the WONDER podcast

On today’s episode, you get to hear from Jerelyn Lee and Trey Sommerfeld. Jerelyn was one of the first people Sydney's family connected with in Chattanooga and her family has grown to be a part of their own! Trey joined their newfound family several months after; he also sometimes plays the cajón when Brayden & Sydney perform in the city. Both Jerelyn and Trey work in the mental health profession, so Sydney asked them to share a little bit about their stories, as well as talk about the stigmatization of mental health/counseling and the importance of community. If you’re new to this conversation, the hope is this episode's not only informative and eye-opening, but also encouraging!

This week’s podcast is with one of Sydney's dear friends, Jeff Roeters. Jeff is a man of many talents, including guitarist and clock maker! He’s also one of the founders of Guitars for Glory, a non-profit organization that puts instruments in the hands of some truly amazing humans all around the world. (The BTCYI team partners with @guitarsforglory and, thanks to many of you, has helped them purchase two guitars in 2021 so far!)

Jeff is also living with MS (multiple sclerosis) and is a mental health advocate. He also happens to be one of Brayden’s favorite people for so many reasons, and it's all mentioned on today’s episode. If you believe in the gift of music, find yourself in the middle of a tough battle looking for encouragement, or want inspiration on how to turn your passions into something that encourages others, you definitely need to listen to this episode.

Sydney had the privilege of meeting Alisha Rose in 2017 on a trip to Rwanda. While living in the RV, Alisha’s home was one of the many stops Sydney and her family made in the Midwest. Her and her husband have four biological children, two siblings adopted from the foster care system, as well as plans to adopt two more siblings from Burundi. On this week’s episode of the WONDER podcast, you’ll hear Alisha’s heart for why she wants to adopt as well as what she hopes her kids will take away from their family’s experiences.

Having youth and young adults come on and talk about what they’re passionate about, how they’re wanting to help and uplift others, is inspiring. Sydney's heart is to have more people within her generation share their stories and hearts for making a positive change. Annie and Lauren are two of those people. On this episode, they talk about the story behind Active Minds, how they 1) connected with them and 2) are encouraging peers on their college campus to have conversations about de-stigmatizing mental health. They’re making a difference by building community and showing up for one another, which is incredibly important. If you, or someone you know will be transitioning from high school to college, this is definitely a conversation to listen to. There are people who understand the struggles of mental health and they want others to know no one's ever alone. 

Today, Sydney's introducing a NEW quarterly segment called FAIR TRADE FRIDAY. (Whenever there’s five Fridays in a month, that LAST Friday will be a designated Fair Trade Friday.) As the BTCYI team continues to layout their new vision for BTCYI over the next few months, they also want to explore more ways Sydney's generation (ANY generation) can help bring about change in their communities and supporting fair trade is a great way everyone can do this!

What is fair trade and why is it important? Sydney and Lisa dive into all of that, providing you with resources to help educate you on the impact of fair trade and introducing you to some amazing businesses doing the important work of elevating people around the world, profoundly changing their lives, and their families’ lives, forever.

Lisa Stoltzfus is a dear friend to Sydney's family. (She’s LITERALLY traveled the world with Sydney's mom, Deirdre Catlett!) She’s also the founder and owner of @themustardseedmarketplace. We hope you enjoy this episode and look forward to more Fair Trade Fridays!

Amber Gardner is the Director of Partnerships and the Intern Program at To Write Love On Her Arms. TWLOHA is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. (It exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also invest directly into treatment and recovery.) In 2019, after a dear friend told Sydney and her mom, Deirdre Catlett, more about TWLOHA, they connected with Amber. Sydney's always been inspired by the work they do, and she wanted to get involved with their mission. The BTCYI team raised money for them over the last couple years, and hope to continue doing so. (All the proceeds from their “People Need Love” shirt goes to support TWLOHA, specifically their high-school program, Between the Bells.) 

During this conversation, you get to hear a little bit about Amber’s mental health journey as well as how she got connected with TWLOHA and her heart for encouraging others to share their stories. She also takes some time mentioning what using the Crisis Text Line entails. You can truly see that Amber's desire is to remind others their story is important and hope is real.

No matter your age, you need to check out this week’s podcast with Markus McFolling. It’s full of encouragement and raw honesty about the struggles the younger generation is facing when it comes to mental health. We all have stories that are important to share and Markus never shies away from reminding people of that truth. During this episode, he talks about his story, and does it so vulnerably in hopes that it encourages others to see there's always hope at the end of the day. 

Drew Brown is someone Sydney's come to respect and love over the last couple of years. She met him in 2018, and both her and her family got to meet his wife, son, and daughter on the road in 2019. He is someone Sydney's looked up to when it comes to the mental health & racial reconciliation conversation. Drew’s not only an incredible singer/song-writer & producer, but also a social justice, anti-racism, and mental health advocate. During this episode, they both talk about his personal mental health journey, the importance of creating diverse tables, and advocating through art. One thing that stayed consistent throughout the conversation was Drew's willingness to be authentic and his encouragement for others to pursue humility, compassion, and love.

*Also, issues regarding faith, purity culture, etc., were brought up but not discussed further in this episode. So, conversations, for these topics, will be held in the months to come. 

On this week’s episode, Sydney's introducing you to her new friend, Lindsay Ibis. When they connected a couple months ago, Lindsay graciously shared her & her family’s mental health journey. After listening to her story, Sydney knew she wanted to share it. During this conversation, they talk about the importance of being there for one another, sharing stories, seeking help, and ending the stigma surrounding counseling and the mental health conversation. But, they also discuss suicide, so if it would be triggering to hear this conversation, please don’t listen to it. Do whatever is best for you. Your mental health is the biggest concern!

On this week’s podcast, Jamie Guerrette will be joining in on Sydney's conversation with Assistant US Attorney Dan Perry as they continue their highlight of Drug and Alcohol Facts Week. Dan has served as an AUSA for the Department of Justice for over 20 years with a large portion of that time serving in the Drug Unit. While serving in that capacity, Dan traveled to middle and high schools in New England talking to youth about the dangers of drug use. He’ll be sharing some of those stories on this episode. The three of them talk not only about the dangers, but also how important it is to be there for someone who is struggling. Compassion and love, letting someone know you’re there for them, can go a long way.