Kiera Bradshaw is a senior and part-time hairstylist at the University of Missouri. She spoke about the mental health impacts of hair, texturism and hair depression in the Black community.Texturism is the discrimination against people with kinkier, coarse hair in the 4B and 4C range, as well as a preference for looser and smoother textures in the 3A to 3C range.

Students for Change is a student-led group in the Columbia Public Schools. Karli Jones and Taylor Lee both attend Hickman High School, and Virgil Worstell is a student at Rockbridge.They spoke about how their organization came to be and how the threat of gun violence impacts their day to day live.

Lonnie Lockhart Bey and Julian Jackman both spent many years in prison, and since their releases they have worked together to create the R.I.S.E Initiative in Columbia, which works with and empowers at-risk youth.They spoke about some of the reasons they created the R.I.S.E. Initiative and about what motivates them to do this work.

Teens Mylee Hawkins and Jessi Johnson are competitive figure skaters who met at the Jefferson City ice rink. The sport is very physically and mentally demanding, so they spoke about how they’ve found support in each other.

Debi Hake is a licensed professional counselor with the Marriage and Family Counseling Center in Columbia. One of her specialty areas is spiritual abuse and religious trauma.She spoke about how religious trauma impacts how people navigate mental health care.

Jessica Chambers, a peer support specialist at the Reentry Opportunity Center in Columbia (the ROC), works with folks who are coming out of prison – helping them connect to housing, treatment, and just a sense of community.

Cameron Reitan, a second year Master’s of Public Health student at the University of Missouri, who’s also employed as a personal care attendant – essentially, she’s hired by people with disabilities to help them with whatever tasks they need.She spoke about why she does this work and a little about what people misunderstand about caregiving.

As the saying goes, sometimes nature and fresh air can be the best medicine.Steve Buback is a natural history biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation and spends most of his day outdoors – dealing with various rare plants, insects and birds.He spoke about how exposure to nature can impact people’s mental and physical health, and a little bit about how the pandemic has shifted some people’s relationship with the outdoors.

Debi Hake is a licensed professional counselor with the Marriage and Family Counseling Center, and one of our specialty areas is spiritual abuse and religious trauma.She spoke about how religious trauma can make navigating substance use disorder recovery spaces difficult.

This week we hear from Pamela Hardin, a water aerobics instructor at Columbia’s Activity and Recreation Center. She's a water aerobics instructor at Columbia's activity and Recreation Center and leads a class called “Moving My Joints,” which is designed for those who have arthritis or just need slower paced exercise.She spoke with her student Jennifer Reed about how beneficial water workouts can be – no matter how old you are.