Boston Harbor Islands National Park (0:00:00)

When you think about a vacation, do you think of stargazing, camping, fishing, swimming, or visiting the coast? Today we’re talking about a national park that offers all of that and more to its visitors. Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park is just a few minutes away from downtown Boston, making it a unique and fun place to visit. Plus, you have the chance to check out their city’s fun shops and restaurants after enjoying the park. Cathy Radonic is an employee at Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park. We’ve invited her onto the show today to tell us more about this beautiful place.

Helping Stray Animals (0:13:57)

Pets are adored by millions of people around the world–we idolize them through memes, capture their funny behavior, and even make them cute little outfits to wear. But with how easy it is to own a pet in our country, there comes an unfortunate side effect: pet homelessness. There are nearly 70 million stray animals currently living in the U.S. Because of these sizeable populations, it’s not uncommon to see a stray animal during your daily routine, but it’s hard to know what to do when you find one. So how do you identify if an animal is stray, and what should you do to help if it’s lost? Joining us on the show today is Sundays Hunt, the state director for the Utah Humane Society, here with us to discuss the best ways to help stray pets.

Culture Bound Syndrome (0:33:47)

Depression, anxiety, OCD—all mental illnesses with which most Americans are familiar, having either experienced it themselves or knowing someone who has. But what about a sickness like Koro or Hwa-byung or reflechi twòp? Unless you or your family comes from Singapore or Korea or Haiti, it’s unlikely that you’ve had any experience with or have even heard of these ailments. Rather, these are all examples of illnesses known as culture-bound syndromes. Here to discuss with us what culture bound syndromes are and how the American method of diagnosing and treating mental illnesses can benefit from their study, is Psychiatrist-in-Chief at Boston Medical Center and Professor Dr. David Henderson.

A World Together (0:52:50)

When we were kids and the world seemed confusing or scary, there were special books, TV shows or movies that we could go to comfort and understanding. For kids across generations, Sesame Street was one of those havens. And now, Sonia Manzano, who played Maria on Sesame Street for 44 years, is working to provide a new source of comfort and understanding through writing, with her new book A World Together. Here to tell us a little bit more about her work is Sonia herself.

Mini Book Club: Fan Fiction (1:08:50)

Rachel Wadham, of BYU Radio’s World’s Awaiting, talks with Lisa and Richie about the fan fiction books that are actually worth checking out.

The Mental Toll of School (1:19:11)

As adults, we’ve done a lot of growing this year. And so have our kids! Especially concerning school, our kids have experienced a great deal of change and extra stress. And similar to how us adults need exercise, meditation and time to bake our banana bread in order to get through the difficulties, our kids also need coping mechanisms. So to help us know exactly how we can help our kids cope with the mental and emotional toll this school year is having on them, we’ve invited Bethanie Monsen-Ford, a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, on the show today. To learn more about the resources that she mentioned, you can visit NAMI, Sesame Street Toolkits for Parents and Caregivers, and NASP.