The Hope Matrix on Campus with Avery Peel

Episode 13: Founding TASC and Creating a Safe Environment for Teens in NWA, Featuring Dawn Spragg

Life lessons are things that you have to experience to learn. In this episode of The Hope Matrix on Campus host, Avery Peel is joined by Dawn Spragg. Dawn is a co-founder of the Teen Action and Support Center, which is a pillar of hope for teens in the NWA community. Dawn and her co-founders have created a place that specifically supports teens by providing resources, community service learning, and counseling, and prepares teens to enter adulthood as the best version of themselves. Tune in to this episode of The Hope Matrix on Campus to learn more about TASC and hear how Dawn used the Shine Framework to create this amazing place for teens in Northwest Arkansas.

Episode 12: Managing the Many Facets of Life During College, featuring Skye Jackson

Life doesn’t stop when you get to college, how do you deal with everything all at once? In this episode of The Hope Matrix on Campus, Skye Jackson shares her experience and insights into facing the multiple facets of life. Skye is finishing up her degree at Brown University and she reflects on the many challenges she has faced with friends, family, and classes. She also shares her experience overcoming those challenges and how she has learned from them.

Episode 11: Making Friends During Covid and Meeting Your Forever People

In this another special episode of The Hope Matrix on Campus Podcast, Avery Peel shared her personal experiences of making friends in college during the Covid-19 pandemic, emphasizing the importance of actively fostering relationships and having a support network. She also discussed the challenges of setting and achieving friendship goals, the importance of stress management, and the value of small, personal moments in feeling safe and comfortable in college. Avery concluded by encouraging others to reach out to her for support and to persevere despite the difficulties they may face.

Episode 10: Losing a Loved One in College, featuring Avery Peel

In this special episode of The Hope Matrix on Campus Podcast, Avery shared her personal experiences of grief, isolation, and mental health issues during her college years, emphasizing the importance of stress skills, happiness habits, and self-care. She also discussed her journey towards self-improvement, her struggles with depression and PTSD, and the support she received from her family and friends. Lastly, Avery reflected on the impact of loss on her life and the importance of learning from experiences and focusing on relationships.

Episode 9: Losing Loved Ones and PTSD, featuring Emily Brisben

In this episode of The Hope Matrix on Campus, host Avery Peel interviews Emily Brisben. Emily struggled with the loss of her mother at a young age and then faced the reality of a PTSD diagnosis. She has handled her life with strength and grace and aims to share her story with anyone and everyone she can to shine a light on mental illness and suicide.  Emily shares her incredible journey, the challenges she faced, and the ways she has worked to overcome those challenges through Hope. She has an inspiring story for anyone and everyone to resonate with. Through depression, suicide, anxiety, and PTSD, Emily has numerous Stress Skills and Happiness Habits for one to learn and try for themselves. She also shares how this has led her to find strategies to help her cope with her mental illness, her purpose in life to become a therapist focused on grief and bereavement, and amazing friends whom she met in college.