Maddie’s Legacy: Giving Teens the Tools to Find Purpose and Joy

Grief has no finish line. If you’ve lost someone to suicide, you already know that. It doesn’t fade with time the way people think it will. It lingers. Some days it’s background noise, other days it hits like a rogue wave.

As a suicide survivor, I carry sadness, shame, and self-doubt more often than I’d like to admit. There are mornings when getting out of bed feels like the hardest thing in the world. I wrestle with imposter syndrome. I question myself. And my deepest fear is failing to honour Maddie’s legacy with The MentorWell. It is the purpose I’ve built from the hardest chapter of my life.

This isn’t a story about pity. It’s about being honest with the battles many of us fight silently. And it’s about why creating tools, guidance, and safe spaces for teens matters so deeply.

As parents, maybe you’ve had these thoughts too. You want your kids to be happy. You want them to be healthy. You want them to be more successful than you. When that doesn’t happen, it’s easy to feel like a failure.

We tell ourselves stories, most of them untrue. In the wrong environment, we start believing them. The good news is they fade. With time, better thoughts return. I’ve learned to manage mine with exercise, medication, and exposure to the outdoors.

But my two biggest tools are purpose and EQ. Purpose gives me direction and focus. EQ helps stop the spiral before it takes over.

Now imagine your teen. They don’t yet have these tools. They’re navigating divorce, school pressures, friendship challenges, online comparisons, confidence issues, and uncertainty about the future. Many can’t see their gains, only their shortfalls. And they aren’t taught EQ in school.

So how are they supposed to manage this alone? Too many can’t. They check out. They look to drugs and alcohol. They struggle with record levels of depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide.

Sometimes therapy is the answer. But not always. Therapists say one in five kids who seek help don’t actually need clinical support. So what then? Do we just send them back into life and hope for the best?

That’s why we created The MentorWell. It’s a bridge between parenting and therapy. A safe, non-judgmental place where teens can open up, feel heard, and know they’re not alone.

Our mentors don’t lecture or diagnose. They listen. They guide. They help teens see their progress, not just their shortfalls. They create the space for emotional intelligence to grow so kids can start understanding their feelings, managing stress, and finding direction.

The goal isn’t to replace parents or therapists. It’s to fill the gap in between. To give teens someone they can trust, when they’re not ready for therapy, but need more than what home or school can provide.

Every teen deserves to feel supported and seen. The MentorWell exists to make that possible. One conversation at a time.

If you’re a parent, ask yourself: does your teen have someone they can truly talk to? If not, it’s time to give them that chance. Learn more about how The MentorWell can support your family, and help your teen build the emotional intelligence they’ll carry for life.