1990s

My best friend, Jimmy, ends his life just like an estimated one million people do around the world every year. Many more millions attempt and far more are living in the space between - the space between wanting to live and wanting to die.

The Space Between

I am one of those people - and at some point I began to realize there was nowhere to go and no one to talk to - nowhere or no one safe to actually talk about it openly and honestly without the fear of being silenced, shamed or locked up. And I knew there were people just like me out there, suffering alone.

2020

I had this idea I’d been thinking about for awhile, so one summer day I sat my ass down at my little kitchen table in Chapel Hill, NC, and started an independent podcast called Suicide Noted, which has turned into almost 300 no b.s., candid conversations with guests from 45 U.S. states and 23 countries - raw, real and unfiltered voices of suicide attempt survivors. No clinical scripts. No euphemisms or platitudes. Just brave, messy, beautifully human stories told in full, not only to raise awareness and dispel myths (from those who’ve lived through it), but to help more people in more places feel a little less shitty and a little less alone.

The thing is, it's not just that we talk about it, but how we talk about it - so survivors feel heard and validated, sometimes for the first time in years, or ever. This is the heart of our work, one that does not seem to exist anywhere (at least not in the English speaking world).

THIS ISN’T “PREVENTION” AS USUAL
We’re not selling hope. We’re sharing reality.
We’re not gatekeeping healing. We’re democratizing it.
We’re not here to sanitize. We’re here to listen hard.

And people are talking - and listening - all around the world.

If you haven’t watched the 4-minute video up top, please do. It sums up what we do perfectly.

2022

Melissa, a suicide attempt survivor, and I have a conversation live and in person in the heart of Raleigh at NAMI NC’s annual conference. And that conversation sparks an idea that is now coming to life - a tour. And a film.

2025

While we continue to increase reach and impact by publishing our Monday morning episodes and weekly update episodes with past guests; transcribing to translating episodes; and creating new partnerships, the time has come to take our work on the road.

The Tour & Film (which is being produced entirely with support of past guests and volunteers) will cover 20+ cities/communities around North America where we plan to have raw conversations with survivors, and engage with entirely new audiences.

We have been reaching people through the podcast for years, and more recently, via social media. But there is nothing that matches face to face, nothing like a good conversation with an engaged audience, nothing like creating and collaborating with the people you serve.

But doing this the right way takes serious resources.

WHY WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
Because no one else is doing it quite like this.
Because some stories aren’t safe for mainstream.

Because honest conversation is a radical act.
Because you believe people in pain deserve more than a crisis line and a locked ward.

This is about more than suicide, much more. It's about honesty and transparency. It's about dignity and respect. It’s about being human.

WHERE YOUR DONATION GOES

Over six weeks, I will be travelling across the country and with that comes expenses, including:

● Event space and event promotion
● Travel (gas, room, food etc)
● Film (shooting, production, editing)

DONATE NOW

A donor invitation to —

● Change the way the world talks—and listens
● Help us reach more ears—and more hearts
● Reframe the narrative(s) around suicide. For real.

So we can create a world where talking about suicide is met with empathy, not silence; where saying you want to die doesn’t end the conversation - it starts it.

Donations are tax deductible through the fiscal sponsorship program of the Association of Independents in Radio, a 501(c)(3).

For questions about the project, please contact me (Sean).
hello@suicidenoted.com or call (919) 904-0265
suicidenoted.com

Suicide Noted National Tour & Documentary Film

By ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENTS IN RADIO

Suicide Noted National Tour & Documentary Film

An estimated one million people try to end their lives every year in the U.S. Globally the numbers are staggering. It’s a “silent epidemic” - and that’s a problem. So we are unsilencing that silence - one talk at a time.