Starting Conversations, Honoring Memories, and Taking the Plunge
This Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, I decided to do more than just reflect—I wanted to start conversations. Losing friends to suicide in 2015 and 2022 has stayed with me, and I wanted to honor their memories in a meaningful way. One way I chose to do this was by participating in the 1N5 Ice Out […]
A Pageant Platform That Saved Me: Shine Your Light
I wish we had the internet like we do now when I was younger. I so wish that there was support like 1N5 provides today. Had I had someone like those involved with 1N5, I most likely wouldn’t have done what I tried to do 18 years ago. A little backstory on myself. I grew […]
Lessons Learned
I may be new to 1N5, but mental health is not new to me. I joined this rockstar of a nonprofit company because I’ve seen firsthand how cognitive health is impacting today’s teens, educators, and parents. I’ve witnessed far too many struggling students, hopeless humans, anxious parents, burnt-out educators, and, unfortunately, lives lost. We must […]
Remembering Audree Megan Heine: THE DARK SIDE OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
Social media can be a lifeline: peer support groups, awareness campaigns, crisis helplines, and mental health education that can reach so many people who might Otherwise, suffer in silence. Social Media platforms can also be a double-edged sword, especially when dealing with the contagion effect (Romanticizing suicide and acts of violence) particularly among young teens […]
Remembering Justin: Finding Healing and Hope Through Fitness
My big brother and only sibling, Justin Arthur Wall, was the kindest soul I have ever known. His beautiful smile often hid the pain behind his dark brown eyes. When he laughed, it was contagious. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to hear that laugh again. And he gave the best hugs. If I close my […]
Remembering, Reflecting, and Raising Awareness
Losing someone to suicide is devastating. Losing two close friends is an ache that words cannot fully describe. For me, the grief was heavy, disorienting, and long-lasting. I remember walking through days in a fog, struggling to understand why I felt the way I did. Maggie was like a sister. We first connected in high […]
It’s Okay Not to Be Okay: Reflections on Identity, Trauma & Hope
I’ve come to believe that silence isn’t always golden, especially the kind that wraps itself around trauma and pain. Sometimes, it’s a weight. Heavy. Suffocating. And far too often, fatal. I’m a storyteller, a brother, a son, an uncle, a friend, and a proud creative born and raised in Northern Kentucky. But before any of […]
From the Mat to the Mind: Supporting Student Athletes Through Yoga
Can you start by introducing yourself—your name, title, and how you got started Teaching yoga to student athletes? My name is Audrey Hamilton, and I’m the Founder of AudiMae Yoga. I first began teaching yoga by visiting inner-city schools, offering students tools to help release mental stress during State Testing. One afternoon, as I was […]
Permission To Be R.E.A.L.
There’s an adage that says, “time heals all wounds.” I find that saying to be incomplete, not inaccurate. Time will most definitely heal the fleshy part of the wound, but the wound itself will still be felt through every ripple of time. How we feel that wound is totally up to us. I wrote a […]
From the Sidelines to the Classroom: A Coach’s Call for Mental Wellness
Hello Everyone! My name is Stu Holt, and I am excited to join the 1N5 team as the new School Program Manager. I have coached basketball for 13 years, and as a coach, we often focus so much on the physical aspects that we sometimes neglect the mental health of our athletes, as well as […]
