Grief is a complex emotion, and for many people, it can often be accompanied by feelings like shame or guilt. But grief can also co-exist with positive emotions like joy — and that’s okay. Everyone grieves differently, and grief can look different from moment to moment. It can also be a motivator to take action.

In today’s episode of Strong Talk, passionate mental health advocateApril Simpkins opens up to host Vic Armstrong about losing her daughter, former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, to suicide. April shares her difficult and inspiring journey through loss, which included shame, guilt, and even reclaiming experiences of joy along the way. She also discusses turning her pain into purpose by publishing her late daughter’s posthumous memoir framed with her own perspective as a mother, founding the Cheslie C. Kryst Foundation, and becoming the CEO of Paragon Strategy Partners, an HR consulting firm with a focus on mental well-being in the workplace.

Check out April Simpkins and Cheslie C. Kryst’s book By the Time You Read This here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/By-the-Time-You-Read-This/April-Simpkins/9781637633007

To learn more about AFSP, visit afsp.org

The podcast is produced by Hueman Group Media.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the interviewees and do not reflect the positions or opinions of the producers or any affiliated organizations.

Mental health conversations are becoming more common in the Black community, but systemic barriers still limit access to care.

In this Black History Month episode, host Vic Armstrong speaks with Shahem McLaurin — a Black, genderqueer, licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and influencer — about the root causes of mental health disparities, and how a strong community can solve them.

Shahem also shares their journey through graduate school, where they confronted the inequities baked into social work, and turned an insult into a brand: Dr. Durag.

To learn more about Shahem, visit https://www.5hahem.com

To learn more about AFSP, visit https://afsp.org

The podcast is produced by Hueman Group Media.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the interviewees and do not reflect the positions or opinions of the producers or any affiliated organizations.

When parents and children are raised in different cultures, they often have very different relationships with mental health—a generational gap that can make communication and understanding difficult. In this episode, host Vic Armstrong speaks with three members of UCA WAVES Youth Mental Health Collaborative, an organization dedicated to bridging these divides in AAPI communities.

Dr. Lily Chen is a first-generation Chinese immigrant, public health nurse, and mother of five who founded UCA WAVES based on the mental health struggles she experienced and observed in her community.

Dr. Jennifer Tu is a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow at UCLA and secretary of the UCA WAVES board. Her passion for mental health advocacy was sparked by the loss of a friend to suicide during college.

Naialie Lor is a pre-nursing student at UNC Chapel Hill, majoring in medical anthropology and a former summer intern at UCA WAVES. She brings the perspective of second-generation AAPI youth navigating cultural expectations and generational differences.

In this roundtable discussion, they share their own experiences, explore the unique mental health challenges facing AAPI communities, and discuss how UCA WAVES is using both data and storytelling to solve them

To learn more about AFSP, visit https://afsp.org

The podcast is produced by Hueman Group Media.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the interviewees and do not reflect the positions or opinions of the producers or any affiliated organizations.

If you’ve been on social media lately, you’ll notice more and more mental health professionals sharing advice. And while much of it is helpful, it raises an important question: where’s the line between content and care?

Today, Vic sits down with Shani Tran, a licensed professional clinical counselor, author, and content creator, to explore this phenomenon. In their conversation, Shani shares how she started posting on social media, the significant boundaries between her real and online self, and why none of the mental health content on social media counts as therapy.

Check out The Shani Project at: https://www.theshaniproject.com

To learn more about AFSP, visit https://afsp.org

The podcast is produced by Hueman Group Media.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the interviewees and do not reflect the positions or opinions of the producers or any affiliated organizations.

The podcast is produced by Hueman Group Media.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the interviewees and do not reflect the positions or opinions of the producers or any affiliated organizations.

Do you know how many teenagers use AI chatbots for companionship? It’s more than you think. Today, Robbie Torney, Senior Director of AI Programs at Common Sense Media, tells us about his research and why his organization rates the use of chatbots by teens as "unacceptably risky,” in part due to cases that have led to suicide. He also shares practical advice for parents who want their kids to maintain a healthy relationship with AI chatbots.

Check out Common Sense Media’s most recent risk assessment on AI chatbots here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ai-ratings/ai-chatbots-for-mental-health-support

To learn more about AFSP, visit https://afsp.org

The podcast is produced by Hueman Group Media.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the interviewees and do not reflect the positions or opinions of the producers or any affiliated organizations.

We’ve all heard the saying: “men don’t cry.” In today's Elevating Voices roundtable, we hear from three men who prove that being vulnerable and showing emotion is not only acceptable, but healthy.

Dan Egan, who lost his father to suicide, sits on AFSP’s National Loss & Healing Council; Anthony Gaddy, a passionate guitar player, is the President and CEO of the Upstate New York Black Chamber of Commerce; and Eh Doji Kyi is a recent college graduate who encourages other male students to share their feelings.

Each of these men come from different backgrounds and generations, but they share a safe space called Brotherhood United, where they can open up, ask for help and shed some tears with other men. It sounds simple, but as you’ll hear, the results are transformative.

To learn more about AFSP, visit https://afsp.org

The podcast is produced by Hueman Group Media.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the interviewees and do not reflect the positions or opinions of the producers or any affiliated organizations.

The podcast is produced by Hueman Group Media.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the interviewees and do not reflect the positions or opinions of the producers or any affiliated organizations.

A few years ago, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman learned that a growing number of young, Black people were dying by suicide. To learn more, she and the Congressional Black Caucus empowered a working group of experts to publish a landmark report titled “Ring the Alarm: The Crisis of Black Youth Suicide in America.” Today, we discuss its findings and recommendations for supporting young Black people’s mental health.

You can read the report at https://watsoncoleman.house.gov/suicidetaskforce

To learn more about AFSP, visit https://afsp.org

The podcast is produced by Hueman Group Media.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the interviewees and do not reflect the positions or opinions of the producers or any affiliated organizations.

When Dr. Jill started researching suicide 40 years ago, the consensus in the scientific community was that suicide could not be prevented. Now we know that this is false. In this episode, Dr. Jill and AFSP Senior Manager of Research and Dissemination Chris Munden discuss some of the research that has shown suicide may be prevented, at least sometimes, and they also share some of the practical methods that may help someone in a crisis.

Check out Chris’ TikToks at tiktok.com/@afspnational

If you have a question you’d like to hear discussed on the show, please submit it here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2wy8RwP5bwy2FG5KVRTYYtdtiucvtBCX47XvuWM0OG9Svhg/viewform

To learn more about AFSP, visit afsp.org

The podcast is produced by Hueman Group Media.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the interviewees and do not reflect the positions or opinions of the producers or any affiliated organizations.