How Do I Find Hope When I Feel Hopeless? with CEO Whisperer, Lisa Arie

Welcome! It's a new season, Season 3, and we're glad you've joined us.

For the last two episodes of Season 2, we spent time talking about the A:Shiwi Core Values and how much they mean not only to the students in Zuni ISD but also to the Zuni community.

In today's episode, Ally, a Zuni ISD counselor and David, a Zuni ISD consultant, give us their thinking on the importance of being aware and intentional in our thoughts and actions that can lead to the manifestation of empathy and equity in our communities.

Let's listen in as Ally and David talk with Melina about the changes they've seen when adults and students are more aware and intentional in their relationships.

You can earn more about Zuni Indepdent School District and the A:shiwi Core Values here.

During the past two episodes we spent time talking about the A:Shiwi Core Values and how much they mean not only to the students in Zuni ISD but also to the Zuni community.

In today's episode, Nikki and Horatio, two Zuni High School students, give us their thinking on the importance of empathy, respect, and responsibility, the A:Shiwi way.

You can earn more about Zuni Indepdent School District and the A:shiwi Core Values here.

Dawn Eriacho, Counselor, Zuni High School and David Den Hartog, Lead District and School Strategy Consultant, at Green Schools National Network join host Gillian Parker to discuss the work they're doing around providing "safe spaces" for the students they work with in Zuni, New Mexico. while focusing on their traditional A:shiwi Core Values.

They also shared what it means to support students' and educators' mental, emotional and social health and why community is so important.

This week we’re joined by Adriana and Noeh, two students at Henrietta M. King High School in Kingsville, Texas. Their school is in Kingsville ISD, the same district whose superintendent Dr. Cissy Reynolds-Perez spoke with us in our last episode. 

Adriana and Noeh open up about their reactions to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas – about 200 miles northwest of Kingsville – that took the lives of 19 students and 2 teachers on May 24, 2022. 

They share their feelings about yet another mass shooting – shock, fear, anger, hope – and reflect on how this latest tragedy impacts their daily lives, what can be done to prevent another, and how to hold onto hope. 

In May 2022, The Washington Post reported that more than 311,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado.  And that includes the 500 students that experienced tragedy in their school district on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, TX where 19 students and 2 teachers were killed.

In today's episode, we're honored to be talking with Dr. Cissy Reynolds-Perez, Supt., Kingsville ISD - an educator who has taught and led schools at all levels and who truly "walks the talk."  Not only has she engaged the students in the districts where she has worked but has engaged the community to talk about how to keep schools safer.

We first met Dr. Perez in2018 when she was principal at W.B. Ray High School, Corpus Christi ISD, Corpus Christi, TX after she had been interviewed by Rachel Martin on NPR's Morning Edition.  Dr. Perez talked about "Post Shooting: Classes to Resume at Santa Fe (TX) High School."  After the Parkland (FL) school shooting, she noticed people saying "Oh, this is just another school shooting."  She wanted her students to be aware that these were real people, real teachers, real coaches falling victim to the violence. She had them write letters to her to let her know what their thoughts were about this and if they had suggestions for her about preventing similar incidents at their school.

We reached out to Dr. Perez and she responded immediately to invite us to Ray High School to tell her more about our discipline management program, reThinkIt!, which had already prevented a school shooting at a Houston-area middle school. In her office, we saw the high stack of letters in a chair in the corner of the room - each with notes scribbled on them and highlighted content. She shared how she had walked into a high school classroom and pulled out some of those letters and started talking about the recommendations the students had made. The students were floored - they couldn't imagine the principal of their high school would take the time to listen to them.

But she did and she continues to do that today, which is why she invited two students from her new district, Kingsville ISD, in Kingsville, TX to speak with us. You'll hear their voices in Episode #8.

For the next 20 minutes, you'll be glad you took the time to listen to Dr. Perez share her experiences before, during, and after the Uvalde, TX school shooting while guiding us through her advice on where we go next to keep our schools safer.

In Part Two, we'll continue our conversation with Emily Bridge, LCSW, and learn about social stigmas, historical perspectives, and feeling comfortable with who you are.

"My hope and wish for folks is that, at some point, they're able to live independently as an adult and fully embrace their identity, whatever it might be." - Emily Bridge, LCSW

Emily's 4-Step Action Plan has some great advice. Check it out the detail on Part Two of Emily's recording.

• Be patient with yourself.
• Spend time free writing.
• Talk it out.
• Give yourself permission to be who you are.

Part 1 of Emily Bridge's interview begins with a discussion of the LGBTQ+ Spectrum and definitions of terms that are sometimes confusing.  She also shares her definition of the Gender Spectrum.

Emily shares, "I think it does matter for people to feel like they know themselves. Like they can be sure of themselves. Our sense of self can change over time.  Trying to figure this out, it's not so important that we come up with the hard and fast rule of who we are and that's the end. It can be important for us to feel comfortable within our own bodies. Comfortable in the way we live our lives, to have a sense of how we identify."

Listen now as Emily shares how important it is for teens to pay attention to what's happening in their lives, listen to their body cues, and learn how they can better understand where they fit on the Spectrum.

In our previous Part 1 episode with Dr. Hutch, we learned about the things that are causing us to lose our focus, how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected us, and several tips on how to maintain focus in spite of the lure of the Internet and social media. We also learned more about self-control and the Stanford Marshmallow Test.

In Part 2 of this two-part series, Dr. Hutch continues his conversation about recognizing when you're in a "flow" state. At the end of the episode, he shares his 4 Action Steps to Maintain Better Focus such as hitting the power button, using a timer for something more than reminding yourself to wake up, reducing your addiction to social media, and what it means to be vulnerable and what to do and not do during that time.

Listen now as Dr. Hutch discusses practical ways teens can better their mental health by staying focused.

Today teens continue to endure a life-changing crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health issues have reached a critical breaking point. ER childhood mental health visits continue to be at epidemic proportions, high schools students have felt sad or depressed through the pandemic. More than 3,000 students attempt suicide each and every day.

Dr. Jeff Hutchinson,  a retired US Army Colonel and Adolescent Medicine specialist, has 25 years of experience caring for children, teens, young adults and service members. His unique approach combines the science of behavioral economics with the methodology of helping teens and parents communicate. He is an advocate for addressing the social determinants of health disparities and has published in several academic journals. 

In Part 1 of this two-part episode, Dr. Hutch  shares several key concepts with the All Teens Considered audience including what it means to be in “flow” and how to avoid the fear of missing out (FOMO).

Listen now to hear Dr. Hutch discuss practical ways teens can better their mental health through staying focused.

In Part 1, How Do I Love My Unique Bipolar Brain?, Sara explored how she learned to accept her bipolar brain, how she navigated life pre- and post-diagnosis and the exciting book that she’s just published BrainStorm: From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum.

Now, in Part 2, we get to hear a little more from Sara plus her super helpful 5-Step Action Plan - Choose your Brain Buddy, Create an Affirmation, Establish a Code Red Process, and Exhale and Celebrate. 

It’s an episode you won’t want to miss.  Be sure to check out Sara's recently published memoir BrainStorm: From Broken to Blessed on the Bipolar Spectrum which tells the story of how she made peace with her bipolar brain. BrainStorm is now available wherever you get your books and audiobooks on the web.

More praise for Sara's book, BrainStorm - "Sara Schley has written an absorbing and disturbing memoir that shines a harsh light on the incredible challenges of getting appropriate treatment for mental health challenges, given our fragmented mental health care system, as well as the appalling ignorance of some professionals. All mental health professionals should read this book, as it proves how important it is that we stay informed about current knowledge in our field so that we can 'do no harm' to our clients. But perhaps, more important, it presents a poignant illustration of the vital importance of listening to and taking good care of our clients who come to us in their time of most desperate need." - Nancy Roosa, PsyD, Pediatric Neuropsychologist

Hear more from Sara about her journey on YouTube at the TEDxDeerfield talks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMV6IskCYuY