Kennedy Thorne went through a phase where many young people go through where she was searching for an identity and constantly comparing where she was to other people. Many times, Thorne became depressed because she did not think she was where she should have been in her life and did not get certain tasks done because she was too busy paying attention to what other people are accomplishing. That caused her to have a very unsatisfied and unfulfilled state of mind. She was also running track in college, where she was frustrated with being a student-athlete, having to show up, having to be present, but constantly feeling she was not doing what she was supposed to do.  

Another situation that Thorne speaks a lot about is she made a friend in college that she connected with and loved very much. Unfortunately, her friend was murdered in Throne’s junior year of college and that also took a toll on her mental health. Thorne lost motivation for a while and began to be depressed. 

“Sometimes you’re in a season of depression and you don’t even recognize it,” said Thorne.  

Thorne began attending counseling in her senior year of college to overcome her struggles. Since then, she has been learning to deal with depression, finding other ways to express herself, and making sure she has other outlets in which she is able to talk about such as different painful and traumatic experiences of life. 

Can you explain YPHP and why did you create it?  

I mainly created it because I wanted social media to be a little different. Usually on social media people talk about the good things that they are doing like having a new car, new apartment, I call it the highlight reel, and that creates this constant fear of comparison, and I wanted to create a page where people can go and feel supported, encouraged, and to be transparent. One thing I wanted to do with my campaign is moving it transparently. By moving transparently people see the real deal, they don’t see the flashy stuff that you put that sounds good or looks good, it’s just what people go through. I think when people understand that sometimes the struggle is real, it allows them to feel more like a human. Everyone goes through different things, but not everyone talks about the things they go through. In this space, we hear real stories from real people who are still successful in their way, but this is what they had to go through to get there. Success does not happen overnight. I want to show that it’s okay to go through your struggles, go through a stage in life where you’re not feeling like your best self, that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.    

How can YPHP help others and how can young people be involved?  

By allowing people to change their perspective on certain situations. Taking a step back and accessing whatever experience that you went through and being able to find the silver lining in it. YPHP can help change your mindset of why I am going through this, what am I supposed to learn from this experience, and how can I use this experience to help other people. For young people being involved…I feel like if I had this mindset when I was younger, I will probably look at the different experiences that I was going through with a more positive outlook. Starting at a young age and strengthening your mind and developing different cognitive skills and being able to flip the narrative in a sense, can set your whole life up for so much success. You’ll know that I’m going through this battle because something beautiful is going to be at the end of this experience. Young people can be involved by continuing to share the message of hope, about continuing to not give up.    

Do you have any future goals that you want to accomplish?  

Yes, I want to do film and TV. The reason why I’m out in Los Angeles, California right now is to take YPHP and create a space where people can see this on TV. With YPHP I would love to turn this into a show where people can watch online. Right now, I’m able to express how I feel, sharing people’s stories on YouTube, but I would want this to be seen on TV because I think that what you consume and what you watch gives you a certain perspective on life. It can open your eyes to the fact that some people do struggle, but they make it out. It can give people hope, inspiration, and I would love to expand the platform that I’m working on now. I want to do a docuseries called YourPainHasPurpose, like a talk show, like a mix of Oprah and Catfish. I want to produce a television series about my own life and write my show. I want to have a television series that people can stream and watch. To take my life story and turn it into something beautiful that people can watch.   

What advice would you give to young people who are going through the same mental health struggles that you went through? 

To never give up. It’s so easy to give up when you feel like life is weighing down on you. But I would always say never make a permanent decision on a temporary situation because you can stop something so beautiful from happening by giving in to the pressure of life. If you’re able to overcome these different pressures and speak lessons to yourself, you never know what’s in store at the end.   

Just think of yourself like a tree that bears fruit. If you look at an apple tree, the apple tree starts under the ground, it works its way up, it builds its roots, then turns into a stump, then turns into a tree, then you see branches, and then leaves, and then you see the apples. Some trees take almost 5 to 10 years to grow into what they’re supposed to look like. You can’t take a shortcut in life. Life goes through different stages, different processes, sometimes the processes are beautiful, and sometimes are ugly, but that’s just how life is. One thing I want you to remember is the apple tree doesn’t seek the apples for itself, the apples that are at the end of its branches we pick from, we as humans and as animals, we pick from it. The fruit that your barring, the gift, the talent, the expertise is not for you but there for others. Always remember that whatever it is that your pursuing, whatever it is that you’re doing, you’re working, you’re using your gifts and your purpose to help inspire, uplift, support, and feed others.   

Follow YourPainHasPurpose (YPHP) on Instagram, Follow Kennedy Thorne on Instagram, and Subscribe to YourPainHasPurpose (YPHP) on YouTube.