Logan Steinwede’s family says they will ‘struggle for the rest of their lives with why’ the 20-year-old surfer killed himself, as they share a message every Australian needs to hear
The family of a talented young surfer who tragically took his own life say they will ‘struggle with why’ for the rest of their lives – as they share a powerful message for anyone suffering in silence.
Logan Steinwede was discovered by his grandparents on Monday morning. The promising surfer, who dreamed of becoming a professional, had celebrated his twentieth birthday on October 1.
Speaking on behalf of his devastated mother, Logan’s uncle, parenting expert and TV presenter Dr. Justin Coulson, that his death “came completely out of the blue,” leaving his loved ones desperate for answers.
“This is a question our family will struggle with for the rest of our lives,” Dr Coulson told Ny Breaking Australia.
In a heartbreaking insight into how raw and deep the family’s pain is, Dr Coulson paid tribute to his cousin in the present tense.
Logan Steinwede, 20, who dreamed of becoming a professional surfer since he was a young boy, was discovered by his grandparents Monday morning after he committed suicide (pictured right, with his mother Karina Foran, left)
Logan’s father, Mat Steinwede, a motivational speaker and one of Australia’s top real estate agents, shared a heartbreaking six-minute video in which he paid tribute to his son who was “truly loved” by “thousands of people”
“He’s (Logan) just fun and funny,” Doctor Coulson said, his voice shaking with emotion.
“He’s just that kid who was a joy, such a joy and there’s nothing that would have made us think this was coming.”
But the devastated family, including Logan’s motivational speaker father Mat – who published his own heartbreaking video – and his stepdad, NRL legend Kieran Foran, are courageously sharing their grief in a bid to help others who might find themselves in a similar position. .
‘When someone dies by suicide, the natural response is to look for answers, to examine yourself and even to blame yourself,’ explains Dr Coulson, who presents Channel Nine’s Parental Guidance programme.
Logan’s uncle Dr Justin Coulson (pictured), presenter of Channel Nine’s Parental Guidance programme, said the question of why he took his own life will be one our family will struggle with for the rest of our lives.
“Generally speaking, this will not be a healthy response. It just leads to more heartbreak.”
Dr. Coulson said suicide is always a complex, “multifactorial” decision, but can be broken down into two core issues: not being able to ask for help and not having the resources to combat life’s many trials and tribulations.
“If Logan had walked upstairs to my grandparents and said, ‘I’m having trouble coping with something,’ instead of walking downstairs to his death, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” said Dr. Coulson.
“The bravest thing anyone can say to another is, ‘I’m having a hard time.’
Dr. Coulson, the brother of Logan’s mother, Karina, likened the constant struggle of dealing with whatever life throws at you to carrying a bucket of water.
‘Let’s say we all have a threshold for living, and let’s treat it like a bucket. When something bad happens, it’s like putting a really big rock in that bucket,” Dr. Coulson said.
Dr. Coulson said the bravest thing anyone can do is admit they’re going through a hard time
“And then something else happens that’s terrible, difficult, or chronic, which is another rock, and then something else happens until eventually you’re burdened with so many rocks in your bucket that the water overflows. You then say, “I can’t carry this weight anymore.”
“But if we can teach people the skills to put down their bucket, pull the stones out of the bucket, pick them up and go again, you’ll never reach that threshold.”
Dr. Coulson said the key is taking mental health seriously and developing strategies to deal with emotional turmoil.
He encouraged people to watch the ABC series Man Up, hosted by his friend and Triple M radio personality Gus Worland, which tackles the taboo subject of male suicide.
‘We want to encourage people to sit with others who are stressed and struggling and say, “let’s solve this problem, let’s understand the problem, let’s find some solutions and get creative with it.” , Dr. Coulson added.
“And the great power of this is that when we start making these decisions and solving these problems, we feel a sense of control over our lives.”
Dr. Coulson also called for more efforts to tackle the crisis facing boys and young men, in light of grim statistics showing they are responsible for 75 percent of suicides.
Logan pictured with his nephew in December last year
Young men worldwide are falling behind in almost all areas, including education and the workplace, as they battle an identity crisis in the modern world.
“It’s provocative to say, but I think the world is not kind to men,” Dr. Coulson said.
“The world doesn’t say, ‘Hey, we’ve got your back.’ The world says, “Hey, we’re after you.”
Dr. Coulson said the problem often starts in the classroom, where men fall behind and has a knock-on effect throughout their lives.
“We are facing a legitimate crisis when it comes to boys. They hurt girls, they hurt each other and they hurt themselves,” Dr. Coulson said.
“I believe this has to do with relationships and feeling like they’re struggling to figure out where they belong and struggling to connect.
“I think it also comes down to a sense of competence, which is to say they don’t really know what it is to be a man in 2023.”
He added: ‘In our age of social media, where hyper-masculinity is constantly at the doorstep, they don’t feel like they can measure up.’
“We have an identity crisis for so many of our boys, but they just don’t know who they are and we need to help them develop character, strength, purpose, competence and loving, connected relationships.”
Dr.’s sister Coulson, Karina – Logan’s mother – was in Melbourne for a celebratory weekend with her husband – and Logan’s stepfather – Gold Coast Titans halfback Kieran Foran, when she heard the devastating news.
She shared a video on Tuesday of her and her late son taking a hike arm in arm in June this year.
“I would give anything my boy,” Karina captioned the heartbreaking post.
She later shared a photo of Logan with a surfboard on a beach and wrote, “My boy. My heart is not in my chest.’
Karina married Kieran Foran in 2018 after a year of dating, following her split from Logan’s father, Mat, several years earlier.
Mat was a former homeless drug addict who was on Australia’s Most Wanted List before meeting Karina and turning his life around, building a multi-million dollar career as a real estate agent.
Logan is pictured far left on his mother’s wedding day to Gold Coast Titans halfback Kieran Foran
Logan’s father, who now does motivational speaking and hosts the 31 Minute Podcast, shared three sons with Karina before they split.
Mat shared his own powerful tribute to his son on Thursday, where he told through tears how Logan was “truly loved” by “a thousand people.”
‘They say it takes a village to raise a child; it took five villages to raise Logan. He was the best,” Mat said.
‘In the end it became a bit tense, he wanted to live his life his own way, very difficult to watch. But you know what, I think I could have done things differently? I know his mother feels the same way.
“You wake up in tears and go to bed in tears.”
He remembered Logan as “funny guy – he just had the best smile and he was the best, the funniest person… everyone’s favorite brother.”
Logan and his father are pictured together in a YouTube video recorded in 2019, in which he detailed his desire to eventually become a professional surfer
“People say he’s happier now, but I think we could have made him quite happy here too,” he said.
Logan’s father had nurtured his talent for surfing from a young age, which had him on the verge of signing a pro contract before his tragic death.
A profile on
“My name is Logan and I’m 8. I’m going to be a professional surfer,” the profile bio wrote.
‘My goal is to be sponsored by Hurley, Red Bull and Dylan. I practice with my father every day.’
On Wednesday, Logan’s brother Jaxson shared a photo of himself smiling in the surf.
“Tell your family you love them, never go to bed on bad terms and just love each other. You never know when you will have your last conversation with someone,” Jaxson wrote.
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide callback service: 1300 659 467
Mensline Australia: 1300 789 987
Children’s helpline: 1800 55 1800