Mental Health Momentum

Derek Oaks is a retired air force colonel, keynote speaker, author, and leadership consultant. He has seen that when a leader creates a clear vision for the team, shares that vision and trusts their team with it, and creates a debrief of how to correct when the team gets off course, everyone on the team feels more connected and appreciated. When each individual feels appreciated and has those strong connections, each person is able to turn to someone when they have mental health issues that weigh them down at work.

Listen to this Mental Health Momentum episode to learn effective leadership strategies that will help improve mental health in the workplace.

Kyle Reyes is the VP of Institutional Advancement at UVU. His book titled “Lenses of Humanity: How Reflection, Connection, and Empathy Can Change Our World” was just released and shares insights into cultural awareness and understanding. The 4 lenses we all see with – the inner lens, the context lens, the empathy lens, and the community lens – affect how we see and perceive the world around us, and when we realize that everyone has these 4 lenses and sees their own mental health struggles differently, we will be more empathetic and lean towards one another more and more.

Listen to this episode to learn more about Kyle’s book and how we can help those struggling with mental illnesses through shifting our own focus and intentionally recognizing what makes each of us unique.

Katie Bunnell is one of the founders of the Live Your Dream Foundation – an organization that provides scholarships and educational resources to single mothers who are pursuing education to increase their earning potential to provide for their children. After unexpectedly losing her husband in 2005, Katie worked hard to earn her bachelor's degree in 2 1/2 years while raising her daughter, and was then inspired to found Live Your Dream in 2010.

Katie is passionate about helping single mothers earn education and gain a confidence boost and realize that education is not only possible but will make these mother's lives better. They even work with organizations such as Best Seat in the House to create fun activities for these moms and their children to attend to create a feeling of family for those within these programs.

Katie is incredibly grateful to the donors of Live Your Dream Foundation, and has some amazing insights to share in this podcast.

Chris Cochella is the CEO of Basix Services. Basix creates "last mile healthcare" solutions that fill access gaps for patients, employees, and students.Chris believes that psychotherapy should truly be called continuing education since so many great and inspiring leaders have received therapy throughout their lives. Listen to hear about the amazing stories that Chris has to share from his own life, and to learn how conversations regarding mental health can come up in normal, natural ways to have lasting impact.

Have you seen the "Live On" billboards? If so, you can thank Lizzi Perkins, Associate Strategy Director at Boncom, and her team!

Lizzi had a friend in high school who made several suicide attempts, and she didn't know the warning signs to look for. The Boncom team has created 10 5-min carousel videos on Instagram so you can learn how to help those struggling with suicidal thoughts, including asking them directly what they are struggling with and how you can communicate that you are a safe space. Listen to this episode of "Mental Health Momentum" to learn about what the Boncom team is doing to prevent suicide and help thousands of individuals overcome their mental health struggles.Don't forget – if you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or know someone who is, reach out to the suicide hotline by calling 988.

This episode’s guest is Tom Telford, the Founder and CEO of LÉVO Mind, and co-host of the Brainstoke Podcast.

Tom’s background is in investing other people’s money, and now, at LÉVO, he is using his skills and knowledge to connect individuals of all ages with a comprehensive evaluation of mental health symptoms, along with the diagnosis, prescription, and management of medication.

Tom also shares the 5 S’s that the Brainstoke Podcast focuses on with its guests – sleep, sun, sweat, service, and stoke.

Tom states that a big blind spot for entrepreneurs is being able to cope positively with stress, and this podcast episode shares some amazing ways to get rid of that blind spot.

Catherine Van Tassell is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Board Certified Physicians Assistant. We all hear advice on how to take care of our heart before problems arise, and Catherine shares that the same emphasis needs to be put on taking care of our brains. We all have stress in our lives, so we need to ask ourselves "what am I doing for my brain?"

The way you perceive your mental health is how you will describe it, so making sure you are taking the actions you need to take care of yourself is very important so you have the right perceptions and feel proud that you are doing all you can. Listen to hear Catherine's ideas on how to invest in yourself and take care of your brain!

John Dye is the Executive Director of Skylight.org, a part of the Radiant Foundation. John is using his marketing background to help young adults live happier and more fulfilling lives through a relationship with God or a higher power. John feels strongly that having higher power in your life gives you a confidence and peace that can't be found anywhere else. Young adults are facing loneliness, sleep issues, self-esteem issues, mental health issues, and other difficulties. We don't want to coddle individuals in our lives and hide them from these issues; we want them to have access to the tools they need to handle these challenges and get in front of them instead of hiding. 

Skylight has an app you can use to do daily exercises to help you find peace in your everyday life!

This episode’s guest is Becky Kemp – a leadership speaker, mindset coach, and author of “The Word Effect: 7 Simple Words to Create Your Most Beautiful Life”. She dreamed of writing a book and speaking on a stage as a little girl, and now, her dream has become a reality as she is dedicated to spreading goodness and inspiring transformation.In this episode, Becky discusses the 7 words that bring power to your life and how those words can start your life story. She also shares how choosing to focus on power words to redirect negative thought patterns can help us become more intentional and create more positive stories in our brains that are based on facts.

Our mental health and our physical health are connected in so many ways. Andrea Beckstrom, a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at LÉVO, has struggled with eating disorders and anxiety throughout her life, and her experiences have encouraged her assist many individuals on their journey to better health. In this episode, Andrea shares some great insights on the benefits of both medication and therapy, the benefits of moderation in all things regarding what we take into our bodies, and other practical tips that can help us feel healthy and strong this holiday season.