We Own Wellness

Our guest Kathryn Krug is a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist who loves love and is ready to help you be the best partner you can be! Learn how to not only build a more fruitful relationship, but how you can maintain your personal values along the way. “If it's in the realm of convincing, it's likely a useless cause and it's going to end up making you upset and them upset.” -Kathry...

Today, we are speaking with a man who might love dance more than he loves his own mother! Dr. Robert Morgan is a veteran of the Jamaican military and of the U.S. Navy who's always loved dancing, however, after a near-death explosives accident, doctors told him he would never walk again. Dr. Morgan recovered and returned to dance, eventually created an organization for other veterans to heal t...

The Veterans Art Project (VETART) is a community-based arts organization that is transforming the lives of hundreds of veterans all across California. Offering free art classes is just the beginning because the connections made inside the VETART studio have been truly life-changing. “When they moved on, they would become doctors and lawyers and architects” -Steve Dilley Click here to visit VETART&...

Lyndon Peters is our Quality Compliance Director who knows a thing or two about compliance in the world of healthcare. With many years of experience, Lyndon breaks down the differences between "quality" and "compliance" while explaining how compliance can save lives. “Getting people to understand that they ARE compliance is the hardest part.” -Lyndon Peters You can reach the SI...

See what movie magic is all about! The creators of our documentary "Everlasting Steps: The Path to Healing" share what it took to bring this cinematic movement to life. Three stories of overcoming addiction collide to prove there is everlasting hope for a brighter future. “People can mess up, but people can also change, and people can also do good things” -Bobby Wallace Click here to wat...

I gathered the leaders of SIHC to join the podcast for a deep dive into our new and improved vision statement. Laura Caswell (CEO), Laura Quaha Parkhurst (COO), and Mary Johnson (Executive Secretary) share their thoughts on how the new vision will affect the clinic, how you can get the most out of your healthcare, and how SIHC became what it is today. “We are a generous people and we're not j...

I teamed up with The City Ranch band to discuss how music has contributed to each member's health, wellness, and happiness. The enthusiastic bunch made up of Daryl Lawrick, Rena Armstrong, Michael Garcia, and Ken Strauss each have their own wacky stories on how music has changed their lives forever. “Music gave me a reason to be. A reason to live... to want to talk to people.” -Rena Armstrong...

In this episode, I'm joined by author, health and wellness advocate, and helicopter crash survivor, Jo Eager. We discuss nutrition tips, the dangers of corrupt media, and her multiple near-death experiences including a helicopter crash and a snake attack. “You don't have to do a marathon the first day, just go a little bit at a time.” -Jo Eager Click here to follow us on social media and...

Campo Native, Frank Salazar has joined the podcast to enlighten me on the importance of cultural preservation, life on the rez, and plenty more! We dive into Frank's many experiences such as being an infantry soldier in the military, working in museums as a Cultural Knowledge Keeper, and his transition from a Senior to an Elder. Stick around to hear it all! “A reservation can keep you more gr...

Noelia Acevedo, Health insurance expert, has joined our podcast to help you better understand how to find the best health plan for yourself and your loved ones. “Healthcare is the best thing to have. It gives you peace of mind.” -Noelia Acevedo Call (619) 445-1188 Ext. 543 to contact Noelia and find out what you qualify for. Click here to follow us on social media and stay connected with SIHC! Bec...

We were fortunate to sit down with Erica Pinto, Chairwoman of Jamul and Chairwoman of SIHC, to discuss some of the most pressing issues impacting our communities today. With years of experience putting in the work to make positive changes for her people, Erica shares her perspective on what we can do to set ourselves up for success. “The Kumeyaay people are fighters, and one way or another, we&apo...

We sat down with a very special guest from Viejas, Debbie Stein, to discuss her encounters with racism and what she believes are the best ways to respond to racism. SIHC members Alexis Spratt and Sean Allen also joined us to offer their perspectives on the issue. This might be our most insightful episode yet! “Strength is not about tearing somebody down. True strength is picking somebody up.” -Sea...

Today our Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) department joins us to discuss the true meaning of a happy and healthy mindset and how you can best assist a loved one suffering from suicidal thoughts . Listen to the experts Alexis Spratt, Sean Allen, Candace Willis, and Jocelyn Gardner break down the intricacies of these topics. “There's so much pressure to be what we're not when we sh...

It's never easy saying goodbye to a family member. In this episode, I'm joined by Natascha Davis and Kassandra Mason as we say goodbye to Terry Baines. Terry gives some great insight on what it's like working at SIHC and how his family values have led him into a new chapter in his life. Click here to follow us on social media and stay connected with SIHC! Click here to learn more ab...

We are officially back   from our podcast hiatus! Join us as we speak with three “Quality” experts to see what it takes to keep your healthcare running smoothly. Rosie Soto, Rawan Sger, and Jermie-Starr Mendoza each help to break down common misconceptions and decode some acronyms for us to better understand. CLICK HERE to follow us on social media and stay connected with SIHC! If you would like t...

We have an exciting new episode of our podcast! We had the pleasure of speaking with Mellisa Beck, a Family Support Worker for Indian Child Social Services at SIHC and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. In this episode, Melissa shares her experiences working with indigenous children and families, and the challenges she faces in advocating for their needs within the social services system....

 In this episode with have an amazing guest,  a talented female Native American artist who is a member of the Barona Band of Mission Indians.  Throughout the interview, our guest shared her experiences as a Native American artist and the challenges she has faced in her life. She also talked about the inspiration behind her creative work and how her culture has influenced her art. So, grab your hea...

We have a new episode of our podcast series, where we interviewed the Director of Pharmacy of Southern Indian Health Council, Dean Garcia Pharm. D., BCPS. The episode is now available on all platforms.  In this episode, Mary, Nathan, and I had the pleasure of speaking with Dean, who shared his inspiring life journey as a Native American and his experience serving in the Navy as an officer. We lear...

In this episode, our guest is Angelica Heredia, (Indian Child Social Services) ICSS Program Coordinator at Southern Indian Health Council, who specializes in child welfare and is well-versed in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The Indian Child Welfare Act was enacted in 1978 in response to the high rates of Native American children being removed from their families and placed in non-Native hom...

In this episode, we had a beautiful conversation with an elder from the Mesa Grande Mission Indians tribe, Mark Romero. It was a chat that made us feel many emotions, he told us about his life as a young man and what it means to be a native to him, as well as some scary stories, listen to it, I'm sure you'll love it just like we did. We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy the epis...

In this episode, we had an enjoyable conversation with a local artist; his name is Nino Amaru, a Muralist, Rapper, and activist; with Native roots from the Luiseño Nation and Mexican on his father’s side.  He tells us how he began his journey representing the culture and other things that represent being native, from his childhood until now.  We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy the episo...

In this episode we have a very interesting conversation with Adam Rozell, Associate Clinical Social Worker, he talks about mindsets and how to motivate ourselves in different aspects of life, Adam tells us about some experiments that scientists have carried out that will leave us impressed. Listen to this episode on all podcast platforms. I appreciate your support, and we hope you enjoy the episod...

In this episode with have a conversation with Blue Eagle Vigil, a member of the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, and a Bird Singer. In this interview, Blue Eagle shares his life journey and how he overcame obstacles.  Blue' story is one of resilience, determination, and hope. It's a reminder that no matter what challenges we may face, we can overcome them with hard work and a positive at...

A fascinating conversation with Alexis Spratt, MA S.E.L. (Master of Arts in Social Emotional Learning), a young educated Native American, who tells us about her master's degree in Social Emotional Learning and how she applies it within the community.  Also, as in Marvel movies, stay at the end; this episode has extra material.

In this episode, we had the opportunity to learn more about Dr. Niloufar Salehi, our Medical Director at SIHC. This is a conversation that you should listen to and get to know the excellent human being behind our medical service, we got to know a little about her life and her philosophy in practicing medicine, and she even told us a joke!  Also, in this episode, Grace Chavez from the Health Inform...