Jamie Tworkowski of To Write Love On Her Arms

Jamie never expected to be a mental health advocate. He was
working in the industry that had always been his dream career:
surfing apparel. But things changed after several days spent
taking care of a young woman he didn’t know, who was struggling
with suicidal thoughts, substance use disorder, and self-harm.
Renee had carved the word “fuckup” onto her arms but couldn’t get
into a treatment facility for several days. Jamie’s essay about
their time together became a viral sensation on MySpace, which
led the way to t-shirt sales to help fund Renee’s recovery. From
there, the essay became a large, successful mental health
advocacy non-profit.


Jamie tells that story as well as why he ultimately left TWLOHA,
how he perseveres through bleak suicide statistics, and what he’s
doing about a recent breakup.


Visit Jamie's website at JamieTworkowski.com. Follow Jamie on
Twitter @jamietworkowski and on Instagram @jamietworkowski. Check
out Jamie's new clothing company Needs An Ocean at
NeedsAnOcean.com. To learn more about To Write Love On Her Arms
and to read Jamie's original story, visit twloha.com.


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Help is available right away.


The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255,
1-800-273-TALK


Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.


International suicide hotline numbers available
here: https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines


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for free and stay up to date on the show and mental health
issues. https://johnmoe.substack.com/


John's acclaimed memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is
available
here. https://read.macmillan.com/lp/the-hilarious-world-of-depression/


Find the show on Twitter @depreshpod and Instagram @depreshpod.


John is on Twitter @johnmoe.