Meet Greg Van Borssum and Joe Williams. They don’t just talk about suicide prevention, they live it. Every day.

In March of 2016, I had the opportunity to serve as a Social Media Ambassador for the National Council on Behavioral Health at their annual conference. NatCon16 brought together almost 5,000 mental and behavioral health specialists for dozens of talks, presentations, poster displays and, most importantly, the chance to connect. As a Social Media Ambassador, my job was to capture my unique perspective on the event and share it via social media. As I wandered through the exhibition halls I met dozens of software companies, pharma representatives, educational training firms and workplace wellness programs.

Suicide Prevention through InspirationTurning down an aisle I heard voices with “not from around here” accents belonging to Australians Greg Van Borssum and Joe Williams. When you meet Greg and Joe it’s easy to make a false assumption. What you see are strong, chipper, intelligent men who were successful professional athletes. What you don’t see is their struggle with mental illness and suicidal thoughts.  Being at #NatCon16 gave them the opportunity to take their suicide prevention through inspiration message to a larger audience.

This podcast episode took place in the Exhibition Hall of NatCon16, a very lively space with lots of great conversations happening all around us. Our interview competes with a bit of background noise but both Greg and Joe were very eloquent in their thoughts so I’m sure you would mind a bit of hubbub.

To learn more about Greg’s work, click on his sites below:

The Enemy WithinTo learn more about Joe’s work, click on his sites below:

To learn more about The Ripple Effect Film, click on the sites below:

 

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