Headroom

Demarquis Battle, Advisor working in Financial Aid at Lansing Community College, describes his circuitous journey through higher education from playing college football and aspiring to run a Fortune 500 company, to discovering that he instead wanted to focus on serving people as a servant-leader. Daring to make a major occupational change in college, he found that his family and friends were there to support him, and he has taken his passion into higher education to help students find their own passion in life, too.

He recommends practicing positivity versus complaining. At this point in his life, he is trying to develop his ability, as a primary reaction, to practice making lemonade out of lemons. Negativity can become overwhelming, but in shifting to an attitude of gratitude one can find ways to experience joy even while in the middle of a storm.

Finally, DeMarquis talks about the power of being in person with another human being absent technology. He describes 3 types of foundational relationships: 1) an “up” relationship with a mentor, 2) a “down” relationship with someone whom you can mentor, and 3) a “horizontal” relationship with someone whom you can share the journey of life with alongside one another. He concludes this interview by talking about the necessity of finding one’s passion and purpose.

1. How to write a personal mission statement, Stephen Covey.
2. 10 reasons why you need a mentor, Indeed.

Stephen McCorry, LCC Student, shares his journey in life as a father, recovery coach, author, and acclaimed MC. Stephen and Jim start the discussion on the topic of “Who am I?”, then move to examining the paradox of choice, sometimes known as analysis paralysis. Stephen shares his wisdom on balancing multiples roles and responsibilities while working toward life-changing goals. Paralyisis in decision making is often undergirded by ambivalence, unclear goals, and lack of understanding. Stephen made a life-changing choice to enroll in college, something he had never considered before, and is exploring how to define and reach new goals for himself. He references two books, Think and Grow Rich, and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and how the ideas he gleaned from those publications helped him think about shaping a new future for himself and his family.

They move the discussion to education and Jim shares his perspective that education is about two things: translation and transformation, meaning students take knowledge and transform it into wisdom. Finally, Stephen shares tools he uses to maintain mental health by choosing to focus on the next small step.

- Think and Grow Rich

- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

In this episode Jim interviews fellow LCC mental health counselor Curlada Eure-Harris. The “L” in Curlada’s name was given by her father to stand for “Love”. She goes on to explain that she sees her role as helping people learn to love and accept themselves. She talks about the unlimited capability of the human brain to learn, regardless of age, referred to as neuroplasticity. Jim dispels the myth that the brain is done growing and developing in one’s early 20s. While it’s true that the brain completes its process of myelination around that time wherein neurons reach their maximum capacity for speed in neurochemical signaling, that does not mean that the brain is then static in its capabilities for the remainder of life. Rather, the human brain is considered to have unlimited storage capacity and retains functional and structural neuroplasticity for life. You can keep learning for your entire life (devoid of brain disease like dementia or Alzheimer's)

Curlada also encourages listeners to abandon any self-imposed limitations on one’s capabilities and instead embrace a more scientific view that one can learn and grow throughout life. She also references the Human Genome Project to underscore the universality of human experience. There are three dimensions of human experience: Universal, Cultural, and Individual. These three perspectives highlight that in some ways all human experience is shared among all humans (universal), in other ways it’s shared only by those who are in some way local or cultural to them (cultural), and finally, in other ways, is unique and unlike anyone else (individual).

Often the role of a counselor is to help a person process, organize and make sense of their (often distressing) experience as falling into any one or more of these tripartite categories. Curlada references the work of famed psychologist Abraham Maslow and his hierarchy of needs, emphasizing that we all have universal needs, cultural needs, and individual needs

1. Myelination of Neurons, National Library of Medicine
2. Human Genome Project, National Institutes of Health
3. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, National Library of Medicine

In this episode Jim interviews fellow LCC mental health counselor Pam Davis who describes herself as a casual person who loves her job and spending recreational time with friends. Pam's been at LCC 28 years and even as she gets ready to retire, she still plans to practice as a professional counselor. Pam highly values interacting with people with a variety of perspectives.

Pam shares how she came from a family that simply expected her to go to college. She found herself moving a long way from home and attending a few different colleges (including MSU as a Wolverine fan) and changing majors a few times before she finally discovered vocational rehabilitation counseling out of a desire to help people on an emotional level.

Pam talks about how she dealt with feeling overwhelmed going to a large university and reminds us that each of us have the power to make solution-focused decisions. Pam highlights the necessity of keeping our stress level low (self-care) and to share our inner emotional experiences with a trusted friend, family, or peer. She also talks about how self-care can take many forms, shares tips on how to schedule time for each of our various roles, and to value the power in doing nothing to restore oneself.

1. Self Care Wellness Toolkits, National Institutes of Health.
2. Emotional Wellness Toolkit, National Institutes of Health.

In this episode Jim Owens and fellow LCC Mental Health Counselor Louise Rabidoux discuss the value of spending time in nature, following one’s passion, and overcoming the loneliness that can accompany moving away to attend college. Louise shares how her parents inspired her to go to persist in college even though she struggled mightily in making friends in a new city.  

Jim cites some research published by Dr. Richard Light at Harvard University demonstrating that the strongest predictors for success in college are not academic readiness, but rather social connectedness to professors, advisors, and peers.  

Louise shares some ideas for how to thrive in college including the usefulness of applying curiosity rather than judgment to achieve greater understanding of self and others, and the power of in-person social connections and friendships to support lifelong mental wellbeing. 

• Tips for college success, Harvard University. 
• Psychology and Neuroscience of Curiosity,  National Institutes of Health.  
• Post-COVID-19 Psychosocial Health, National Institutes of Health.