Anthologies of Hope

As we kick off the interview, this week’s episode sets the record for the guest I’ve known the longest at the time of recording - coming in at 5 or 6 years! We cover Allie’s journey over the past few years through the course of transitioning, the impact on her life, the effects of previous psychological injuries - both diagnosed and undiagnosed - throughout the process, and how important it is to maintain connection with your support circles - both whom you can support and who can support you.

Allie’s story is not unique, from the perspective in which she describes the reality her mind had painted for her. In actual reality, there was a support system waiting, it was just that she felt like too much of a burden to reach out until it came to the point of crisis. I am thankful for her perspective from someone that has lived the ups and downs and comes through it with the advocacy for staying connected to loved ones, staying connected to your support circles, and advocating for yourself even in the darkest of times - because as long as you have air in your lungs, you are not alone.

Don't forget to check out our companion Spotify playlist at anthologiesofhope.com/playlist.

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Special Guest: Allie Downey.

Today's Conversations Cafe episode is titled Mental Health & Intersectionality. Recorded live at the UIC Forum, as part of Hope for the Day's Conversations Summit 2019 and hosted by Hope for the Day COO Carl Evans, this panel focused on addressing the nuances of stigma and mental health in an intersectional context for issues affecting people of color, individuals among LGBTQ+ populations and immigrants. These challenges are compounded further by historic elements within America, such as racism, non-secular and secular prejudices, cultural and language barriers.

Our panelists include:

Hope for the Day's inaugural Conversations Summit 2019 educated, inspired, and activated attendees with an exciting mix of breakout sessions created and led by diverse groups of youth, mental health professionals and academic partners, covering a vast spectrum of topics from mental health, arts, and technology, to social justice and activism. The summit was graciously hosted by The University of Illinois at Chicago at the Isadore & Sadie Dorin Forum (The Forum).

Don't forget to check out our companion Spotify playlist at anthologiesofhope.com/playlist.

You can find us on the web at:

We are available anywhere you listen to podcasts:

Please leave us a review, let us know your thoughts, send us questions, and what else you'd like to hear on the future episodes of Anthologies of Hope.

Casey Ryan joins us today and she is our first guest that sought us out to make an appearance on our show! Anthologies of Hope is all about stories and journeys and Casey’s is one that I am grateful that we get to bring to you! We jump into Casey’s background, beginning with alcohol and drug addictions at the ages of 13 and 15 respectively; treatment & recovery of those addictions, as well as mental health issues through the standard process of care in the American recovery system; how she transformed her life to thrive in corporate America, only to leave that behind to empower others with her own life-coaching expertise!

We talk about the downfalls of the current addiction recovery movement in the United States, how it fails to address both addiction and uniquely disparate mental health issues at the same time, as well as the existence and impact of mental health stigmas in the workplace!

As you can hear, that’s a lot to cover in the ninety minutes we’ve got in this episode, so be sure to check out Casey’s guest page at anthologiesofhope.com/guests/casey-ryan for all her contact info, her coaching website at ryanlifecoaching.com, and the Self Made & Sober podcast appearance we mention in the episode!

Don't forget to check out our companion Spotify playlist at anthologiesofhope.com/playlist.

You can find us on the web at:

We are available anywhere you listen to podcasts:

Please leave us a review, let us know your thoughts, send us questions, and what else you'd like to hear on the future episodes of Anthologies of Hope.

Special Guest: Casey Ryan.

Today's Conversations Cafe episode is titled Boys Don't Cry. Recorded live at the UIC Forum, as part of Hope for the Day's Conversations Summit 2019, this panel focused on confronting stigmas that compel silence on mental health matters for those that identify as male and was expertly hosted by Hope for the Day COO, Carl Evans.

Our panelists included:

Hope for the Day's inaugural Conversations Summit 2019 educated, inspired, and activated attendees with an exciting mix of breakout sessions created and led by diverse groups of youth, mental health professionals and academic partners, covering a vast spectrum of topics from mental health, arts, and technology, to social justice and activism. The summit was graciously hosted by The University of Illinois at Chicago at the Isadore & Sadie Dorin Forum (The Forum).

Don't forget to check out our companion Spotify playlist at anthologiesofhope.com/playlist.

You can find us on the web at:

We are available anywhere you listen to podcasts:

Please leave us a review, let us know your thoughts, send us questions, and what else you'd like to hear on the future episodes of Anthologies of Hope.

We are joined by Amanda Vitrano this week to discuss the loss of her sister Lauren; how it affected her personally, professionally, and socially; how a chance encounter with Hope for the Day through a workplace Peervention workshop altered her course of advocacy; and finally, what self-care really means and why she is making it her mission to redefine self-care for anyone who needs to hear it and feel it.

Through the loss of her sister, Amanda, felt called to do the work that wasn’t what she wanted to do, but what she needed to do. In this work, she created The Learn for Lauren Foundation, as well as establishing a scholarship at the University of Illinois at Chicago in her sister’s memory. Amanda covers all the hard work necessary to bring all of that to fruition, as well as what it meant to her and her family to see the community come out and support the cause in her sister’s name.

You can read more about Amanda’s non-profit, The Learn for Lauren Foundation, and all the great work they are doing in the Chicago area at learnforlauren.com, as well as on Facebook and Instagram at learnforlauren. Amanda’s guest page at anthologiesofhope.com/guests/amanda-vitrano also has all the contact info, additional links you may need and more of her background as well! Be sure to check that out after listening today!

Don't forget to check out our companion Spotify playlist at anthologiesofhope.com/playlist.

You can find us on the web at:

We are available anywhere you listen to podcasts:

Please leave us a review, let us know your thoughts, send us questions, and what else you'd like to hear on the future episodes of Anthologies of Hope.

Special Guest: Amanda Vitrano.

Today's Conversations Cafe episode is titled You Can't Wear That. Recorded live at the UIC Forum, as part of Hope for the Day's Conversations Summit 2019, this panel focused on exploring stigmas that impact the mental health for those who identify as female and was expertly hosted by Hope for the Day board member, Christmas Eger.

Our panelists included:

Hope for the Day's inaugural Conversations Summit 2019 educated, inspired, and activated attendees with an exciting mix of breakout sessions created and led by diverse groups of youth, mental health professionals and academic partners, covering a vast spectrum of topics from mental health, arts, and technology, to social justice and activism. The summit was graciously hosted by The University of Illinois at Chicago at the Isadore & Sadie Dorin Forum (The Forum).

Don't forget to check out our companion Spotify playlist at anthologiesofhope.com/playlist.

You can find us on the web at:

We are available anywhere you listen to podcasts:

Please leave us a review, let us know your thoughts, send us questions, and what else you'd like to hear on the future episodes of Anthologies of Hope.

Our first guest of Season 3 is Joel Frieders. Joel is a man of many talents, but most of all, he exudes charisma and his passion for suicide prevention burns very bright. We cover Joel’s experience as an Alderman for the United City of Yorkville, IL, as well as his journey to becoming the Public Policy Director for Hope for the Day.

The main focus of our discussion this episode continually circles back to Joel’s main passion project - the National Suicide Prevention & Action Month Proclamation (NSPAMP). After painfully losing multiple friends, loved ones, and mentors to suicide, Joel decided it was time something had to be done to break the silence and the stigma around talking about suicide and the impact it has on our communities. Listen to Joel talk about NSPAMP and then check out facebook.com/NSPAMP for more details! You can also check out more background, related articles, and all his contact info on Joel’s guest page on our website at anthologiesofhope.com/guests/joel-frieders.

Don't forget to check out our companion Spotify playlist at anthologiesofhope.com/playlist.

You can find us on the web at:

We are available anywhere you listen to podcasts:

Please leave us a review, let us know your thoughts, send us questions, and what else you'd like to hear on the future episodes of Anthologies of Hope.

Special Guest: Joel Frieders.

This week’s event is titled The Light Project. We talk with photographers and Hope For The Day Agents of Impact, Jamie Parker and Chris Callen. Jamie and Chris are the brains behind the The Light Project, a portrait series in collaboration with HFTD. They ask two questions - "How mental health and suicide have impacted your life?" and "What gives you hope?" As the person shares, Jamie and Chris capture two portraits to show that we have all darkness and light.

You’ll hear what inspired Jamie and Chris to create The Light Project in its current form, some of the highlights they’ve had along the way, and their plan for making it generally available in 2020! Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in the Light Project at the end of the episode and it was one of the most well-engaged interactive events at our Conversations Cafes to date!

The Conversations Cafe is a monthly live podcast recording at Sip of Hope Coffee Bar featuring education and open forum dialogue on the intersections of Mental Health within our communities. This education programming is brought to you by Hope For The Day with support from our partners in prevention, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Illinois, and Banyan Treatment Center.

Join the conversation. We are in this together.

If you are in the Chicago area, don’t miss the chance to attend one of my favorite night’s of the year - and I haven’t even experienced it in person yet! Hope for the Day’s signature event, The Hope Ball, hosted at Salvage One in Chicago’s West Loop, brings the Chicagoland community together for an evening of celebration of the future of mental health that we are all creating together as a community! Don’t miss the presentation of the Partner in Prevention Award to Old Irving Brewing and Keynote Speaker, Dan Carcillo, mental health and lived experience advocate, as well as a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks. Tickets are available at https://www.hftd.org/hopeball2019.

Don't forget to check out our companion Spotify playlist at anthologiesofhope.com/playlist.

You can find us on the web at:

We are available anywhere you listen to podcasts:

Please leave us a review, let us know your thoughts, send us questions, and what else you'd like to hear on the future episodes of Anthologies of Hope.

This week’s event is titled Out of the Darkness and features one of Hope for the Day’s premier Partners in Prevention, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Illinois (AFSP). We cover some of the history of AFSP on a national level; the research, partnerships, and programming that AFSP IL does year round; and cover their upcoming Out of the Darkness Walk coming up on September 21st, 2019 at Montrose Harbor in downtown Chicago.

Our guests this week discuss how mental health and suicide have impacted their lives, as well as what brought them to their work with AFSP directly. Joining us on this episode are Courtney Collins, Regional Director of AFSP IL & MO; Cara Levinson, Secretary for the Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Education Outreach Committee; Mike Bushman, Author, and AFSP Board Member and Volunteer; and Steve Moore, Co-Chair of the Board of Directors, Chair of the Advocacy & Policy Committee, and Caption of the Race AFSP team. For more information on the AFSP IL Leadership team, you can check out their website at https://afsp.org/chapter/afsp-illinois/afsp-illinois-chapter-leadership/.

Be sure to check out Hope for the Day's inaugural Conversations Summit, hosted in downtown Chicago on Saturday, September 7th, 2019. The Conversations Summit will empower young voices through interactive sessions for learning, dialogue, and activism. Best of all, the event is free but you do need to register ahead of time, so head on over to conversationssummit.com for more details and to get your tickets today!

The Conversations Cafe is a monthly live podcast recording at Sip of Hope Coffee Bar featuring education and open forum dialogue on the intersections of Mental Health within our communities. This education programming is brought to you by Hope For The Day with support from our partners in prevention, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Illinois, and Banyan Treatment Center.

Join the conversation. We are in this together.

Don't forget to check out our companion Spotify playlist at anthologiesofhope.com/playlist.

You can find us on the web at:

We are available anywhere you listen to podcasts:

Please leave us a review, let us know your thoughts, send us questions, and what else you'd like to hear on the future episodes of Anthologies of Hope.

This week's live Conversations Cafe event, simply titled "Resiliency", featured interviews focusing on options for mental health maintenance to develop resiliency for ourselves and for the people we care about the most in our lives: our children, our friends, our family, and all the communities we belong to as individuals.

Also, be sure to check out Hope for the Day's inaugural Conversations Summit, hosted in downtown Chicago on Saturday, September 7th, 2019. The Conversations Summit will empower young voices through interactive sessions for learning, dialogue, and activism. Best of all, the event is free but you do need to register ahead of time, so head on over to conversationssummit.com for more details and to get your tickets today!

Our guests include a plethora of Hope for the Day family:

The Conversations Cafe is a monthly live podcast recording at Sip of Hope Coffee Bar featuring education and open forum dialogue on the intersections of Mental Health within our communities. This education programming is brought to you by Hope For The Day with support from our partners in prevention, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Illinois, and Banyan Treatment Center.

Join the conversation. We are in this together.

Don't forget to check out our companion Spotify playlist at anthologiesofhope.com/playlist.

You can find us on the web at:

We are available anywhere you listen to podcasts:

Please leave us a review, let us know your thoughts, send us questions, and what else you'd like to hear on the future episodes of Anthologies of Hope.