E101: Turning Personal Tragedy into Teen Mental Health Advocacy with Elliot Kallen
Lead with Heart | Philanthropy, Nonprofit Leadership, Nonprofit Management & Fundraising · 2025-07-15 · 38 min
Episode notes
I’m honored to welcome Elliot Kallen to the Lead with Heart Podcast. Elliot is the president and co-founder of A Brighter Day, a nonprofit organization that has turned the devastating loss of his teenage son into a powerful mission to prevent teen suicide and offer hope to thousands of families. In this deeply moving and empowering conversation, Elliot shares how his nonprofit is supporting 3,000–6,000 families each month with free mental health toolkits, a 24/7 teen crisis text line, and Zoom counseling sessions. We explore how emotional intelligence, real communication, and parent-teen connection can create protective factors against the alarming rise in teen suicide.