Before You Kill Yourself: a suicide prevention podcast.

In this episode, we explore the idea that meaning often comes after action. Inspired by a lyric from Robyn’s new album Sexistential, we unpack the difference between therapy, philosophy, poetry, and relationships — and why artists, rappers, writers, and improvisers often don’t fully understand what they’re creating until after it’s made.We discuss why overthinking can block transformation, how freestyle rap reveals unconscious truth, and why some of life’s deepest insights can only be discovered through participation rather than analysis.Topics include:Therapy vs existential sufferingWhy philosophy answers different questions than psychologyFreestyling, flow states, and unconscious creativityCarl Jung, Sartre, Kierkegaard, and existentialismWhy meaning is often retrospectiveThe danger of waiting for certainty before taking actionRelationships as the ultimate test of self-awareness“You live your way into new thoughts”Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to reduce your psychological pain, regain your purpose and forge your own path, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help:In the US: Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.Gambling Addiction: 1-800-GAMBLER

In this episode, we explore why mystery isn’t something to eliminate from life — it may be the very thing that keeps us moving, connecting, hoping, and growing. Beginning with a two-year mystery involving peanut shells appearing outside a house, the conversation expands into relationships, neuroscience, detective stories, fear, curiosity, and the courage to enter the unknown.Topics include:Why humans are drawn to mysteries, whodunits, crosswords, and haunted housesThe psychology of curiosity and how uncertainty activates the brainWhy new relationships feel electric and emotionally aliveThe difference between healthy mystery and painful uncertaintyHow “let’s find out” can become a philosophy for livingWhy certainty can sometimes lead to boredom, paralysis, or emotional deadnessReflections on rejection, risk-taking, creativity, science, and wonderThe idea that hope only exists when the future remains unwrittenMysteries(Listen) Mistletoe Murders: https://shorturl.at/qftcN(Read) Fresh Water For Flowers: https://shorturl.at/mcjtL(Watch) Chestnut Man: https://shorturl.at/R5qxKThrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to reduce your psychological pain, regain your purpose and forge your own path, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help:In the US: Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

How do we cope with the mental, emotional and physical pain? Survivors of lightning strikes and electrical shocks have lessons for us.Key coping mechanisms: salt packetssaunamassagegroup therapymindset shiftThrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to reduce your psychological pain, regain your purpose and forge your own path, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help:In the US: Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.Gambling Addiction: 1-800-GAMBLER

What if feeling trapped isn’t about having a bad life—but about having a life that leaves no room for you? Using Odysseus and The Odyssey, I explore the idea that sometimes we can have love, security, success, and comfort while still feeling profoundly disconnected from ourselves.Why Odysseus rejects Calypso’s version of paradiseHow your greatest strengths can become sources of sufferingThe difference between wanting your life to end and wanting your current life to changeWhy boredom, burnout, and entrapment can be signs of lost agencyHow asking “Where do I get to be myself?” can become a first step toward finding a way forwardThrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to reduce your psychological pain, regain your purpose and forge your own path, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help:In the US: Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.Gambling Addiction: 1-800-GAMBLER

When a boss’s email, meeting request, or tone of feedback feels disproportionately intense, it may not be about the present moment alone. For many people, workplace dynamics can quietly reactivate older emotional patterns tied to childhood experiences of criticism, invisibility, powerlessness, or conditional approval. This episode explores how that happens—and how to recognize when the nervous system is responding to the past, not just the job.In this episode:Why authority figures at work can unconsciously resemble early caregiversHow simple workplace feedback can trigger shame, fear, or collapseThe role of childhood experiences in shaping adult stress responsesWhy “professionalism” can sometimes override emotional self-protectionHow to tell the difference between present-day feedback and old emotional memoryWhat it means to stay grounded when the body reacts before the mind can interpretThrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to reduce your psychological pain, regain your purpose and forge your own path, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help:In the US: Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

When intrusive thoughts feel like a war zone, the goal isn’t to defeat every thought—it’s to establish a ceasefire. Just as peace agreements are more likely to hold when neutral third parties monitor them, our mental peace is more sustainable when therapists, friends, journals, or mindfulness practices help us observe thoughts without escalating them.Key Takeaways: Intrusive thoughts can feel like repeated violations of an internal ceasefire.A neutral third party helps monitor, interpret, and de-escalate mental conflict.Therapists, trusted friends, journaling, and meditation can serve as peacekeepers.The goal is not to eliminate thoughts, but to prevent them from triggering emotional retaliation.Healing comes from creating distance between the thought and the response.Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to reduce your psychological pain, regain your purpose and forge your own path, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help:In the US: Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

Hope is often mistaken for a feeling of optimism, but for many people it looks much quieter: the decision to stay alive and keep going even when nothing feels certain. In this episode, we explore how hope is less about feeling inspired and more about choosing, day after day, to remain open to the possibility that life can change. Sometimes the most meaningful act is not thriving—it’s surviving.Key TakeawaysHope is not a mood; it is a decision.You do not need certainty to keep going.Survival is a meaningful achievement.Choosing “one more day” is an act of courage.Staying alive preserves the possibility of connection, healing, and purpose.Quiet hope often sounds like: “I’m not done yet.”Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to reduce your psychological pain, regain your purpose and forge your own path, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help:In the US: Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

Why do some men spend an afternoon talking about sports, parenting, and work, only to drive home listening to The National or James Blake and cry a little? In this episode, we explore the hidden loneliness of “good” conversations and why being around people isn’t always the same as feeling seen.In this episode, we discuss:Why men can feel lonely even after spending time with friendsThe difference between proximity and true emotional intimacyWhy tears often show up in the privacy of the carHow masculine social norms keep conversations safe but shallowThe grief of almost feeling connectedSmall ways to make friendships 10% more honest and meaningfulWhy authentic connection is one of the strongest protective factors against suicide Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to reduce your psychological pain, regain your purpose and forge your own path, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help:In the US: Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

What happens after you finish the thing that gave your life structure and meaning? Whether it's writing a book, raising kids, winning a championship, or completing a major goal, the end of one chapter often leaves us feeling empty. In this episode, I explore why that emptiness isn't a sign that something is wrong, but a signal that you're ready to be challenged by life in a new way.In this episode, I discuss:Why achievement often leads to a surprising sense of emptinessThe difference between rest, recovery, and restlessnessThe psychology of the “arrival fallacy”Why the brain thrives on pursuit more than possessionHow purpose gives shape to our discomfortWhy misery is trying to recreate the pastHow to become “unhappy in a whole new way”Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to reduce your psychological pain, regain your purpose and forge your own path, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help:In the US: Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.

In this episode, I explore a simple but powerful idea: most of us aren’t actually chasing happiness — we’re trying to feel less miserable. When happiness becomes the goal, we overthink, compare, and pressure ourselves to feel a certain way. But when we shift the focus to reducing unnecessary suffering, life becomes more manageable, grounded, and sustainable.Instead of asking “How do I feel amazing?” we ask, “What’s making life heavier than it needs to be?”Key takeaways:Why pursuing happiness can increase rumination and pressureHow high emotional expectations make normal days feel like failuresThe difference between happiness (a spike) and contentment (a baseline)How reducing cognitive load lowers day-to-day miseryTurning rumination into small, actionable movementFocusing on 1–3 priorities instead of overwhelming to-do listsChoosing meaningful connection over constant self-optimizationLowering the goal from “feel great” to “feel manageable”This episode isn’t about forced positivity. It’s about relief, proportion, and creating a life that feels lighter — not perfect.Thrive With Leo Coaching: If you want to reduce your psychological pain, regain your purpose and forge your own path, go to www.thrivewithleo.com to begin your journey.If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help:In the US: Crisis Text Line: Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential crisis counseling. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 or 988The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386Outside the US:International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.