Episode 6

Dr. Melissa "Missy" Bird of Bird Girl Industries shares her approach to empowering women to engage in advocacy—and challenges the perfectionism that keeps people from taking action. She introduces the "Graceful Revolution," shares a story of using advocacy to empower a client, and tells the remarkable story of writing and lobbying a bill to emancipate homeless youth—as a graduate student—and getting it passed. Missy encourages everyone to find their passion and get involved.

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Blog www.birdgirlindustries.com

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Episode 5

Kassandra Frederique, New York State Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, shares her work to decriminalize drugs, end racially biased policing, and build community-centered coalitions for policy change. She discusses the importance of meeting people where they are and staying accountable to those most impacted by the war on drugs. Kassandra offers insights into organizing with integrity and pushing for justice through harm reduction and transformative approaches. This conversation highlights the power of advocacy grounded in equity and care.

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http://www.drugpolicy.org/kassandra-frederique

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Episode 4

Dante Barber, Senior Youth Leader at Friends of Island Academy in New York City, shares his personal journey through the criminal justice system and how it led him to prevention work with incarcerated youth. He discusses reentry challenges, the campaign to close Rikers Island, and what it means to use lived experience as a tool for change. This episode is a powerful testament to transformation and the impact of peer-led advocacy.

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Friends of Island Academy http://www.friendsny.org/

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Episode 3

Dr. Nicole Ruggiano, Associate Professor at the University of Alabama School of Social Work, shares how her research on dementia led her to work with the Tuskegee community—a community with deep and justified distrust of researchers due to a history of unethical and racist practices. She discusses the challenges facing rural communities, the importance of supporting self-determination, and how researchers, academics, and practitioners can show up with accountability. Nicole also offers concrete examples of how to engage in policy advocacy.

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Episode 2

Nicole Clark, LMSW, of Nicole Clark Consulting in Brooklyn, shares her consulting work in program design, evaluation, and strategic planning—centering social justice, racial equity, and reproductive justice throughout. She discusses how she built her own consulting practice, what led her to social work, and offers an overview of the Reproductive Justice framework and why it matters.

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https://nicoleclarkconsulting.com/

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Episode 2
Host: Shimon Cohen, LCSW
Guest: Nicole Clark, LMSW

Twitter: @DoinTheWorkPod

In this episode, I talk with Nicole Clark, of Nicole Clark Consulting. Nicole is a licensed social worker in Brooklyn, New York. We talk about Nicole’s consulting work – program design, program evaluation, strategic planning, and trainings – with an emphasis on how she keeps social justice, racial equity, and reproductive justice as her focus. Nicole shares how she decided to study social work and how she started her own business. She provides a brief overview of the Reproductive Justice framework. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Nicole’s website: http://nicoleclarkconsulting.com/

Episode 1

Jonathan Foiles, LCSW, a clinical social worker in Chicago, discusses his work with clients who have experienced trauma, cross-cultural practice, whiteness, and the role of self-disclosure in therapy. He also shares how writing about social policy—using clients' stories and his own clinical experience—serves as both self-care and advocacy, making visible the human cost of policy decisions.

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http://beltmag.com/fixing-chicago-mental-health-system/

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Episode 1
Host: Shimon Cohen, LCSW
Guest: Jonathan Foiles, LCSW

Twitter: @DoinTheWorkPod

In this episode, I talk with Jonathan Foiles, who is a clinical social worker in Chicago, Illinois. We talk about Jonathan’s clinical work with clients who have experienced trauma, cross-cultural practice, whiteness, and self-disclosure. Jonathan shares how he got into this work. We discuss self-care, which for Jonathan includes writing about social policy issues and their impact on clients, using clients’ stories and his experience as a way to show the reality of how policy decisions negatively impact people’s lives. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Link to Jonathan's article: http://beltmag.com/fixing-chicago-mental-health-system/

Episode 1
Host: Shimon Cohen, LCSW
Guest: Jonathan Foiles, LCSW

Twitter: @DoinTheWorkPod

In this episode, I talk with Jonathan Foiles, who is a clinical social worker in Chicago, Illinois. We talk about Jonathan’s clinical work with clients who have experienced trauma, cross-cultural practice, whiteness, and self-disclosure. Jonathan shares how he got into this work. We discuss self-care, which for Jonathan includes writing about social policy issues and their impact on clients, using clients’ stories and his experience as a way to show the reality of how policy decisions negatively impact people’s lives. I hope you enjoy the conversation.

Link to Jonathan's article: http://beltmag.com/fixing-chicago-mental-health-system/