One conversation can change the direction of someone’s life. The question is whether we’re creating enough opportunities for those conversations to happen.

Sometimes, the most significant breakthrough in one’s mental health and recovery journey begins with a single question no one has ever asked before. Healing doesn’t always come from advice or a standard protocol; it often begins with a moment of feeling truly seen and heard.

One year ago, on a Monday afternoon, I walked into DiDi Hirsch Excelsior House for the first time, and it changed my life forever. It was that day I realized: Behind every diagnosis, every addiction, and every crisis is a person whose story is waiting to be understood.

Every Monday, I have the privilege of playing the board game I created, Pieces of You: Guided Edition, at DiDi Hirsch Excelsior House. I’ve been facilitating it there for almost a year now, and every single time, I walk away reminded of how much people are carrying beneath the surface that rarely gets talked about.

So often, it is because no one has ever stopped to ask, “How are you, really?” No one has opened the kind of conversations that lead to deeper reflection, honesty, and, for many, feeling truly heard and seen for the first time.

What I love most about this experience is how quickly people move beyond surface-level answers. Within minutes, conversations shift from “I’m fine” to what people are actually holding onto, grieving, avoiding, or trying to understand about themselves.

Created during an internship with limited resources, this reflective mental health board game has now become a powerful tool for group therapy, helping participants connect with themselves and each other. With six categories of prompts focused on self-expression, self-care, and emotional growth, the game creates a safe space for healing through conversation, creativity, and connection.