MEET THE TEAM
ANNIE LOCKARY
MFT Therapist Intern. She was born and raised in San Francisco but has resided in San Diego for 8 years. She has a BA from San Diego State and currently pursuing a PsyD at Alliant International University. She loves spending time with her pets, trying new recipes in the kitchen, hiking, and lifting weights. Her vision is to create connection wherever she goes, to never stop exploring her authenticity, and to be a source of support for individuals and families experiencing difficulties with mental health. The reason she joined this cause is, not only because mental health is near and dear to her heart, but she has had two people close to her take die from suicide. She has seen, firsthand, the impact that having competent and comprehensive preventative mental health can have on adolescents and she could not be prouder to stand by such a cause.
BETH LAUSENG HENNING
Top Level Executive for a home-based Health and wellness Company after a very rewarding 33-year career as a Speech Pathologist. Born in Watertown, South Dakota but calling Billings Montana home over 15 years now. SDSU and USD alum, wife of 36 years, 3 amazing children, and 4 beautiful grandchildren. She loves to be with her family, travel, camp, go hiking, read, dance, and play. Her favorite places are at the beach or in the mountains. Her vision is to create abundance, joy, love, connection and empowerment in the world. Her reason for joining this cause is to honor families who have experienced suicide, and to make such an impact with these tools that no family has to suffer these losses ever again, no child gets to feel unworthy or unloved in our transformed world. Suicide rates of our youth have been rising at an unprecedent rate and we get to take a stand for what is going on in the world. One child at a time, one family at a time, one community at a time, and one school at a time, building hope for the future.
BRAD BARNES
Marketing Executive/ Personal Development Coach. Born and living in coastal Orange County, CA. Columbia College alum. He is constantly working to create trust, vulnerability, and intimacy in couples. He supports causes that build off that foundation which is why this cause means so much to him. The support we provide our children at young ages will build foundation in spreading their natural gifts and talents.
BRENDA ROCHE, PHD
Neuropsychologist and Executive in Health and Wellness company. Born in Fort Frances, Ontario Canada, grew up in Int’l Falls, MN and has called Billings, MT her home since 2003. NDSU and UofM (Grizzlies) alum. Wife, mother and grandmother, who enjoys fitness, hiking, spending time with family and helping others. Her vision for the world is for everyone wake up each morning with gratitude, genuine emotional connection, and purpose and presence in all areas of their lives. Her reason for joining this cause is to honor families who have experienced suicide and create a legacy of caring and supportive communities, so no child or family has to feel alone.
CANDICE ESCOBAR
Marketing Executive. Born in San Antonio, Texas. UMiami Grad. She is a homeschooling mom of 2 boys. She enjoys the outdoors and traveling. She enjoys learning about other cultures and spending time with family and serving others around the world. She joined because she was so inspired by the passion of this team and remembers a time in her teen years where she struggled to find support through challenging times. Everyone deserves to feel love, especially when they feel the least lovable.
CASSIDY MCKINNEY
Special Education Teacher. Born and raised in Blythe, CA. University of California, Santa Barbara Alum. She enjoys Reading, dancing, exercise, hiking, camping, traveling and hanging with friends. Her vision for the world is to create love, compassion, and unity by sparking the inner light in each and every human she encounters. As someone who creates this each day with the students in her classroom, she is deeply connected to this cause and what becomes possible when children are given access to the social emotional tools that will guide them in their development and understanding of the world. Cultivating kindness gets to be the new norm!
CHEN CHEN JULIAN
Actor. She was born and raised in Chongqing, China. She moved to the US in 2007. She is a UCLA alum and currently residents in Anaheim, California. During her leisure time, she enjoys learning hip hop dance, play ukulele, and watching some good films. Her vision is to be an influential storyteller on screen and bring authenticity to the world. The reason she joined this cause is because her friend, at age 20, died by suicide, and she believes suicide prevention needs to be addressed at an early age, and we are all responsible to create a healthy environment for our kids to grow up in. Because they matter!
DARLENE ROWE
Health and Wellness Consultant and Traveling Stylist. She was born in St. Louis MO and resides in Boonville MO. She is 54 years old, a mother of two and a wife. She enjoys exercise, playing Billiards and swimming. Her vision is to be a Motivational Speaker for kids in schools. She believes there is a need to let kids know that their lives matter. The reason she joined this cause is because H.O.P.E is dear to her heart. She has known several people who have died from suicide. She is grateful to be part of something wonderful to help support schools with a four-year program.
HANNAH SANCHEZ
Nanny & student. Born and raised in Manhattan Beach, CA. Growing up by the beach, she really enjoys being outside whether she is surfing, hiking, or playing a sport. She has a passion for dance and has taught dance for the majority of her life. She is currently studying to become a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. She is all about supporting others in their health journey and in life. Her vision is to support others to see their worth. To build connections with others on a deeper level and to empower them to live out their best lives! She joined this cause to bring awareness because childhood and teen suicide needs to stop! It is absolutely ridiculous how the suicide rates just keep rising in younger ages and these children’s lives matter. There is hope and there is something to be done about it.
JAMES KAZMAREK
Soaked up his early exposure to the machine tool industry during its transformation from mechanical gearing to multi axis computerized machine centers and robots. Those years of exposure culminated at Martin Marietta, Orlando Aerospace. Subsequently, James moved to California joining the thin film membrane industry pioneers commercializing Reverse Osmosis for residential, commercial and industrial applications. James started with Desalination Systems and stayed on during its merger with Osmonics. Osmonics/Desal partnered with and was bought by General Electric. James went on to work internationally using membrane technology in the fishing and residential water treatment industries. Like thousands of people over time, James was evacuated because of wildfires in 2007/2008. As a result, James invented and developed the Ember Deflector System to protect homes against wildfires. As a board member and COO of Our World To, PBC James is focusing his business and engineering skills to make OW2 the central business in the sustainability movement.
JENNIFER MLAKAR
Sales Representative for an IT company. Born in Iowa and currently residing in Raleigh, NC. Graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelors in Science. She is committed to the transformation of people’s lives and showing them what is truly possible. Her vision is freedom because in freedom there is authenticity, love, and endless possibility. She loves nature, exploring new places, hanging with her dog, and giving back. Her reason for joining this cause is in honor of families who have experienced suicide and to save children by bringing this ever so prevalent issue to the forefront and taking preventative measures. She believes that that healing happens in communication, transparency, honesty, and education. Education is the greatest gift we can give to any person because it brings awareness and if you can’t see it, you can’t heal it.
JUAN SANCHEZ
Biology Teacher. Resides in Santa Maria, California. Graduated Arroyo Grande High School, Allan Hancock College, California Polytechnic State University (SLO). He enjoys plants and birds. His vision is to create an atmosphere of love wherever he goes. He joined this cause to support families who have experienced suicide. We all have someone or know someone who has died from suicide and this cause will help prevent others from feeling the loss we have felt.
JUSTIN ANDREW DAVIS
Justin has spent his life in service to this country. He started in 1987 as a Hospital Corpsman with the US Navy. He participated in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm as a Fleet Marine Force (FMF) Corpsman with 1st Marine Division in 1990 and 1991. After many years of struggle, Justin finally sought treatment for his Post Traumatic Stress at the San Diego VA Medical Center while living at The Veterans Village of San Diego. For the past eight years, Justin has been a civilian federal employee with his most recent role working for the Department of the Navy in the San Diego area. He also has a private practice as a life coach with a focus on veterans and male personal transformation. He volunteers his time as a San Diego County Veterans Court Mentor and Sponsor of combat veterans. In 2018, Justin participated in The Sparta Project curriculum with Cohort 009. His experience there created a series of significant shifts in his wellbeing, his relationship with himself and his over-all life trajectory. Justin has Bachelor’s in Business Management and is a licensed Peer Support Specialist. He has multiple Veteran Program Affiliations including: Veterans Village of San Diego- Alumni, Triple Threat Combat Support Group- Sponsor, San Diego Veteran’s Court- Mentor, Team Red White and Blue- Member and The Sparta Project- Alumni Cohort 009. His vision for the world is a world where people have the courage to identify the reason WHY they are here on Earth and then have the courage to live their purpose, full-out, free from fear and self-doubt. He chose to join this project to prevent child and teen suicide because as a combat veteran who suffers from severe Post Traumatic Stress, he has struggled with suicidal ideation. While the country has become aware that 22 veterans commit suicide every day, he is personally affected by this reality, having attended 10 funerals of veterans he has known, who died by suicide in 2020 alone. He knows suicide is a very real problem for so many people, especially in a post-COVID world. It is a problem that simply cannot be left to others to manage; it’s up to each and every one of us to unite, as a tribe. H.O.P.E. is very much aligned with this reality, which is why it has his wholehearted support.
KELLY OLSON
Global Director with a health and wellness company. She is from a little town called Pueblo, Colorado. She enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering at school and at church. She loves working with children and teens. She also loves supporting others in achieving their goals and stepping into the amazing people they were created to be! Her vision for this world is for every person to live in total freedom and joy! She joined this cause to save our future! Our children’s lives matter! Tomorrow never comes. The time to move is now!
KEVIN MORRIS, PA-C
Physician Assistant. Resides in Riverside, CA. Alum of NMSU (Aggies). He enjoys fitness. His vision is a world that values understanding others. That listens more than speaks. That values doing the right thing not the easy. He wants to be the example that ignites such a change. He joined this cause to help be the voice of individuals that feel they have no one to turn to.
KORTNEY DIESEL
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has grown up in San Diego CA and has lived there most of my life. She attended San Diego State University for her undergraduate degree and Alliant International University for her Master’s program. She loves working out at her local, community gym HardCore Fitness, going to the beach, and starting her day with a big cup of coffee! Her vision for this world is to lead by love and she supports this cause because she wants all of the teenagers whom she works with to have the support they need and deserve to feel safe in their school and at homes. She wants our children to feel comfortable to share when they’re emotionally suffering in order to get the help they need to reduce their desire to take their own lives and build their resilience to overcome it.
MARY KATHERINE FISH
Certified Nurse’s Assistant and partnered with an international home-based health and wellness company. She was born Watertown, South Dakota and made this her lifelong home. She is a LAVTI alum and busy mom of two teenagers. She loves to read, walk, camp, and spend time with her family. Her vision for the world is to create freedom and happiness, healthy bodies and minds, and close intimate relationships. Her reason for joining this cause is because death by suicide is occurring at such an alarming pace with this being the second leading cause of death for our youth. She has a desire to have every child in the world feel worthy and empowered.
SARAH MARIE HOUSER
Marketing Executive for a green manufacturer. Born in California, raised on the central coast, happily transplanted in Boise, ID, for the last 17 years. GCU alum. Active wife and mom of three, who loves yoga, hiking, running, dancing, being involved in activism and allyship, spending time in nature and soaking up all the moments with her family. Her vision for this world is healing and unity through loving action because she believes that only love has the power to change the lens by which we view life. Her reason for joining this cause is to honor families who have experienced suicide and save children like her teenage son, Jackson. She believes that each child deserves to see their worth and connect to their unique purpose in this world.
SOU XIONG
Sales/Energy Specialist. Born and raised in California. He enjoys the outdoors, playing sports with family and friends, fitness, karaoke, food, and playing board games. His vision is to leave someone smiling at the end of a conversation. If he can impact each and every individual, he comes in contact with, in some small way, that to him is a life well lived. He joined this cause to show the world that every single soul is beautiful. Life is precious, and we are to stand for each other and love one another.
APRIL KATHLEEN BELL
April Kathleen Bell is a Behavior Technician and Parent/Educator Consultant who is from Arroyo Grande, California. Her Alma Mater is BIOLA University. In her spare time she enjoys dancing, DIY projects, writing, hosting gatherings, researching, reading, hanging out with her siblings going on adventures and spending time in nature. Her vision is to create empowering, authentic, fun-loving connections that inspire others to be the best version of themselves. Her reason for joining this cause is because she believes that the threat of suicide and suicidal ideations should no longer be something that we, as a society, remain ignorant of. She desires that individuals from a young age feel equipped to support each other and develop within ourselves resilience to suffering, as well as a strong sense of hope for our futures.