Milica Krstic: Forbes Under 30 Psychotherapist Who Built Safe Space After Losing Friends to Suicide
"When you share it with one person, it becomes smaller. When you share it with three people, then it becomes more real."
"If you don't take care of yourself, your product will just fall apart."
"People are kind by default. When you try to reach out and you see that they're kind and they want to help you, you feel safer."
"Speaking openly about how you really feel, that is something that can improve mental health."
Forbes Under 30 psychotherapist Milica Krstic shares her personal journey through trauma and the creation of Safe Space, a free global mental health support platform, after losing friends to suicide during the COVID pandemic, and why therapists need therapy too.
What you'll learn
- How personal loss can become the foundation of a mental health mission
- The importance of open communication in startup teams
- The role AI can play in mental health support
- Why therapists and caregivers need to prioritise their own mental health
- How to build healthy routines for mental well-being
- What inner safety means and how it improves relationships
Key moments from the conversation
Losing friends to suicide during COVID: the origin of Safe Space
Milica's mental health advocacy began after losing friends to suicide during the COVID pandemic. She shares how that loss shaped her personal journey through trauma and ultimately motivated her to create Safe Space, a free, global mental health support platform. Milica was also struck by the cruel irony that, as a trained psychologist, she had not seen the signs in her friends who appeared completely fine in the days before their attempts.
Why therapists need therapy too
A central theme of the episode is Milica's candid acknowledgement that therapists are not immune to mental health struggles, and that the expectation of invulnerability in caregivers is itself a harmful myth. Milica burned out running Safe Space in its third year, reaching a point where she wanted to delete the platform and walk away. Her friends and parents helped her recognise it as burnout rather than failure.
Burnout and the slow morning: rebuilding after collapse
After burning out completely, unable to open WhatsApp, leave the house, or speak to people. Milica took 30–60 days off and restructured her life. She introduced slow mornings: no immediate obligations after waking, a gradual start with meditation, warm tea and a walk. She also recognised that, as an introvert, she had been violating her own boundaries by scheduling back-to-back meetings and forcing herself to be constantly social.
Building inner safety for better relationships
One of Milica's core frameworks is building inner safety, a sense of security within yourself that improves your ability to form trusting relationships with others, including in team and professional contexts. She argues that much social anxiety stems from shame and the fear of rejection, and that practising self-approach in small steps can rebuild the expectation of positive social outcomes.
Working with founders: communication as culture
Milica now works with founder-led teams across Europe for three-week in-person sprints, helping each team member feel seen and improving communication. She finds that startups often deprioritise psychological safety when focused on fundraising and growth, but that unresolved interpersonal dynamics directly limit results.
AI in mental health: ally, not replacement
Milica is developing an AI-based inner ally tool. Her view: AI can never replace the oxytocin released by genuine human connection, but when used well, with privacy safeguards and proper education, it can be a powerful ally that makes emotional support more accessible and private. The danger is in treating AI as a substitute rather than a supplement.
Frequently asked questions
What is Safe Space?
Safe Space is an online platform founded by Milica Krstic that provides free, global mental health support. It grew from her personal experience of loss during the COVID pandemic and her mission to make mental health support more accessible.
Why did Milica Krstic create Safe Space?
Milica founded Safe Space after losing friends to suicide during the COVID pandemic. The platform was her response to the gap she saw between the need for mental health support and its accessibility.
What is "inner safety" and why does it matter?
Inner safety is a concept Milica uses to describe a sense of security within yourself, distinct from external circumstances, that forms the foundation for trusting relationships and effective teamwork.
How did Milica Krstic recover from burnout while running Safe Space?
Milica recognised her burnout when she wanted to delete the platform and quit entirely. She took 30–60 days off, restructured her schedule to include slow mornings and protected introvert time, and learned that sustainable productivity requires radical slowness built into the week, not just occasional rest.
What does Milica say about AI in mental health?
Milica believes AI can be a valuable ally in mental health, increasing accessibility and privacy, but it cannot replace human connection, which activates oxytocin in a way AI cannot replicate. She is developing an AI-based inner ally tool built on this philosophy.
Who is Milica Krstic?
Milica Krstic
Forbes Under 30 Psychotherapist and Founder · Safe Space
Milica Krstic is a psychologist and body-orientated psychotherapist. Annie first met Milica in Botswana at the Forbes Under 30 conference, and was struck by her deeply personal story. After several of her friends attempted suicide, she took action, creating an online platform that has provided free therapy to thousands. Milica was celebrated for this work as a Forbes Under 30 honoree, and she now helps founders navigate the invisible emotional dynamics shaping their teams to build cultures of clarity, trust, and sustainable growth. She is also developing an AI-based inner ally tool to make emotional support accessible, private, and human. This is all driven by Milica's belief that each individual deserves to feel seen, safe, and supported, and that our most painful moments can become the seeds of something meaningful.
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