Motivational speaker Joshua Coburn knows the struggles people can face as they go from their teen years into adulthood – and those with low self-esteem, depression and no outlet for their problems, can find themselves turning to suicide as the solution.
Coburn spoke at the Knoxville Performing Arts Center on Thursday night, in a presentation sponsored by Your Life Matters. He has traveled the world to speak about his own personal struggles while growing up in Brooklyn, Iowa…and how he overcame the discouragement and judgement of others, and pulled himself back from the brink of suicide.
Coburn says the parents of teens facing anxiety and depression can expect them to react just like teens often do – by refusing to listen to them. But he tells the crowd they can be reached.
“Every one of us have been a kid whose parents have told us exactly what we needed to hear, when we needed to hear it; and it wasn’t until, like, somebody said your exact same words to your child that they were like, ‘Huh, my parents were exactly right,” says Coburn. “But that’s what it takes; and until it’s time for them to change, until they’re ready to change — support.”
Coburn is helping Your Life Matters reach out to youths which may be vulnerable to the threat of suicide, with presentations at Knoxville High School and Knoxville Middle School.