Building Grit Along Your Journey with Karen Wawrzaszek and Tony Crescenzo
Principal & Senior Director of Financial Planning at Sullivan Bruyette Speros & Blayney, Karen Wawrzaszek, and President of Intelligent Waves, Tony Crescenzo, joined us to discuss how they have developed grit along their journeys. Our guests also touched on being your authentic self, showing empathy, and not only learning from your mentors but mentoring others.
Karen Wawrzaszek, Principal & Senior Director of Financial Planning, Sullivan Bruyette Speros & Blayney
Karen’s Personal Wellness:
Painting and writing poetry
Tony Crescenzo, President, Intelligent Waves
Tony’s Personal Wellness:
Cooking and fishing
Speaking Your Truth with Erinn Roth and Jerome Allen
Author and Assistant Coach of the Boston Celtics, Jerome Allen, joined us alongside Founder/CEO of Ms. Jo’s Petite Sweets, Erinn Roth, for a conversation about strength through vulnerability, accountability, and getting your mind right. Our guests also shine a light on their personal experiences with mental wellness, their faith, and much more.
Erinn Roth, Founder, and CEO of Ms. Jo’s Petite Sweets
Ms. Jo’s Petite Sweets is a bakery, dedicated to Erinn’s late mother, that specializes in sweet treats and desserts. https://petitesweetsbymsjo.com/
Erinn’s Personal Wellness: Cookbooks and laughter
Jerome Allen, Assistant Coach of the Boston Celtics and Author of When the Alphabet Comes: A Life Changed by Exposure https://www.whenthealphabetcomes.com/
Jerome’s Personal Wellness: DJing
“You can be impacted, really either way, by your media use.” In this episode, we continue our exploration of the relationship between media and mental fitness and the ways in which younger generations handle it. Jenn is joined by Sydney Brammer, a doctoral student and graduate part time instructor in the College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech University. Sydney dives into her current research on the connections between body image, interpersonal communication and social media and how ’Z-llennials’ (part Gen-Z and part Millennial) are normalizing content that discusses topics such as mental health.
Plus, Sydney shares a personal tidbit on how she creates mental fitness balance in her busy schedule of studying, producing academic papers and teaching.
Show Notes:
00:00 Sydney Brammer, Doctoral student at Texas Tech University, introduces herself to the PMM audience, detailing what encouraged her to pursue a PHD in Communications
04:56 Sydney describes her current research – the connections between body image, interpersonal communication and social media; how she views the media as a professional and her findings
12:22 Jenn and Sydney offer commentary on objectivity and subjectivity in media consumption
14:58 Sydney and Jenn discuss how media movements have both positive and negative consequences, namely the body neutrality movement
21:10 Sydney defines mental fitness in her own life
23:49 Being a’ Z-llennial’ (part Gen-Z and part Millennial), Sydney expresses why her generation produces media that normalizes the mental health discussion, in sharp contrast to prior generations
28:20 Sydney flexes her mental fitness muscles through scheduling time carefully, spending time with friends and focusing on creating balance between work and leisure
32:30 Sydney leaves parting words for the PMM audience
Wellness through Self-Awareness
THE PURSUIT OF POSITIVE ENERGY WITH MAGGIE O’NEILL AND BOB MORGAN
In an exciting episode of We Are Everyone, CEO of Gravitas Lisa Sun and Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Rider University Geoff Arnold joined our host Jenn Sherman to discuss what it means to have a healthy ego, to always be practicing, and more.
Click here to view the episode or continue reading for a recap!
Maggie O’Neill is an artist, designer, and entrepreneur. SWATCHROOM is a creative agency that focuses on enhancing hospitality and restaurant experiences, through art and design, creating unique spaces of community.
Bob Morgan, a former CEO of a consulting firm, has found himself working in a creative industry as well. Through Pivotal Moments, Bob is creating inspiring content, uplifting people, and creating positive change.
In 2020, mental health issues are more prominent than ever. In any given year, everybody is going through some sort of struggle or knows somebody else dealing with something. More people are dealing with mental health challenges than most people tend to believe. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. live with some sort of mental health challenge.
Maggie explains that there is a connection in a way that depression and anxiety, among other mental health challenges, manifest in creative and artistic brains. As Maggie touches on, many people in the creative industry, including many people she knows, suffer from mental health issues and are “not just suffering, but living with and managing anxiety and depression.”
Creating art and consuming art helps with mental wellness, or at least Bob and Maggie agree it does. Bob and Maggie also agreed that a person’s self-awareness is key to bettering their mental wellness. Knowing where you stand is the start of getting to where you want to be. Be confident in understanding and knowing your current position. Although it may be difficult to do, swallowing your pride and accepting the fact that you need help is sometimes necessary. Self-awareness also means knowing how vital the different aspects of your life are and then balancing them.
Self-awareness creates a pathway towards a positive mindset.
The Pursuit of Positive Energy with Maggie O’Neill and Bob Morgan
CoFounder & Chief Creative Officer at SWATCHROOM, Maggie O’Neill, joined us alongside President and Founder of Pivotal Moments, Bob Morgan, to discuss the pursuit of positive energy, adapting to change, and balancing the different aspects of life. Both guests also shared their experiences with mental wellness as entrepreneurs with creative mindsets.
Maggie O’Neill, Principal CoFounder & Chief Creative Officer at SWATCHROOM
SWATCHROOM is a creative agency that specializes in hospitality design and art.
https://swatchroom.com/
Maggie’s Personal Wellness: Listening to music, painting, and dancing
Bob Morgan, President and Founder of Pivotal Moments
Bob’s Personal Wellness: Listening to music
Ego and Practice: Being Part of a Team
In an exciting episode of We Are Everyone, CEO of Gravitas Lisa Sun and Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Rider University Geoff Arnold joined our host Jenn Sherman to discuss what it means to work with a team and more.
Click here to view the episode or continue reading for a recap!
Geoff Arnold was a basketball player at Saint Joseph’s University before graduating and working as a systems analyst and a technical sales rep. He received a call one day from an old friend offering him a position coaching basketball. 29 years later, Geoff is still a coach and leader.
Lisa Sun is the CEO and Founder of GRAVITAS, a fashion company with a mission to catalyze confidence. Lisa worked for 11 years as a consultant before starting GRAVITAS after her boss told her that she has no gravitas.
45 Million Americans are experiencing mental health issues in 2020 and almost everyone deals with some sort of struggle, even if it seems small or occasional. Everyone is part of a team in some way or another, and it is helpful. Lisa and Geoff explained how.
Lisa’s experience comes from her career as an entrepreneur and CEO. Lisa explains, “out of every entrepreneur that’s celebrated in the media or press, you dig down one layer and there is a decade of pain, because entrepreneurs have no safety net.” Lisa’s position as CEO puts her in difficult situations. She admits she, as everyone does, struggles. Her responsibility for her team weighs on her, but as Lisa explains “part of that mental health struggle is actually being vulnerable” and saying your fears out loud. When Lisa has struggled, she has been open with her team and her team has supported her.
Geoff understands what it means to be a part of a team, as much as anybody. He and other coaches feel a sense of responsibility for their players, similar to that of a parent, he explains. Players learn from their coaches on more aspects of life than just the game they play. Geoff considers himself a “teacher” of more than basketball. He is a role model and leader. Coaches benefit from their position as well. Geoff has had over 300 players that have been like sons to him, supporting him along the way as he supported them.
Being a part of a team has been an amazing experience for both Lisa and Geoff, as they’ve learned to be vulnerable, to support others, and to have a support system. One of the best things about being part of a team is having people close to you let you know that “everything is solvable, nothing is that bad” and “even through tough times, you don’t have to know everything.”
“Let that fear or struggle, live outside the body” – Lisa Sun
“Looking in the mirror and smiling. That’s what mental wellness means to me” – Geoff Arnold
We All Have a Team with Lisa Sun and Geoff Arnold
CEO of GRAVITAS Lisa Sun and Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Rider University Geoff Arnold, joined us for a conversation on the benefits of working with a team, the power of practice, and ego being the center of our philosophy. The guests also touched on having a perspective that anything is solvable.
Lisa Sun, CEO and Founder at GRAVITAS
GRAVITAS is a fashion company with a mission to catalyze confidence. GRAVITAS clothing emphasizes intelligent function meets size-inclusive versatile fashion. https://gravitasnewyork.com/pages/gravitas
Lisa’s Personal Wellness: Puzzles and adult coloring books
Geoff Arnold, Assistant Coach for Ryder University Men’s Basketball Team
Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey.
Geoff’s Personal Wellness: Golfing Addict
Beyond the Algorithm with Bethanne Patrick
Freelance writer and author, Bethanne Patrick, appeared on We Are Everyone to discuss mental wellness and what it means to be resilient with our host, Jenn Sherman.
Click here to view the episode or continue reading for a recap of what was discussed!
Several mental health topics were covered in this episode, but the most notable is Bethanne’s experience with double depression.
Bethanne first experienced depression when she was in junior high and had her first major incident of depression while in high school, but truly did not understand what was happening until later on in life. Bethanne spoke about living in various places around Germany with her husband, who was serving as a military officer, following her college graduation. Bethanne faced challenges while adapting to a new life. All the change, constantly relocating, and other sources of stress were weighing on her. As Bethanne put it, “We made all these moves and it was just breaking my brain.”
Bethanne later returned to the United States and continued to experience challenges. In 2006, her father passed, and she reached one of her darkest points, thinking she would never be okay.
After years of trouble, Bethanne was diagnosed with double depression and her life began to change. Her mental wellness improved. “My relationships are better and richer, that’s mental wellness.” Bethanne learned she would not cure her depression, but instead would learn to manage it. Her advice was clear, a correct diagnosis is absolutely necessary for someone trying to improve their mental wellness.
After showing tremendous resiliency and strength, Bethanne is happier. “I don’t have everything. I have what I want. I have what makes me content.”
Calming the Human Spirit with Sheldon Candis
It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Filmmaker and Director at CINEPHILE ACADEMY, Sheldon Candis, joined us for a discussion on learning to do more with less, putting in work to succeed and developing your own definition of success.
Personal Wellness:
Meditation to calm the human spirit
Risk Versus Reward with Scott Thuman
Chief Political Correspondent at Sinclair and Full Measure, Scott Thuman, joined us for a conversation on understanding your place in the world, using past experiences to grow and measuring risks versus rewards. Scott also touches on the struggles that can come with living in the public eye.
Full Measure is an American Sunday morning political affairs and investigative news magazine series. The program is produced, broadcast and syndicated by Sinclair Television Group.
Scott’s Personal Wellness: Checking in with yourself and reflecting
Compartmentalizing with Robin Bronk
The CEO at the Creative Coalition, Robin Bronk, joined us for a discussion on the power of listening, the importance of the arts and communication as our calling card. Robin also stresses the value in breaking things down and compartmentalizing your thoughts.
Robin's Personal Wellness:
The joy of contentment
