There might be more public resources for mental health than ever before — awareness months, crisis lines, wellness apps, and hashtags. But when someone's real life falls apart, many of us still don't know what to say, what to do, or how to show up. In a deeply personal essay recently published in The Columbus Dispatch, CMC President and CEO Sophia Fifner wrote about grief, depression, coming out, divorce, trauma, and the loneliness that can hide behind leadership and practiced smiles. Retired U.S. Army Colonel Bill Butler, now president of Columbus' National Veterans Memorial and Museum, described himself as a "hot mess" struggling with nightmares and guilt following the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in 2021. Their stories raise a larger civic question: What happens when the hardest parts of human experience don't fit neatly into the rituals we already know, like births, weddings, funerals, cards, and yes - casseroles? How do loneliness, grief, trauma, and isolation shape our ability to live well? What can veterans, parents, nonprofit leaders, and our friends and neighbors teach us about resilience? What are the limits of resilience when people are left to carry too much alone? Can Central Ohio build a stronger culture of care, where people are not expected to disappear politely behind the mask of being "fine"? Featuring: Dr. John Ackerman, Suicide Prevention Clinical Manager, Center for Suicide Prevention and Research, Nationwide Children's Hospital Bill Butler, President, The National Veterans Memorial and Museum Sophia Fifner, President & CEO, The Columbus Metropolitan Club Your host is Stacia Naquin, News Anchor, WBNS 10TV. The presenting sponsor of the CMC livestream was The Center for Human Kindness at the Columbus Foundation. CMC's livestream partner was The Columbus Dispatch. This forum was sponsored by The Thanks Be to God Foundation. It was also supported by Downtown Columbus, Inc. and The National Veterans Memorial and Museum. If you would like to keep exploring this week's forum topic, our fantastic partners at The Columbus Metropolitan Library recommend reading A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection by Nicholas Epley (2026). This forum was recorded before a live audience at The National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio on June 24, 2026. If you, or someone you know, is in crisis, please call, text, or chat 988 for free, confidential, 24/7 support from trained crisis counselors.
