The truth is that we lose someone to suicide every 45 seconds. It impacts every community on the planet. Suicide isn’t a bad word. We can and should talk about it because talking about it is how we quell stigma and silence the shame that has latched on to it for ages. Suicide has impacted and will impact so many. There are those we’ve lost to suici…

Whether it’s our own perceptions or what the media has designated, when it comes to fashion and clothing choices, we make quick assumptions based on what someone is wearing. All black? You must be emotional or depressed or troubled. Bright and light? You must be carefree and happy. We see people’s mental well-being placed into boxes based on what’s…

The term “therapy desert” is relatively new. Or at least, many people are learning about it for the first time. Because while talking about and even going to therapy has become way less stigmatized over the course of the last three years, there are still places without the resources, necessary infrastructure (like internet access and public transpo…

Even before social media and influencers, celebrity culture has permeated our senses through magazines, billboards, advertisements, TV shows, and movies. We’re told what is and isn’t attractive or desired when it comes to the way we look on the outside. And now, with technology at our fingertips, with filters on nearly every image our eyes take in,…

Mental Health Month is upon us and we’re in the midst of our Show Up For Yourself campaign which focuses on finding 20 minutes a day to care for things that relate to your heart, mind, body, and community. This can look like gentle movement, calling a friend, journaling, and deep breathing. While we’re putting an emphasis on small, accessible, and …

Burnout. You’ve probably heard the term over the course of the last few years in regard to work, the pandemic, and the general state of the world. According to Psychology Today, burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. Though it’s most often caused by things at work, it can a…

Season six is officially upon us and we’re excited for a number of reasons. First, we’re going to have the joy of talking to more To Write Love folks and holding in-person conversations. Second, the topics we’re diving into might feel a bit more culturally relevant. We’ll get into the mental health assumptions made based on the way someone dresses,…

Being vulnerable is no easy task. Sharing our pain and fears and struggles can make us feel exposed, weak, and susceptible to others’ criticisms. Add in our own personal stigmas against things like therapy and vulnerability, and getting honest ends up being one heck of a challenge. Today, we have the honor and pleasure of talking to singer-songwrit…

How we talk about, approach, and care for suicide is a pretty big deal. Suicide is a tragic and intense topic, and it’s also a very real and human-centered topic. That’s why we want to explore the ways in which we can reframe and change how we address it in a more compassionate sense—and how we, on a person-to-person level, can care for ourselves, …

In 2018, after Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain died by suicide, Deanna Zandt felt compelled to address the words of encouragement others were offering those in the midst of a mental struggle. That piece is titled “Why ‘you are loved’ & ‘please reach out’ are crappy things to post after someone has died by suicide” and it explores the way in which o…

Just say no. Drugs are whack. Recognize, Resist, Report. These phrases stem from programs and campaigns and political agendas that ultimately hurt the United States and its people. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program or DARE filled schools in the 90s—and while overall being deemed ineffective, it continues today asking youth to take pledges…

Eating Disorders are a human experience. They don’t play favorites or stick to a certain stereotype. They are often ways a person seeks out safety or control amidst a traumatic or trying time. And they rarely begin straight out of the gate as a diagnosable eating disorder and rather a coping mechanism through which disordered eating and an ultimate…

Maybe you look forward to the solitude that comes after a long day of work or spending the weekends in nature with your dog. Maybe you find energy and comfort in game nights with friends or love the opportunity to meet new people. Or, perhaps you find yourself best suited somewhere in the middle—reading books in the company of a loved one. But how …

Borderline Personality Disorder. It has been deemed a heavy diagnosis. One that has been linked to characteristics such as manipulative, self-destructive, unstable, selfish, and untreatable. It is described as involving patterns of wavering interpersonal relationships, a distorted sense of self, and emotional reactions that are characterized as int…

In today’s episode, through a question and answer session, we dive into the topic of rest. Rest in the form of actual sleep, rest from our jobs, from school, from social interactions, and rest, even from the work that our healing and recovery requires of us. In a heavily digitized world, we are often expected and asked to be engaged—or at least ava…

Mindfulness. It’s become a bit of a buzzword. But boiling it down to a single word does it a bit of disservice. Mindfulness can take the shape of various forms of meditation, yoga practices, immersing ourselves in nature, noticing our breath, or tapping into our senses. But how does mindfulness, and all the avenues it involves, intersect with menta…

Candance wrote, “Parts of my brain continually struggle for power while others retreat completely. But no matter what’s been taken—time, control, hope for the future—it’s never too late to start anew.” Bianca said, “Every day I learn new things about how my OCD manifests, and I am figuring out in real-time what that means for my relationships, heal…

The topic of this episode is rather specific. It’s something we haven’t addressed on the podcast until now and have only briefly explored elsewhere. It’s something that carries a heavy stigma and the weight of expectation. It’s something that impacts 20% of people who are pregnant or give birth. We’re talking about perinatal—that’s before, during, …

Self-injury appears in the TWLOHA mission statement. It’s something we work to destigmatize and to present hope and healing for those who struggle with it. But in today’s episode, we’re talking about what it means to be the parent, friend, partner, or loved one of someone who engages in non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors. What so many people nee…

In the premiere episode of season five, we’re addressing the topic of grief. Contrary to popular belief, grief comes in many forms, it impacts people in varying ways, and it does not have to stem from the loss of a loved one. Grief is the thing that we feel and experience in the absence of something or someone we love—a pet, a relationship, a paren…

In the final episode of season four and to close out the Another Day With You campaign, we talk to someone who attempted suicide at the age of 27 and went on to write a book inspired by his own experience. That person is author Bill Konigsberg and that book is The Bridge. In our conversation, you’ll hear about Bill’s chronic, untreated depression w…

When the pandemic altered nearly every part of daily life, we wondered what it would mean for those struggling, for those currently fighting to stay alive. A mental health crisis already existed and the pandemic only made it more glaringly obvious. The collective trauma and loss nearly doubled the number of people having thoughts of suicide and exp…

When the pandemic altered nearly every part of daily life, we wondered what it would mean for those struggling, for those currently fighting to stay alive. A mental health crisis already existed and the pandemic only made it more glaringly obvious. The collective trauma and loss nearly doubled the number of people having thoughts of suicide and exp…

When the pandemic altered nearly every part of daily life, we wondered what it would mean for those struggling, for those currently fighting to stay alive. A mental health crisis already existed and the pandemic only made it more glaringly obvious. The collective trauma and loss nearly doubled the number of people having thoughts of suicide and exp…

July is BIPOC Mental Health Month in the US. It exists to “bring awareness to the unique struggles that underrepresented groups face regarding mental illness” in this country. While mental health challenges impact humans regardless of race, body size, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status, and so on, we also recognize that racism, coloni…

July is BIPOC Mental Health Month in the US. It exists to “bring awareness to the unique struggles that underrepresented groups face regarding mental illness” in this country. While mental health challenges impact humans regardless of race, body size, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status, and so on, we also recognize that racism, coloni…

Research shows that the LGBTQ+ community is almost three times more likely than others to experience a mental health condition such as major depression or generalized anxiety disorder. And, LGBTQ+ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide, experience suicidal thoughts or engage in self-harm than heterosexual and cis-gendered people. This …

May is Mental Health Month in the US. This month is a chance for us to continue combating the stigma that keeps far too many silent. It’s a chance for us to tell and to highlight stories of lesser-known challenges. It’s a chance to declare a few statements we believe to be Black and White. In the third and final episode of the Black & White Miniser…

May is Mental Health Month in the US. This month is a chance for us to continue combating the stigma that keeps far too many silent. It’s a chance for us to tell and to highlight stories of lesser-known challenges. It’s a chance to declare a few statements we believe to be Black and White. In the second episode of the Black & White Miniseries, host…

For the last four years, TWLOHA’s Black and White campaign has happened every May. Why May? Well, May is Mental Health Month in the US. This month is a chance for us to continue combating the stigma that keeps far too many silent. It’s a chance for us to tell and to highlight stories of lesser-known challenges. It’s a chance to declare a few statem…

On this episode of the TWLOHA Podcast, we’re exploring the theme of normalizing mental health professionals both giving and receiving help. Counselors, therapists, psychologists—they’re often a saving grace for many. They provide wisdom and guidance and a safe space for us to lay bare our struggles. But beneath the titles, the offices, the knowledg…

On this special episode of the TWLOHA Podcast, we’re celebrating 15 years of hope and help on the organization’s birthday—along with the upcoming release of our daily-use self-care app called The Hopeful! In the first half, founder Jamie Tworkowski discusses the movement’s unexpected inception and shares some of his favorite memories, and TWLOHA’s …

On this episode of the TWLOHA Podcast, we’re discussing Bipolar Disorder, a mental health experience that by no means receives as much airtime or attention as others tend to. And yet, it's something so many people deal with day in and day out, it’s something we know is relevant to so many of you. Bipolar Disorder is a chronic illness—meaning it has…

In this episode of the TWLOHA podcast, we’re discussing self-injury. It is perhaps one of the least talked about mental health challenges. You might be wondering why that is, and we think the reason can be wrapped up into a single word: stigma. While conversations about mental health have progressed a great deal over the course of the last few year…

Eating disorders are a leading cause of death when it comes to mental illnesses, only second to opioid overdose. Nearly 30 million people in the U.S. will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime. They can and do affect people of every age, sexuality, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic group, and with proper professional car…

The calendar ending and beginning anew represents a clean slate of sorts. While there is value in the hopefulness of setting resolutions, we want to talk about the complicated reality of how resolutions impact relapse and recovery when it comes to alcohol abuse, addiction, and even self-injury. In the premiere episode of season four, host Chad Mose…

On today’s episode we’ll be sharing some recommended listening from our friends at Lemonada Media. We’re inviting you to take a listen to the first episode of Season 2 of the Last Day podcast. “We open Season 2 of Last Day with a tale of two Kevins. One is Sergeant Kevin Briggs, also known as the guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge. The other is Kev…

In the final episode of Season 3, we honor World Mental Health Day (October 10) by talking with people from five different countries across the globe about the ways in which mental health plays a role in everyone’s lives no matter where they live. From New Zealand to India and the UK, we reflect on the progress made and the work that still needs to…

In this episode, we hear from photographer and outdoor adventure enthusiast, Gretchen Powers. At the start of her journey with mental health, Gretchen believed that staying active and spending time outside were the keys to maintaining her well-being. But after years of battling waves of depression and anxiety, she found that her toolkit was missing…

In this special episode, host Chad Moses is joined by artists Trevor Christensen (Said The Sky) and Bryan Sammis (Olivver The Kid) to premiere a brand new song in honor of the #WorthLivingFor campaign. Following the premiere, Trevor and Bryan stick around to talk about the ways in which music has brought purpose and heartfelt connection into their …

In this episode, host Chad Moses is joined by writer and mental health advocate Jamie Agresta to continue the #WorthLivingFor conversation. Together, they explore the topic of suicidal ideation and finding purpose even in the heavy moments. Jamie speaks candidly about her firsthand experience with suicidal ideation, where she’s found hope along the…

In this episode, TWLOHA Director of Outreach Chad Moses and Licensed Mental Health Counselor Denny Kolsch continue the #WorthLivingFor conversation by teaming up to address your questions about mental healthcare, how we can make resources more accessible, and the process of finding a counselor that’s the best match for you. Far too often, when peop…

In this episode, host Chad Moses is joined by animator, illustrator, and mental health advocate Steve Nguyen to talk about being a survivor of suicide loss and the #WorthLivingFor campaign. Steve opens up about losing both his significant other and a friend just days apart while in college and how he faced processing anger, guilt, and the questions…

In this episode, we wrap up our storytelling series on the podcast with the help of published author Jessica Morris. Through sharing her experience with depression and anxiety, Jessica explores the fear of not being worthy and how she found the courage to live in the present moment. And later in the episode, Jessica is joined by host Chad Moses to …

In this episode, we continue our new series on the podcast that focuses on the power of storytelling with the help of authors who originally had their stories published on the TWLOHA blog. Today, we’re hearing from and talking to Alicia Gillman about her experience living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and the …

In this episode, we continue our new series on the podcast that focuses on the power of storytelling with the help of authors who originally had their stories published on the TWLOHA blog. Today, we’re hearing from Elizabeth Wilder, a member of the TWLOHA staff, who shares a vivid snapshot into her experience with the ebbs and flows of depression. …

In this episode, we kick off a new series on the podcast that focuses on the power of storytelling with the help of authors who originally had their stories published on the TWLOHA blog. Today, we’re hearing from Bianca Mujica, who talks about her journey with disordered eating. In the second half of the episode, she and host Lindsay Kolsch discuss…

In this episode, we listen to and hear from EbonyJanice Moore, a womanist scholar, author, activist, and the founder of Black Girl Mixtape—a platform that creates sacred space to celebrate the voices and wisdom of Black women. She talks about the importance of honoring her rage while cultivating joy and making space for rest, and the ways in which …

In this episode, we listen to and hear from Krys Marshall, an actress currently starring in the AppleTV+ show For All Mankind, and author, artist, and girl dad Joél Leon. They talk about their experiences with systemic racism, their mental health journeys, and the barriers Black communities face when seeking help. They also share their hopes for so…

In the fourth and final episode of this year’s Black and White Miniseries, TWLOHA's Director of Outreach Chad Moses is joined by artist and long-time friend Levi The Poet. Together they explore the last statement of the campaign: “No One Else Can Play Your Part” and talk about how oftentimes they find themselves believing these words for others whi…