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HARNESSING THE POWER OF STORIES TO CULTIVATE EMPATHY & UNDERSTANDING, INSPIRE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS, AND HELP PEOPLE FEEL LESS LONELY.

I KNOW LONELY PROJECT

“I wish somebody had told me that it’s okay to almost give up, because I think I would’ve realized in that moment that I’m almost giving up right now and it’s okay. I can almost give up and I can start fresh.”

I Know Lonely Project

December 1, 2022

Hailey’s Story: embracing the hard parts of your story and finding your voice

Meet Mac & Hailey Potts, our double storytellers this month for the I KNOW LONELY Project. Born totally blind, Mac discovered his love for music as a young child. While music quickly became a big part of his life, he shares that he often felt like a kid who struggled to find a place of belonging. But when he discovered he could just be authentically himself, he also discovered music could be used as a tool for connection. That connection with music is how he met Hailey, his now wife.

I Know Lonely Project

December 1, 2022

Mac & Hailey’s Story: I Know Lonely Project

Meet Vik Chopra, our third storyteller for the I KNOW LONELY Project. Vik shares his journey with addiction that led to the loneliest and darkest place of his life. He recounts how his story begins as a straight-A student in high school to experiencing a successful career in his early twenties and then eventually becoming someone he couldn’t recognize in the mirror. Being trapped in a cycle of opioid and meth addition eventually led to crime as a way of survival. When Vik was arrested and charged with 26 felonies, he decided this was a chance to change how his story ends.

I Know Lonely Project

November 1, 2022

Vik’s Story: I Know Lonely Project

“It’s all small choices. Every day you are presented with a series of choices. You can make the decision one way or the other, but sooner or later, those start stacking up. Those start leading you down a certain path,” Vik Chopra says.

I Know Lonely Project

November 1, 2022

Vik’s Story: how incarceration became a second chance at changing a story of addiction into a story of hope, and connection

Mario Gonzalez was born in Mexico and moved with his family to the United States when he was three. Up until first grade, Mario lived in California. “My first memory is living in California as a four year old, so the United States is all I’ve known. My parents were immigrant workers, so everywhere that there was work, we were there.”

I Know Lonely Project

October 1, 2022

Mario’s Story: being raised by a village, depression & anxiety, and the power of only 7 seconds

Meet Mario Gonzalez, as he shares his story as a part of the I KNOW LONELY Project. If you have followed along with Only7Seconds over the past 2 years, Mario is probably a familiar face. From SHARE Day videos, to film production, photography, and content creation, to having an internship with us this summer, he has been an integral part of creating Only7Seconds what it is today.

I Know Lonely Project

October 1, 2022

Mario’s Story: I Know Lonely Project

Meet Kealani Yamamoto. Kea’s story shares about her experience being diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a young teenager and learning to thrive on the other side of her diagnosis.

I Know Lonely Project

September 1, 2022

Kea’s Story: I Know Lonely Project

Kealani Yamamoto grew up in a little town nestled in the Cascades. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a young teenager, she shares how she learned to thrive on the other side of her diagnosis.

I Know Lonely Project, Resources

September 1, 2022

Kea’s Story: experiencing bipolar disorder and rebuilding relationships