‘An emotional roller coaster’: Band brings music, mental health discussion to SDSU

A rowdy rock club, this was not. When Nikki and Jon Stipp of the alternative rock duo Hooked Like Helen performed at San Diego State University on March 13, they did so with an unfamiliar audience — a lecture hall full of students eager to have a conversation about mental health. 

“It was very unique — we felt like we had to be quiet up until we had to be loud,” Nikki Stipp said. “It was really an emotional roller coaster for us.”

The band headlined Concert and Convo, an event that was part concert and part panel discussion on wellness. While open to the entire campus community, the evening was part of the Sound of Leadership, a course offered by SDSU’s Leadership Studies program that explores how music and lyrics can help foster leadership skills and promote emotional well-being.

For the Hooked Like Helen members — both friends of Leadership Studies lecturer and Sound of Leadership creator Mike Donohue — it was a fitting setting. Nikki Stipp likes to say they are “emotional exhibitionists” on stage, as their music tackles themes relating to mental health and addiction. 

“That’s what a lot of our songs are about,” she said. “And that’s our life story. It just made sense to just try to combine those two worlds and hopefully reach an audience that wants or needs to hear that message.” 

How receptive the audience would be was an open question before the event, as Jon Stipp admits being daunted by the “chance for crickets.” But there were no crickets to be heard. 

After the band introduced themselves, they played a short set. The song “Sleepwalker,” which was written from the perspective of a person watching a loved one grapple with active addiction, provided a tear-filled emotional crescendo. The band then sat down with two student moderators and started a question-and-answer session with the assembled crowd of about 300.

“They opened right up,” Jon Stipp said. “We told everybody that we’re open books so feel free to ask whatever you want — it’s a safe place to do that. I think everyone felt really comfortable, opening up and asking questions, it went well.”

Nikki Stipp said it was affirming to see how open college students were to share their own emotional and mental health struggles.

“It made me think, ‘OK, we’re going in the right direction as a society in some ways,’” she said. “Just the fact that they are self-aware. That’s not necessarily something that a young person would have said a generation ago. In my opinion, it’s not that this younger generation has more mental health challenges, it’s that they are in a place where they can accept that and try to get help.”

For Hooked Like Helen, Concert and Convo was a dry run for something that they hope to bring to other campuses around the country. The Stipps also expressed their appreciation to psychology lecturer Larisa Cicila for hosting the event in her class, Leadership Studies director Lisa Gates for her support, and student moderators Zeynab Jasim and Tiki Burnes.

“Organizing and facilitating the event with the band Hooked Like Helen was a truly meaningful and unforgettable experience,” said Jasim, a leadership studies major. “From coordinating logistics and promotions to setting up the venue and engaging with the audience, I gained hands-on experience in event planning, teamwork, and community outreach. Watching students connect with the band’s messages about mental health and feel genuinely seen through the performance was deeply rewarding and reaffirmed my commitment to fostering inclusive and healing spaces on campus.”