PATH Positive Approaches To Health Jenny Pitcher

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. As a Nation we are facing numerous challenges, many of which don’t seem to be going away any time soon. The struggle is REAL. We are all feeling it. That makes this topic more relevant than ever. Toni and Jenny sit down with Alexis Donato, licensed marriage and family therapist. Alexis takes Toni and Jenny through a mental health “CPR”, called QPR and explains when to call for help. She provides incredibly helpful tools that are easy to remember and can be used to help anyone who is suffering. Toni and Jenny are so grateful that Alexis was willing to talk with them in this powerful episode about awareness of mental health and suicide prevention. And, they learn something new as Alexis leaves them on a positive note with an explanation of Post Traumatic Growth and how going through a traumatic event can be a catalyst for incredible change.
For Immediate Help, 24/7 - National Suicide and Crisis Prevention Hotline: 1.800.273.TALK OR Text Courage or Talk to 741741
Other resources mentioned in the episode:
NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness - https://www.nami.org/Home
The Sleep Foundation - https://www.sleepfoundation.org/

Toni and Jenny had a great conversation with Sarika Shah who is a registered dietitian in private practice in Danville, CA in the SanFrancisco Bay Area. Her private practice is focused on the Indian American population and her IG handle is indian.nutritionist. The conversation focused on the work she does with her clients, a big part of which is myth-busting. She tackles this quite a bit on her Insta account as well. The three of them talked about connection, of course, as so happens here on the PATH but also bridging and flexing – with food choices and working with clients; many of whom are immigrants and need the space to figure out how to make healthier choices while immersed in our fast-food culture. They also touch on the importance of listening, learning and applying and how that can help change the way we all think about race and embracing different cultures. To learn more about Sarika and the work she is engaged in, you can check out her website: https://www.thenourishedrd.com/

Toni and Jenny head back to Minnesota to talk with Jenny Breen, a brilliant Chef and Public Health Educator at University of Minnesota. Jenny takes them on a gastronomic PATH “transforming ingredients into meals” as she winds them through the basic elements of cooking and adding flavor to make plants taste delicious. From talking them through making a simple salad dressing to fat & acids and flavor profiles, Jenny makes cooking seem viable and real. She also shares many stories about the way and the how of being in relationship with food, directly tying it to our wellness. At the end of the conversation, you will feel empowered to make vegetables taste amazing and trust the process of cooking them!
You can follow Jenny Breen on IG at jennybroccoli51 or check out her website at https://www.transformingthetable.com/ where you will find her blog, recipes & a link to her cookbook. You can learn more about the work Jenny does at the Healthy Foods Healthy Lives Institute at The University of Minnesota here: https://www.hfhl.umn.edu/about-hfhl/staff/jenny-breen.

The PathPod heads up to Wauwatosa, WI for a surprising interview with Sherrill Knezel who is a graphic recorder, sketchnoter, illustrator and educator. This marks the 50th episode for Toni and Jenny and to be able to celebrate with this dynamic lady couldn’t make them more delighted! They draw the path between Sherrill’s work and wellness right off the bat and it becomes very clear that the two worlds intersect on many different levels. Sherrill explains how her art and craft moves her forward on her PATH and how listening is an integral part of the process. This is an absolute treasure! There is so much to glean from listening to this beautiful soul and we promise that you will walk away wanting to listen more intently, tap into your creativity and work even harder to be a better human.
To learn more about Sherril Knezel and her work head to https://www.meaningfulmarks.net/about or check out her Insta account at sherrill_knezel.
To dig deeper into sketch noting, Sherrill recommends checking out the work of Mike Rohde at https://sketchnotearmy.com/about-us
To watch a trailer for the movie May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4dcxt6DUM0

This is a Part 2, continuing the conversation around goals from our August 4th episode with Shannon Ginther. Toni and Jenny break down the ins and outs of sticking to the goals you have set and how working from a hope mindset is a crucial component. The bulk of the conversation is based on a Zen Habits article, Sticking To Goals When Life Disrupts ‘Em. The full article can be found here: https://zenhabits.net/how-to-stick-to-your-goals-when-life-disrupts-em/. They also talk about the importance of connecting to your emotions and how this can help all of us be more adept and agile. To dig into this concept deeper, check out Susan David’s work on emotional agility at https://www.susandavid.com/new-index. And once again, Toni and Jenny bring up the incredible work of Julie Feldman who was on the podcast May 6 as their road trip to Detroit, Michigan. Give that episode a listen if you have not caught it – it’s a great one. Thanks for riding along with us on PATH Positive Approaches To Health!!

Toni “travels” back to Columbus to see Jenny and have a conversation with Jenny’s friend Shannon Ginther who is a healthcare leader, women’s advocate and yoga teacher. The three of them tackle the fact that we are all still “sitting in the fire” and how we can think about using this time we have been given to focus on what we love. Shannon is quite a goal setter and talks through how she had to figure out the importance of doing less to be more. She gets super-vulnerable about showing up different for her daughter and family and we think this will inspire you to take a look at how you are navigating your own world right now. This is part 1 of a 2-part series on how we are showing up, setting goals and sticking to what we believe is important even though life has thrown all of us some serious curve-balls! Ride along with us on our PATH and join the conversation… DM us on Insta at thepathpod, connect with us or sign up to receive our newsletter through our website at thepathpod.com