What happens to our relationships and communities when safety itself feels uncertain?

Paulina and Philip talk about immigration, chronic stress, family separation, and the ways systems ripple through entire communities, but also about what helps us survive them: collective care, chosen family, intentional relationships, joy, and belonging.

Because we can't always choose the systems we live within, but we can help create communities where people feel seen, supported, and able to exhale.

Reflection: Where in your life do you feel like you can exhale, and how might you help create more of that belonging for someone else?

Resources & Further Learning

• What Is Temporary Protected Status (TPS)? - USCIS 

• When TPS Ends: The Community Impact - Associated Press 

• Wilson Creek ICE Operation - Enlace Latino NC 

• Children & Parental Immigration Detention - Brookings 

• Decolonizing Therapy - Dr. Jennifer Mullan 

• CIMA - WNC Immigrant Community Support

• Pisgah Legal Services - Immigration Assistance

YOU DON’T HAVE TO CARRY IT ALONE

If today's conversation brought something up for you, know that you don't have to carry it by yourself.

If it feels safe to do so, consider reaching out to someone you trust; a friend, family member, neighbor, faith leader, therapist, or another supportive person in your community. Sometimes simply letting someone know you're struggling can be an important first step.

If you don't know who to reach out to, or you need support right now, the resources below are available.

IF YOU NEED IMMEDIATE SUPPORT

Emergency

• Call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
• If the emergency involves a mental health crisis, you can ask the dispatcher if a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officer or other specially trained crisis responder is available. Availability varies by community, but CIT-trained officers have additional training in responding to behavioral health crises.
• Or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

• Call or text 988 (available 24/7)
• Español: Press 2 when calling or text AYUDA to 988.
• You do not need insurance, identification, or immigration documents to contact 988. Most people who reach out are connected with a trained crisis counselor, and the vast majority of conversations are resolved without involving emergency services.

Crisis Text Line

• Text HOME to 741741
• Español: Text AYUDA to 741741

BlackLine

• Call 800-604-5841
• Peer support centered on Black, Black LGBTQ+, and Black femme communities while welcoming BIPOC callers.

The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ young people)

• Call 866-488-7386
• Text START to 678-678

Trans Lifeline

• Call 877-565-8860
• Peer support run by trans people, for trans and questioning people.

LGBT National Hotline

• Call 888-843-4564

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA RESOURCES

View From Here WNC

Looking for other mental health resources? View From Here WNC connects people across Western North Carolina with local mental health services, crisis resources, and wellness organizations by county.

https://www.wnchn.org/view-from-here-wnc-mental-health/

Mobile Crisis Management

888-573-1006

A mobile crisis team can come to you if you're experiencing a behavioral health crisis and need in-person support.

Behavioral Health Crisis Center (C3)

356 Biltmore Ave.

Asheville, NC 28801

Walk-in behavioral health crisis services for adults experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.

Who taught you to love?

Long before we chose our relationships, our relationships were shaping us.

In this episode, Paulina and Philip explore how attachment, belonging, family, culture, and community influence the way we love, trust, communicate, and connect. Through personal stories and thoughtful conversation, they reflect on the experiences that shape us, and how healing can help us build healthier relationships moving forward.

Reflection: Who taught you to love? What experiences shaped the way you trust, communicate, or find belonging?

Resources

• Mental Health First Aid: https://mentalhealthfirstaid.org/about/
• North Carolina Community Health Worker Association: https://ncchwa.org/

YOU DON’T HAVE TO CARRY IT ALONE

If today's conversation brought something up for you, know that you don't have to carry it by yourself.

If it feels safe to do so, consider reaching out to someone you trust; a friend, family member, neighbor, faith leader, therapist, or another supportive person in your community. Sometimes simply letting someone know you're struggling can be an important first step.

If you don't know who to reach out to, or you need support right now, the resources below are available.

IF YOU NEED IMMEDIATE SUPPORT

Emergency

• Call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
• If the emergency involves a mental health crisis, you can ask the dispatcher if a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officer or other specially trained crisis responder is available. Availability varies by community, but CIT-trained officers have additional training in responding to behavioral health crises.
• Or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

• Call or text 988 (available 24/7)
• Español: Press 2 when calling or text AYUDA to 988.
• You do not need insurance, identification, or immigration documents to contact 988. Most people who reach out are connected with a trained crisis counselor, and the vast majority of conversations are resolved without involving emergency services.

Crisis Text Line

• Text HOME to 741741
• Español: Text AYUDA to 741741

BlackLine

• Call 800-604-5841
• Peer support centered on Black, Black LGBTQ+, and Black femme communities while welcoming BIPOC callers.

The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ young people)

• Call 866-488-7386
• Text START to 678-678

Trans Lifeline

• Call 877-565-8860
• Peer support run by trans people, for trans and questioning people.

LGBT National Hotline

• Call 888-843-4564

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA RESOURCES

View From Here WNC

Looking for other mental health resources? View From Here WNC connects people across Western North Carolina with local mental health services, crisis resources, and wellness organizations by county.

https://www.wnchn.org/view-from-here-wnc-mental-health/

Mobile Crisis Management

888-573-1006

A mobile crisis team can come to you if you're experiencing a behavioral health crisis and need in-person support.

Behavioral Health Crisis Center (C3)

356 Biltmore Ave.

Asheville, NC 28801

Walk-in behavioral health crisis services for adults experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.

Culture is more than food, language, and traditions. It's also the survival strategies, values, and stories we inherit.

In this episode of Black & Brown Mountain Town, we explore how culture, systems, and history shape our mental health. From immigrant hustle culture and code-switching to faith, family expectations, burnout, resilience, and community care, we unpack both the gifts we've inherited and the burdens we're still carrying.

Along the way, we ask a question that sits at the heart of healing:

Who are you when you take the layers off?

Join us for an honest conversation about identity, belonging, historical trauma, mutual aid, and why healing has always been both personal and communal.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO CARRY IT ALONE

If today's conversation brought something up for you, know that you don't have to carry it by yourself.

If it feels safe to do so, consider reaching out to someone you trust; a friend, family member, neighbor, faith leader, therapist, or another supportive person in your community. Sometimes simply letting someone know you're struggling can be an important first step.

If you don't know who to reach out to, or you need support right now, the resources below are available.

IF YOU NEED IMMEDIATE SUPPORT

Emergency

• Call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
• If the emergency involves a mental health crisis, you can ask the dispatcher if a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officer or other specially trained crisis responder is available. Availability varies by community, but CIT-trained officers have additional training in responding to behavioral health crises.
• Or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

• Call or text 988 (available 24/7)
• Español: Press 2 when calling or text AYUDA to 988.
• You do not need insurance, identification, or immigration documents to contact 988. Most people who reach out are connected with a trained crisis counselor, and the vast majority of conversations are resolved without involving emergency services.

Crisis Text Line

• Text HOME to 741741
• Español: Text AYUDA to 741741

BlackLine

• Call 800-604-5841
• Peer support centered on Black, Black LGBTQ+, and Black femme communities while welcoming BIPOC callers.

The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ young people)

• Call 866-488-7386
• Text START to 678-678

Trans Lifeline

• Call 877-565-8860
• Peer support run by trans people, for trans and questioning people.

LGBT National Hotline

• Call 888-843-4564



WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA RESOURCES

View From Here WNC

Looking for other mental health resources? View From Here WNC connects people across Western North Carolina with local mental health services, crisis resources, and wellness organizations by county.

https://www.wnchn.org/view-from-here-wnc-mental-health/

Mobile Crisis Management

888-573-1006

A mobile crisis team can come to you if you're experiencing a behavioral health crisis and need in-person support.

Behavioral Health Crisis Center (C3)

356 Biltmore Ave.

Asheville, NC 28801

Walk-in behavioral health crisis services for adults experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.

Asheville, we are grieving.

This is a message from your Black and Brown Mountain Town podcast hosts, Philip and Paulina.

What happened in our city, Asheville, NC, this past week has left families broken and a whole community shaken. These were somebody’s children. Somebody’s brother. Somebody’s friend. Behind every headline is a mother who will never hear that voice again.

Please keep these families in your hearts and in your prayers. Don’t scroll past. Say their names in your prayer closet. Check on the people around you who are hurting, because trauma travels through a community long after the news trucks leave.

If you are able to give, here is how you can help:

For funeral expenses: donations can be made online to My Daddy Taught Me That at https://mydaddytaughtmethat.org/donate/ - please indicate that your gift is for funeral expenses so it gets directed to the families.

Meal trains have also been set up. You can contribute here:

Keanti’s Meal Train: https://mealtrain.com/3rmd60

Sharika’s Meal Train: https://mealtrain.com/oevkmd

Whatever you can do, do it. A meal. A dollar. A prayer.

Grace and peace,

Philip, Paulina, Gilbert, and Rome - The Black & Brown Mountain Town Team

YOU DON’T HAVE TO CARRY IT ALONE

If today's conversation brought something up for you, know that you don't have to carry it by yourself.

If it feels safe to do so, consider reaching out to someone you trust; a friend, family member, neighbor, faith leader, therapist, or another supportive person in your community. Sometimes simply letting someone know you're struggling can be an important first step.

If you don't know who to reach out to, or you need support right now, the resources below are available.

IF YOU NEED IMMEDIATE SUPPORT

Emergency

• Call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
• If the emergency involves a mental health crisis, you can ask the dispatcher if a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officer or other specially trained crisis responder is available. Availability varies by community, but CIT-trained officers have additional training in responding to behavioral health crises.
• Or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

• Call or text 988 (available 24/7)
• Español: Press 2 when calling or text AYUDA to 988.
• You do not need insurance, identification, or immigration documents to contact 988. Most people who reach out are connected with a trained crisis counselor, and the vast majority of conversations are resolved without involving emergency services.

Crisis Text Line

• Text HOME to 741741
• Español: Text AYUDA to 741741

BlackLine

• Call 800-604-5841
• Peer support centered on Black, Black LGBTQ+, and Black femme communities while welcoming BIPOC callers.

The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ young people)

• Call 866-488-7386
• Text START to 678-678

Trans Lifeline

• Call 877-565-8860
• Peer support run by trans people, for trans and questioning people.

LGBT National Hotline

• Call 888-843-4564

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA RESOURCES

View From Here WNC

Looking for other mental health resources? View From Here WNC connects people across Western North Carolina with local mental health services, crisis resources, and wellness organizations by county.

https://www.wnchn.org/view-from-here-wnc-mental-health/

Mobile Crisis Management

888-573-1006

A mobile crisis team can come to you if you're experiencing a behavioral health crisis and need in-person support.

Behavioral Health Crisis Center (C3)

356 Biltmore Ave.

Asheville, NC 28801

Walk-in behavioral health crisis services for adults experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.

What is mental health, really?

In honor of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, we're exploring a question that seems simple, and is anything but. Too often, mental health gets reduced to diagnoses, therapy, or moments of crisis. In this episode, we unpack why mental health is so much bigger than that.

From relationships and belonging to boundaries, joy, community, and indigenous perspectives on balance, we explore what it means to care for ourselves and one another. Join us as we bridge clinical knowledge and lived experience to remind ourselves that healing doesn't just happen in therapy offices. It also happens around kitchen tables, on front porches, and in the communities that help us remember we don't have to do this alone.

Also, a special thanks and shout-out to our interns, Damien Cortez, Gilbert Feliciano, and Rome Gibson! Woo!

YOU DON’T HAVE TO CARRY IT ALONE

If today's conversation brought something up for you, know that you don't have to carry it by yourself.

If it feels safe to do so, consider reaching out to someone you trust; a friend, family member, neighbor, faith leader, therapist, or another supportive person in your community. Sometimes simply letting someone know you're struggling can be an important first step.

If you don't know who to reach out to, or you need support right now, the resources below are available.

IF YOU NEED IMMEDIATE SUPPORT

Emergency

• Call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
• If the emergency involves a mental health crisis, you can ask the dispatcher if a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officer or other specially trained crisis responder is available. Availability varies by community, but CIT-trained officers have additional training in responding to behavioral health crises.
• Or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

• Call or text 988 (available 24/7)
• Español: Press 2 when calling or text AYUDA to 988.
• You do not need insurance, identification, or immigration documents to contact 988. Most people who reach out are connected with a trained crisis counselor, and the vast majority of conversations are resolved without involving emergency services.

Crisis Text Line

• Text HOME to 741741
• Español: Text AYUDA to 741741

BlackLine

• Call 800-604-5841
• Peer support centered on Black, Black LGBTQ+, and Black femme communities while welcoming BIPOC callers.

The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ young people)

• Call 866-488-7386
• Text START to 678-678

Trans Lifeline

• Call 877-565-8860
• Peer support run by trans people, for trans and questioning people.

LGBT National Hotline

• Call 888-843-4564

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA RESOURCES

View From Here WNC

Looking for other mental health resources? View From Here WNC connects people across Western North Carolina with local mental health services, crisis resources, and wellness organizations by county.

https://www.wnchn.org/view-from-here-wnc-mental-health/

Mobile Crisis Management

888-573-1006

A mobile crisis team can come to you if you're experiencing a behavioral health crisis and need in-person support.

Behavioral Health Crisis Center (C3)

356 Biltmore Ave.

Asheville, NC 28801

Walk-in behavioral health crisis services for adults experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.

Welcome to Black & Brown Mountain Town.

In our first episode, we introduce ourselves, share how we met, and talk about the work that inspired this podcast. As we recognize Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, we explore why conversations about mental health should include both clinical and communal approaches to healing, and why representation, community, and belonging matter.

We're bringing our professional experience, and our friendship, to conversations about mental health, community, systems, and healing. Expect honest discussions, plenty of laughter, and a space where curiosity and connection are always welcome.

We're glad you're here. Welcome to the conversation.

You Don't Have to Carry It Alone

If today's conversation brought something up for you, know that you don't have to carry it by yourself.

If it feels safe to do so, consider reaching out to someone you trust; a friend, family member, neighbor, faith leader, therapist, or another supportive person in your community. Sometimes simply letting someone know you're struggling can be an important first step.

If you don't know who to reach out to, or you need support right now, the resources below are available.

If You Need Immediate Support

Emergency

• Call 911 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
• If the emergency involves a mental health crisis, you can ask the dispatcher if a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officer or other specially trained crisis responder is available. Availability varies by community, but CIT-trained officers have additional training in responding to behavioral health crises.
• Or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

• Call or text 988 (available 24/7)
• Español: Press 2 when calling or text AYUDA to 988.
• You do not need insurance, identification, or immigration documents to contact 988. Most people who reach out are connected with a trained crisis counselor, and the vast majority of conversations are resolved without involving emergency services.

Crisis Text Line

• Text HOME to 741741
• Español: Text AYUDA to 741741

BlackLine

• Call 800-604-5841
• Peer support centered on Black, Black LGBTQ+, and Black femme communities while welcoming BIPOC callers.

The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ young people)

• Call 866-488-7386
• Text START to 678-678

Trans Lifeline

• Call 877-565-8860
• Peer support run by trans people, for trans and questioning people.

LGBT National Hotline

• Call 888-843-4564

Western North Carolina Resources

View From Here WNC

Looking for other mental health resources? View From Here WNC connects people across Western North Carolina with local mental health services, crisis resources, and wellness organizations by county.

https://www.wnchn.org/view-from-here-wnc-mental-health/

Mobile Crisis Management

888-573-1006

A mobile crisis team can come to you if you're experiencing a behavioral health crisis and need in-person support.

Behavioral Health Crisis Center (C3)

356 Biltmore Ave.

Asheville, NC 28801

Walk-in behavioral health crisis services for adults experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.

Disclaimer

Black & Brown Mountain Town is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, psychological, or mental health advice. Watching or listening to this podcast does not establish a therapeutic relationship with the hosts or guests.

The views expressed by guests are their own. While our conversations explore both clinical and communal approaches to mental health and healing, this podcast is not a substitute for assessment, diagnosis, treatment, or care from a qualified healthcare or mental health professional. Please consult an appropriate healthcare professional regarding your individual needs.