On this episode of Free Thinking, Montel talks with Shirley Raines, founder of Beauty 2 The Streetz, a non-profit organization that has supported the homeless community in Los Angeles for the last four years. Every Saturday, rain or shine, she and her team come out to share a hot home-cooked meal, conversation, and most importantly connection. Skid Row is the epicenter of Los Angeles’ homeless community, with about 5,000 people experiencing homelessness lining its corridors. For four years, Raines and her team of volunteers have made weekly visits to Skid Row to distribute donated food, hygiene products and other necessities. Beauty 2 The Streetz has also provided something unique — free beauty makeovers to the community's cisgender and transgender women. Her services were crucial before COVID-19 hit, but are even more so now, as she provides the community with essential PPE, hand sanitizer, and information on social distancing and virus prevention. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

On this episode of Free Thinking, Montel talks with Porsche Williams, a Navy veteran who’s an active member of the Veterans Mental Health Advisory Council at Washington, D.C., Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She is a Suicide Intervention Instructor and founder of Restore Life which she started in 2018 after experiencing her own mental health challenges stemming from her time serving in the Navy during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom war. Her and her team have intervened and prevented hundreds of suicide attempts throughout the Washington DC metropolitan area. She has worked closely with and trained the NFL players association, DC VA Medical center staff, veterans, adolescent, mental health providers, American university police department, Metropolitan Police Department, Maryland’s Sheriff’s department government officials, and many more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

On this episode of Free Thinking, Montel speaks with 33-year-old Financial Activist Dasha Kenned. A St. Louis native with over a decade of experience working as an accountant and default counselor, she created The Broke Black girl which connects, educates, and empowers minority women to achieve financial and mental wellness. The Broke Black Girl provides a safe and supportive space for women to openly discuss their financial hardships, advance their financial literacy, and seek free assistance from the professionals in the group. The platform has exceeded 60,000 women within one year, reaching women in 38 states and 96 countries. The Broke Black Girl has been featured on People, Elite Daily, Black Enterprise Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

On this episode of Free Thinking, Montel talks with his friend Travis Flores. Born with cystic fibrosis and facing the reality that he might not live to his 20’s, Travis became a best-selling children’s book author as a teenager, was a key ambassador for the Make-a-Wish Foundation and today is an author, activist, actor and producer. It’s truly a miracle he’s alive today having now had 3 separate lung transplants, one of of only about 30 patients worldwide to have a 3rd procedure. Travis shares his experiences and how love has helped him through some of his darkest days. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

On this episode of Free Thinking, Montel talks with filmmaker, freelance journalist and creative professional from Omaha, Nebraska, Nick Beaulieu. Nick recently contributed to PBS’s “American Portrait” series, representing Nebraska. He’s the director, writer, and producer of the documentary film How Much Sleep Have You Lost, which is a multi-year odyssey that examines racism, privilege, and faith in Omaha, Nebraska. He also sits on the board of MORE, Movement in Omaha for Racial Equity. Nick is a graduate of the University of Nebraska Omaha and has held roles at Film Streams, The Omaha World-Herald, and Sojern. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a disease in which your body's immune system eats away at the protective sheath that covers your nerves. The disorder disrupts communication between your brain and the rest of your body, meaning your nerve signals slow down or stop. We don't know exactly why this happens. The most common thought is that a virus or gene defect, or both, are to blame. Environmental factors may even play a role. We do know that the disorder affects more women than men, that you may get the disorder if you have a family history of MS, and that you are at higher risk if you live in a part of the world where MS is more common. It's typically diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, but we see the disorder at any age. Now you may ask, how do you know you have multiple sclerosis?On this episode of Free Thinking, Montel talks with one of the foremost experts in treating patients with MS and other Nero immune disorders, Dr Michelle Fabian. She is an Assistant Professor of Neurology and an attending physician at the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis Center. She received a BS degree in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and a MD degree from Case Western Reserve University. She completed her neurology residency at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she served as Chief Resident. In 2009, she was named The Mount Sinai Hospital Resident of the Year. She was the recipient of a 2009-2011 Sylvia Lawry Fellowship from the National MS Society, after which she joined the CGD faculty in 2011. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

On this episode of Free Thinking, Montel talks with Jimmy Choi, a 46-year-old endurance athlete and Parkinson’s Advocate. He received a diagnosis of Young Onset Parkinson’s at only 27 years old and doctors told him that he would need to use a wheelchair in just 15 to 20 years. After extensive research, he found that exercise was the only treatment proven to slow or even halt the progression of Parkinson’s Disease. Since then, he has used fitness to battle his illness and collected an incredibly impressive record of being a four-season veteran of American Ninja Warrior and has completed one ultra-marathon, 16 marathons, 100 half marathons, numerous 5Ks, 10Ks, and triathlons. He and his wife have raised close to $500,000 for Parkinson’s research. He is best known for showcasing feats of athleticism on his social media to serve as inspiration for his fans and those facing similar health challenges. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

When we think of PTSD, [effective PTSD treatment], we most often associate it with veterans as a result of war. However, statistics state that 1 in 13 people will experience PTSD in their lifetime. On this episode of Free Thinking, Montel talks with Dr Frank Bourke, a doctor who was on the front lines of treating 9-11 first responders. Dr Bourke is the founder of the non-profit, The Research and Recognition Project, which conducts rigorous, controlled clinical studies to validate therapeutic techniques that support the widespread use of innovative and cost-effective clinical care for traumatic stress and a number of other psychiatric disorders. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Montel chats with Lindsey Joy Holcomb on this episode of Free Thinking. Lindsey is a mixed-media artist who works with ink, oil, and thread. She’s the founder of the internationally recognized social art project, Colors of MS, where she takes MRI brain scans of MS patients and turns them into absolutely incredible works of art, transforming something that is often a sign of bad news – a brain scan showing the presence of MS – into something truly amazing. She was diagnosed with MS in 2017 and turned to art as a way to heal. After painting her diagnostic MRI, changing the clinical black and white to vibrant color, the passion project was born. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Newly elected PA State Representative Jessica Benham joins Montel on this episode of Free Thinking. Rep Benham is a disability rights activist serving as a member-elect of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 36th District, located in Western Pennsylvania. She is the first openly LGBTQ+ woman and first openly autistic person elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. She is a union organizer, community leader, advocate, and role model. She co-founded the Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy. In her words, she is “fighting for a world where we never have to hide who we are to be seen as capable of serving our communities.”#montel #jessicabenham #LGBTQ Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com