How Surviving Suicide Helped Me Save Lives is a powerful and deeply personal episode of Crowning Connections featuring Jenna Martorana — newly crowned Miss Collegiate USA 2025, suicide survivor, school counselor, published author, and passionate mental health advocate. 👑💔📘

After surviving a suicide attempt, Jenna made it her mission to turn pain into purpose. She earned her master’s degree, became a certified school counselor, authored three children’s books, and most recently, took home the title of Miss Collegiate USA 2025 — using her crown and voice to shine a light on mental health awareness. 🧠💬

In this episode, Jenna shares how she rebuilt her life from rock bottom and is now helping others do the same. Her story is raw, real, and full of hope. 🙏

✨ Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide, depression, and mental health recovery. If you're in crisis, please call 988 or seek local support.

🔗 Helpful Resources
🌐 Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://988lifeline.org/
📘 NAMI Mental Health Support: https://www.nami.org/Home
🎗️ Survivor Support & Advocacy: https://acureinsight.org/

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – Welcome to Crowning Connections
01:32 – Hitting rock bottom
04:10 – Choosing to live
07:40 – Going back to school & earning her master’s
09:30 – Becoming a school counselor
11:15 – Writing 3 children’s books
13:00 – Winning Miss Collegiate USA 2025 👑
14:30 – Advocating for mental health
17:45 – Final message to those struggling

💡 What You’ll Learn
Jenna’s suicide survival journey and emotional comeback
How education, service, and storytelling helped her heal
What it means to wear the Miss Collegiate USA crown with purpose
Mental health tools, insights, and messages of hope
Why sharing your story could save someone’s life
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