It’s been over ten years since I began my journey into suicide prevention. 

It’s strange to take that statement in and really consider what it means. 

When I started doing this work, all I knew was that I didn’t want others to feel alone or ashamed of their suicide experience like I had when I was a child and young adult. I’ll never forget the first community meeting I attended and how out of my depth I felt. But, Janet McAdams and many others saw something in me. Maybe it was that I was younger, maybe it was that others had so much going on already, maybe it was capability or passion. I don’t know exactly what it was, but I’ll always be grateful that she insisted I be the chair of that coalition. 

As a young community member who was passionate and led with my suicide-centered lived experience, it was challenging to navigate community need and learn what best practices were and how they should be practically applied. I read and watched everything I could. My days and nights were spent consuming every bit of knowledge and trying to find my way forward. I felt this drive to be knowledgeable so the community I loved could trust that I knew what I was talking about. I wanted to help and do what would be successful. Some of the things we did weren’t helpful, but many of the efforts we worked on were. I’ll never forget that work; it shaped me into who the suicide prevention leader am today.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) was one of the first places I found myself coming back to time and again to do a better job of preventing suicide. I have read, learned, or applied nearly every tool, strategy, or approach that SPRC developed or supported over the years. I explored other organizations and content too, even becoming a certified trainer in just about every program, but SPRC’s content was reliable, accessible, and based in best practice. So, finding myself invited to join this organization was such a colossal moment in my career. It is literally my job now to be involved in every project and help shape effective suicide prevention. I could never have imagined that when I was frantically learning as much as humanly possible.

When I stepped into the role of Director of Lived Experience Initiatives at SPRC, I wanted to continue to lead from my lived experience. I wanted to remember all the personal narratives that have been shared with me by colleagues, acquaintances, and more so from people who hold such meaning in my heart and life. I wanted to ensure that the work I have the privilege of leading represents those of us who have been deeply impacted, and that I never lose sight of how important it is for me to continue listening, learning, and making space for each of our needs. 

This brings me to today, and a project I have been eager to share for some time now. Our soon-to-be forthcoming video content, the Foundations of Lived Experience, is deeply important to me. For years, I wished I could see the people who were leading the type of work I was also doing. I wanted to learn and grow from those who proudly walked the path of being a lived experience professional before me, but unfortunately, this wasn’t something that had been outlined in one space. In particular, I wanted to hear from their expertise. What worked? What didn’t? What was it like to be a professional with lived experience? What advice would you have for someone like me? What challenges have you overcome in your professional role?

I had to piecemeal so much together and learn unforgettably difficult lessons along the way. I was lucky to have a supportive community around me, but sometimes you are desperate for some lessons learned and not just hard learned lessons. This video introduces the leaders who were there and who continued and continued and continue still to advocate for the necessity of lived experience. It features a bit of the work we are currently leading at SPRC and how we hope to reshape the field to reflect those of us who have been through it, the “it” being suicide. 

I pray this video will be beneficial to those who, like me, lead with their lived experience and want to know the hearts who made this work possible. I am immensely thankful that my work has grown to allow me to serve in the way I do now. I didn’t know where I was heading when I started. I only knew that I wanted to serve and build my work around best practices that centered lived experiences. As it should be. 

I hope you find some value in the content we will be sharing over the next few weeks, but more than that, I hope you’ll connect and lend your insights to this work. Being able to do this work means everything to me. I hope I can continue to serve, and I hope that each of you who knows me sees the impact you’ve had in how this work is unfolding. 

We need you. 

The world needs you and this work does, too. 

You are not alone. We are here. 

In deep gratitude,

Susie 

Coming Early August 2025: The Foundations of Experience produced by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and Modern Epic

_{Note: The views and content shared on this website are my own and do not represent the views or official positions of my employer or any organizations with which I am affiliated. All content reflects my personal insights, experiences, and perspectives.}