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Connie Fisher, Director of Mental Health Promotion at Mental Health America of Eastern Missouri, and Riisa Easley, Project Director at St. Louis Regional System of Care, recommend small steps for achieving wellness in all areas of our lives. They share signs that allow us to recognize when we are chronically or intensely stressed and how we can move past it.

Robin Saenger, Founding Director of Peace4Tarpon, a trauma-informed community movement in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and Marsha Morgan, Chief Operating Officer of Truman Medical Center Behavioral Health in Kansas City and partner of Trauma Matters KC, a trauma-informed care model, share the changes they have seen in their communities since implementing a trauma-informed approach. They speak about why understanding trauma is so important and how everyone can and should play a part in the movement.

Serena Muhammad, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the St. Louis Mental Health Board, and Toni Jordan, Peer Specialist at Queen of Peace, help trauma survivors recover through empowerment and aid them in living a fulfilling life. They encourage all of us to engage with those who may need to see a friendly face and to look at problems' root causes at the individual and community level.

Sherrill Wayland, Executive Director of SAGE (Service & Advocacy for GLBT Elders) Metro St. Louis and Andrew Shaughnessy, Manager of Public Policy of PROMO, work to eliminate the health disparity gap between GLBT people and the general population. They stress the importance of health and social service organizations adopting GLBT welcoming policies and always showing dignity and respect, even during disagreement.

Nancy Spargo, CEO and Co-founder of the St. Louis Center for Family Development, and Emily Phillips, Mental Health Professional for the St. Louis Center for Family Development, speak about how adults can help children recover from a traumatic experience. They share how asking "What happened?" instead of "What's wrong?" takes the event outside the child's domain and presents it as an external event that affects him or her, but is not the child's fault.

Larry Bastain lost his nephew to a brutal homicide, yet remains hopeful through the hurt and trauma his family is facing. He found that forgiveness can be not only freeing, but also an integral part of healing. Hear why retaliation, though he considered it, was not an option, and how he found a greater response.

Dorothy Burgess attends weekly grief meetings put on by the Demetrius Johnson Charitable Foundation, which help her and other loved ones of homicide victims cope with loss. She expresses the way homicide has changed her life and the daily pain she faces. Burgess shares her hopes for the future and her grandchildren.

Major Ronnie Robinson of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and Demetrius Johnson started a weekly grief meeting for loved ones of homicide victims. Robinson encourages law enforcement to use outreach, intervention, and enforcement to reduce violence and to work with people in the community in order to gain their trust. He wants society to admit the stigma of the young black male so that we can cure it.

A Mans Response-Episode 1
Trying to Understand Ferguson


Christopher Harrell (43) facilitates this very relevant and important discussion with Roland Garrison (57) an educator, Jarred Arms, (24) a CEO of a mobile technology company, Etoya Dickerson (43), an educator and part-time bartender and DeMarco Davidson (33) an engineering graduate who volunteers in various community organizations.

Following the civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, these very different men from different backgrounds, generations and occupations join together to discuss what is and could be a man’s response to these circumstances.

They analyze scenarios with relevance to different age genres (ages 16 to 19) who are probably most in tuned with recent events, (ages 19 – 32) who are probably just getting out of college and worried about how to make a living - concentrating on maybe starting a family, and (ages 32 on up) who are preparing for family and working life, right on up to retirement age.

Between them they break down the legacies passed down from generation to generation. They discuss age-old problems of racial tension that have allegedly lied dormant but are still as relevant today as they’ve always been, especially as it culminates into the current situation in Ferguson.

Not limited to current and serious events, we also see the conversation widen and encompass some much lighter discussion - family life, occupations and some quirky and enlightening anecdotes along the way.

Through the round table discussion we hear surprising facts and also timely reminders that the more things change, the more they stay the same despite the best will in the world and efforts that are made.

You will be left enlightened, enthralled and encouraged by this inviting episode of “A Mans Response”.

"Our perceived lack of empowerment may have a negative impact on our health." Dr. Vetta Sanders Thompson, Professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, talks about how class and race matter in St. Louis. She encourages community members to take care of themselves and maintain resilience. Dr. Thompson shares her vision for the future improvements of St. Louis.

We know that those who experience persistent, toxic stress or traumatic, adverse events are less likely to achieve good health.
Dr. Terry Jones, Founder’s Professor for Political Science at University of Missouri-St. Louis, discusses how historical discrimination against African-Americans affects current education and wealth disparities. He explains the challenges of our current democracy and how citizens can get involved in their local government and why they should.

When mental health stigma is reduced, more people are able to seek treatment and help those suffering from a mental illness. Andrea Purnell, Director of Communications and the Arts at the Missouri Institute of Mental Health, and Jermine Alberty, Mental Health First Aid Training Director, share how art can be used for self-help and healing.

This episode provides a glimpse into the first live community conversation about how we can achieve emotional and physical wellness by understanding the health impact of persistent, toxic stress and adverse events. Leadership from the St. Louis Regional Health Commission explains why stress and trauma is a health care issue, and Bethany Johnson-Javois shares her personal story of trauma, calling all of us to get involved and help develop supportive relationships and communities that can bounce back.

 “Trauma,” experiencing or witnessing an event that compromises an individual’s sense of safety and wellbeing, is a major mental and emotional health issue in our region. Joe Yancey, Executive Director of Places for People, and Suzanne LeLaurin, Senior Vice President for Programs at the International Institute, encourage those in power to talk openly about having a trauma aware society. They hope that medical practioners can look beyond people’s physical symptoms to help with the true problems that lie beneath.

 Joe Yancey, Chair of the Regional Health Commission’s Community Advisory Board and Rosetta Keeton, Patient Advocate for the St. Louis Regional Health Commission, give us an understanding of stress and its impact on our health and lives and invite all of us to become Alive And Well. They encourage us to think about how the health of our community affects our own individual wellbeing.

Robert Fruend Jr, CEO and Rosetta Keeton, Patient Advocate of the St. Louis Regional Health Commission, explain what Alive and Well STL means to them and why they work to eliminate the impact of stress and trauma on the St. Louis community. They share a mission of hope and encourage listeners to follow the radio show in order to gain tips for helping others and ourselves.

Dr. Will Ross, Associate Dean for Diversity, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, and Senior Fellow at the Washington University Center for Health Policy, discusses why social determinants of health are dictated largely by the distribution of wealth, power and resources in one’s environment. He says that being conscious of your surroundings and overcoming negative environments with positive thinking are important. Dr. Ross explains how to positively affect your own health by taking advantage of one of St. Louis’ many beautiful parks, eating healthy by shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables, and utilizing preventive treatments such as flu shots and other vaccines.

Today is completely about giving, but then again shouldn't everyday be? Join us with our guest Gloria Taylor as we speak about the power of giving back to those in our communities through programs such as Community Women Against Hardship, a program that has been helping families in poverty for 26 years and is still going strong!

We must teach our children by being the example and that's exactly what Korey Johnson is doing! Join us as we speak with him about the Korey Johnson Foundation and how his mission is to teach children philanthropy through giving and receiving with emphasis on giving! Listen how you can lend a helping hand and be an example too!

Terisa Griffin started Better Love Yourself in efforts to provide financial assistance, dorm starter trunks and mentors for college women and men needing a helping hand. Of course she couldn't do this alone, so join us as we speak with her right hand man Damon Green about this amazing event!