Meet Carter Andre-Van Lith. When a severe softball injury abruptly shifted her identity as a top-performing athlete, Carter found herself in the depths of loneliness and isolation. At her darkest point, she found herself unrecognizable, overwhelmed by the changes in her life and struggling mentally. During her recovery, Carter began the process of rediscovery as […]

Meet Haile Watson. Growing up as a minority in her town, Haile often faced a deep loneliness and isolation when she became a target for racism from her peers. It wasn’t until she got to college that she finally experienced a sense of belonging with her college volleyball team. This transformative experience ignited her passion […]

Meet Ben Higgins. You may recognize him from his time on ABC’s the Bachelor, however Ben’s journey with loneliness began with a deep-seated belief that he was always an outsider. Ben shares how he tried to satisfy that loneliness through many different things, addiction, career success, fame, relationships. It was only when he began to […]

Growing up in and out of the foster care system, Zach’s childhood was marked by loneliness. With his first brush with the justice system at age eight, he spent much of middle and high school in juvenile detention. It was when he met his mentor, Jackson, that Zach began to believe he had the potential […]

Meet Lorie, the final storyteller of season 2 for the I Know Lonely Project. When her story took a different direction than she expected, Lorie found herself alone at the darkest point in her life. A friend reaching out with a simple message during a moment of crisis ended up changing the trajectory for her. […]

Growing up in a Mexican-American family of ten, Samael’s (Sammy) family has always been a core piece of him. He shares how he’s experienced loneliness as a high school student while embracing a society that is not tied to his culture of origin. He also shares about some of the challenges of “growing up” and […]

Meet Abbi Hamlin, our season 2 storyteller for the I Know Lonely Project this month. As a middle school athlete, Abbi struggled with a severe eating disorder. Through her journey, she shares about the power of friendships in her story and how connecting with the right therapist changed her healing journey. Now, Abbi works as […]

Meet Tyler Bjork, our season 2 storyteller for the I Know Lonely Project this month. Understanding the deep hurt that comes from bullying and feeling unseen, Tyler shares his story of loneliness. His story explains how where we feel seen, where we feel accepted and where we feel belonging are often the places we can […]

Meet Kevin Berthia, the first storyteller of 2024 for season 2 of the I Know Lonely Project. As a survivor of 22 suicide attempts, depression and a battle over mental health has always been a deep part of Kevin’s story. His journey hasn’t been an easy one, but Kevin lives life with hope. Kevin shared […]

It’s quite fitting the first story we share after our announcement about our focus shifting to youth & young adults over the next 3 years is a story from a teenager! Meet Apuroopa Kavikondala. As an ambitious high school student, Apuroopa is a 5x self-published author and mental health advocate. In her video, she shares […]

Meet Mike Elvasky. Mike is 100 years old and we had the honor of hearing his story and gaining some of the wealth of wisdom he has to share. Whether it was his time serving in World War II, his many years as a farmer and orchardist, or his career as a teacher and educator, Mike shares with us what he has learned to value the most— friendship and generosity.