Our last few episodes really centered on Developmental Assets and healthy youth development topics. These topics really build substance use prevention. Today, we’re shifting gears in order to talk about substance use disorder and a topic called harm reduction. Harm reduction has become a more commonly used approach in recent years, but there still tends to be some stigma and a lot of questions around it. Today, we’ll try to unravel these questions and remove the stigma from harm reduction techniques.

023 - Raising Our City: Harm Reduction

Mental health is on the forefront these days. As a society, we’re more aware of it and are talking about it more, which helps break down the stigma previously associated with seeking help for mental health concerns. We’re also keenly aware of mental health concerns for teens. While mental health should always be on our radars, as parents and professionals, the holidays tend to exaggerate mental health concerns. The same can be true for children and teens. In today’s episode, we will be exploring the impact of the holidays on mental health, and talking about tips for supporting our own and our children’s mental health. 

https://www.tlc4cs.org/

Guests:
Meghan Dahl, Supervisor Outpatient Counseling, MyMichigan
Amy Kramer, Therapist, MyMichigan

024- Mental Health During the Holidays

Positive View of Personal Future is one of the 40 Developmental Assets and factors into their identity and sense of self. Today, we’ll take a deep dive into this Asset to understand how youth develop their view of their future and what can influence this vision of their future self.

GUESTS: Amy Jaster and Peggy Sczepanski

https://www.tlc4cs.org/

Amy Jaster is a Midland native who has been an educator for over 20 years, with experience teaching in our local public schools and at the college level.  Currently, she is a Lifelong Wellness professor at Delta college in the Health/Wellness division.  Amy earned her teaching certificate from CMU and then later completed her master’s degree in Educational Leadership at SVSU.  Amy also has experience in the fitness industry as a fitness instructor, personal trainer & former boutique fitness studio owner.  She also has a certificate in Creating Wellbeing & as an educator, welcomes the opportunity to educate others on the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. 
Amy is a member of the Midland Noon Rotary Chapter & currently acts as a committee chair of the Wellbeing Committee & co-chair of the Membership & Public Image Committee.  In the community Amy has helped to coordinate yoga for cancer patients, caretakers, and survivors in partnership with Midland Cancer Services and she sits on the advisory board for Midland Public Schools (Health Committee). Amy is a recent graduate of Leadership Midland where she now serves on the Steering Committee. Amy and her husband, Jeff, have 2 college-age daughters, Ally and Ella along with two dogs, Charlie & Lucy.  She loves family time, being active, and volunteering in her community.

Peggy Sczepanski’s life purpose is to shine bright for her family, inspire others to thrive, and positively contribute to her community.

At Dow, she is responsible for managing the operational strategies, systems, and relationships to impact the wellbeing of Dow people around the world positively. Outside of Dow, she loves to spend time with her family. She shares my passions for healthy living and holistic well-being through Coaching and Consulting individuals and community organizations.

Peggy’s educational background is in Exercise Science and Nutrition. She is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Health Coach, and Energy Management Trainer. In August, 2022 she graduated from The University of Pennsylvania with her Masters in Applied Positive Psychology, which is the science of human flourishing.

025 - Raising our City: Where Do you See Yourself in 10 Years?

Parents often have big dreams for who their children will become. They may be rooted in what we did or wish we had done. But our kids have a way of showing us who they want to be - whether it aligns with our dreams or not. We need to support them as they develop their sense of autonomy, but there is no map telling us how to get from point A (our vision for them) to point B (their vision). Today, we’ll glimpse a mother-daughter relationship and learn how they have struck a balance to build autonomy.

To help with the conversation, we have mother-daughter pair Teresa George and [Bella Sullivan.

BIOS:
Teresa George is a two-time graduate of Saginaw Valley State University, with her undergrad in Special Education in 2003 and her Masters in Education in 2008.  She resides in Midland with her three girls, Bella (18), Addi (15), and Gigi (10), and is very active with the girl’s activities, which include dance, softball, basketball, tennis, and volleyball.  Teresa is the Director of Career Services at Saginaw Valley State University, where she has worked for the past four years.  She’s active in the community as a member of the Midland Noon Rotary Club and Zonta, a Leadership Midland Class of 2021, PTO President of St. Brigid’s Catholic School, and Vice President of the Midland High School Sports Booster Club.  

Bella Sullivan- A senior at Midland High School who serves as the Student Council President, yearbook staff, Midland County Youth Leadership graduate and past steering team member, and a member of the National Honor Society. I’m also a student-athlete, a member of the Varsity Basketball and Softball team, and the volleyball manager. I am very passionate about growing and sharing my leadership style. I will be attending Saginaw Valley State University in the Fall.

026 - Raising our City: Building Autonomy

Welcome to Directions NOT Included. A podcast that features candid conversations for a stronger community. So many of life lessons do not include instructions. It’s a live and learn situation, especially when it comes to raising strong families and creating healthy communities. Together, we will discuss tough topics that help make us better people and overall, a better community. Because together, we can build a legacy.

Brought to you by The Legacy Center for Community Success.

Directions NOT Included

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