BOULDER - On Friday, April 18, Clinica Family Health & Wellness and Buffs4Life sponsored the 2025 Community Breakfast at the Jewish Community Center in Boulder. Tables for health care professionals were set up in the large room. The room was packed.

Simon Smith, CEO of Clinica, gave opening remarks. He said Clinica helps with physical, mental, and behavioral health problems, including the death of a loved one by suicide. His organization, he noted, is facing threats to their ability to provide these services if Medicaid is cut.

Lance Carl, board chair for Buffs4Life, introduced the featured speaker, Dr. Jay Barnett.

Barnett understands wrestling with suicidal thoughts. A former professional NFL football player, he struggled with dark thoughts and feelings of uncertainty. He conquered them, eventually to earn a PhD in marriage & family counseling. Today he is a life coach, esteemed author, dynamic speaker, and widely acknowledged expert in mental health.

Barnett integrates the principles of athletic discipline into his clinical work, fostering a winning mindset whether working with youth in underserved communities, or with corporate executives. He is making an strong mark in his field with his impactful storytelling, innovative strategies, and insightful lessons.

He has appeared on “NBC Today” with Hoda & Jenna, “The Breakfast Club,” “Sherri Shepherd,” and in Black Enterprise magazine. In 2023, he was the Grand Marshal for the American Psychiatric Association Moore Initiative, leading efforts to establish fair access to mental health services.

His books mirror his life experiences. They are heartfelt, enlightening, and deeply rooted in his passion for mental health and youth advocacy.

Barnett said that he was thrilled to be in Colorado to see snow in April. “I’ve never seen snow in April,” he noted

“This is a humbling opportunity,” Barnett said. “I am an only son syndrome. My mother had 12 sisters. Men are not supposed to share. According to studies, men speak about 15,000 words per day, and women speak up to 50,000 words per day.

“When I grew up, my parents were faith leaders. We had a perfect church family. My parents grew up in the South.

“You can be in a survival mode,” Barnett added. “My parents divorced when I was 13 years old. It was challenging without a male influence.

“I was very aware and connected. I started having suicidal thoughts,” he said. His father had seven brothers, men who could help, but he was left alone to fend for himself.

“Football became a safe haven,” Barnett declared. Running hard, he could live for 60 minutes of freedom. In every opponent he saw the face of his father.

The family moved to Texas, where his mother was remarried to another preacher. “He was an interesting man,” Barnett mused. “He had missed his moment in life.

“Walking through the house one day, he pummeled me in the chest, and said, ‘You think you are so tough.’ That progressed into regular beatings. and he was abusive. I left the house and never came back,” Barnett related.

Barnett said he was assured that he had a purpose. “It was not the plan I envisioned. I had no clue what I was experiencing. I went to college.

“At 13, I started cutting myself. I wore long-sleeve shirts. We never know the demons we have and the daily battles. Everybody gets his energy, but I didn’t have enough energy for myself, after getting cut [from the team]. You cannot run away from your problems.”

Barnett attempted his first suicide after he was forced out of football. He cut his wrists. He was 31 years old and trying to find a reason to live. He never wanted people to know he was injured.

He had to pause and examine himself. He had to feel and accept the reality that he wasn’t okay. He then built a successful business in sports training.

“The key to survival is purpose, and you have to find your purpose,” Barnett said. He tells athletes to stop isolating themselves. “The mission is to help people thrive. The attitude is gratitude.

“One of the keys is to smile. That can change someone’s perspective,” Barnett pronounced.

49,000 people in this country died by suicide in 2023.

For more information about Clinica, go to www.clinica.org.