When tragedy struck, H. Reese Butler II transformed his grief into action, founding 1-800-SUICIDE, the nation’s first networked suicide prevention hotline. More than twenty years later, his vision has connected millions to life-saving help and Hope. In this moving conversation, Reese shares the light-bulb moment that began it all, the obstacles he faced building a lifeline before “mental health awareness” was mainstream, and the lessons he’s learned from a lifetime dedicated to saving others.

About Reese Butler:

After losing his wife, Kristin Brooks Rossell, to suicide on April 7th, 1998, Reese founded the Kristin Brooks Hope Center and the National Hopeline Network 1.800.SUICIDE, which is now 988. In the last 25 years, more than 20 million callers to 1-800-SUICIDE have been routed to help and hope. Reese has been featured on NBC Nightly News, Fox News, and countless articles from the NY Times, Washington Post, and Rolling Stone magazine. In his free time, Reese enjoys playing the drums with his band, biking, and mastering his barbecue skills. (source: https://www.imalive.org/about)

Reese returns alongside Frank Warren, founder of the global storytelling phenomenon PostSecret, and Kathryn Goetzke,who started a Global Movement to ensure all know ‘how’ to Hope. Together, they reflect on how vulnerability and creativity can transform despair into purpose. PostSecret, home to over one million anonymous secrets and a 1.6 million-strong community, has shown how sharing our truths can connect us in our most human moments. This heartfelt reunion reveals what happens when three advocates, each driven by compassion and courage, join forces to remind the world that healing begins with Hope.

About Reese Butler:

After losing his wife, Kristin Brooks Rossell, to suicide on April 7th, 1998, Reese founded the Kristin Brooks Hope Center and the National Hopeline Network 1.800.SUICIDE, which is now 988. In the last 25 years, more than 20 million callers to 1-800-SUICIDE have been routed to help and hope. Reese has been featured on NBC Nightly News, Fox News, and countless articles from the NY Times, Washington Post, and Rolling Stone magazine. In his free time, Reese enjoys playing the drums with his band, biking, and mastering his barbecue skills. (source: https://www.imalive.org/about)

About Frank Warren and PostSecret:

Frank Warren demonstrates the power of sharing your hopes, dreams, fears and failures and how PostSecret became the catalyst for his passionate commitment to mental health advocacy.

What started as a community mail art project in which people anonymously share never-before-voiced secrets has since captured our collective imagination and evolved into a worldwide phenomenon. Several New York Times best-selling books, national art exhibits and an album and theatrical production later, Frank’s PostSecret website has become the most visited ad-free blog in the world, honored with multiple Webbys for “Best Blog on the Internet.”

PostSecret has also raised over $1,000,000 for suicide prevention and earned Frank a Mental Health Advocacy Lifetime Achievement Award.

In Frank’s interactive multimedia event, "PostSecret Live," he engages audiences with the inspiring, funny and at times heartbreaking stories behind the secrets. As he delves into how the project led to his ardent involvement in suicide awareness, Frank demonstrates that by sharing our personal struggles, we can help each other and release our burdens.

In this episode of The Hope Matrix on Campus, host Kathryn Goetzke sits down with award-winning journalist and filmmaker Allison Norlian to discuss the power of storytelling in advocating for mental health and disability rights. Allison shares her journey from television reporting to launching her own production company, Bird Mine, and how her documentaries shed light on underrepresented voices. She opens up about her personal struggles with anxiety, the importance of maintaining mental and physical well-being, and how she manages stress through proactive self-care. They also discuss Allison’s short film THIRTEEN, inspired by her family’s experience navigating tradition and disability, and her incredible journey of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about resilience, Hope, and using storytelling to drive social change.

Find out more: https://birdmine.com/