Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Rocco.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Before There Was Hope
In 2009, after losing my significant other to suicide, the loss, the guilt, the pain, and the darkness snuffed out hope for a brighter and better day. The enduring suffering overshadowed any glimmer of light, love, and life. I chose to let go of life and attempted suicide. I am one of the fortunate, as I was discovered, taken to the emergency room, physically stabilized, and then received mental health services where I would begin taking steps toward hope, healing, and happiness.
Hope and Healing
Resuscitation of my soul began as a rebirth in the darkness. Just as a caterpillar evolves from within the darkness of the chrysalis, I began my journey of hope and healing in the darkest moments of my life. The darkness that once held me hostage to strife began to serve as my birthing vessel into a new awakening. With the help of family, friends, mental health counselors, support groups, EMDR, meditation, exercise, and an unwavering commitment to life, I stepped into the light of amazing grace and mended the wounds of guilt, helplessness, anxiety, and fear. And, I have developed resiliency skills to combat suicidal thoughts that still arise when the chatter becomes loud and deafening. Most notably, I have learned in those moments to talk to myself, not just listen to myself. This pivot in creating my self narrative through a new voice has been a game-changer.
Happiness
I am learning to live a life with stretch marks and scars I no longer seek to hide or deny. I am learning to put my whole self into my life. I have learned to hold onto the miracles that unfold each and every day–the beat of my heart; the deep breath of release; the conversations with my family, friends, colleagues, and strangers; the snuggle time with the dogs; the beauty of dreams yet to come; and the love I carry in a heart that has no maximum holding capacity. I am learning to look forward to tomorrow while living life fully in the present. I am learning it is okay to be happy. I am also learning it is okay to not be okay. I have accepted that life is an ebb and flow of a full spectrum of thoughts, feelings, emotions, and responses. I have committed to stay and to the promise, “I Will See You Tomorrow.”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Starting What I Would Have Missed has been one of the most vulnerable and courageous endeavors of my life. This business—this movement—is built on the raw truth of my lived experience as a suicide attempt survivor, a suicide loss survivor, and someone deeply committed to creating community inspired by the possibility of hope and healing. But bringing that message into the world has not been without its challenges.
One of the greatest obstacles has been silencing my internal voice that says I need to be more “credentialed” in order to speak with authority on mental health. I do not have a clinical degree or academic title beside my name—but I do have lived experience, and I’ve come to understand that lived experience is expertise. Still, it can be intimidating to step into spaces where theory and academic rigor is prioritized over the voice of lived experience. I’ve had to remind myself, again and again, that stories save lives. And that my story—messy, imperfect, and deeply human—is more than enough.
Another challenge has been navigating the business side of the work. I knew how to build community, how to connect with people, how to show up with honesty and vulnerability—but learning how to structure a sustainable business model around this message has stretched me in new ways. Understanding how to generate revenue streams without compromising the integrity of the mission has been a balancing act. Every product, every video, every event must serve a purpose greater than profit: it must help someone stay. Learning how to monetize hope without exploiting it is an ongoing lesson in alignment, ethics, and creativity.
And then, there is the courage required to even speak this message out loud—to say “I attempted suicide” and “I am a suicide ideation and attempt survivor:” in a world that doesn’t always know how to hold that kind of truth. The fear of being misunderstood, dismissed, or rejected is real. I’ve had to learn to stand in the light of my own story without apology, because every time I do, someone else whispers back: “Me too.”
The path of What I Would Have Missed is not easy—but it is necessary. It is a daily practice in bravery. It is a testament to the belief that storytelling is activism. That community is prevention. And that people like me—people like us—deserve to take up space, lead, and be heard.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Julie Ann Rocco is a suicide loss survivor and a suicide attempt survivor. Julie is also the Founder, President and CEO of What I Would Have Missed where she seeks to create an international movement to prevent suicide and promote mental wellness by cultivating connections, camaraderie, and community. She does this by creating unique conduits for suicide ideation and attempt survivors, as well as suicide loss survivors, to share their stories and spark open dialogue about suicide and mental wellness. She also invites mental health professionals, family members, friends, and the community at-large to engage in open dialogue to deepen understanding of their unique journeys.
Julie is the podcast host of What I Would Have Missed where she interviews suicide attempt survivors, reads What I Would Have Missed moments shared by suicide ideation and attempt survivors, and shares positive quotes, ideas, and poems in her Ray of Light segments. She also reads What You Have Missed moments suicide loss survivors share as they reflect on moments their loved one who has died by suicide has missed.
What I Would Have Missed amplifies the power of lived experience by connecting our truth to a path that brings purpose to our pain and stories of hope from our scars. In our sharing, we encourage others to step into the expanded opening of love and acceptance which yields a reverberating echo of “You are not alone. I, too, know the struggle of trying to stay and reaching for a life that brings hope, healing, and happiness.” Suicide loss survivors find a place to offer remembrance of their loved one, reflect on the moments they have missed, and encourage others to seek help and stay.
Julie still has dark days and acknowledges the journey of finding hope, healing, and happiness is not linear, but she has fully committed to a future she is not willing to miss. And, it is not lost on her, What I Would Have Missed and this bio in its entirety is a life she would have missed had she died by suicide. Every photo that has been shared is a moment that would have been missed: learning to surf; meeting Dahlia, her granddaughter; listening to an art exhibit with Caryn, her partner; a final roadtrip with her Pop before he passed away; cherished moments traveling with Zach and Nick, her sons; a trip to Maine with Jeff, her brother; a Kenny Roger concert with her mom and Josie, her sister; and creating What I Would Have Missed.
As part of her commitment to serve others, What I Would Have Missed will grant 25% of all What I Would Have Missed profits to nonprofit organizations offering therapeutic treatment to individuals and families unable to afford it. Each calendar year, three nonprofits will be selected to receive a What I Would Have Missed grant from these funds. In October of every year, a request to nominate a nonprofit will be launched and a selection committee will determine the three nonprofits the grant awards will be issued.
Together, we can create a world of filled with hope, healing, & happiness.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Don’t push the mute button on your dream. Think about this quote: Day One or One Day? You decide.
Start–find the alchemy between passion, grind, and business acumen.
Fail–move with humility and accept hard truths when something is not working and learn to let go.
Try Again–be emergent, iterative, and maintain radical optimism that you will be okay no matter the outcome.
Celebrate. Honor your wins. Remain curious and humble.
Put this on repeat.
And most of all, lead with love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.whatiwouldhavemissed.com
- Instagram: @whatiwouldhavemissed
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhatIWouldHaveMissed111/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliearocco/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatiwouldhavemissed111
