Content Warning: This episode discusses suicide and suicidal ideation. If that’s difficult for you to hear right now, we encourage you to pause or skip this episode and take care of your mental well-being.
Earlier this year, Dr. Maggie Augustyn published an article titled The Silence That Nearly Cost Me Everything: Why I Didn’t Reach Out Before Attempting Suicide Twice. It struck a nerve. Within days, tens of thousands of people had read it, hundreds had commented, and messages flooded in from those who had faced their own darkness or knew someone who had.
That response sparked this conversation:
In this episode, Dr. Maggie and co-host Regan Robertson are joined by returning guest Dr. Will Corrado, a therapist with decades of clinical insight, to talk openly about the silent crisis within dentistry and beyond. They explore what suicidal ideation actually feels like, why depression often hides in plain sight, and how guilt, shame, and silence isolate the people who need help most.
Dr. Corrado shares the difference between passive and active suicidal thoughts and explains why 50% of those who take their lives show no warning signs at all. He also addresses a growing trend: suicide rates among women in healthcare, particularly in dentistry, are now outpacing those of men a troubling shift with complex roots.
The episode also explores tools for navigating through the darkness, including a simple breathing technique developed for Navy SEALs that has proven remarkably effective in calming the nervous system during moments of overwhelm. But more importantly, it emphasizes the power of community, the healing that begins when we create spaces where people can speak, be seen, and feel less alone.
This conversation isn’t just for those who are struggling. It’s for their families. Their coworkers. Their friends. It’s for all of us who believe that sunlight, honest, open dialogue is the most powerful disinfectant.
We are human. We are hurting. And it’s okay to say it out loud.
Listen now and if you’re struggling, know this: you’re not broken, you’re not alone, and the world still needs you.
The Silence That Nearly Took Me
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