FOR Students

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In this episode, Ed and Kellie dive into the LAUNCH module: Thoughts. 
They share the heart behind its design and explore how students can take control of their inner narrative by identifying and filtering out untrue, unhelpful thoughts. With practical strategies and powerful insight, this module helps students realize: when you change your thoughts, you can change your life. A must-listen for anyone who believes mindset matters.

Intro Music: Ways To Go by GROUPLOVE – Used with permission

Recorded at: EVRYBDY Studios

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Amy Work is a Charlotte-area therapist, founder and owner of Renewed Counseling and Play Therapy, and long-time friend of both Ed and Kellie. She jumps into the studio to talk about growing up achieving, burning out as a teacher, being a wife, becoming a grad student, a mom, a business owner, and the realization that she is someone who has trouble sitting still for any length of time. Amy is an Advisory Board Member and one of FOR Students go-to communicators in our partner schools. You’ll quickly pick up on what makes her so good in front of teens and such an amazing counselor, and you’ll also get a peek into the mind and life of someone who admits that accomplishment can be quite the “drug.” A hilarious and vulnerable conversation.

Website: https://www.renewedcounseling.net/

Intro Music: Ways To Go, by GROUPLOVE- Used with permission

Recorded at EVRYBDY Studios

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Author, keynote speaker, business owner, and yoga instructor, Dr. Charryse Johnson holds a B.A. in human development and family studies; an M.A. in professional counseling and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in crisis and trauma. And while all of this is most certainly  impressive, we find out that these accomplishments and qualifications just scratch the surface. “Dr. Charryse” tells us about her incredible mother, that growing up she thought she was going to be a pop star, and how mentors really helped her see her abilities and the opportunities they might provide. She gets very practical around some things to look for in quality friends and partners, and is quite vulnerable around learning to give herself the compassion she deserves. This is a beautiful story with someone who has compelling insight.

Website: https://drcharryse.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dr.charryse_j

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.charryse_j/

Intro Music: Ways To Go, by GROUPLOVE- Used with permission

Recorded at EVRYBDY Studios

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Current nursing student, Emma Wooten, talks about growing up in a family of 3 girls, being a middle sister, and what it’s like to be diagnosed with cancer in high school; the months of treatment in Philadelphia, big changes in her social life, and the role her faith played in it all. Shetells her story with such confidence, grace, and optimism, you won’t be able to listen without becoming an Emma fan.

Intro Music: Ways To Go, by GROUPLOVE- Used with permission

Recorded at EVRYBDY Studios

Have Questions? Got some ideas on what you want to hear? Text us!

Ed and Kellie explore the strategy behind FOR Students school events, then reflect on when they each first became aware of their natural strengths and areas for growth.

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Ed and Kellie get to interview Granger Bartee, Charlotte-area high school senior, and future University of North Carolina swimmer. They get into how Granger got into swimming, and how his stand out performances at a young age led to this life direction. He goes through what it was like to be recruited by schools all over the country and why he eventually chose UNC. 

Granger shares about his current efforts as he is wrapping up high school swimming, and how he is trying to figure out how to perform and improve without having to go to dark places mentally. He is very open about the loneliness he felt initially after moving to a k-12 prep school as a 9th grader, and how the one friend he had there was his lifeline. 

Lastly, Granger talks about how he decided to be a part of creating spaces of belonging on campus for students through his leadership in Students FOR Students. Great interview with a talented and driven young man who has an obviously old soul.

Intro Music: Ways To Go, by GROUPLOVE- Used with permission

Recorded at EVRYBDY Studios

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Ed sits down with Patrick Balsley, addiction counselor and founder of Sana Counseling and Sana House in Charlotte, NC. We dig into his personal recovery journey, why he feels it took more than one stay in treatment, and what changed during that stint that allowed him to remain sober. We briefly venture into what it means to be a “whole” person, how addiction (of any kind) reveals a desire to avoid feeling something, and Patrick shares the role that spirituality has played in his recovery and understanding of himself. Amazing and transparent discussion.

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Recorded the same day as Caroline Seaford’s interview at the end of the summer of 2024, Evan, a college junior, had also just finished his internship with us at FOR Students. We hear about how he and his friends recreated their own version of the Youtube sensation, Hot Ones. We talk about the greatness of the Apple TV show, Severance, and briefly discuss his internship and first ever “business trip.” We wrap up with Evan opening up about how difficult it was as an introvert to learn to be vulnerable, but how important that vulnerability has become to his friendships and personal health. Settle in for an amazing conversation.

Hot Ones Challenge

firstwefeast.com 

https://www.youtube.com/@FirstWeFeast

Apple TV’s Severance

https://tv.apple.com/us/show/severance/umc.cmc.1srk2goyh2q2zdxcx605w8vtx

Intro Music: Ways To Go, by GROUPLOVE- Used with permission

Have Questions? Got some ideas on what you want to hear? Text us!

Back in August of 2024, before we had convinced Kellie Shope to co-host with Ed, we captured this incredible interview with Caroline Seaford, one of our then summer interns. She had recently graduated high school as student body president, and was looking forward to leaving for college in a few short days. Caroline shared her experience of working with the FOR Students team, and then went on to walk us through her story, one that includes the events around her mom becoming a quadruple-amputee when Caroline was only 7 years old. As you might imagine, it changed the family and Caroline forever.

Intro Music: Ways To Go, by GROUPLOVE- Used with permission

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We dive in with recent graduate, Caleb Jusay, and hear about his job with LEGO, his time doing improv as a middle schooler, and how he felt about his time in high school. We spend the second half of the podcast parsing through the difficult feelings surrounding his friends leaving Charlotte to go to college while he stays local, attends community college, and tries to figure things out.

Intro Music: Ways To Go, by GROUPLOVE- Used with permission