Born From
Loss. Built
For The People Still Here.
Check On Your (COY) was created from heartbreak, friendship, and a realization that so many people are struggling silently. Three years ago, I met my friend Caden at a golf course in St. Petersburg, Florida. We were both random walk-ons paired together for a round. After that day, we exchanged numbers, kept playing golf together, and over time became very close friends. We got to know each other deeply, each other’s families, goals, personalities, and lives. We checked in on each other often. From the outside, everything in his life seemed to be going well.
Caden was loved. He had strong friendships, a career he excelled at, hobbies he enjoyed, and a future he was excited about. He was preparing to ask his girlfriend to marry him. He was funny, kind, confident, thoughtful, and someone people naturally gravitated toward. We had real conversations, deep conversations, and never once did he tell me he was struggling internally or carrying something heavier than he could manage.
Then one evening, he made the decision to take his own life. It completely shattered me. It pulled the rug out from under everyone who loved him. It forced me to confront a painful truth: sometimes the people who seem the strongest are carrying the heaviest burdens in silence. That loss became the foundation for COY, Check On Your.
COY exists to encourage real conversations, meaningful check-ins, and emotional honesty. It is a reminder to check on your friends, your family, your coworkers, your neighbors, your partner, your kids, and especially the people who always say they’re “fine.” It’s also a reminder to check on yourself.
We want to help break the stigma surrounding mental health, especially for men. Men should be allowed to struggle openly without shame and be met with support, understanding, and love instead of judgment. Too many people feel like they have to carry everything alone until it becomes unbearable.
A man dies by suicide every 11 to 13 minutes in the United States. Life is hard. People are hurting quietly every day. We believe it’s time we become more intentional about showing up for one another before silence becomes permanent.
Our goal with COY is simple:
to create conversations that save lives.
We want to build a culture where people feel safe enough to speak, where checking in becomes normal, and where no one feels invisible in their struggle. A simple conversation, a second question, or one honest check-in can change everything.
Check on your people.
Ask twice.
Some people hide it well.