What if the word we've been missing is soul exhaustion? Not burnout. Not depression. Something deeper - when the essence of who you are is tired. In this post, I share the conversation that changed how I think about suicide prevention, and the new workbook that's bringing this framework to life.
Awe isn’t just a beautiful feeling. It’s a powerful, science-backed way to calm your nervous system and shift your perspective. In this reflection, I share how revisiting a single awe-filled moment can move you out of stress and into connection, gratitude, and presence. It’s a simple, accessible tool for resilience — one you can use anytime you need to reset.
Our nervous systems respond to place in powerful, measurable ways. From the buzz of a city to the calm of home, the vastness of mountains, or the rhythm of the ocean, each environment shapes how our bodies settle, stimulate, or restore. In this reflection, Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas explores the psychology of place—and invites you to notice where your own nervous system can finally exhale.
The countdown is on for the 5th Annual Construction Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference — where construction meets courage, connection, and care. With leaders from across the industry gathering to turn awareness into real action, this year’s event promises powerful conversations, practical tools, and unforgettable moments of recognition, including a Flannel & Finery awards dinner and a keynote on addiction, mentorship, and mental wellness in construction.
When sexual trauma happens in the military, feelings of betrayal often emerge because the expectation is that those who serve alongside you are meant to protect, not harm you. The effects of this broken trust can be devastating. Given the social nature of the military and the likelihood that a victim of MST would have to continue to work or live near their assailant, the environment alone may create conditions for prolonged exposure, leaving an impact like that of on-going family violence...
Question: Is our hyper-focus on “safe messaging” getting in the way of “effective messaging”?...
For years, suicide prevention advocates have focused on “safe messaging,” a series of do’s and don’ts that emphasize help-seeking and discourage mentioning suicide details. The goal of these suggestions is to avoid triggering vulnerable people to over-identify with suicide as a way to escape their emotional pain. Many of these tips – like don’t glamorize or romanticize suicide --are beneficial, and we certainly don’t want our content to cause harm. But I and many others are starting to recognize that a single-minded focus on "safe messaging" may be getting in the way of us being effective in our communication....
"...When people become marginalized for whatever reason, they are often told that their experiences do not matter. Advocacy allows those who have suffered to publicly state, “This is who I am, this is how the dreams of mine and others like me have been systematically destroyed.”
Advocates can also paint a vision by saying, “This is how I see that change is possible.”
What do suicide prevention advocates do? Organized empowerment..."
...One example of a “caring for others” profession is veterinary medicine and animal welfare. Animal rescue professionals and veterinarians fit Thomas Joiner’s model of why people die by suicide: Constant exposure to death and feelings of hopelessness lead to an acquired ability for lethal self-injury, and they have access to lethal means in the form of drugs.
People are often drawn to the demanding professions because of their love of animals, but they soon discover that a large part of the job involves ending the lives of beloved pets and otherwise health animals. In fact, vets come face-to-face with death at five times the rate of physicians. Both veterinarians and animal rescue professionals are witness to the agonizing situation of pet owners choosing to have their companions euthanized because treatment is too expensive or too difficult or because breeding was uncontrolled and the family has become overwhelmed....
On February 27th, I resigned from a company I co-founded. A company named in honor of my brother who died of suicide. It was one of the biggest decisions in my life....
