Today I am sharing my thought-provoking conversation with mom and author A.S. King (aka Amy to friends).  She shares about her daughter Gracie who died by suicide in Dec. of 2018. She openly talks about the duality of being a public speaker who advocates for teen mental health and is a champion for teens' voices in general AND that she is also a mom who lost her child amidst her advocacy and openness...because suicide happens, 

Amy speaks her mind and this "tell-it-like-it-is" host thinks that is admirable. I wish more people were willing to have this type of unguarded, honest chat...there is a LOT to take away from today.

"A.S. King is an award-winning author for young people and is the recipient of the 2022 Margaret A Edwards award which recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world. Amy is a faculty member of the Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and spends many months of the year traveling the world speaking to high school and university students, educators, and humans who care about the mental health of young people. After more than a decade of living self-sufficiently and teaching literacy to adults in Ireland, she now lives in Pennsylvania." 

You will hear Amy and I talk about:

• The loss of her daughter Gracie to suicide in  Dec. 2018
• Our immense need for trauma-informed "everyone" in our world today
• Suicide is normal- how we create stigma where it needn't be 
• From banned books to banned mental health care initiatives - where we are getting it all wrong & the current climate we have is only making it worse!
• Suicide prevention may be "sexy" but why do suicide loss survivors understand it's NOT where our attention should be - the real path forward to less suicide
• Teenagers are real people who deserve real respect & not just be labeled & dismissed (& are often mostly smarter than us so-called grown-ups)
• There is so much more trauma to deal with than most will admit - we need to start listening and healing 

Learn more at www.as-king.com 
(P.S... that award-winning author part is serious - go buy her books, she's amazing!)

Find her on Social media - Instagram and Twitter

Find other good stuff and links here--->>> Good Stuff and Links
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If you, or someone you know, is struggling ww suicidal thoughts, reach out:
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