The Quo

Increasing Women's Political Participation & Midterm Voter Turnout | Anna Valencia

Anna Valencia is the current City Clerk of Chicago, running for Illinois Secretary of State. In this episode, she discusses the challenges that women and women of color often face while campaigning for public office, how she's been navigating some of those challenges, and what her potential election as the first woman and Latina to this office will mean for women and girls everywhere. She also offers her advice for the next generation of women leaders, while reminding us about the importance of voting in every election—including the upcoming primary and midterms.

Embracing Anxiety & Depression - Part II | Sudesh Kannan (Dr. K)

Dr. Sudesh Kannan PhD, also known as Dr. K, is a meditation instructor and expert, who has been training individuals in the art and practice of mindfulness since 2007. As part of his training, Dr. K leverages meditation and mindfulness tools and methods—which have been proven to boost happiness and support mental health and wellness—to help his students cultivate joy, peace and energy. He has also authored more than 25 publications and is the co-author of the book, “How to Beat the Heart Disease Epidemic among South Asians." In this episode—the second in a two-part series—Dr. K discusses depression and how it can be managed. He also guides us through a helpful breathing exercise. We would love to hear your feedback on this episode. Please visit bit.ly/HealAnxietyDepression to complete a short survey. Additional resources can be found at www.meditation-magic.com and www.meditation-magic.com/blog/quick-fixes-for-depression-anxiety.

Reproductive Justice & Black Maternal Health | Leah Hairston

Leah Hairston is a social worker, traveling doula and founder of Sweet Bee Services, which provides personalized fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum and lactation support. Passionate about reproductive justice, especially for Black women, she set out to facilitate spaces for healing, equal access and justice. In this episode, Leah shares the benefits of working with a doula, offers insights into the systematic disparities impacting Black maternal mortality, and discusses the potential implications of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn of Roe v. Wade.

Embracing Anxiety & Depression - Part I | Sudesh Kannan (Dr. K)

Dr. Sudesh Kannan PhD, also known as Dr. K, is a meditation instructor and expert, who has been training individuals in the art and practice of mindfulness since 2007. As part of his training, Dr. K leverages meditation and mindfulness tools and methods—which have been proven to boost happiness and support mental health and wellness—to help his students cultivate joy, peace and energy. He has also authored more than 25 publications and is the co-author of the book, “How to Beat the Heart Disease Epidemic among South Asians [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976995301/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0976995301&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwwwhigher-20&linkId=A7YWNJXGG4NUKPMY].” In this episode—the first in a two-part series—Dr. K discusses anxiety, how it impacts the brain, and the mindful techniques we can apply to cope with anxiety triggers. We would love to hear your feedback on this episode. Please visit bit.ly/HealAnxietyDepression [https://bit.ly/HealAnxietyDepression] to complete a short survey. Additional resources can be found at www.meditation-magic.com [https://www.meditation-magic.com].

Nature & Wellness | Jennifer Walsh

Jennifer Walsh is an entrepreneur, leader and visionary in the beauty, wellness and retail industry. As the founder and creator of Beauty Bar, she revolutionized the shopping experience for beauty and wellness customers. Jennifer’s work now intersects with nature after spending a great deal of time exploring how nature affects our wellbeing. In this episode, she discusses the many healing benefits of connecting to the natural world and what she's learned from top neuroscientists about the link between nature and our brains.