Anthologies of Hope AUX Audio

Jen John was the third ever guest on Anthologies of Hope way back in 2018! This time around, we catch up on what life has been like for her during the pandemic, completing grad school, working as a mental health counselor, dating, and just everyday life - all while staying sober!

We talk about some of the growth that Jen has had since our last conversation, but also how expected and planned events can resurface unexpected trauma, feelings, and emotions at any time - and how to handle those.

Jen recounts the reasoning behind why she started a new Instagram account over at @jendatessober to share some of the unfortunately ridiculous experiences she has encountered while navigating the online & app-based dating scene while being sober.

I’m super excited to have Jen back on the show and loved this conversation as much as our first go round! If you haven’t heard our first chat, make sure to go back and listen as soon as you finish here!

Our guest this week is Kenedey Ward. By day, she currently serves as the Director of Project RED Team at Hope for the Day and by night, she’s an amazing Enneagram 2 that is a must-follow on Instagram for all the spontaneous dance parties she posts to her stories!

We dive into what started her mental health journey - including childhood trauma, the complications with getting married and becoming pregnant at a young age with a spouse in the military and being deployed overseas, pursuing higher education as a single parent - while also covering the successes she has manifested for herself and knocked down every obstacle that’s come her way.

We also dive deep into the critical work that she is doing with Project RED Team and the importance of mental health care and proactive education for veterans and first responders, since that aspect of holistic health has been overlooked for far, far too long.

We kick off Season 5 with the amazing Molly Grisham and you’ll easily see why I use the word ‘amazing’ very honestly. This is a conversation I’ve wanted to capture since the first day we met via #heartcamp18, but due to scheduling complexities on both sides, it took us until now.

We dive into what empowered Molly to bet on herself to start her own business, how that was built pre-COVID, how it evolved during COVID, and how she’s taken care of herself in that time as well. I hope everyone can take something from this conversation, as it has helped me more than I ever could have imagined just in the three months since we recorded it!

Be sure to head over to Molly’s website at mollygrisham.com to get your hands on her free “Lead Your Life” download from the homepage. It’s an amazing resource that you won’t want to miss!

Video gaming is an extremely popular leisure-time activity with billions of users worldwide. It is known to have benefits such as improving focus, multitasking, and working memory, and it may also come with costs. When it comes to the valves we use to relieve the pressure inside us, there is no magic wand, though for many, gaming and digital communities can provide a huge amount of connection, helping to fight all the feelings of isolation our communities are navigating at present worldwide. In this episode, representatives from various gaming intersections will share their insights, their stories of resilience, and discuss the Stream For Hope Cup Tournament on Twitch.

Our awesome guests this week include:-Dan Lambton: Musician, Streamer, and Hope for the Day Workplace Mental Health Instructor-DexHowl: Streamer, Twitch Affiliate, and Hope for the Day Agent of Impact

Conversations Cafe is (usually) a monthly live podcast recording at Sip of Hope Coffee Bar featuring education and open forum dialogue on the intersections of Mental Health within our communities. This education programming is brought to you by Hope for the Day with support from our partners in prevention, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Illinois, Banyan Treatment Center, and Janssen.

Join the conversation. We are in this together.

With so many challenges in 2020 and the holidays approaching, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It can be tough to focus on the things we are thankful for in the face of all of these challenges, so for this episode we’ve collected messages of hope and gratitude from Hope for the Day staff as well as our extended family of Partners in Prevention and Agents of Impact. It can be an incredibly hard time of year for many for a lot of different reasons, so come join us as we remind ourselves and others IT’S OK NOT TO BE OK. HAVE HOPE.

Conversations Cafe is (usually) a monthly live podcast recording at Sip of Hope Coffee Bar featuring education and open forum dialogue on the intersections of Mental Health within our communities. This education programming is brought to you by Hope for the Day with support from our partners in prevention, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Illinois, Banyan Treatment Center, and Janssen.

Join the conversation. We are in this together.

Sip of Hope Coffee Bar opened its doors in May 2018 as a community space that truly embodies the proactive suicide prevention mission of Hope For The Day, meeting people where they are at, not where we expect them to be. 2020 brought many challenges and our community came together to Save Sip this past summer. And on World Mental Health Day, HFTD announced Sip of Hope Community Coffee Roasters as they embark on the next chapter of the Sip story. Join us for equal parts retrospective and a look ahead, smashing stigma with Sip of Hope.

Our amazing guests this week include:-Andy Gallant: Lead Roaster at Sip of Hope-Becca Milligan: Marketing and Events Director at Hope for the Day-Brian Kmiecik: General Manager of Sip of Hope-Erin Dunbar: Sip of Hope barista

Conversations Cafe is (usually) a monthly live podcast recording at Sip of Hope Coffee Bar featuring education and open forum dialogue on the intersections of Mental Health within our communities. This education programming is brought to you by Hope for the Day with support from our partners in prevention, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention of Illinois, Banyan Treatment Center, and Janssen.

Join the conversation. We are in this together.