Meaningful Conversation on Losing a Parent to Suicide

This Meaningful Conversation brings together Maike Mullenders, Anna Wardley, Katie Irvine, Jack Mathews and Jon Salmon to talk about Losing a Parent to Suicide.

This conversation is available to watch on YouTube, Facebook, Spotify and Apple podcasts.

About Our Guest Speakers

Anna Wardley

Founder and CEO of Luna Foundation, a not-for-profit transforming the support for children and young people after a parent dies by suicide.

Motivated by her own lived experience, Anna applied for Churchill Fellowship in 2019 to carry out international research on improving the support for children and young people impacted by parental suicide.

Anna then set up Luna in March 2022 to implement the key recommendations from her Churchill Fellowship report, entitled Time to Count. In March 2023, Anna was recognised in the WISE100 Top 100 list which celebrates the leading 100 women in social enterprise and impact investing across the UK.

• https://teamluna.org

• www.linkedin.com/in/annawardley

Jack Matthews

A husband, soon-to-be father, and football coach based in South West London, and lost his father to suicide in September 2018.  

Since then it's been a long and often challenging journey through the process of grief, but one he is now far more comfortable and clear with.  Moving forward Jack wants to offer his experiences to others in order to help ease the pain that comes with the unfortunate loss of a parent to suicide.

When not coaching football, Jack is either watching or reading about football! Enjoys visiting the gym and walking along the Thames River with my Wife Michaela.

Maike Mullenders

An author, Yoga Teacher, Mother, and Advocate for Mental Health. Maike's journey from actress to counsellor is rooted in personal experiences of loss, trauma, and resilience. As a volunteer for SOBS, she leads support groups for survivors of bereavement by suicide.

With a background in Relate counselling and advocacy for abuse survivors, Maike's work is driven by empathy and a commitment to breaking the silence. Her courage in sharing her own journey, including growing up with a parent with mental health issues, inspires others to find strength in vulnerability. Her memoir, The Confession: A Journey to Acceptance was published in 2023.

• https://www.speakerscollective.org/speaker/maike-mullenders

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/maike-mullenders-3021232b7/

Katie Irvine

Katie Irvine lost both parents aged 23 with her mum to suicide in 2019 and then her Dad died in 2020.

Katie is a Survivors of Bereavement By Suicide volunteer group facilitator and currently training to be an Integrative Counsellor. Alongside her job, as a Sixth Form Support Officer, in the pastoral team supporting 16-19 year olds.

• https://www.instagram.com/griefchangeseverything

Jon Salmon

Jon is a campaigner and award-winning executive producer. Jon is the Co-CEO of Speakers Collective and Co-founder of creative agency Byte Entertainment.

After losing his father to suicide as a teenager, Jon was later sectioned with stress and depression.

For almost 20 years, he told no one. In 2016, after losing a friend to suicide following postnatal depression, he decided to speak out in the most public way (alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales at the launch of the Heads Together campaign). Jon now speaks openly on how awareness and reducing stigma can save lives. 

• https://www.speakerscollective.org/speaker/jon-salmon

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcsalmon/

Support

We are aware that this meaningful conversation while important might be challenging to listen to and we have listed below a few groups, and helplines that offer support;

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide

https://uksobs.com/

0300 111 5965

Samaritans

https://www.samaritans.org/

116 123

CALM

https://www.thecalmzone.net/

0800 58 58 58

Hub of Hope

https://hubofhope.co.uk/