Author & Public Speaker

Kendra Nicholson

My 18 year-old-son completed suicide in 2018, and it changed my life.

 I am sharing his story and my journey with grief as a suicide survivor.

Available for speaking engagements of any audience size and age group.

What People Are Saying

The Climb is a story about a grief-stricken family struggling to make sense of the oldest son’s death by suicide. Their heartbreaking journey is filled with love, acceptance, laughter, and hope. One of the best books I've ever read about this subject, I cried, I laughed and I loved the characters. I will never forget this book!
Mary Jo Hazard
"Love, loss, recovery"
The Climb is one of the most powerful novels I've read. It's an unflinching look at how a death by suicide affects the family left behind, particularly the younger brother of the deceased. It tackles heavy topics like suicide, depression and other brain disorders, through the lens of a 13 year old boy grieving the loss of his brother. And while there are moments where the tears fall, there's also moments of levity and hope and laughter, because that's what life is. We are not defined by just one thing. We are multitudes.
Richard Martinez
"A beautiful novel"
The Climb is a beautiful book, short and sweet. I think it would be a great read for high schoolers and adolescents as it’s told from a teenager's perspective. But really for anyone who feels alone. This kind of loss is tragic. I think it would be a great tool to teach kids about how to deal with their feelings of loss and loneliness. If you can’t imagine what it’s like to lose someone to suicide, this book helps you catch a glimpse of what someone would be going through. A few do’s and don’t’s about how to approach your friends or acquaintances if they are ever in this position. Simple, straightforward and lovingly written. Highly recommend.
Cat Elrod
"The Climb is a beautiful book, short and sweet"

The Climb

It’s not easy being a teenager. It’s even harder for thirteen-year-old Cody. He lived in a normal house, with a normal family, and went to a normal school. In fact, his whole life was… well… normal. Until the day his only brother, an avid rock climber, scaled the outside of an old warehouse, and jumped to his death. Now it’s time for Cody to go back to his normal life, when absolutely nothing in his life can be considered normal any more.

I lost lost my youngest son, Trevor to suicide in 2018. In the months following his death, as I tried to make sense of it, and struggled with my own grief, I couldn’t help but think of my surviving son, Cody, and how incredibly difficult it must be for him to have lost his only brother as a young adult.

This book is for teens who are just beginning to find their place in the world, only to have their world fall apart with the loss of a loved one who chose to leave it. It may not have all of the answers, but the hope is that in the process of reading about someone else’s struggle, they will feel less alone.

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