each voice

the intersection between peer support, research, and advocacy (ft. Isaac Lara)

In this episode, I am joined by Isaac Lara, a youth wellbeing activist, lived experience researcher, and peer support advocate. He talks about the importance of youth in advocacy spaces and provides valuable advice for youth looking to get involved in both research and advocacy spaces. He discusses the connection between advocacy and research while sharing his own experiences and journey coming into the mental health research space. instagram: @eachvoice music: massobeats

poetry, politics, and mental health injustice (ft. Sophie Szew)

In this episode, I’m joined by Sophie Szew, a youth mental health advocate. She shares her journey being denied treatment while struggling with an eating disorder, which later on led to her being institutionalized. She talks about poetry as an outlet for her emotions as well as a means for expression on social injustices, serving as a way to “dismantle hierarchies” in society. Sophie talks about how she was able to get involved in policy work to address the root cause of the mental health crisis and gives valuable advice and insights for anyone looking to get involved in this realm of advocacy. Listen now! instagram: @eachvoice music: massobeats

living as a refugee: grief & the power of art (ft. Sedra Alshamaly)

This episode, I’m joined by Sedra Alshamaly, a teenage advocate and the co-founder of Elegant Art, a social enterprise focused on aiding refugee children through art. She discusses her heartbreaking experiences as a child experiencing war and destruction in her home country, leading her to flee to a different country with her family. She talks about her path from living as a refugee to becoming an advocate for others going through similar situations as she did. Sedra discusses art as her main means for advocacy and talks about her various ambitions and goals for the future of her work. Listen now! instagram: @eachvoice music: massobeats

the importance of mental health programming (ft. Connor Dalgaard)

In this episode, I’m joined by Connor Dalgaard, a mental health activist. He discusses how he first became interested in mental health, through volunteering at a summer camp and meeting his district counselor. Connor talks about the importance of mental health education in school and how he was able to implement this education through his high school’s mental health club. He talks about the specific activities he was able to conduct and how he was able to notice a change in his school’s environment, involving the way students talked about mental health. Connor also talks about his transition from a high school advocate to a college student pursuing psychology. Tune in now! instagram: @eachvoice music: massobeats

baking & mental health (ft. Dayna Altman)

This week, I’m joined by Dayna Altman, a mental health advocate, author, and entrepreneur. She talks about her fascinating work combining cooking, baking, and mental health. She opens up about her mental health struggles and how they led to her deciding to create change through her organization “Bake it Till You Make it”, incorporating her love of cooking. She talks about her various projects including her cookbook, mental health workshops, and even her baking competition inspired by Netflix’s “Nailed It!” Dayna discusses her future plans for her organization as well as the reasons why she believes it to be so important to create environments for supportive mental health conversation. instagram: @eachvoice music: massobeats