‘We learn math and science in school so I would love to see a course on self-esteem and self-worth. Learning to love ourselves just makes for a kinder world.’

Babylon

“I thought perhaps my story could help someone out there who’s grieving. I lost my brother to suicide 10 years ago. One of my brother’s legacies is definitely his uniqueness. He was so fun and just an amazing person.

“The reason I wrote my memoir, “Worthy,” is that during my grieving process, I realized that my brother and I weren’t all that different. I had my own struggles around worthiness. I want people to know that they matter, and if I could somehow heal myself, which I have, and live my best life, that would be the best way to honor my brother.

“It took me many years to get to this point — 10 years to finish the book – and I have done a lot of the work that other people are doing right now. We are all worthy of an extraordinary life. When everything falls apart, we have the opportunity to redefine ourselves if we choose. Our mindset is such a powerful tool, and we can live from the perspective that life happens for us and not to us.

We need to be able to talk about the difficult things and be able to say when we’re not okay.

“When bad things happen, what are you going to do with it and how are you going to make the world better? I think it’s really important in this day and age to have these types of conversations. We need to be able to talk about the difficult things and be able to say when we’re not okay.

“This World Suicide Prevention Day and National Suicide Prevention Month are so timely and important this year because people are suffering. People have lost jobs; people have lost people and people are uncertain.

“Giving more education in schools around worthiness and value and inclusivity is something that we need. We learn math and science in school so I would love to see a course on self-esteem and self-worth. Learning to love ourselves just makes for a kinder world.”