Never in a million years did I see my life going this way.

The worst day of my life happened the day I got the call that my 17 year old son had a self-inflicted gun shot wound to his head.  It had to be a mistake.  Luke would never do that. Luke had a great life, a loving Mom and Dad with three older brothers that thought the world of him.  How could this possibly be?

How could it be that:

…..Luke–who was smart and easily got good grades,

…..Luke– who had tons of friends and people who looked up to him

…..Luke–who was a successful athlete, having made it to state wrestling numerous times

…..Luke– who was caring and friendly and would never hurt anyone

…..Luke– who was just having so much fun the day before golfing and boating with friends

….. Luke– who had three brothers  that would have done anything to help him

    How could this happen to Luke?

I guess I had a stigma about suicide. I thought that successful, happy people with loving families were immune from taking their own life.  Boy, was I wrong.

What I’ve really learned is that suicide has no boundaries, it can happen to anyone-rich, poor, friends, no friends, successful or struggling—it can happen to anyone in any life situation. Sometimes people are so good at wearing masks that you don’t even realize how much they are struggling inside.

 

This can happen to anyone. 

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for children, adolescents, and young adults age 5-to-24-year-olds.

Our mind can either be our best friend or our worst enemy. 

 As a counselor, I have worked with hundreds of teens and listened to their heartfelt stories of how their internal minds had become their worst enemy.

I can’t have a redo and help Luke with all the things I’ve learned since losing him but I can reach out to share this empowering message from the depths of my heart with kids today. 

 

I want kids to know how their mind works and how much power they really have to:

• Train their mind to be their best friend and cheerleader
• Be excited and positive about their life
• Turn obstacles into opportunities
• Use mistakes as stepping stones
• Choose their emotional responses versus having knee jerk emotional reactions
• Believe in themselves and their amazing potential
• Live happily in the present moment
• Create hope inside of themselves

This is a message EVERYONE can use to empower themselves in every area of their life!

If I could have a redo, this is what I’d make sure Luke knew.

This MESSAGE can SAVE LIVES!

Some people think that talking about suicide gives people the idea, but research shows the opposite.  Education and talking about it is how we SAVE A LIFE.

To learn how to bring this message into your school, click the contact Fay button below:

Presentations may be customized to meet the needs of your school.

Additional Presentations for School Staff

The following presentations will inspire and teach your staff: practical, simple, and down to earth skills

• to be happier
• more in the flow
• have higher levels of productivity and creativity
• have less stress
• feel more confident
• more optimistic
• work more collaboratively with other people

Download a Printable One Sheet with Speaking Topics by clicking here

Pause into your Power through Mindfulness

Eighty-nine percent of teachers said they were strongly enthusiastic about teaching when they began their careers but just 15 percent felt the same way today. The social and emotional demands of the classroom can be exhausting and lead teachers and staff to feel discouraged, burnt-out or ready to quit. When people incorporate simple, down to earth mindfulness skills into their life, they feel more energized, motivated, positive and enthusiastic.  This has a ripple effect on students and the school environment.

• Savor the positive moments in your job so you can increase your job satisfaction
• Proactively choose your response in challenging, frustrating situations
• Make a true connection with students
• Be your best and bring out the best in others
• Increase positive energy to create a positive environment
• Maintain an inner calm even in stressful situations
• Increase empathy and compassion

Teacher Comments

“It helps me to more effectively deal with the students I find difficult”

“Learning to recognize and feel my emotions has helped me to be more in control of them”

“It’s taught me to be more present in my communication”

“I’m using the skills to choose my response versus having a knee-jerk reaction”

“The relaxation exercises have helped calm my nerves and anxiety”

“Learning to disengage from the spinning thoughts in my mind has helped my attitude.”

“It’s helped me recognize my sarcasm and impatience towards my students.”

 

 

Strengthening Relationships

Research shows we are surprisingly unskilled when it comes to communicating with others. Good communication skills are one of the most important skills you can learn; they are the foundation for healthy relationships, both personally and professionally. After implementing these techniques, you’ll notice a significant difference in how you communicate with and relate to others and how they respond to you. We’ll also cover how to:

• Elevate the way you speak, listen and interact with others
• Transform conflicts and complaints into win-win solutions
• Communicate confidently with tact to create openness, trust, and rapport
• Create positive, cooperative relationships
• Develop respect, credibility, and integrity when interacting with others

Positive Mindset Makeover

Research estimates that up to 80 percent of our inner thoughts are negative, which can affect every aspect of your life. Positive thinking is essential for developing healthy relationships and increasing work productivity. Positive thinking enhances creativity and problem solving. Positive words and thoughts propel the motivational centers of the brain into action and help build up resilience. With a “Positive Mindset Makeover,” you’ll:

• Learn how your inner game determines your outer game
• Develop confidence and belief in yourself
• Increase peace, happiness, and life satisfaction
• Increase creativity, problem solving ability and mental alertness

Is Stress Hi-Jacking your Life?

When your car engine light comes on, what do you do?  If you ignore it, you risk having a breakdown, and getting stranded in the middle of nowhere. Yet, we often ignore the symptoms of stress until our emotions, relationships and physical health start to break down and we begin to feel stranded.  Stress is exhausting! You experience it in your body as anxiety, irritability, muscle tension, sleeplessness, depression or other serious problems. Learn simple and effective tools to help you get the better of stress before it gets the better of you!

• Increase your Energy.
• Decrease impatience, irritability & anger.
• Improves physical and mental health.
• Greater access to intuition.
• Improve memory, focus, & other brain functions.
• More restful sleep at night.
• Increase focus & productivity.

Click on the Contact Fay button for more information on bringing these presentations into your school.