Suicide is shrouded in silence and stigma. In this special series devoted to widening our circle of empathy for people who often feel marginalized or misunderstood, watch this unforgettable episode featuring Dese’Rae L. Stage, a suicidologist, therapist, artist, and founder of Live Through This.

After multiple suicide attempts, Dese’Rae transformed her lived experience into a groundbreaking storytelling project that’s changing the way we think and talk about suicide. 

Together, we discuss:

• How to shift our culture’s perception and response to suicidal ideation

• How storytelling reduces stigma and fosters community

• The importance of legitimizing lived experience with mental health

• Why empathy, safe spaces, and mutual aid are vital to supporting people in crisis

• The role of creativity, somatic practices and vulnerability in healing

  
  

If you’ve ever wondered how to help break the silence around suicide and create a world where people feel less alone in their pain, this conversation will inspire you.

00:00 Preview

01:17 Introduction 

02:17 About Dese’Rae L. Stage

05:09 Dese’s backstory

09:20 How to talk to someone having suicidal thoughts

13:56 How to start a conversation about suicide

17:48 Why do some people struggle to ask for help?

22:16 Ways to demonstrate empathy in community

24:18 Today’s leading suicide drivers

31:24 The power of somatic practices in releasing stored trauma

35:24 How does Dese’Rae turn pain into hope?

40:51 How motherhood has shaped Dese’Rae’s struggle with suicidal ideation?

42:53 Dese’Rae Stage’s Purposeful Empathy story

CONNECT WITH ANITA

✩ Email [email protected] 

✩ Website https://www.anitanowak.com

✩ Buy a copy of Purposeful Empathy http://tiny.cc/PurposefulEmpathyCA

✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitanowak/

✩ Instagram https://tinyurl.com/anitanowakinstagram

✩ Podcast Audio https://tinyurl.com/PurposefulEmpathyPodcast

✩ Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/anitanowak.bsky.social

CONNECT WITH DESE

✩ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/deseraestage/ 

SHOW NOTES

✩ Dese’s project, Live Through This https://livethroughthis.org

✩ Three Swords Therapy https://threeswordstherapy.com 

✩ Lisa Miller’s Research https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9-d98PaRG0 

✩ Somatic Healing https://www.scribd.com/document/749045218/Somatic-Healing 

Video edited by Jad Misri,  Green Horizon Studio