Mind Your Melon

Dr. Grant McDougall - Southeastern Counseling and Consultation

Dr. Grant McDougall is a licensed mental health counselor, a national board-certified counselor, and a recognized speaker and trainer at national and international conferences. He is a board member of the National Sheriff’s Association’s Psychological Services Section and the Small & Rural Law Enforcement Executives Association. He owns and operates Southeastern Counseling and Consultation; a private company with multiple offices in Florida that specializes in serving first responders.    

Dr. McDougall has accumulated thousands of clinical hours counseling individuals from all walks of life. However, over the past couple of decades, he has specialized in working with law enforcement and first responders. In that role, you may find him in a clinical setting, doing fieldwork on the Border with a cartel interdiction team, or on stage as a keynote speaker. When he's not working, he enjoys his time on the water in SW Florida. 

For anyone who doesn't know, May is Mental Health Awareness month. Mind Your Melon has been working with Bayer Vegetable Seeds to do something special in honor of this month. Bayer Vegetable Seeds is committed to delivering on their vision of health for all and hunger for none, and the mental well-being of farmers and other agricultural stakeholders is critical to that goal. A big thanks to Bayer for their support as we share this mini-series of episodes along with some other cool surprises throughout the month of May.

Visit our website and follow us on the Facebook and Instagram for additional resources.

Pat Spinosa - Director of Business Development, AgAmerica Lending

Pat Spinosa is the Director of Business Development, joining the AgAmerica family in 2017. He studied geomatics at the University of Florida and has multigenerational roots in Florida agriculture.

Pat is a sixth-generation citrus and cattle farmer. He remains highly active in the agricultural community and organizations such as Florida FFA Foundation, the American Farm Bureau Federation, and the Florida Forestry Association. He also sits on the board of the Florida Ag Hall of Fame and is the chairman of his local Ducks Unlimited chapter. Through these experiences, he’s had the opportunity to build relationships with family-owned farm operations across the nation. He enjoys making a positive impact on the lives of American youth and encouraging the development of their skills in leadership, personal growth, and professional success through agricultural education.

For anyone who doesn't know, May is Mental Health Awareness month. Mind Your Melon has been working with Bayer Vegetable Seeds to do something special in honor of this month. Bayer Vegetable Seeds is committed to delivering on their vision of health for all and hunger for none, and the mental well-being of farmers and other agricultural stakeholders is critical to that goal. A big thanks to Bayer for their support as we share this mini-series of episodes along with some other cool surprises throughout the month of May.

Visit our website and follow us on the Facebook and Instagram for additional resources.

Kelly Bristow - Global Nutrition Affairs Lead - Bayer, Crop Science

Kelly is a registered dietitian who connects food and nutrition professionals with agriculturalists to create advocates and defenders of modern agriculture. She manages Bayer’s Nutrition Expert Network of dietitians who promote the science behind tools that enable a sustainable food supply. She also manages global partnerships for science and nutrition. 

Kelly completed her undergraduate studies at Southeast Missouri State University. After graduating, she went on to complete her dietetic internship and master’s degree at St. Louis University. Kelly’s background includes one-on-one counseling in an out- patient setting, nutrition education and school food service. Her enthusiasm for agriculture grew while she was a nutrition educator with St. Louis District Dairy Council, where she worked alongside dairy farmers and taught consumers about the benefits of dairy. Kelly’s passion continued to grow while supporting child nutrition through school meals at a local school district. She directed the school district’s farm-to-school program and educated students and members of the community about where food comes from, how food is grown and the importance of eating more fruit and vegetables. Kelly and her husband live in St. Louis with their son (Ben) and daughter (Maddie). She enjoys cooking, spending time outside or taking advantage of all the great things the city has to offer! You can find her on Twitter @KellyBristowRD, LinkedIn @KellyBristow MS,RDN, LD and Instagram @kbristowrd.

For anyone who doesn't know, May is Mental Health Awareness month. Mind Your Melon has been working with Bayer Vegetable Seeds to do something special in honor of this month. Bayer Vegetable Seeds is committed to delivering on their vision of health for all and hunger for none, and the mental well-being of farmers and other agricultural stakeholders is critical to that goal. A big thanks to Bayer for their support as we share this mini-series of episodes along with some other cool surprises throughout the month of May.

Visit our website and follow us on the Facebook and Instagram for additional resources.

We're kicking off our Mental Health Awareness month mini-series by reflecting on some of our favorite moments from our past episodes. It's been quite the adventure with a lot more to come! We also highlight some of the episodes and fun coming up this month.

For anyone who doesn't know, May is Mental Health Awareness month. Mind Your Melon has been working with Bayer Vegetable Seeds to do something special in honor of this month. Bayer Vegetable Seeds is committed to delivering on their vision of health for all and hunger for none, and the mental well-being of farmers and other agricultural stakeholders is critical to that goal. A big thanks to Bayer for their support as we share this mini-series of episodes along with some other cool surprises throughout the month of May.

Visit our website and follow us on the Facebook and Instagram for additional resources.

In this episode, Taylor sits down with Mrs. Lindy Savelle who, to use her own words, is a “retired federal law enforcement officer gone citrus farmer!”

Along with being the owner and operator of both Georgia Grown Citrus and JoNina Farms in Ochlocknee, Georgia, she is also serving as the current president of the Georgia Citrus Association.

During this conversation, Lindy shares personal stories and perspective based on her diverse background and, ultimately, reminds listeners of ways they can “squeeze the day.”

Visit our website and follow us on the Facebook and Instagram for additional resources.

In this episode we talk with Mike Joyner, president of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association. A respected leader across the agriculture industry, Mike leads the day-to-day operations of FFVA and oversees the association’s work in areas of advocacy, labor, food safety, water and natural resources, crop protection, transportation, trade and more.

In our conversation, Mike discusses the importance of mental health and farm stress and how organizations like FFVA are stepping up to the challenge.

Visit our website and follow us on the Facebook and Instagram for additional resources.

In this episode, we sit down with Philip Watts from Full Circle Dairy in Lee, Florida. Philip is a fifth generation dairyman whose family has witnessed their fair share of change and challenge in the local industry.

During this conversation, we get to learn more about the Philip’s operation, his views on resilience, the ability to turn failure into a success, and what motivates him to continue pushing forward in the dairy business.

Tune in to the #MindYourMelon Podcast to hear Marshal, Taylor, and others share their stories and resources on mental health, overcoming challenges, and making a difference.