Frank King is a Suicide Prevention and Postvention Public Speaker and Trainer. He is also a Corporate Comedian and was a writer for The Tonight Show for 20 years. Frank shares his battle with depression and suicidal thoughts on this week’s episode, and why it’s so important to seek help when you seem to be spiralling down. 

 

Key Takeaways:

• A little bit about Frank and how he got into suicide prevention.
• Suicide runs in Frank’s family. He and his mother found one of his family members that way.
• After Frank started speaking openly about it, it gave a lot of people comfort that they weren’t alone in these thoughts.
• Have suicidal thoughts in California? Frank shares how this state might end up punishing you. 
• Suicide is a three-legged stool; You isolate from friends and family, you believe you can actually kill yourself, and you feel like you’re a burden on people. 
• How did Frank get into speaking about suicide prevention? 
• It’s Frank’s mission to destigmatize what suicide/depression looks and feels like. 
• Everyone has a suicide story, but these stories all live in secret. 
• What was it like doing a TedTalk about suicide? 
• Suicide doesn’t have a gothic/emo look. It’s often much more silent than that. 
• Without the good, you need to have some of the bad to compare it to. 
• When Frank was at a low point in his career, he played ‘the grateful’ game everyday, where he listed what he was grateful for. It really helped him. 

 

Resources

Tendrilsofgrief.com

Email Susan: [email protected]

Frank on LinkedIn

Mentalhealthfirstaid.org