In this season finale episode, Mike Tadesse, founder of Hewot, a virtual care platform that provides nutrition therapy, lifestyle coaching, and remote patient monitoring to slow progression and reduce complications of chronic kidney disease, joins The Okay Days to talk about behavioral change.

Mike developed advanced stage kidney disease six years ago. While he was able to delay his progression of kidney disease by a few years, he realized that his success was not affordable to many. This led him to use his management consulting career to develop a start-up that focused on kidney care transformation.

Mike is a forward-thinking entrepreneur and seasoned business development leader. He loves solving complex problems and pursuing ideas that bring value to society. He is currently finishing up his book Press On and recently finished his MBA at the George Washington University.

We talk about Mike's immigrant story, how his entrepreneurial spirit never wavered as his businesses evolved, and why change is so hard.

Follow along at @miketadesse8.

In this episode, Prameela Boorada, Chief Growth Officer at MannMukti, a non-profit organization dedicated to removing the stigma surrounding South Asian mental health, joins The Okay Days to talk about race and youth mental health.

Prameela is a social-impact storyteller with an artsy, entrepreneurial spirit. Growing up in India, she was raised on a wonderful selection of fables, mythology, biographies and experiences. Shortly after moving to the United States, she attended UC Davis and graduated with a degree in Quantitative Psychology. 

Through college, she suffered through several mental health issues and struggled to find culturally-competent resources. In an attempt to find healing and community, she got involved with on-campus mental health advocacy. That passion stayed well beyond college, and she went on to build an anxiety care app, conduct several research projects on youth wellbeing, publish a wellbeing magazine featuring creatives of color, got involved in grass-roots mental health advocacy and launched a national South Asian Youth Fellowship. 

Prameela is also a part of Mental Health America's 2021-2022 Youth Mental Health Leaders Council. And when she's not out building programs or products, you can find her painting, writing poetry, baking or learning how to gracefully fall on roller skates. 

We talk about the next generation of mental health advocates (spoiler alert: they are already here!), and how to start the conversation about race and mental health.

Follow along at @mannmukti.

In this episode, Kyrah Altman, co-founder & CEO of LEAD Inc., the industry leader in mental health and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice & Belonging (DEI-JB) education, joins The Okay Days to talk about mental health education.

Kyrah's story of social entrepreneurship began at a young age. Let's Empower, Advocate, and Do (LEAD) was founded in 2012 when Kyrah was in high school. The organization's creation was directly catalyzed by the Newtown tragedy, as many of the school shooting's victims were similar ages to Kyrah's younger siblings. Since Kyrah began raising her younger siblings as a pre-teen herself, this horrific tragedy catapulted her and her peers into action. In 2016, Kyrah won $32,500 of seed funding in The George Washington University's New Venture Competition, and incorporated LEAD as a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

Through a variety of training, consulting, and coaching services, LEAD empowers individuals with no-fluff and practical education to move beyond awareness. And since LEAD’s founding, Kyrah was named one of 25 Under 25 leading social entrepreneurs, and one of 10 Outstanding Young Leaders by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, among other outstanding recognitions.

We talk about LEAD’s 10 years of programming, the differences between mental illness and mental health, and how we can't have mental health education without DEI-JB education to turn awareness into action.

Follow along at leadnow.org.

In this episode, Kayla Mills, a "life enthusiast" sharing moments on the internet, joins The Okay Days to talk about body image and mental health.

“Life enthusiast” is a term she uses to describe herself because aside from the daily struggles of life, Kayla believes there are always moments to be excited about. 

We talk about body image and mental health: how Kayla uses her Instagram platform to celebrate self-discovery and body neutrality, if we even like resolutions (and checking back in with them), and words for our past and future selves.

Follow along at @kaylaleemills.

In this episode, Dr. Bailey, Dr. Sawyer, and Dr. Grabarek join The Okay Days to talk about how organizations can actually take care of their people.

Dr. Bailey is a Professor at the George Washington University School of Business, who has designed and delivered hundreds of executive programs for a variety of firms. Dr. Sawyer is an Assistant Professor of Management at GWSB, as well, and her areas of expertise include diversity, work-life balance, leadership, and negative workplace behaviors. Dr. Grabarek has spent her career implementing Industrial/Organizational Psychology solutions to improve wellness, retention, performance, and engagement within organizations.

We talk about the connections between psychology and business, how to turn a “trend” into action, and what it looks like to bring your heart to work.

Learn more about Dr. Bailey at lessonsonleadership.org and Dr. Sawyer & Dr. Grabarek at workrbeeing.com.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, in this episode, Ilana Dunn, host of Seeing Other People podcast, joins The Okay Days to talk about dating and mental health.

Ilana is widely known as the face of millennial dating. Her podcast Seeing Other People made its way onto the Spotify Top 50 Viral Podcasts chart and her content has over 100 million views worldwide. Formerly the face of Hinge and the host of Hinge’s Dating Sucks podcast, Ilana helps people  navigate the struggles of modern dating. She is here to help you feel less alone and more empowered in your dating life.

We talk about dating and mental health: what to do with those "Am I good enough?" thoughts, why ghosting sucks for everyone, and how to normalize asking about someone's intentions from the very beginning. Whether you’re in a relationship, dating or not dating, swiping or deleting dating apps for the 100th time, this episode is for you.

Follow along at @seeingotherpeople.

In this episode, Jennie Dockser, a registered dietitian concentrated in intuitive eating and eating disorder care, joins The Okay Days to talk about food and mental health.

Jennie graduated from New York University with a degree in Nutrition & Dietetics. As a HAES-aligned (Health at Every Size) provider, she feels passionate that health looks different for everyone. Jennie makes us rethink our relationships with food, our bodies, and society. She works to challenge clients’ pre-conceived ideas of health and reminds us that food is meant to be enjoyed, not feared. She currently splits her time between a private practice and a higher level of care for eating disorders.

We talk about food and mental health: how to nurture that relationship and how to rewrite our own “food rules.”

Follow along at @jennied_rd.

New year, new season! Season three kicks off with Becca Milligan, Marketing & Events Director at Sip of Hope, and Allison Herman, Director of Education at Sip of Hope, who join The Okay Days to talk about how they helped turn a bag of coffee into suicide prevention.

As a part of Hope for the Day, a non-profit movement empowering the conversation on proactive mental health education, Sip of Hope is a community coffee roaster with 100% of proceeds going towards suicide prevention. 

Becca is a marketing professional and mental health advocate. She enjoys creating an experience for any new idea that comes to the table. Allison is a peer educator in mental health, suicide prevention, and LGBTQ+ communities. She will also talk endlessly about houseplants if given the opportunity. Together, they serve Sip of Hope's mission to start conversations around mental health, one cup at a time.

We talk about rituals, how Sip of Hope can point you in the right direction, and what "It's Ok Not To Be Ok" really means.

Follow along at @hopefortheday & @sipofhope.

In this special final episode of season two, 15 classmates from my Global MBA cohort at The George Washington University join me to talk about mental health in grad school.

I talk to Tayler Le Grair, an electrical engineer and small business co-owner, Ad Lane, a frequent traveler of the world who chases the rush of being beyond his comfort zone, and Kim Conway, a former competitive cheerleader who made a cross-country move for the first time to start grad school.

I talk to Sebastian Ewel, originally from Bolivia who is marveled by creativity, whether in a business setting, as he is an aspiring entrepreneur, or in the arts, as a hobby musician, Lana Snyder who has always been surrounded by a family in psychology, and Carlos Navas who wants to influence the strategy of healthcare companies to better serve their consumers.

I talk to Raagini Bhalla who wants to use her MBA to better understand the human psyche, Luke Duffy who is getting his MBA to try to relaunch his career after having his path derailed by COVID-19, and Tallia Popowycz who is also a pilates coach at [solidcore] as she pursues her degree.

I talk to Sachin Kumar who is passionate about cross-cultural communication and inclusivity in today's increasingly diverse business world, Millicent Li who hopes her passions, values, and identity remain her guiding light as she finds her way through a new career journey, and Kaihan Lin who has lived and worked in the U.S., Singapore, and more recently, China, pre-MBA.

I talk to Camila Zamalloa who began her career in the Peruvian sports industry before creating journals that celebrate the beauty of the universe, Naomi Davidar, a biopsychology major, and Alem Bekele, an entrepreneurial first-generation American from Ethiopia who is making a difference back home.

We all talk about what we've learned about our own mental health between undergrad and grad school, how competition in a school setting can influence our mental health, and advice for our younger selves.

In this episode, Kassandra & Sophia Nealon, the sister-duo behind Bye Bye Bad Blood, a book for the youngest leukemia patient by a young leukemia patient, join The Okay Days to talk about how their child's tale came into being.

Kassandra attended Boston University and earned her bachelors in human physiology on the pre-med track in 2017. Her career aspirations of becoming a physician were cut short when she was diagnosed with acute t-cell lymphoblastic leukemia at the age of 23. Upon completing chemotherapy, total body irradiation and a stem cell transplant, Kassandra felt propelled to turn her misfortunate into something that would benefit others.

Now at 25, Kassandra has teamed up with her younger sister and stem cell donor, Sophia, to create the child's tale, Bye Bye Bad Blood, which explains leukemia in a light-hearted manner that pediatric patients will understand. Sophia is currently a sophomore at the University of Miami majoring in chemistry on the pre-med track, as well.

Bye Bye Bad Blood follows the story of Benny Blood, a rebellious police immune cell who chooses to be bad, and goes on an unauthorized vacation. 

We talk about what Kassandra & Sophia have learned from each other along the way, where to buy or donate a copy of Bye Bye Bad Blood, and how they are helping families and kids talk about cancer.

Follow along at @byebyebadblood.