By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes. Noah sat on the edge of his bed, his heart pounding. His mom had just asked a simple question: “How was your day?” But it was like a switch had flipped. He felt the heat rise in his chest, and before he knew it, he snapped: “Why do you always […]

By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes. Jack lay on his bed, the glow of his phone illuminating the darkened room. His earbuds hummed with the low throb of music, but his mind was elsewhere. He scrolled through his social media feed, his thumb flicking upward with mechanical precision. Perfect faces stared back at him… smiling in […]

By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes. Emma’s alarm buzzed at 7:30 a.m., though there was no real reason to get up. The days had begun to blur together… an endless loop of waking up, logging into Zoom classes, and scrolling mindlessly through social media. She used to love the structure of her mornings: the rush of […]

By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes. Seventeen year old Maya sat at her desk, surrounded by textbooks, half empty coffee cups, and sticky notes with reminders she had long stopped reading. Her phone buzzed again… another group chat lighting up with questions about the history test tomorrow. Her stomach churned as she flipped through her planner, only […]

By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes. When 15 year old Dylan stormed through the door, slammed his backpack down, and retreated to his room without a word, his mother recognized the familiar signs. His body language spoke volumes… shoulders weighed down with invisible burdens, silence masking his anxiety and exhaustion. As a parent, she wanted to […]

By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes. Fourteen year old Alex sat silently in the backseat of his mom’s car, staring out the window as the late afternoon sun streaked across his face. His shoulders slumped beneath the weight of a backpack filled with unfinished homework and unspoken pressure. Just days earlier, his school counselor had called […]

By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes. Sixteen year old Olivia sat on the edge of a dock, nursing a red Solo cup filled with something strong and sweet. The music from the party behind her pulsed like a heartbeat she couldn’t quiet. Just hours before, she’d failed her chemistry exam. Again. Her parents were fighting at […]

By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes. “I just want it to stop,” 15 year old Jasmine whispered through tears in the school counselor’s office. She wasn’t talking about bullying or a broken heart. She was talking about school… the endless tests, the 10 p.m. homework marathons, and the constant pressure to perform. Jasmine’s body ached with […]

By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes. “I just didn’t want to feel anything anymore.” These were the words of a 16 year old in a youth treatment center, explaining how panic, not peer pressure, triggered his marijuana use. The statistics echo his pain: According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2023), nearly 30% of high […]

By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes. Seventeen year old Hailey was known among her peers as cheerful, smart, and driven. She captained the debate team, volunteered at a local shelter, and maintained a 4.0 GPA. But during her senior year, Hailey’s world began to spiral. College applications, family conflict, and social pressures began to […]