This Nashville Mom Transformed Her Grief Into a Lifeline for Youth
After the sudden death of her son, Owen, Dr. Elisabeth “Liz” Willers found herself searching for meaning in the middle of unimaginable grief. What emerged was The Goldfinch Foundation — a Nashville nonprofit built on creativity, connection, and hope. Image: Joanna Morris
Dr. Elisabeth Willers knows how fragile the human spirit can be; she has lived at the intersection of medicine, motherhood, and profound loss. After decades as a physician, Liz was met with the sudden death of her 18-year-old son, Owen. Her life was forever changed — and so was her purpose.
Out of that loss came The Goldfinch Foundation, a Nashville nonprofit dedicated to improving youth mental wellness through creativity, education, and human connection. As its founder and executive director, Liz is transforming grief into light and helping young people find hope, belonging, and courage.
After more than 25 years in medicine, she was preparing to open a new kind of medical practice — one rooted in lifestyle medicine, mental wellness, creativity, and connection. Her son Owen, an artist and athlete, was part of that vision. He was helping design the logo. As exercise enthusiasts, they planned to get personal training certifications together. The future was coming into focus.
And then, suddenly, everything she knew shattered. “Owen died of an unintentional overdose,” Liz shares. “He took too much of his prescription medication and over-the-counter medication during a panic attack.”
Donate $50 today to the Goldfinch Foundation.
In the aftermath of unimaginable loss, Liz found herself grappling with questions that no medical training can prepare you for. What is my purpose? How do I move forward when my heart has been split wide open?
The answer didn’t come all at once. But slowly, painfully, and with deep intention, it became The Goldfinch Foundation — a Nashville-based nonprofit that she started only two months after Owen’s death. Dedicated to improving youth mental wellness through creativity, education, and human connection, it’s Owen’s legacy, and Liz’s lifeline.
For decades, Liz lived inside the structure of medicine. She spent a third of her career in academic medicine at Vanderbilt before entering private practice as a pulmonologist and critical care physician. She mentored residents, led teams, and witnessed firsthand the toll that trauma and burnout can take on patients and caregivers.
By 2024, she was ready for something different. “I wanted to deliver healthcare in a different way,” she says. “I was trying to develop a way to start my own practice.”
Donate $50 today to the Goldfinch Foundation.
Even before Owen’s death, Liz had begun reimagining healing as something larger than prescriptions or protocols — something that included creativity, movement, purpose, and joy. Owen, she says, was meant to be a part of it all. When he died, the vision didn’t disappear. It transformed.
“I knew, at that moment, I wanted to do something to honor not only the person he was as he walked this earth for 18 years, but also to create something for our community that would provide solutions to some of the problems we see with the mental health crisis and loneliness epidemic,” Liz says.
Grief didn’t paralyze her. It propelled her.
One of Liz’s earliest decisions was also one of the most important: the foundation’s name.
In the wake of Owen’s death, sitting at her bay window with her husband and two other children (including Owen’s twin sister), Liz spotted a goldfinch — bright yellow, striking, impossible to ignore.
The symbolism ran deep for Liz, a lifelong bird enthusiast. Birds, she learned, are often thought to represent the souls of the recently departed. “It was a sign,” she shares. “For me, the goldfinch was Owen. He had this great smile. He was so sweet and positive. It was a reminder to me that whatever we did, it had to be positive. It had to be light and shouldn’t have stigma.”
And that’s not all. “When the twins were born prematurely, my dad called them the gold dust twins,” she adds. “Izzy would always say, ‘I’m Goldie, and Owen’s Dusty.’ … But I think Owen was Goldie all along.”
At its core, The Goldfinch Foundation is designed to uplift, centering mental health and human connection as essential components of overall wellness.
From the beginning, Liz was intentional about how that mission would take shape, placing a strong emphasis on youth leadership and ensuring young people had a real voice in shaping the work. “I really wanted the youth in our community to lead and have a voice,” she says.
Donate $50 today to the Goldfinch Foundation.
Unlike many mental health organizations that primarily focus on caregivers, Goldfinch empowers teens and young adults to shape the conversation themselves. Its pillars are rooted in connection: creativity through art, music, theater, and writing; education through expert-led discussions; mind-body practices, such as movement and time in nature; and collaboration within the community.
“Everything is rooted in social connections,” Liz explains.
Goldfinch’s work comes to life through three anchor events: Illumination, an art and music festival; the Darkness Into Light 5K, held at sunrise; and an upcoming youth mental health summit designed to support students preparing to leave for college. In addition, the foundation supports small monthly gatherings led by 38 teen ambassadors from six local high schools.
“It’s kind of a do one, learn one, experience one, and then go teach one scenario,” Liz says. “It’s paying it forward to the community.”
Donate $50 today to the Goldfinch Foundation.
Owen’s presence is felt everywhere at Goldfinch, especially in its emphasis on creativity.
During his senior year, Owen created an art series exploring teen mental health with striking vulnerability. Liz admired the work, but it wasn’t until later that she truly understood its depth. “After he died, I found his workbook,” she says. “It was kind of like a playbook.” Inside were sketches, notes, and ideas — a raw, honest map of his inner world.
Now, creativity is one of the foundation’s most powerful tools. Teens who insist they “aren’t artists” leave workshops surprised by their own openness. “It’s not about creating a masterpiece,” Liz says. “It’s about getting creative. Sometimes you have to experience those things to really get it.”
Donate $50 today to the Goldfinch Foundation.
Outside of faith, family, and friends, Liz says she couldn’t live without three things: movement, music, and laughter. “I love to move,” she says. “Music is such a connector… and laughter — when all else fails — it’s what I cannot live without.”
As for her best advice, Liz says, “Be authentic, connect with people, and be curious. So much of our world right now is technology, screens, and asking questions without listening to the answers. But there’s so much to be learned and gained by being curious about other people and cultures, and connecting with them.”
From a mother’s grief has come a place of light. From devastating loss, a growing community. And from one bright yellow bird, a reminder that even after darkness, flight is still possible — imperfect, uneven, and full of hope.
To learn more or donate, explore our newest partnership with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Editorial Operations Manager and Lead Content Editor. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.