It's no secret teenagers today are facing a mental health crisis. Anxiety, depression, self-harming behaviors and other difficult mental health challenges are now part of the minefield tweens and teens and their parents have to navigate almost daily in the teenage experience.We are so grateful for long-time friend Amanda Wright and her daughter, Kinzley, joining us today to talk about these mental health challenges for teen girls often brought on by experiencing adolescence in the world of social media, smart phones and constant connectedness. Amanda shares great insights and encouragement for parents of teens, and Kinzley brings her unique perspective as a middle schooler encountering these challenges. Amanda and Kinzley's depth, wisdom and most of all hope for tweens and teens and their parents will encourage you and your family. This episode is for parents, teens and anyone who cares about teenagers and helping them navigate these years that are filled with epidemic levels of anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges for so many young women. Speak Out Loud is committed to sharing hope and encouragement for those who struggle with mental health and for those who love and support them. Through the Speak Out Loud platform, Stacee and her husband, Doug, share out of the middle of Stacee's lengthy mental illness recovery journey through numerous platforms - including our new Youtube platform - subscribe to the Speak Out Loud channel today @speakoutloudme .To hear more of Amanda's incredible story shared on the Messy Table podcast, click the link below or search for episode 129 on the Messy Table podcast on your favorite podcast platform.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-129-amanda-wright-unplanned-mercies/id1210604687?i=1000586273400Amanda also shared this beautiful reading of 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 from the Message translation - we hope you are encouraged by this like we were:"So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, MSG)To learn more about the resources offered by Speak Out Loud, please visit speakoutloud.me.You can also follow Speak Out Loud on social media @speakoutloud.me.You can purchase Stacee's books at the following links below:The Boat that Wouldn't Sink: A Memoir https://a.co/d/9eY2WXgYou Are Worth Saving, Letters of Hope from a Desperate Heart https://a.co/d/b7KKNDICheck out Speak Out Loud's free devotional resource on the YouVersion Bible App titled "Hope for those Struggling with Mental Health." We invite you to follow Speak Out Loud - let's experience hope together!

In April of 2025, we launched the Speak Out Loud YouTube Channel, and as part of introducing ourself to a new audience on this platform, we've gone back to share our story and the story of Speak Out Loud.

We are not therapists of doctors, but we do feel like we are experts in authentically sharing our story and the hard-learned lessons of living many years in the ups and downs of our mental illness recovery journey.

This episode is part 2 of our story, picking up with the mental health crisis that changed the trajectory of our lives and has shaped much of our years since then.

In this episode, we share about our first experience with a mental hospital, the early seasons of outpatient treatment and seasons of what felt at best like "treading water." Stacee shares the transformational conversation and story which led to her 4 month inpatient treatment program for anorexia at the Laureate Eating Disorder program. This conversation also became the title of her first book, You Are Worth Saving.

We share lessons learned such as recovery is not linear, denial is the opposite of hope, and resilience is the master skill.

We also share about the founding of Speak Out Loud and how Speak Out Loud has continued to expand its platform to share hope with wider audiences around the world.

As you listen to our story, we think you may find pieces of your own, and our purpose is for you to know you are not alone in your or your loved one's mental illness struggle.

Psalm 118:17 says, "I will not die but live and will proclaim what the Lord has done." This is Stacee's life verse and the heart of Speak Out Loud. Let's experience hope together!

To find out more about Stacee and Doug and Speak Out Loud, please visit www.speakoutloud.me.

We invite you to visit and subscribe to our new YouTube Channel which can be found @speakoutloudme.

Follow Stacee and Speak Out Loud on both Instagram and Facebook @speakoutloud.me

Other resources offered by Speak Out Loud:

Find both of Stacee's books, You Are Worth Saving and The Boat that Wouldn't Sink on Amazon.

You can access our free 5-day devotional series in the YouVersion Bible app by searching in the app for the Bible Plan titled "Hope for those Struggling with Mental Health."

Thanks everyone for listening today!

In April of 2025, we launched the Speak Out Loud YouTube Channel, and as part of introducing ourself to a new audience on this platform, we've gone back to share our story and the story of Speak Out Loud.

We are not therapists of doctors, but we do feel like we are experts in authentically sharing our story and the hard-learned lessons of living many years in the ups and downs of our mental illness recovery journey.

In this episode, we go back and share again about the beginnings of Stacee's mental illness journey, how we came together as a couple in college, the many mistakes we've made along the way, and what led to a mental health crisis through which God thankfully rescued Stacee's life.

As you listen to our story, we think you may find pieces of your own, and our purpose is for you to know you are not alone in your or your loved one's mental illness struggle.

Psalm 118:17 says, "I will not die but live and will proclaim what the Lord has done." This is Stacee's life verse and the heart of Speak Out Loud. Let's experience hope together!

We wrap up today's episode by sharing the crisis events which we look back and realize were the beginning of our recovery journey. Next week's episode will share part 2 of our story and how that recovery journey has played out and led to the creation of Speak Out Loud.

To find out more about Stacee and Doug and Speak Out Loud, please visit www.speakoutloud.me.

We invite you to visit and subscribe to our new YouTube Channel which can be found @speakoutloudme.

Follow Stacee and Speak Out Loud on both Instagram and Facebook @speakoutloud.me

Other resources offered by Speak Out Loud:

Find both of Stacee's books, You Are Worth Saving and The Boat that Wouldn't Sink on Amazon.

You can access our free 5-day devotional series in the YouVersion Bible app by searching in the app for the Bible Plan titled "Hope for those Struggling with Mental Health."

Thanks everyone for listening today!