Lisa Bachman’s son, Justin, was sick, suffering, and broken. Lisa and her husband, Ron, had no idea how to heal, help, or fix him. His third suicide attempt, by the time he was 11 years old, was their final wake-up call. Although he survived, their family was left without a roadmap. They would start down a path through a maze, hit a wall, turn around, and begin again. Thankfully, with help, they found their way. Not only did they get through extraordinarily difficult times with a suicidal son, but he went on to start a nationwide nonprofit organization and become a motivational speaker who led more that 150 full-school assemblies for students in grades five through 12 in 16 states—all before he turned 18.

Lisa provides practical tools for advocacy, conversation scripts, and how to handle difficult conversations when dealing with people in positions of authority. She shows listeners how her family stood up for their needs and learned why it’s important for parents to trust their hearts to become catalysts for change and to ignite sparks of self-empowerment, helping children grow into stronger, healthier individuals. She also shows how friends can support each other.

Lisa wrote The Book We Wish We Had to share her family’s triumphs, but even more so, to share their struggles, their vulnerabilities, missteps, and to help listeners become better able to find a way out of their maze.