At the latest Promise2Live & Silicon Slopes Mental Health Town Hall, experts urged Utahns to prioritize safety, empathy, and radical listening as vital tools for healthier relationships and stronger communities.
Lehi, Utah — September 6, 2025
The most recent Promise2Live & Silicon Slopes Mental Health Town Hall brought the community together for an open conversation on one of life’s most challenging and rewarding topics: relationships.
The theme, Love, Boundaries, and Connection: How to Save Your Sanity Without Losing the People You Love, highlighted practical tools, candid stories, and powerful reminders that connection saves lives.
Safety First: Kyle Barth on Healthy Relationships
“Safety isn’t a priority—it’s the priority,” shared Kyle Barth, therapist, relationship expert, and clinical director at Healthy Mind Map. Barth invited the audience to anchor every relationship in three simple questions:
He explained that abuse follows a predictable cycle and that breaking free begins with recognizing that it’s never the victim’s fault. “Healthy connection is one of the biggest protective factors against suicide, addiction, depression, and anxiety,” Barth said. “But connection only works when safety comes first.”
Barth also reminded attendees that when people say they want “better communication,” what they often truly crave is emotional safety, trust, and intimacy.
Key Takeaways from Kyle Barth
The Promise to Listen: Brad and Melissa Barton
Therapist Melissa Barton and her husband, motivational speaker Brad Barton, introduced a new challenge: alongside the Promise2Live, they urged attendees to make a Promise to Listen.
“We think we’re good listeners,” Melissa noted, “but nearly half of partners don’t feel heard. Listening—real listening—is a skill most of us have never been taught.”
Brad shared their bridge metaphor, encouraging people in conflict to leave their own “land” and step into the other person’s perspective. “The only way forward,” he explained, “is to cross into their world, sit with them long enough for them to feel understood, and only then will they cross back into yours.”
Melissa stressed that listening is not about fixing or defending—it’s about presence. “When people feel truly understood, their nervous system relaxes, their anxiety decreases, and healing begins.”
Brad added, “You don’t have to agree with someone’s story to understand it. And when you do, you transform blame into longing, and disconnection into intimacy.”
Key Takeaways from Brad & Melissa Barton
The message from every speaker was clear. Love should not hurt. Boundaries are not betrayal. Connection is the foundation of wellness. Attendees walked away with language for tough conversations, tools to create safety, and renewed courage to practice radical listening at home, at work, and in the community.
As one participant reflected, “I came for strategies, but I left with hope. It’s not about getting it perfect—it’s about being willing to really listen.”
Promise2Live extends gratitude to Healthy Mind Map for their sponsorship and leadership in this important discussion, to Koru Wellness for generously providing lunch and resources, and to Third Thursday for their ongoing collaboration in building a stronger, healthier Utah.
Huge thanks go to Silicon Slopes for their ongoing partnership in hosting these monthly Mental Health Town Halls, and TechBuzz for helping amplify the conversation and mission of Promise2Live.
What’s Next
Watch the Town Hall, as discussed above, here: https://youtu.be/y225-6BiJ58
Find full details and registration for upcoming events at www.Promise2Live.org.
To get involved:
Make the Promise2Live: Commit to reaching out when you are struggling and to checking in on others. Sign at www.Promise2Live.org.
Sponsor, Speak, or Volunteer: Contact Brandy Vega: brandy@promise2live.org or801-637-5416.
See video of last month's Mental Health Town Hall below:
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 for immediate support. You are not alone.