Content warning: mental illness and suicide loss.Today I’m talking to Lark Dean Galley about stepping out of the darkness and into suicide prevention. After working in the corporate world for 25 years, she left to run her father’s trucking company when he passed away unexpectedly from suicide after struggling with mental illness for most of his life. Realizing there were many entrepreneurs who could benefit from her experience, Lark started her own consulting business. Then, in March of 2019, her 19 year old son committed suicide and sent her deeper on a healing journey that further cemented her purpose in this life. Her goal is to help 100,000 people choose to stay on this planet and step into their greatness. She has done this in a variety of capacities, but in each she has used the tools and lessons learned from her own struggles.

What to listen for:

How everything changed when her son committed suicideHer background as a driven woman in the corporate worldSlowing down and finding more compassion as a parent after lossHer struggles taking over her father’s business after his death

“If you're used to accomplishing big goals, you tell yourself, ‘just do it.’ And you're totally questioning your motivation. What will motivate me to move forward? Or how can I even get out of bed? How can I even comprehend all of these emotions and this loss and just the unanswered questions, especially around a suicide, right?”

The signs of her son’s impending suicide and her biggest regretStarting to go into the black hole and not wanting to do anythingTalking to other families about suicide concerns with their childrenQuestioning herself as a parent and if she’d done enoughStarting to talk about mental health and suicide

“If I didn't speak up and these kids ended up taking their lives, just like that copycat suicide in the high school, I couldn't have lived with myself. And that's what catapulted me into saying, I have got to talk about this. This is critical. It is an epidemic. And I started talking about it and I became very vocal. Like it was a passion.”

Dealing with the stigma of suicideNavigating other people not knowing what to sayStarting to speak on podcasts and getting the nudge to write a bookFeeling the urgency to get the book out and choosing self-publishingHaving strength some days and feeling weak othersAllowing her family to be where they are in their griefHow loss and grief have changed her

“What's interesting is that I react differently. You know, if things in my businesses come up that in the past might have upset me, I'm like, ‘no, we'll work it out. It's okay.’ And it's not the end of the world. Whatever happens, happens. It's not the end of the world because I've seen the end of the world.”

Perspective shifts and new ways of beingLearning to navigate the “what ifs” after suicide lossChoosing to do hard at the beginningFeeling closer to her son now than before his deathHer support system while healingWhat she wished she knew at the start of this journey

About Lark Dean Galley:

Lark has recently felt called to help and serve those who struggle with their value and purpose. Having overcome immense personal challenges in her 55+ years of life, she has continued to grow in her empathy and compassion towards others.

After working in the corporate world for 25 years, she left to run her father’s trucking company when he passed away unexpectedly from suicide after struggling with mental illness for most of his life. Realizing there were many entrepreneurs who could benefit from her experience, Lark started her own consulting business.

Her 19 year old son’s suicide in March 2019 reinforced what she’d been hearing from many of her high achieving clients – they felt unworthy and incapable of reaching their goals. Lark went from coaching on the externals to focusing on why each person matters.