About Leaving the Valley
Why a podcast about suicide?
Suicide is treated like the personal failing of one individual. One person’s mistake. One family’s shame. An additional burden for those who are already struggling.
People don’t talk about suicide, this is how it has always been. What if it didn’t have to be that way? What if, instead, we taught people how to talk about suicide? How to identify suicidal thoughts? What to do if someone confides in you that they’re suicidal? We teach people how to prevent fatalities from things like cancer or car accidents, why not suicide?
Everyone of us knows you should wear your seatbelt. Far less of us are aware of the profound connection between feelings of isolation and suicide. We don’t have wide scale understanding about common triggers for suicide, or what happens if you ask someone if they’re suicidal? Even less of us know how to really help someone if we believe they might be suicidal.
“Leaving The Valley” is a podcast conversation between a father and daughter. Dr. Sam Buser, a psychologist and expert in the field of suicide, and Kimi Buser-Clancy, novice and person with a million questions on the subject. Together they have the OTHER hard talk you should have with your family. They’ll discuss how to recognize, understand, and help suicidal individuals and their loved ones. “Leaving The Valley” hopes to make it easier for people to have a real talk about suicide. If it’s easier to talk about suicide, maybe it will be easier to intervene and, possibly, even save someone’s life.
About the Hosts
Kimi Buser-Clancy
Kimi is an accomplished actor, writer, producer, and activist with a particular passion for voiceover. She loves telling stories, and her work often centers around helping young girls see a more complete picture of themselves. Kimi was lucky enough to grow up in Alief, Texas, a suburb of Houston, considered one of the most diverse places in the country. Living in a place where so many different people, cultures, religions and identities meet forever changed how she views the world. A long time believer in the need for mental health awareness, Kimi created Leaving The Valley because she believes there is more that can be done to stop suicide, and it begins by making information about suicide prevention more accessible.
Kimi writes, directs, produces, and edits the show’s content.
Dr. Sam Buser
Dr. Sam Buser is the senior staff psychologist for one of the nation’s largest fire departments. The former military officer began practicing psychology in 1972– and though he put aside the uniform, service to his country and other veterans has always been at the forefront of his mind. During his career, Dr. Buser cared for veterans as a VA psychologist, provided immediate care to those involved in mass casualty events and developed suicide prevention programs for First Responders. Service to others is a hallmark of his career and is why Dr. Buser continues to receive awards for his work in mental health care. Dr. Buser’s belief in the ability to prevent suicide through a more open dialogue led him to work with his daughter, Kimi, on Leaving The Valley as a way to broaden his efforts to help others find hope and healing.
Our Goals
Leaving the Valley seeks to compassionately expand the conversation about suicide prevention and mental health by not shying away from difficult subjects, by fighting to remove stigma, by providing practical guidance to those who are hurting, and by offering resources and hope to our listeners.