The Son I Knew Too Late: Sally Raymond’s Mission to Prevent Suicide

What happens when a mother, armed with clinical training and boundless love, loses her gifted son to suicide? For Sally Raymond, it meant facing the most painful truth imaginable: despite her growing expertise as a psychotherapist, she missed the signs.

Her son Jon’s death shattered her world—but it also awakened a mission.

In her powerful book, The Son I Knew Too Late, Sally walks us through her journey of decoding the unspoken stories of her son’s life—the subtle cries for help, the deeply embedded trust wounds, and the silent struggles of a young man who felt too much. But rather than being consumed by grief, she transformed it into fuel for healing and education.

Drawing from the theories of Erik Erikson, Sally translates her experience into a guide that not only helps parents prevent tragedy but teaches us all how to better understand ourselves and those we love. She makes a compelling case for why emotional intelligence should be at the centre of our education system, not an afterthought.

In our podcast conversation, Sally opens up about the physical and emotional toll of loss, her path to healing, and why trust is the foundational block of every child’s emotional development. She doesn’t sugarcoat the pain, but she offers hope, clarity, and tools that can save lives.

This is more than a story of grief—it’s a wake-up call for all of us to look deeper, love more consciously, and build environments where emotional health is valued just as much as academic success.

Her story teaches us: it’s never too late to learn how to keep life worth living.

About Sally Raymond

Sally Raymond, a longtime Marriage & Family Therapist & inspirational Speaker (DTM), has authored a unique suicide prevention book, “The Son I Knew Too Late: A Guide to Help You Survive and Thrive” that would be more accurately titled, “How to Keep Life Worth the Living”. In it, the stories she was forced to learn the hardest way possible that took her superstar son Jon to suicide are told, then reinterpreted through the work of the late, great Dr. Erik Erikson to help the living know how to thrive all through life and to avoid what her son and she didn’t. 

Thirty years ago and halfway through my psychotherapist licensure, my genius “too good” 23yo son Jon committed suicide— proving I’d missed his pain. Devastated, but with the new clinical skills most parents never have, I was forced onto a quest to find the stories I obviously missed, that from his point of view, made perfect sense of his last, horrific choice. But first, I had to survive.

Website: https://sallyaraymond.com/ 

From Creator to Founder: How Teri Yu Built and Sold Her Startup Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations

In this episode of Mirror Talk: Soulful Conversations, we dive into the journey of Teri Yu — viral YouTuber turned tech founder and now Director of Product Management at Kajabi. Teri raised over $2.5M, built a thriving online community, and sold her startup Vibely to one of the biggest creator platforms in the world.She shares the real talk behind entrepreneurship: how to avoid burnout as a creator, when to quit your 9-to-5 to start a business, how to know if your idea is worth it, and why 2023 was the perfect moment to start something new. Teri walks us through her founder playbook — from building a product people love to finding product-market fit and knowing when it’s time to pivot or sell.This episode is packed with clarity, honesty, and soulful insights for anyone looking to turn their passion into a purpose-driven business.🎧 Highlights:The signs your startup idea is worth pursuingWhy creators are launching communities now more than everHow to monetize without burning outWhen to pivot, persist, or sell your businessTeri’s no-BS take on manifestation and what really works🔗 Connect with Teri Yu: https://kajabi.comFind out how to work with Teri and follow her entrepreneurial journey.Chapters00:00 Introduction and Background03:02 Building a Thriving Online Community07:54 Dealing with Burnout and Maintaining Resilience11:51 Monetising Creative Work and Starting a Business32:11 Knowing When to Pivot or Sell a BusinessIf this episode touched your heart, share it with someone who needs it.CONFESSIONS is now available: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/confessions-book/Thank you for joining me on this MIRROR TALK podcast journey. Kindly subscribe on any platform. Please do not forget to leave a review and rating.Let us stay connected: ⁠https://linktr.ee/mirrortalkpodcast⁠ More inspiring episodes and show notes are here: ⁠https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/podcast-episodes/⁠⁠Your opinions, thoughts, suggestions and comments matter to us. Share them here: ⁠https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/your-opinion-matters/⁠Invest in us by becoming a Patreon. Please support us by subscribing to one or more of the offerings that we have available at ⁠http://patreon.com/MirrorTalk⁠ All proceeds will improve the quality of our work and outreach. To serve you better. YouTube: https://youtu.be/mrcunXO7U3E 
  1. From Creator to Founder: How Teri Yu Built and Sold Her Startup
  2. The Son I Knew Too Late: Sally Raymond’s Mission to Prevent Suicide
  3. Khumo Kluge: Music, Loss & Lessons from ‘Memories in a Mural’
  4. Finding Love in the Modern Age with Andrea McGinty
  5. How Dr. DDnard Na Pattalung Transformed $3 Million Debt Into Abundance Through Mindfulness and Spiritual Resilience

If this episode touched your heart, share it with someone who needs it.

CONFESSIONS is now available: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/confessions-book/

Thank you for joining me on this MIRROR TALK podcast journey. Kindly subscribe on any platform. Please do not forget to leave a review and rating.

Let us stay connected: https://linktr.ee/mirrortalkpodcast

More inspiring episodes and show notes are here: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/podcast-episodes/⁠

Your opinions, thoughts, suggestions and comments matter to us. Share them here: https://mirrortalkpodcast.com/your-opinion-matters/

Invest in us by becoming a Patreon. Please support us by subscribing to one or more of the offerings that we have available at http://patreon.com/MirrorTalk

All proceeds will improve the quality of our work and outreach. To serve you better. 

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