#009: Frank King is a Suicide Prevention speaker and trainer and was a writer for The Tonight Show for 20 years.

He has fought a lifetime battle with Major Depressive Disorder and Chronic Suicidality, turning that long dark journey of the soul into five TEDx Talks and sharing his lifesaving insights on Mental Health Awareness with associations, corporations, and colleges.

Depression and suicide run in his family. He’s thought about killing himself more times than he can count. 

He is a Motivational Public Speaker who uses his life lessons to start the conversation and give people permission to voice their feelings and experiences surrounding depression and suicide.

He does this by coming out, as it were, and standing in his truth, and doing it with humor.

He believes that where there is humor there is hope, and where there is laughter there is life. Nobody dies laughing. The right person, at the right time, with the right information, can save a life.

You are going to learn a lot in this episode: from how to notice depression and suicidal ideation in people you care about and what to do if you notice those things in yourself or others to how to pitch yourself as a TEDx speaker and tips to actually get booked on TEDx stages around the world.

TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Talking about mental illness helps other people with mental illness know they are not alone.
• You can take your lived experience and teach others about it.
• If you are suffering from depression here are three things Frank recommends that have helped him:  1. Have a self-care plan, which includes: diet, exercise, a good night’s sleep,  meditation, and medication 2. Gamify things on your to-do list 3. Maintain a routine
• Control the things you can control that will aid your mental health.
• If you want to do a TEDx talk, type into Google “TEDx Applications 2021” and look for the dot coms. There will be a link on those websites to apply to speak.
• Many TEDx markets are highly competitive, so i f you want to do a TEDx talk, you need to grab the application committee from immediately and not let them go until they are pretty far down the page.
• Know the three to six learning objectives of your TEDx talk because the TEDx committee will ask.
• Apply to give TEDx talks all over the place. 
• Eight out of ten suicidal people want someone to notice they are suicidal and interrupt their plans.
• Nine out of ten suicidal people give hints in the week leading up to an attempt.
• Frank believes the most dangerous sign is if someone has been depressed forever and all of a sudden they are happy for no apparent reason. They may have chosen time, place, and method and are happy because they know it’s coming to an end.   

***If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline  at 1-800-273-8255, or text “HOME” to 741741.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• http://www.TheMentalHealthComedian.com
• http://www.YourTEDxCoach.com
• http://www.facebook.com/thementalhealthcomedian
• http://www.instagram.com/mentalhealthcomedian
• https://www.youtube.com/thementalhealthcomedian

EPISODE SONGS:

• Bang Sugar Bang – Little Bit of Hope
• Mad Planet – Two of Us
  

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