71: Guest | “She Kept Me Alive”: A Daughter's Story of Suicide, Secrets, and Healing with Lisa Sugarman

Some secrets protect us. Others keep us from healing.

In this profoundly honest episode, I sit down with author, mental health advocate, and suicide loss survivor Lisa Sugarman. Lisa shares how she discovered (35 years later) that her father’s sudden death was actually suicide, a truth her mother kept hidden to protect her 10-year-old heart.

We talk about grief, parenting, secrecy, and how Lisa transformed her personal pain into The Help Hub, a free mental health resource center. We also talk about how sharing our stories, even the hardest ones, can literally save lives.

This episode is open, emotional, and deeply human. It’s about connection, empathy, and why telling the truth, in the right time and way, can be the beginning of real healing.

🧨 In This Episode, We Talk SHIFT About:

00:00 – Lisa’s mission: “What’s more powerful than knowing you kept someone here?”

01:27 – Her background in writing, parenting content, and mental health advocacy

02:52 – Losing her father suddenly at 10… and learning the truth decades later

06:06 – Why her mother kept the suicide a secret, and how she found out

10:17 – Rebuilding trust and deepening their mother-daughter relationship

14:48 – Featuring her 86-year-old mom in her next book

16:57 – Advice for anyone feeling betrayed by a family secret

18:23 – Davina shares her own story: her husband's suicide plan and sobriety journey

21:21 – What makes a suicide attempt not about wanting to leave loved ones

25:49 – Challenging shame and silence around suicide and mental illness

30:44 – The dangerous myth that suicide is a “selfish” act

33:48 – Launching The Survivors podcast with an attempt survivor co-host

43:30 – Building The Help Hub as a free, searchable mental health resource

55:25 – How Lisa manages the emotional weight of helping others

1:24:16 – The moment Lisa realized she had truly saved a life

1:28:03 – Her upcoming book on surviving her father’s death… twice

👋 Connect with Lisa Sugarman:

🌐 Website + Help Hub: https://www.thehelphub.co/

🎧 Podcast: The Survivors

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