By demonstrating how these communication principles can hold steady under the weight of some of the hardest conversations we may face, readers can be more confident to apply them in any conversation, especially the ones we often avoid.

As a psychotherapist and educator, I am inviting us to rethink the way we talk to ourselves and to one another. I am encouraging us to view suicidal thoughts through a different lens and to understand how awareness, language, and connection can transform our relationships even during our darkest moments.

Tell Me More: Humanizing Suicidal Thoughts deals directly with the topic of suicidal thinking. However, the tools provided can be used in any context. This book is a guide for anyone who has who has experienced pain, conflict, or relational strain, no matter which side of the conversation we may find ourselves on. It offers tools that strengthen communication, deepen understanding, and create psychological safety in even the most delicate or emotionally charged conversations.

Tell Me More is an invitation to boldly shift how we think and talk. It is about breaking the silence not just around suicide, but around the difficult feelings and situations we all face. It replaces fear and stigma with language, dignity, and a practical path forward. When we can learn how to be part of the hardest conversations, we learn how to build connection in every conversation.

Its purpose is simple and urgent: To give every one of us the confidence to talk about what truly matters to not lose one more. #NotOneMore.

Interview Questions

1. What inspired you to write Tell Me More: Humanizing Suicidal Thoughts?
2. What do you mean by “humanizing suicidal thoughts?”
3. You challenge the idea that suicidal thoughts always mean someone wants to die. Can you explain that distinction?
4. How do toxic thoughts factor into suicidal thinking, and what happens when we start recognizing them for what they are?
5. How does language, the words we use, help or harm people struggling with these thoughts?
6. Why do you think people are afraid to have conversations about suicide, and how can we move past that fear?
7. How can someone respond when a friend or family member opens up about suicidal thoughts, especially if they don’t know what to say?
8. What do schools and communities need to do differently to create spaces where these conversations can happen safely?
9. How has your own understanding of pain, change, and resilience shaped this message?
10. You have spoken about toxic thoughts and the importance of confronting them. What is one toxic thought you hear about most often?
11. If someone listening right now is struggling, what’s one thing you would want them to hear from you?
12. What do you hope changes in how society views and talks about suicidal thinking after this book?