My guest today is Rae Thomas, a licensed professional counselor specializing in eating disorders and body related distress. She has worked within the body image and eating disorder field for 8 years now at varying levels of care. Recovery from eating disorders, body image distress, and unhelpful learned narratives are her passions!”

Feelings Found bridges a gap in the mental health field by designing innovative tools that support recovery by adding tangibility to abstract clinical ideas. Rae serves as Chief Clinical Officer, where she takes her love of academic research and clinical expertise to inform the creation and application of each tool.Outside of Feelings Found, Rae is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado specializing in Eating Disorders, Weight Stigma, and Sexual Trauma. She utilizes Acceptance Commitment Therapy, Feminist Theory, and experiential techniques to help her clients heal their relationships with food, body, and themselves.

Rae Thomas Therapist https://www.raedoestherapy.com/

Feelings Found https://feelingsfound.com/

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After Dr. Becky Bailey, a clinical psychologist and teacher, spent years working within an early childhood education system of hurting children and frustrated adults—educators and families—she created a new approach to education and development. Through a combination of neuroscience, child development research, and psychology, she developed Conscious Discipline®, a social-emotional learning and classroom management methodology.

Conscious Discipline® is an adult-first technique that “addresses adult self-regulation and skill sets first to empower adults to model, teach, and live the skills and ideals they want children to acquire.” It is meant to demonstrate—for children—healthy ways to manage their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to deal with conflict and difficult situations.

Joining us today is Sara HooverSara is a seasoned professional with 30 years of dedicated service to children and families, 20 of which have been specifically in the realm of early childhood education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master’s degree in elementary education, with a concentration in early childhood. Sara is currently advancing her expertise by working toward an Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor-Policy Endorsement through Infancy Onward. Her diverse career has seen her excel in a variety of roles, including social worker, case manager, teacher, director, curriculum writer, researcher, trainer, and adult educator. In the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) sector, Sara has contributed significantly as an infant toddler specialist, and in program, family, and community engagement roles. Her comprehensive background and multifaceted experience make her a vital resource in the field of early childhood development and education.

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In 2003, a movement for men's health started in Australia. A movement that has since funded over 1,320 men's health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men. Known for their impact on prostate and testicular cancer, Movember expanded its reach to address mental health in men. Across the world, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day, with males accounting for 69% of all suicides.

They have taken on three of the biggest health issues affecting men: mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. As a result, men are living healthier, longer lives. The movement started with 30 Mo Bros. Now, it claims a headcount of over 6 million. And they are not done yet.

Joining us today is Max Skinner who works with Movember as a Community Development Manager. He is the founder of Thropic, a donor software company that uses blockchain technology. He is a graduate of Elon University.

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Breathing practices have many benefits when incorporating mindfulness techniques and can help pull the mind away from distractions to increase focus and attention. By oxygenating the body, breathing helps to redirect the mind during stressful or anxious situations. Following the activities listed below, you should be able to balance the mind and body connection.

My guest today is Mary Rondenet. Mary has been swimming with whales and dolphins since 2007 and has had some amazing encounters. Her experiences have helped her to become a more passionate and joyful person. Viewing her experiences from the perspective of being a WhaleBreathing Coach, a Certified Transformational Breath® Facilitator and EnergyTouch® Practitioner, she realizes that being with these magnificent beings has helped her to reconnect to the most important thing in life, her breath.

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Stress is a normal, functional part of life; it serves many purposes. The proverbial “tiger in the room” sort of stress tells us when things need to change. It may also inform us when we need to take a break. But if stress is not managed properly over time, it can cause lasting damage to our bodies and minds.

When most of us consider stress, we think of it as a negative force in our lives—one to be avoided at all costs and managed quickly when it appears. As you might imagine, avoidance is not often the best tool for becoming more adept at managing stress when it does inevitably occur. This is where the subtle differences between stress management and stress reduction begin to show.

My guest today is Matt Plummer. Matt is the creator of Zarvana “a science-based approach to train you to think smarter, work faster, & get better results”. The pursuit of perfection is a bit like wandering on an aimless journey, says Matt. “You keep walking and walking, but you’re not sure that you’re getting any closer to your destination,” he says. Similarly, “a perfectionist is always going to want to keep working on a given assignment. But the end result is rarely satisfying.” So, rather than toil “in search of this amorphous goal of perfection,” he recommends, “creating a checklist” for each task.

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While many people joke about being addicted to smartphones, this addiction is an actual affliction. In the past decade or so, phones have evolved from being tools for communication to an all-in-one digital device, and our entire worlds can now be accessed with just a few taps on the screen. This makes them incredibly useful but also creates a powerful draw that many people find hard to resist. It is important to manage digital literacy in an ever-growing digital world with healthy boundaries.

People who suffer from smartphone addiction often find themselves unable to put the device down. They may also experience anxiety and irritability if they cannot use their phone for an extended period or if their access is restricted. Common signs of smartphone addiction include obsessive checking of phone notifications, losing track of time while using the device, and neglecting other activities or people in favor of time spent on a smartphone.

My guest today is Jose Briones. Jose is a passionate advocate for digital minimalism. By day, he serves as a project manager for four churches in the non-profit sector, dedicating his time to community building. Outside of work, Jose delves into researching innovative strategies to enhance offline living experiences. Through his YouTube channel, he offers insightful reviews of dumbphones and provides practical tips to empower individuals in their journey toward embracing a more offline-centric lifestyle. Jose spends most of his day walking the dog, reading, and like many of us doing work tasks.

In 2018 Jose wrote 'Low Tech Life: A Guide to Mindful Digital Minimalism'. This insightful guide invites you to reassess your relationship with technology and offers practical steps to declutter your digital life. Jose expertly weaves together personal anecdotes, research insights, and actionable strategies, equipping readers with the tools needed to navigate the digital landscape mindfully. He challenges the notion of "more is better," advocating instead for a 'less but better' approach to technology use.

'Low Tech Life' leads you through a transformative journey, starting with an honest assessment of your digital habits. It then helps you to identify what's essential, what's nice to have, and what's merely a time-waster. Briones encourages you to quit digital platforms that don't serve your well-being and happiness, offering practical advice on how to implement digital 'time zones' in your daily life for a more balanced, productive lifestyle.)

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As seniors around the country find out if they’ve been accepted into their dream colleges, stress builds as decisions loom. The first of May is the deadline for seniors to pick their college and is considered National College Decision Day in the United States.

As competition continues to grow tougher year after year, many families are finding themselves navigating conversations about future plans, broken hearts, and what happens when your student doesn’t get the acceptance letter from their dream school. Rejection isn’t easy, especially when it comes to something as important as college admissions decisions. But if you approach it with empathy and understanding, you can help your student cope better with this difficult situation and move forward toward new opportunities and dreams.

My guest today is Kevin Kovaleski. Kevin is the Associate Vice President for Communications in the Office of the Executive Vice President and University Provost at ASU. He leads the communications team at ASU that designs and executes communications strategies that have contributed to ASU enrolling over 177,000 students per year.

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Everyone’s journey through grief after the loss of a family member to suicide is unique and complex. Until recently, the experiences of sibling suicide loss survivors have been poorly understood. Research shows that individuals who have lost a brother or sister to suicide are at increased risk for complicated grief, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal thoughts. However, many sibling survivors report feeling overlooked by friends and family after a suicide death and do not receive the mental health support that they need.

The loss of one’s twin adds to the complexity healing. When their twin dies, the remaining twin often experiences profound survivors’ guilt. They have problems with other intimate relationships. Birthdays bring on mourning. Those who aren’t twins seem largely unable to appreciate the depth and complexity of twin bereavement, therapists and twins themselves say.

My guest today is Nick Goodwin, a recent graduate from Wheat Ridge High School in May of 2023. He is currently taking a gap year, prior to starting college next fall at CU Boulder. Nick is planning on backpacking through Europe with friends this coming month! Nick is going to be the assistant manager at Applewood Knolls swim and tennis club this summer, and works at a bakery during the winter. Nick’s twin brother, Johnny, passed away February of 2021 by suicide.

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