333. You Are Not a Burden: The Story + Mission of TWLOHA - Lindsay Kolsch and Chad Moses

Mental Health Week

Oct 10

This episode is part of our Mental Health Week series. Explore all the episodes, find resources + more at weareforgood.com/mentalhealth.

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Overview

Meet Lindsay and Chad. They want you to know that you are not a burden. These two heartwired humans are leading conversation and community at To Write Love on Her Arms - a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. We’re talking self-love, self-care in community and the importance of being connected. TWLOHA is preaching that we’re “all part of this bigger story. And without that, we don't know where this story's going. So stay.”

💡Learn

Overview of TWLOHA’s mission
Building Digital Community + The Power of Storytelling
Architecting a digital “nonprofit movement” grounded in caring & listening
Counsel for nonprofit professionals who are feeling burnt out, anxious & struggling with compassion fatigue

Today’s Guests

Lindsay Kolsch, Co-Executive Director, To Write Love on Her Arms
Chad Moses, Director of Outreach and Experience, To Write Love on Her Arms

“The reason a lot of mental health challenges go unspoken, is because they isolate us, they do the exact opposite of what we need in that moment.”

— Lindsay Kolsch, Co-Executive Director, To Write Love on Her Arms

Episode Transcript

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Episode Highlights

Lindsay’s story (4:30)
Chad’s Story (6:25)
Founding story of TWLOHA (10:00)
Nontraditional approach to measuring impact (17:05)
Grassroots movement built in authenticity (30:55)
Mental health for nonprofit professionals today (38:35)
Chad’s One Good Thing: Lead with honesty. (46:20)
Lindsay’s One Good Thing: Be willing to listen and hear how hard things are right now (48:30)
How to connect with To Write Love on Her Arms (51:40)

Powerful quotes

You can't outwit, you can't out pay, you can't outwork things like depression, addiction, thoughts of suicide, anxiety, you name it, because these are all part of the human experience.” -Chad

“Even though we may tell individual stories, this is a conversation that demands and deserves all of our voices.” -Chad

“So many nonprofits exist to work themselves out of a job. And while I wish that that were possible for us, I think what's most important is a sense of consistency of showing up for people in the midst of their stories, whether that's something to celebrate or that something to retreat, recalibrate, and reorganize our lives around.” -Chad

“The reason a lot of mental health challenges go unspoken, is because they isolate us, they do the exact opposite of what we need in that moment.” -Lindsay

“We exist as a grassroots movement, because it is going to require each person to feel comfortable to talk about mental health and to demand more for their mental health.” -Lindsay

“We're not going to change the numbers around mental health challenges unless we focus on the individuals that make up these big numbers.” -Chad

“We don't claim a monopoly on terms like hope and help and we don't want to be the only banner that can fly for mental health and advocacy of that nature.” -Chad

“Even in your moments of burnout, you've not waived your right to that audience. You've not waived your right to being in the presence of other people.” -Chad

“Lead with honesty. If you're hurting, say so. If you're celebrating, say so. Don't hide your pain. And definitely don't hide your celebration.” -Chad

“You are not a burden. Hope is real. Help is real.” - Becky