the WONDER podcast

The holidays can be difficult for many people. As it relates to mental health, it can be one of the most difficult times of the year.

So, as Sydney and Deirdre move forward on the podcast, they're going to be sharing a little more of their personal story, and experiences, as they relate to the topic for each month. During the first episode of each month, both Sydney and Deirdre explain WHY they’ve picked the topic, how it ties into the mental health conversation, and (most likely) take the path less traveled when diving in. Both of them are HUGE advocates for focusing on the good, but they're also FIERCE advocates for not ignoring the bad, or the uncomfortable.

This month, the focus is gratitude. It seems fitting because November is typically a month where people focus on being thankful. But, sometimes gratitude is hard and that’s where they're going to press in today. Both Sydney and Deirdre will be sharing some of their own experiences and where they currently find themselves with the topic of gratitude. If you, or someone you know, needs a little encouragement in this area, they hope this conversation might help.

In September, for National Suicide Prevention Month, Be The Change Youth Initiative partnered with Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network to raise awareness about suicide prevention. And during the Concert For A Cause that month, they raised over $2K for both TSPN and To Write Love On Her Arms. Sydney and Deirdre recently reached out to TSPN to see if they could connect them with someone they trust to talk about bullying and how it adversely affects youth, and they were connected with Kayla Withrow. Kayla is a licensed social worker and works as a therapist in a high school in Tennessee. She counsels several students who struggle with suicidal ideation and have experienced bullying, which is one of the reasons why Sydney and Deirdre wanted to have her on today. This episode is filled with excellent advice and wise counsel. Sydney also shares some of her thoughts around the dilemma people sometimes face when choosing to unfollow people online. It's easy to become fearful that someone might think you hate them, when really, you just needed to step away from past years and focus on where life has you in the moment, focusing on the cultivation of new friendships. This is difficult conversation to have, but a much needed one.

Today’s guest on the WONDER podcast is Lorenzo Ward, Assistant Coach and Defensive Coordinator at University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Deirdre Catlett first met Coach Ward last year at her family's apartment complex, where they became friends. He understands the importance (and power) of encouragement and is a great example of how the small things in life can help so many people. Creating change doesn’t have to be a Herculean act. Some of the most profound change comes from people's commitment to CONSISTENTLY show up in the simple acts of kindness.

This conversation between Sydney and Coach Ward is short and sweet. Just like the message. Coach Ward’s example is one to follow as people collectively work to create a culture of change in various communities.

This week, Sydney’s talking to Jordon McKinney. Sydney and her family met Jordon last year at one of their events in Georgia. He’s been one of their most faithful, financial supporters and a constant source of encouragement.

Jordon is also an INCREDIBLE youth advocate that generously gives of his time when it comes to pouring into the generation following him. On this week’s episode, Sydney and Jordon talk about the effects of bullying on youth, the importance of leadership in their generation, and the role of community when it comes to creating change.

If you know a young adult who feels alone when it comes to wanting to create change, PLEASE share this podcast episode with them. It can feel lonely sometimes, but there are PLENTY of youth and young adults choosing to elevate others in an effort to impact their community. We just need to find one another and band together.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and we believe it’s incredibly important to shine a bright light on this subject, especially when it comes to our purpose of advocating for suicide prevention. On today’s episode of the WONDER podcast, Sydney and Deirdre will be talking about WHY they're spending the entire month on this important topic… no matter your age.

Sydney will also be sharing some of her own experiences of being bullied, by both peers and adults. 20% (1 out of every 5) middle and high school students report being bullied each year (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2019) And students who experience bullying, including cyberbullying, are nearly 2 times more likely to attempt suicide (Hinduja & Patchin, 2018)

This is an IMPORTANT topic for everyone to explore, especially when it comes to younger generations. Change can happen. We can create it.

On this week’s episode of the WONDER podcast Sydney will be talking to Ryan Oyer, a local musician in Chattanooga and a HUGE mental health advocate. Both Sydney, and her brother, Brayden, met Ryan a few months ago at a Tremont Tavern Open Mic. (He’s one of the handful of local musicians in Chattanooga that everyone kept saying they needed to connect with because of the similar passion for mental health advocacy.)

Today, Sydney and Ryan talk about his personal music project centered around mental health, how their community, especially the music community has been impacted by suicide, and their hope for the future when it comes to mental health advocacy. If you’ve ever wanted to use your art (or any gift) to help others, this conversation with Ryan is a great source of inspiration and encouragement.

If you only listen to one podcast this month, please let today’s episode of the WONDER podcast be it. This month is National Suicide Prevention month, but TODAY is actually National Suicide Prevention Day, which makes this interview all the more powerful. Josh is a suicide survivor and one of the bravest people Sydney and Deirdre have personally met when it comes to the mental health conversation.

Today’s episode is honest and raw, but also inspiring. Please listen to Josh’s story to hear a side of the mental health conversation many of us haven’t listened to. And, as with all podcast episodes dealing with mental health, specifically suicidal ideation, these episodes are meant to be resources to help others. Please, listen at your own discretion.

September is Suicide Prevention Month, so on this week’s episode of the WONDER podcast, Sydney and Deirdre are taking some time to talk about why this month is so important to them and what they’ve planned to help elevate the conversation around suicide prevention. This month, each episode will focus on suicide prevention, including a very powerful episode from a suicide survivor.

Both Sydney and Deirdre will be sharing their Give Back for this month! In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, they want to raise $1000 for TWLOHA’s Between the Bells program and $1,000 for Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network @tnsuicideprevention. If you know their family’s story, you know how much they LOVE @twloha. They have been one of BTCYI’s partners in advocating for youth and they believe so much in their work. And now that the whole family made Chattanooga their home base, partnering with a local suicide prevention organization is INCREDIBLY important to them.

They’re so excited to spend September focused on something so important to their mission and their generations!

This episode of the WONDER podcast centers around three things very near and dear to Sydney and her family: BIG dreams, HUGE leaps of faith, and unparalleled commitment to community.

Emily Lilley and Sarah Jackson are two of the three founders of The Book and Cover, the new independent bookstore here in Chattanooga. Everything about The Book and Cover is so unique and it’s located in a house right in the middle of Northshore, a residential section of Chattanooga. The founders also used crowd-sourcing to help fund The Book and Cover because community ownership is important to them. Sydney loves this conversation so much and if you need any inspiration (or motivation) to take a crazy leap of faith… this conversation just might inspire you. 

This month on the WONDER podcast, Sydney's talking with people who are using their gifts and talents to create positive change in their communities. Today’s episode takes a somewhat different approach because Sydney's talking with members of her book club. It might seem odd to think about how a book club could create change in a community, but we hope today’s conversation might encourage you to see the potential, especially as it relates to our Three Pillars (Sharing Stories, Extending Compassion, and Taking Action).

On a personal note: When Sydney's family traveled the country, they spent a lot of time talking to people who experienced church trauma. The more time they spent with them, the more they came to see the importance of listening more… and talking less. A huge catalyst for the family's new direction was seeing the divisiveness (and dismissiveness) confronting them within the church culture. To be clear, they don’t think this type of destructive culture is limited to one group, but this is where they experienced it. This particular brook group is faith based, which you’ll pick up on in the podcast. So, for them, they wanted to choose books that would help them on their journey, in the circumstances they find themselves, becoming better listeners as they try to cultivate and extend compassion. (But, obviously, you can create a book club around anything.) The encouragement is simple: Find something that will help you see different perspectives in life. Find people you trust to take part in a conversation (a journey) that might challenge you. Find a place to gather that supports local business in your community. Old friendships can be strengthened, new friendships can be formed, and profound purpose can be discovered.