The Paragon Project

COVID-19 with Dr. Gonzalo Bearman (Head of the Infectious Disease division at MCV)

There is so much information about COVID-19 out there, and I wanted to get information from a trusted source in person. It was an honor to interview Dr. Gonzalo Bearman. I'm extremely grateful that he found time out of his packed schedule to sit and talk to me about COVID-19 during these chaotic times. Please share this podcast to help spread better information about COVID-19. At times like this, we need to know what we are truly facing. This interview was done on March 11th! Time stamp: 2:00 -What is COVID-19, and how is it different from something like the flu? 3:02 -If someone is infected with the virus with mild to moderate symptoms, are there any at-home or over-the-counter treatments we can use to prevent more severe symptoms from developing?  4:28 - How long do you expect this virus to last? 4:51- If the virus continues to spread in densely populated areas, what are our options when facilities fill up? 5:23 - How much do people’s “fear of the unknown” play a part in magnifying the dangers of COVID-19? 6:30 - The xenophobia that came along with the COVID-19 virus 7:40 - What are some severe and non-severe symptoms of COVID-19 10:00 - How do we de-cyphe the information overload we see in the news? 11:46 - What are our alternative protection options besides the normal gloves and mask? 13:10 - Final words about COVID-19 and what VCU health is doing?

Is it Love? (Valentine's Day Special)

Happy Valentine's Day! In this episode, I combined my interviews with Julie Wilcox and Mary Davis from the previous two episode to answer three important questions: What makes a healthy relationship, what are some misconceptions of a healthy relationship, and how do you love yourself? If you guys like what you heard, please check out the episodes Communication is Key with Julie Wilcox and Needs = Expectations with Mary Davis to learn more about relationships! Also please share this podcast on Facebook and tag me in your Instagram story @paragonproject1! Have a wonderful rest of the day. Links to the interviews used in the episode: Needs = Expectations: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iiwSl6VeiZ0ksJDdbG0k0 Communication is Key: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lUuCYu9DJqiZ3oKdURtOZ

Communication is Key

Julie Wilcox is a license relationship councilor at Thriveworks Short Pump. In our interview, we talked about polyamorous relationship, the 5 love languages, the honey moon phase and much more! She was a great guest, and I hope that y'all learned something from this interview. If you like what you hear, let me know by sharing on Facebook or tagging me on Instagram @paragonproject1. Thank you so much and have a awesome rest of the day. Below are the time stamps for the video: Times stamps: · 1:08- Expectations and communications · 2:23- Making a comfortable place to voice expectations · 4:30- “Fair Fighting Rules” for conflict resolutions · 6:30- Having multiple partners (Polyamorous relationships) and the expectations for them · 9:26- Get to know each other again · 11:34- Being a best friend with your partner  · 12:34- What is something your clients think are healthy for a relationship but are actually unhealthy · 13:48- How do you bring up a problem without accusing them · 16:06- Transparency is a lot healthier than we think · 19:25- Handling long distance relationships · 21:17- The honeymoon phase? Not realistic at all · 22:55- The 5 love languages and our basic needs · 26:41- The role of a counselor in a relationship · 28:05- What does it really mean to love yourself? · 29:05- What does it mean to be a Paragon?

Needs = Expectations

Mary Davis is a license couples therapist at Thriveworks Short Pump who is very knowledgeable and passionate about relationships. I had an amazing time interviewing her and gained an important perspective on relationships and we talked about self-love, expectations, etc! If you got any value from this episode, please let me know and share in on Facebook and Instagram story @paragonproject1. Thank you and have a nice rest of the day! Below are time stamps for the episode.  Times stamps: 1:01- Introduction to Mary 2:17- What are the foundations of any healthy relationship? 3:04- What to do when trust has been lost in a relationship? 4:26- How much of our past should we reveal to our partner? 5:54- Why would people rather direct their love towards other people than themselves? 8:04- How to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself without being too self critical 9:50- Perfectionism blocks vulnerability 10:20- What makes unhealthy relationships with ourselves? 12:06- What are healthy expectations we should have for our partner? 13:51- Should we have little to no expectations for our partner? Title? Our needs are ultimately our expectations 16:08- What do your clients believe are unhealthy to have in a relationship but are healthy to have? Could use this to transition to self love after healthy relationship 17:03- Why an individual identity is healthy for a relationship? 19:50- What are somethings your client believe are healthy in a relationship but are actually unhealthy to have? 21:19- What’s a soulmate and could there be such thing? 23:30- How do you get your clients to open up about their past? 26:32- How do you maintain a healthy long distance relationship? 28:33- What does it mean to be a paragon?

New Year...Same You?

With the new year comes a new season! I revisited several interviews I during season one, incorporated my commentary, and used some research to bring a new style and format to the podcast! Below are some of the references I used to make this podcast. If you like the new format and want more of this, let me know and share my podcast to promote the new season! Thank you and have an awesome new years. References: YMCA commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho8Xuwbfa-0 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho8Xuwbfa-0] Statista Research Department: https://www.statista.com/statistics/378105/new-years-resolution/ [https://www.statista.com/statistics/378105/new-years-resolution/] Health.us.news.com link:  https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2015-12-29/why-80-percent-of-new-years-resolutions-fail [https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2015-12-29/why-80-percent-of-new-years-resolutions-fail] Journal of personality and social psychology: https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.88.6.918 [https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.88.6.918]  Previous podcast episode:  Alex Vega: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4rYChhdYzTeT7hSLwTjSnk Sam Thana: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4WyrxPFyaqjSMlMo74KyQ0 Vinny Seng: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7FKptPLvBSvv5fMKi0Jh1S