Break The Chains, Find Your Flame

Lorri Comeau, M.Ed. & Tabitha A. Mancini, M.A. co-founded Collaborative Learning Services. They have been colleagues in the field of disabilities for the past seven years and have utilized their expertise and experience to create a company that serves the needs of a wide range of learners. Their work with students, parents and educators strategically integrates education and learning tools tha...

Trailer for our new Miniseries Podcast of Stigma Is Curable- Our programming of community conversations on how to battle against mental and physical health stigmas. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/steven-opalenik/support

https://www.instagram.com/tannerkern/ https://www.tannerkern.com https://afsp.donordrive.com/campaign/100-Mile-Treadmill-Run- - Link to donate to 100 mile treadmill run for suicide awareness Tanner Kern is a former Division I football player at Lafayette College. Due to suffering too many concussions, Tanner's career ended earlier than he expected. This put Tanner in a dark place for a significant...

James Harris, attended St Paul’s College (which no longer exists), he has a BA in Psychology. After his freshman year, he joined the Army. James has eight years of service with an honorable discharge. He also has two deployments one to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. After his military duty, he earned a MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) from South University. He is soon to be a License P...

Lorri Comeau, M.Ed., is an ADHD Parent Coach, Learning Support Specialist, and Educational Consultant. She has over 20 years of experience working with students, parents, and educators in the field of ADHD and learning disabilities. She recently co-founded Collaborative Learning Services which provides ADHD parent coaching, academic support, and educational consulting. In addition, Lorri has...

Our guest today is James Garnes.  James is a Musician in the bands BROTHER and James and the Low Rollers. He is originally from Springfield Ma. and went to UMass Amherst majoring in Communications. He is a self proclaimed lifetime student and bear enthusiast. But more importantly he is one of the most solid people I know. His strength and grace are infectious, and if you get to bend his ear f...

This episode deals with themes related to suicide. If you or anyone you know are having thoughts of suicide, whether passive or active, please use the resources provided below: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor Free 24/7 support at your fingertips US and Canada: text 741741 UK: text 85258 | Ireland: text 50808 **** A quick note! I reference a proof of con...

Rhana Hashemi is a Master's student in the Community Health Prevention Research Program (CHPR) at the School of Medicine. She is studying how to enhance the effectiveness of public health drug prevention and education strategies for youth. Rhana graduated with a B.A. in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley with Honors and was the President of their Students for Sensible Drug Policy chapter. In 2016 she...

Angelica was drawn to the beauty of yoga in her early teenage years. However, it wasn't until college while struggling with grief from the death of her brother and a history of sexual trauma at the hand's of her father that she learned the healing power of yoga. After a decade of committed practice, Angelica decided to pursue yoga teacher training in order to assist others in finding tools to heal...

This episode features conversations between Shaun and Myself regarding our own history of disordered eating, and eating disorders. The contents in this episode may be triggering for some, please use your own discretion when listening to this episode. If you are in need of any help, please reach out to any loved ones, professionals, or hotlines in your area. You can reach Shaun at : shaun@nutri-iq....

Bryna Rogers, MS  is a Senior Director at Bay State Community Services, overseeing the Quincy Family Resource Center (QFRC), The Dianne DeVanna Center, and serves as the agency's Infant Specialist. Bryna works with youth and families to insure they have the services, supports, and resources needed for success in school, at home, and in the community. This often involves working with schools,...

Aimeé Boettcher is the owner of Two Moons Creative, a graphic design and social media marketing company. She works with small businesses, coaching and helping create authentic and successful marketing campaigns to connect local businesses with their community on social media. Her goal is to take the technicality out of marketing and branding, so you can focus on the heart of your business and do w...

Hollee A. McGinnis, MSW, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Social Work. She is a prominent scholar, policy expert, and community organizer on adoption and child welfare. Her research examines social and cultural determinants of children’s mental health, with a focus on improving outcomes for youth and adults with histories of childhood trauma and in...

Dr. Khadijah Tuitt is a Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who completed her terminal degree at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. She in an alumna of the Partnership Fellow’s Program for emerging Leaders of Color and received honorable mention for the prestigious National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year (NCCY) Award. As a child Khadijah experienced homelessn...

Rolando Garcia III is a recognized leader in the fitness industry, having served as both coach and mentor to some of the top fitness teams and most recognized brands in the world. His certifications include - RKC Level 2, PN2, Masters in Service and Hospitality at Cornell University, Full Instructor in JKD/FMA, and Coach at Boxe Francaise Savate.  Through his father he inherited the Dizon system o...

Steve is a licensed mental health counselor who specializes in working with people who are seeking to make a change in their health. He has a background in personal training, and utilizes his experiences with mindfulness, meditation, playful movement, and calisthenics to create action plans for those seeking to find/maximize/fuel their inner potential. Steve is a certified Y12SR Instructor ( Yoga...

Rob is the Founder of Family Care Counseling Associates in Wilbraham Massachusetts. He is a Fellow in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, a graduate of the Authentic Happiness Coaching Program taught by Dr. Martin Seligman and a graduate of the Eckhart Tolle School of Awakening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FLXjP3X1YU --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/steven-opa...

LeRoy J. Watkins III is a dad of 3 lovely children, husband to an exceptional woman, and the CEO & Co-Owner of Viking Sports. His life journey has been anything but traditional. Instead it’s been a collection of spectacular failures combined with unbelievable achievement with lots of character building experiences mixed in. From the way he started his first company, to his first job out of col...

Ruby Maddox is the creator of Direct Your Purpose, a coaching and consulting business, dedicated to helping individuals and organizations cultivate their potential for meaningful contributions to society. She has spent more than 15 years working in the field of nonprofit management and philanthropy.  She is the co-founder of two nonprofit organizations focused on social justice, leadership, a...

Rolando Garcia III is a recognized leader in the fitness industry, having served as both coach and mentor to some of the top fitness teams and most recognized brands in the world. His certifications include - RKC Level 2, PN2, Masters in Service and Hospitality at Cornell University, Full Instructor in JKD/FMA, and Coach at Boxe Francaise Savate.  Through his father he inherited the Dizon sys...

Shelby (she/her) is a licensed mental health counselor and certified 200-hour yoga teacher. She uses an integrative and holistic approach to seamlessly blend yogic philosophy in an accessible manner into her clinical practice. In addition to working full-time with college-aged students, she hosts a podcast called “The Yogi Therapist Podcast“ which features candid interviews from professionals in t...

Trevor Smith is a passionate, vibrant facilitator and theater-based trainer. He believes in the power of laughter and Improvisation and he uses it well to educate and enlighten his clients. Trevor spent the first fifteen years of his career as a Recreation Therapist in the social services sector using laughter and creative, improvisational techniques to bring about transformation in those whom he...

Shatoyia Jones, reigning Ms. Massachusetts 2019 AWOS, is a social systems entrepreneur and educator, motivational speaker, social good lifestyle blogger, budding podcast host, philosopher and model. Growing up in a small, poor city in Louisiana where the ¨hustle and respect¨ is more important than financial stability and self-development, she is forever grateful for being privileged to attend one...

Megan has a deep understanding and experience in recovery, stemming from her own spiritual journey and transformation following her struggles with alcohol and addiction. Megan spent years in the harrowing clutches of alcohol addiction and battled an eating disorder during a time in her life that she refers to as her dark night of the soul. Megan has been in recovery for nearly four years and...

Hey Guys!!! During this trying time we thought we would put together an episode that will help you find space, grace, and healing. This is an episode of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Meditation. It explains the process and gives an introduction to what it is, and how to utilize its body relaxing potential. After the introduction, you will be led on a 20 minute meditation and guided through the pro...