S3E6: Youth + Community Mental Health Advocacy: On a Mission with Marc Mendiola
Release Date: 09/01/2022
S3E16: Empowering Gen Z to Explore Their Passions Featuring Morgann Noble
Couched in Color
In this episode, guest Morgann Noble, daughter of Dr. Alfiee and an intern at The AAKOMA Project, gives unique insights for parents about the challenges that children of color experience. With a passion for bringing ideas to life, Morgann calls herself “a dreamer” at The AAKOMA Project, with a long list of people of influence she would like to engage in the non-profit’s mental health initiatives. Topics covered in this interview: The anxiety that arose for Morgann growing up affluent as a person of color with well-educated parents in what was considered a progressive...
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S3E15: Expanding the Narrative for Black Men Featuring Shaka Senghor
Couched in Color
In this episode, guest Shaka Senghor shares his inspiring story from incarceration to becoming a two times bestselling author, influencer and one of Oprah’s “SuperSoul 100” – teaching lessons of redemption and vulnerability to the masses. He grew up spending 19 years in prison, seven of them in solitary confinement. Through reflection and writing, he later came to understand his story of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). At age 17, he was shot multiple times, and also has two brothers who were shot, one of whom ended up paralyzed. At the same time, he takes full...
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S3E14: Building Bridges Featuring Kheira Bekkadja
Couched in Color
In this episode, guest Kheira Bekkadja, a Muslim Algerian American college student making an impact in mental health, inspires listeners with her insights on grounding in self-care and positive affirmations. As an example, she shares the Muslim practice of praying five times, at set times during the day, as challenging as it can be to stay persistent. There are movements that go with the prayer, including putting the forehead on the floor, which helps release negative energy and connect with God. “My faith is what rejuvenates me,” Kheira says. Surrounding oneself with good people...
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S3E13: Spreading Hope Through Content Creation Featuring Gigi Robinson
Couched in Color
In this episode, 24-year-old guest Gigi Robinson, a master content creator, graduate student and model, shares insights for living with chronic illness and addressing mental health issues, inspired to use her story to move the masses through her highly successful social media channels. She calls the Internet “an oyster” for Gen Zers to see beyond the corporate world and live their dreams, based on their unique passions and dreams. Topics covered in this interview: Sharing the vulnerabilities that come with chronic illness and mental health issues to help others (and letting go of the...
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S3E12: When You Hear Me, You Hear Us Featuring Brooke Simpson
Couched in Color
In this episode, singer-songwriter Brooke Simpson, who just made her Broadway debut in the revival of 1776, shares the impact her culture as an Indigenous woman has had on her creativity. From her early days dressing and dancing for her tribe’s “pow wow” ceremonies, she learned “to bleed creativity” into the foundation of who she is today. She has been a finalist for both The Voice and America’s Got Talent, and she also represents Nike's N7 campaign for Indigenous youth, supporting their mental health by promoting movement. Brooke sees her style of movement as...
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S3E11: Creating the Right Parenting Mindset Featuring Dr. Ann-Louise T. Lockhart
Couched in Color
Couched In Color | Season 3 | Episode 11 In this episode, guest Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart, a pediatric psychologist, parent coach and widely followed social media expert, shares profound insights on ways to create a healthy mindset that takes the blame off the child. This mindset empowers parents and primary caregivers. Many parents come to the role without a plan, based on what they saw growing up, not understanding that it is normal to experience both positive and negative sides to parenting. “If I knew parenting was going to be this hard, I wouldn’t have signed up for it,” is one...
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S3E10: How Sneakers Saved and Ruined My Life Featuring Trent Out Loud
Couched in Color
In this episode, guest Trent Out Loud, founder and CEO of Exclucity, a multi-million-dollar footwear and apparel company, shares his story of seeking therapy after losing $2.3 million dollars in his sneakers’ business. That loss came when he forgot to tend to his own mental health during the ups and downs of his business, including the shifts occurring in the sneaker industry. As a result, he said started making wrong decisions. His therapist helped him deal with issues related to hypomania, mania and bipolar, and trained his brain to work in ways that benefited him. He continues...
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S3E9: Mental Health Advocate, Mom, Veteran, Latina: A Hidden Healer Featuring Ayanna Kelly
Couched in Color
In this episode, guest Ayanna Kelly, an Afro-Latina advocate, disabled veteran and mom, shares an inside look at her mental health journey from burnout to standing at the White House as a leader of the Mental Health Youth Action Forum. () That forum, which took place in May 2022, was created in partnership with MTV Entertainment Group and coordination with the Biden-Harris Administration. In a “surreal” moment, Ayanna found herself standing next to President Joe Biden and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, and other highly accomplished people. She saw herself as...
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S3E8: Carson Daly Feels Your Pain: A Special Conversation on Couched in Color
Couched in Color
In this episode, Carson Daly, co-host of “The Today Show” and creator of its “Mind Matters” digital series, and producer/host of Emmy-award winning “The Voice”, openly shares his mental health struggles. He discusses the trauma of losing his father unexpectedly at age 5 and the subsequent night terrors he experienced. Later diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, Carson believes environment alone is not the cause of his mental health challenges. Rather, he sees them as a combination of both “nature and nurture.” Using his story to help others, Carson is...
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S3E7: Phillip Schermer’s Mastermind Approach to Mental Health for the Masses
Couched in Color
In this inspiring episode Dr. Alfiee interviews guest Phillip Schermer, founder and CEO of Project Healthy Minds, a non-profit created for a new era of mental wellness. Phillip, who was previously a Vice President & Chief of Staff to the Vice Chairman at BlackRock, the world's largest asset management firm, was so moved by the story of Logic, a rapper and record producer, he started the non-profit to more impactfully bring together mental health resources. Logic shed light on mental health challenges by writing a song with the phone number of the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline...
info_outlineIn this episode, Dr. Alfiee showcases 21-year-old youth advocate/mental health activist Marc Mendiola, who began making a difference in high school for those from low economic or diverse ethnic backgrounds. He has expanded his mission attracting millions of dollars of funding for new mental health initiatives.
Now an undergraduate at Texas A & M University, Marc serves as Vice President of The Mexican Student Association, which is one the largest student organizations on campus, with more than 600 members. The focus is speaking for the minority and Marc wants to use his position to get better health resources at the University, and make mental health a priority.
Previously, Marc was an integral part of The Mental Health Ambassadors of Student Leaders at South San High School and The Care Zone - Mobil Mental Health Collaborative with the Non-Profits in South San ISD.
Dr. Alfiee tracked down Marc after seeing his interview on gun violence and mental health in this newspaper article, in which she also was quoted:
https://mindsitenews.org/2022/02/28/suicide-by-gun-is-rising-among-youth-especially-teens-of-color/
Marc’s passion to make a difference took off when he transitioned from middle school to high school and he began questioning “Who am I?”
A teacher selected him for the “Enrichment Club” that grew far beyond beautifying the school and other activities. Instead, members started talking, opening up about their challenges, and breaking down walls of limitations of their ethnic or economic backgrounds.
Marc shares that coming from the South Side San Antonio, a low economic side of town, with 98 percent of the population Hispanic: “There is a lot of stigma about what we can produce based on the resources we have.”
The biggest wall is not only access to resources, but the community in which many live, Marc notes. Many students have the additional responsibility of taking care of their brothers and sisters, while their parents work, and then trying to find time to do homework after putting their siblings to bed.
Topics covered in this interview:
–MAKING THINGS HAPPEN: Marc and his classmates lobbied school officials and local lawmakers, resulting in the creation of a local mental health wellness center in the district. Later,, the County Board of Commissioners pledge $4.75 million to expand the effort, as noted in the article below:
–Marc: ”It’s about outreaching and using your voice.”
–Beyond dealing with the disabilities that may limit students from producing in the classroom, schools also need to change the focus on their environments and what resources they have, and on mental health as a priority.
–The start of The Mental Health Exposium teaching self-coping skills for good mental health and information about available resources in the local community (which got nationally recognized).
–The stigmation of mental health, as something “not real” in Spanish and Latino communities.
–Picking up the gaps where mental health services are not adequately provided on college campuses and elsewhere, including the lack of proper mental wellness checks and follow-up.
Dr. Alfiee on social determinants of good mental health:
“So moved by you, you were young, high school kids (who started this mental health initiative in schools).”
“What’s so amazing about it is you were not out for self, you were all out for community.”
SOCIAL DETERMINANTS: “So you can’t study, you can’t have good mental health, you can’t be engaged with your family in all the best ways, if your basic needs aren’t being met, like do you have food in the house, toilet paper, the pencils and paper you need to do school? Do you have the people physically in the school to help you with what you need…the school social worker, the school counselor? And if you don’t have those things it’s really asking a lot for young people to show up and focus.”
“You are managing the social determinants of health by taking care of the whole community, everybody and all types of needs. That is a model that people picked up on and you pushed it into other schools.”
About Marc Mendiola: Mental Health Activist/Student Advocate
Marc is a first-generation college student and the current Vice President of the Mexican Student Association at Texas A&M University, which is one of the largest organizations on the A&M campus that serves over 600 members. Marc is passionate about breaking the stigma around mental health and supporting communities to find their voices through student activism. He has currently obtained influencer roles in his community by making TikToks and collaborating with companies to shed the light on on-campus resources. He loves to write music and sing in his free time while keeping a bright smile on his face, always ready to make a new friend.
Follow Marc:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marc.mendiola.395
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marc2292/?hl=en
Follow Dr. Alfiee:
Website: https://dralfiee.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dralfiee
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dralfiee
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dralfiee/
Website: https://dralfiee.com
Find out more about the AAKOMA Project here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvTKmYKi24I
Season 3 Produced By: https://socialchameleon.us
More Couched in Color: https://dralfiee.com/podcast
Music Produced by: Mark “King” Batson (Superproducer of your favorite artists and Grammy award-winner for albums with Eminem and Beyoncé)