WEBVTT 00:00:08.759 --> 00:00:11.339 Welcome to Good News York sponsored by ads on 00:00:11.339 --> 00:00:14.199 the go get ads on the go com Mike brindisi flying 00:00:14.199 --> 00:00:17.960 solo today Matt is out collecting Goose droppings. 00:00:17.960 --> 00:00:20.679 He's got some weird study going on. We won't 00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:23.059 I'm not gonna question it, but I'm here with 00:00:23.059 --> 00:00:27.399 a very special guest Mr. Mike or Michael Gilbert 00:00:27.399 --> 00:00:31.160 Michael Gilbert you are here on Good News York 00:00:31.939 --> 00:00:34.859 For a couple reasons obviously the main reason 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:38.140 is the Inner Harbor 5k, which we're promoting 00:00:38.140 --> 00:00:42.200 you're looking for volunteers and runners So 00:00:42.200 --> 00:00:44.159 we're gonna get into that but also you have a 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:46.840 very very interesting background that tickles 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:49.979 my fancy because I'm a very big advocate for 00:00:49.979 --> 00:00:53.679 mental health I've had my own personal struggles, 00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:55.939 and I have known family and friends that have 00:00:55.939 --> 00:00:59.539 so I love your background You worked in human 00:00:59.539 --> 00:01:01.979 services for 30 years, including foster care, 00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:05.060 group home, hospital settings. In addition, you've 00:01:05.060 --> 00:01:06.840 worked as a school psychologist in the Syracuse 00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:10.099 City School District, as well as an adjunct professor 00:01:10.099 --> 00:01:13.299 at local colleges. And in 2000, you founded the 00:01:13.299 --> 00:01:15.799 It's About Childhood and Family Incorporated, 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:21.200 which is a non -for -profit. To me, that is... 00:01:21.150 --> 00:01:24.629 More impressive than than any title there could 00:01:24.629 --> 00:01:26.810 be because I you know I don't know if I believe 00:01:26.810 --> 00:01:29.230 in a God or what but Anyone who is out there 00:01:29.230 --> 00:01:32.310 helping people in the mental health realm is 00:01:32.310 --> 00:01:34.409 is just like doing God's work You know, it's 00:01:34.409 --> 00:01:37.189 it's so important. So I admire that so much. 00:01:37.189 --> 00:01:40.349 Welcome to the show Yeah, so let's talk about 00:01:40.349 --> 00:01:41.989 a little bit about that in the background. How 00:01:41.989 --> 00:01:45.650 did you? Start getting involved in mental health 00:01:45.650 --> 00:01:51.790 and kind of going that direction Well, yeah An 00:01:51.790 --> 00:01:53.670 undergrad, I had no idea what I wanted to do, 00:01:53.909 --> 00:01:56.689 as most kids don't. I was there, the college 00:01:56.689 --> 00:02:00.810 experience. Then once you graduate, you realize, 00:02:01.170 --> 00:02:03.349 figure out a job, like how am I gonna make a 00:02:03.349 --> 00:02:07.750 living? So one of my first jobs was working down 00:02:07.750 --> 00:02:10.069 in the Binghamton area. I was working in a group 00:02:10.069 --> 00:02:13.610 home with kids who had been abused or neglected 00:02:13.610 --> 00:02:19.060 and I was spending a shift. an eight hour shift 00:02:19.060 --> 00:02:20.879 sometimes, the evening shift, sometimes the morning 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:24.800 shift, didn't matter. So I really got kind of 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:29.419 thrown into that world that I really had no understanding 00:02:29.419 --> 00:02:33.360 of until that point. You read stuff in your classwork, 00:02:33.819 --> 00:02:35.719 but my undergraduate degree didn't really prepare 00:02:35.719 --> 00:02:39.419 me for that. The real work is always doing it. 00:02:40.520 --> 00:02:45.099 And certainly, just coming out of college, I 00:02:45.099 --> 00:02:46.520 was working in a couple jobs. So I was working 00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:50.020 there, and then I was working in an alcohol drug 00:02:50.020 --> 00:02:53.099 crisis center, which was another eye -opening 00:02:53.099 --> 00:02:57.780 experience. So that kind of got me into the field, 00:02:57.900 --> 00:03:02.680 especially working with younger kids and trying 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:05.719 to understand their story. How did they get to 00:03:05.719 --> 00:03:08.300 the point? Because here they were, they were 00:03:08.300 --> 00:03:11.020 being put in a group home and often had very 00:03:11.020 --> 00:03:13.419 challenging behaviors, but trying to understand 00:03:13.419 --> 00:03:16.349 what what led to that. It's not that there's 00:03:16.349 --> 00:03:18.229 something wrong with them, it's what happened. 00:03:18.969 --> 00:03:20.550 And I know you've probably heard that in a lot 00:03:20.550 --> 00:03:24.569 of the trauma work that people talk about. But 00:03:24.569 --> 00:03:26.550 at that point in my life, I didn't have that 00:03:26.550 --> 00:03:30.069 understanding. I just knew that there must have 00:03:30.069 --> 00:03:33.509 been something going on that led these kids in 00:03:33.509 --> 00:03:36.729 a situation where they were not leaving RuPaul 00:03:36.729 --> 00:03:41.909 away from family. And so that really kind of 00:03:42.219 --> 00:03:45.000 you know, got me really interested in learning 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:47.500 more and understanding and seeing, you know, 00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:50.000 what I could bring to their situation that might 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:54.520 bring, you know, some hope. And so from there, 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:59.400 you know, I worked at the Hillside Children's 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:02.280 Center and their foster care program. I worked 00:04:02.280 --> 00:04:04.120 at the old Benjamin Russ Center, which was a 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:05.719 psychiatric center when they opened up their 00:04:05.719 --> 00:04:09.930 new children's unit. And so, you know, I was 00:04:09.930 --> 00:04:12.889 doing quite a lot of different things. That's 00:04:12.889 --> 00:04:15.009 when I moved back to Syracuse, but then realizing 00:04:15.009 --> 00:04:18.009 I really had to get more education, you know, 00:04:18.089 --> 00:04:22.329 in terms of, you know, wanting to do more. So 00:04:22.329 --> 00:04:23.709 that's when I went back to school. Finally, this 00:04:23.709 --> 00:04:26.750 was back in the 90s, went back and got my master's 00:04:26.750 --> 00:04:28.629 and ended up staying to get my doctorate, which 00:04:28.629 --> 00:04:31.050 I hadn't necessarily planned on doing. But then, 00:04:31.089 --> 00:04:33.430 you know, coming back to Syracuse, you know, 00:04:33.569 --> 00:04:36.449 having that, also that experience and learning 00:04:36.449 --> 00:04:39.259 more. and then being able to apply that to what 00:04:39.259 --> 00:04:40.800 I'd already experienced. So when I went back 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:45.879 to college, not to ramble on, because I had five, 00:04:45.899 --> 00:04:51.220 six years of experience under my belt, graduate 00:04:51.220 --> 00:04:53.819 studies wasn't really that difficult for me, 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:56.180 because I'd already experienced it. And I'm in 00:04:56.180 --> 00:04:58.100 classes with kids who are just coming from undergraduates. 00:04:58.360 --> 00:05:02.720 I never really experienced what the real world 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:08.459 has to deal with. me a better perspective to 00:05:08.459 --> 00:05:11.519 apply now what I'm learning in classes to what 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:14.379 I've already experienced. And so when I finished 00:05:14.379 --> 00:05:18.139 that and came back to Syracuse, I felt I was 00:05:18.139 --> 00:05:21.879 just in a much better place to really make a 00:05:21.879 --> 00:05:24.540 difference, I felt. And so that's when I started 00:05:24.540 --> 00:05:26.639 working in the Syracuse City School District. 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:31.319 I've been there almost 30 years now, so I got 00:05:31.319 --> 00:05:34.689 a couple more. before I think about retirement 00:05:34.689 --> 00:05:37.509 from that job, although I'll probably stay connected 00:05:37.509 --> 00:05:40.290 in some way. And then in 2000, that's when I 00:05:40.290 --> 00:05:42.990 founded the small nonprofit, it's about child 00:05:42.990 --> 00:05:45.269 and family. And that was really a way for me 00:05:45.269 --> 00:05:50.529 to try to fill some gaps in what was going. Back 00:05:50.529 --> 00:05:53.089 then, there was really, especially in some of 00:05:53.089 --> 00:05:58.009 the rural counties, there was such a lack of 00:05:58.009 --> 00:06:00.670 services, of providers, of any kind of programming. 00:06:02.550 --> 00:06:09.129 especially for kids. So, it's been a wonderful 00:06:09.129 --> 00:06:11.110 experience. I mean, the people that I've met 00:06:11.110 --> 00:06:15.430 and worked with and have come to know and become 00:06:15.430 --> 00:06:20.269 friends with has just been a privilege. That's 00:06:20.269 --> 00:06:22.790 amazing. You know, you said a couple things. 00:06:23.370 --> 00:06:26.069 First of all, I love that you said one of the 00:06:26.069 --> 00:06:28.769 first things that caught your attention within 00:06:28.769 --> 00:06:31.399 working in that field with the children is Where 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:33.860 did it start? You know, there's nothing wrong 00:06:33.860 --> 00:06:36.220 with them, because there is such a, especially 00:06:36.220 --> 00:06:39.139 back then, such a stigma with anxiety, depression, 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:43.160 ADHD, whatever mental illness you're affected 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:44.920 by that, oh, there's something wrong with me. 00:06:44.920 --> 00:06:47.279 It's very easy to feel that way. And especially 00:06:47.279 --> 00:06:49.860 back then, like you said, with the lack of resources. 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:55.540 But it's, you know, I had a pretty severe childhood, 00:06:56.220 --> 00:06:59.680 traumatic experience as a child. And when I first 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:03.269 started, Going to therapy. I didn't I didn't 00:07:03.269 --> 00:07:04.990 want to go because my parents would say I think 00:07:04.990 --> 00:07:06.629 you need to go and talk about it And I would 00:07:06.629 --> 00:07:09.089 say but I'm over that yeah, that's not what's 00:07:09.089 --> 00:07:12.230 wrong I want to know why I feel like I'm I'm 00:07:12.230 --> 00:07:14.589 sick all the time fast forward come to find out 00:07:14.589 --> 00:07:16.910 of course it all stems from that so I just I 00:07:16.910 --> 00:07:18.329 think it's very important that you said that 00:07:18.329 --> 00:07:21.810 and I really really appreciate that and Also, 00:07:21.810 --> 00:07:23.670 I love that you went back to school because I 00:07:23.670 --> 00:07:27.430 I too went back to school later in life And I 00:07:27.430 --> 00:07:29.730 was able to apply things that I had already learned 00:07:29.730 --> 00:07:34.050 in the field with the same, with kids that were 00:07:34.050 --> 00:07:36.850 undergrad, that I was learning from them as well. 00:07:37.269 --> 00:07:40.490 But you bring so much to the table, you don't 00:07:40.490 --> 00:07:42.069 realize it until you're there that like, wow, 00:07:42.189 --> 00:07:45.329 you know, the real school is out in the real 00:07:45.329 --> 00:07:48.089 world. And so it goes hand in hand. So I just, 00:07:48.310 --> 00:07:51.470 I really, really respect that. So it's all about 00:07:51.470 --> 00:07:53.269 child and family. Let's talk about that. What 00:07:53.269 --> 00:07:57.629 exactly does the organization stand for? What 00:07:57.629 --> 00:08:00.350 does it do? Well, it certainly has gone through 00:08:00.350 --> 00:08:03.509 a number of reincarnations, especially after 00:08:03.509 --> 00:08:08.410 COVID. So a lot of things that we do include 00:08:08.410 --> 00:08:14.889 educational kind of components. So we do workshops. 00:08:15.850 --> 00:08:18.589 We used to do one or two conferences a year. 00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:21.360 which we haven't done in a few years after COVID 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:23.459 but you know we're looking at doing something 00:08:23.459 --> 00:08:27.459 in 2026 and maybe partnering with some local 00:08:27.459 --> 00:08:29.620 groups to do that so we used to bring in you 00:08:29.620 --> 00:08:32.580 know experts from all over the country to talk 00:08:32.580 --> 00:08:35.639 about you know trauma and mental health and wellness 00:08:35.639 --> 00:08:37.779 and social emotional learning that kind of stuff 00:08:37.779 --> 00:08:41.980 and so really trying to you know provide that 00:08:41.980 --> 00:08:45.820 aspect of understanding as you're talking about 00:08:45.820 --> 00:08:48.299 in terms of you know it's not something that 00:08:48.299 --> 00:08:52.009 I I did. I'm not, you know, responsible for this. 00:08:52.070 --> 00:08:55.549 It's just something that is part of my story 00:08:55.549 --> 00:08:59.769 and my life. And we all have a story. We all 00:08:59.769 --> 00:09:03.210 have gone, you know, through our difficult times. 00:09:04.049 --> 00:09:07.529 And so you're not alone. So trying to bring that 00:09:07.529 --> 00:09:10.190 educational component to not only the professionals, 00:09:10.250 --> 00:09:13.230 but we would also, you know, bring parents to 00:09:13.230 --> 00:09:15.570 those conferences as well to to provide them 00:09:15.570 --> 00:09:19.519 with some education. We do. really, you know, 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:23.240 my philosophy is really about the holistic approach. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:27.919 So, you know, not everybody's going to respond 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:31.460 well to just a talk therapy type format. So, 00:09:31.460 --> 00:09:35.419 you know, allowing them a variety of modalities. 00:09:35.759 --> 00:09:37.759 So part of it might be talk therapy, but part 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:41.320 of it might be, you know, maybe try yoga or some 00:09:41.320 --> 00:09:44.389 expressive arts. One of the things that we know 00:09:44.389 --> 00:09:47.009 about trauma is that sometimes it kind of lives 00:09:47.009 --> 00:09:50.169 within us. We've even seen that within our DNA 00:09:50.169 --> 00:09:53.289 that sometimes it gets encoded there and then 00:09:53.289 --> 00:09:57.009 is expressed when the situations are right. And 00:09:57.009 --> 00:10:00.570 so sometimes just talking about it is not enough. 00:10:00.750 --> 00:10:04.289 Sometimes you have to get it out physically as 00:10:04.289 --> 00:10:08.009 well. So it could be being more physically active, 00:10:08.169 --> 00:10:10.370 going for walks. It could be, like I said, yoga, 00:10:10.429 --> 00:10:14.019 doing mindfulness. We encourage a lot of expressive 00:10:14.019 --> 00:10:19.000 arts, like through music, dance, poetry, painting, 00:10:19.639 --> 00:10:23.360 you know, whatever me, you know, might be. You 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:26.820 know, our thought is that we want people to explore 00:10:26.820 --> 00:10:28.740 those things because they may have a passion 00:10:28.740 --> 00:10:31.399 for something they never knew. Right. A lot of 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:33.100 kids and families that I talk to, especially 00:10:33.100 --> 00:10:36.700 that are dealing with extreme poverty or have 00:10:36.700 --> 00:10:38.909 had a history of trauma. They don't really think 00:10:38.909 --> 00:10:40.870 about dreams and goals. I mean, they're just 00:10:40.870 --> 00:10:42.070 trying to get through the day. Just trying to 00:10:42.070 --> 00:10:44.429 survive. Just trying to survive. 100%. So, you 00:10:44.429 --> 00:10:46.470 know, trying to open them up to the idea that, 00:10:46.490 --> 00:10:48.330 you know, there are things out there that they 00:10:48.330 --> 00:10:49.870 might have a passion for that they don't even 00:10:49.870 --> 00:10:52.049 know. They might have a talent that they don't 00:10:52.049 --> 00:10:56.389 even recognize and try to at least expose them 00:10:56.389 --> 00:11:01.009 to a variety of things and give them some, you 00:11:01.009 --> 00:11:02.750 know, some control over what they want to do. 00:11:02.850 --> 00:11:04.090 Absolutely. Instead of telling them you have 00:11:04.090 --> 00:11:07.320 to do this, you know, X, Y or Z. here are some 00:11:07.320 --> 00:11:09.940 things you might try. What feels right for you? 00:11:10.039 --> 00:11:12.659 And maybe you try a half dozen things before 00:11:12.659 --> 00:11:16.700 you find out what really works for you. I know 00:11:16.700 --> 00:11:19.779 like Safe Space, they do some great work and 00:11:19.779 --> 00:11:21.600 I love their model because it's like peer to 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:24.919 peer. It's not necessarily professionals telling 00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:28.220 you what you need to do. It's people who have 00:11:28.220 --> 00:11:31.240 lived it and can speak from their own experience 00:11:31.240 --> 00:11:36.200 and have those conversations. person -to -person 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:39.419 but I love those kind of opportunities for people 00:11:39.419 --> 00:11:45.559 because the other difficult thing is especially 00:11:45.559 --> 00:11:48.220 if depending on what insurance you have may not 00:11:48.220 --> 00:11:51.480 have you know opportunities like it I work in 00:11:51.480 --> 00:11:54.259 the school system and we we bring in therapists 00:11:54.259 --> 00:11:57.220 from outside but that's your choice like if you 00:11:57.220 --> 00:11:58.639 want to see this therapist that's the only choice 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:01.399 you have right where you have people who have 00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:04.559 more means who can I don't want to say shop around 00:12:04.559 --> 00:12:07.500 but they can try out a few different places to 00:12:07.500 --> 00:12:09.460 make sure it's a good fit. That's right. Because 00:12:09.460 --> 00:12:10.759 one of the most important things we know about 00:12:10.759 --> 00:12:12.179 therapy is you've got to have a good fit with 00:12:12.179 --> 00:12:15.220 the therapist. You're nailing it, man. And as 00:12:15.220 --> 00:12:17.720 you should, you're obviously a professional in 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:20.860 the business. But I have preached that for so 00:12:20.860 --> 00:12:24.879 long. It's like going to the gym. Back in the 00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:27.480 80s and 90s, first of all, there was more of 00:12:27.480 --> 00:12:29.559 a stigma, and there weren't as many resources. 00:12:30.280 --> 00:12:32.779 going to a therapist was kind of embarrassing 00:12:32.779 --> 00:12:35.659 for some people. Fast forward, the stigma starts 00:12:35.659 --> 00:12:38.740 kind of going away, but now there's insurances 00:12:38.740 --> 00:12:41.700 involved, and I've had personal experiences and 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:44.759 friends and family who now are afraid to go, 00:12:44.779 --> 00:12:46.860 but they're willing to go, but they have to jump 00:12:46.860 --> 00:12:49.419 through the hoops of insurance companies and 00:12:49.419 --> 00:12:53.080 this and that. And so, the next level of that 00:12:53.080 --> 00:12:56.600 is, okay, now you get into a therapist, You're 00:12:56.600 --> 00:12:58.879 about half a session in. Maybe you're a full 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:01.340 session in and you're going, I'm not vibing here. 00:13:01.639 --> 00:13:04.120 But people aren't going to go back and go through 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:06.860 that whole process again. And the reason I'm 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:08.740 laying all that out is because you're right. 00:13:09.580 --> 00:13:13.259 Not every therapist is for everybody. There's 00:13:13.259 --> 00:13:18.039 different styles. And if you're not getting what 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:20.480 you need out of the therapy, it's a waste of 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:22.620 time for you and your therapist. But people had 00:13:22.620 --> 00:13:24.500 a hard enough time getting into it. Now it's 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:27.110 like, how do I change? But it's so important. 00:13:27.570 --> 00:13:30.590 You have to kind of go with who you're comfortable 00:13:30.590 --> 00:13:33.889 with. And I also love that you talked about the 00:13:33.889 --> 00:13:36.570 talk therapy thing, which, you know, talk therapy 00:13:36.570 --> 00:13:39.289 is great. But I've always agreed with you in 00:13:39.289 --> 00:13:42.889 that it's good in addition with whatever that 00:13:42.889 --> 00:13:46.490 with is. Maybe it's medication for some people. 00:13:46.669 --> 00:13:49.330 Maybe maybe it's physical activity, finding a 00:13:49.330 --> 00:13:54.269 passion. I just think that talk therapy is great. 00:13:54.379 --> 00:13:59.240 in its own right, but adding another layer to 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:03.200 that is so important. And the physical part is 00:14:03.200 --> 00:14:06.240 true. I've tried craniosacral therapy, I've had 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:09.799 some success with that. You hear about EMDR now. 00:14:10.980 --> 00:14:13.419 There's all sorts of different things out there. 00:14:14.139 --> 00:14:17.840 Right. What is the biggest shift that you've 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:20.820 seen as a mental health professional in the mental 00:14:20.820 --> 00:14:25.039 health field? Well, I think part of it is that 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:29.860 You know that trauma -informed piece which In 00:14:29.860 --> 00:14:31.940 some instances now has become like a buzzword 00:14:31.940 --> 00:14:34.019 and you know people talk about trauma -informed 00:14:34.019 --> 00:14:36.259 But they're not really right, you know, they're 00:14:36.259 --> 00:14:37.899 not really I mean, they're trauma aware, but 00:14:37.899 --> 00:14:39.679 they're really not trauma -informed I mean, that's 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:42.460 something that I I you know challenge our school 00:14:42.460 --> 00:14:45.759 district a lot with like, you know, we're trauma 00:14:45.759 --> 00:14:47.320 where but we haven't gotten to the place where 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:49.649 we were changing policies and stuff that really 00:14:49.649 --> 00:14:52.090 would make us trauma -informed. It's a really 00:14:52.090 --> 00:14:54.929 different level. But I think certainly we've 00:14:54.929 --> 00:14:58.509 seen growth in that area. We've seen, I think, 00:14:58.789 --> 00:15:05.529 growth in those other modalities as adjuncts 00:15:05.529 --> 00:15:08.190 to counseling, like talk therapy, which I think 00:15:08.190 --> 00:15:11.490 has been great. And I think just people more 00:15:11.490 --> 00:15:16.070 willing to talk about it, just being vulnerable 00:15:16.070 --> 00:15:19.789 with each other. And even with the talk therapy, 00:15:21.549 --> 00:15:26.889 even talking to some people who have their faith, 00:15:26.990 --> 00:15:30.529 might talk to a clergy member or somebody, you 00:15:30.529 --> 00:15:35.950 may have somebody in your life that you can confide 00:15:35.950 --> 00:15:38.990 in. So even the talking part doesn't always have 00:15:38.990 --> 00:15:44.429 to be with a trained professional. It's a matter 00:15:44.429 --> 00:15:48.600 of learning to be able to to kind of communicate 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:51.080 your feelings and your needs and being comfortable 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:55.159 doing that and being open to feedback and stuff 00:15:55.159 --> 00:15:59.000 like that. So just, I think those are big shifts. 00:15:59.139 --> 00:16:03.460 And then also I think, like along with the whole 00:16:03.460 --> 00:16:08.220 awareness is just, I think understanding that 00:16:08.220 --> 00:16:10.259 we all, like I said, we all have a story. We're 00:16:10.259 --> 00:16:13.279 all, there's a great quote. I don't know if I 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:17.230 remember exactly, but you can. You know everybody's 00:16:17.230 --> 00:16:18.850 going through something that you may not know 00:16:18.850 --> 00:16:22.090 anything about so you know just be kind be Compassionate 00:16:22.090 --> 00:16:24.370 be a hundred percent you know everyone's struggling 00:16:24.370 --> 00:16:26.169 with something right and they may be having a 00:16:26.169 --> 00:16:29.070 bad day for whatever reason But you know unless 00:16:29.070 --> 00:16:31.850 you really know their full story Just a little 00:16:31.850 --> 00:16:34.169 bit of grace is sometimes well you're you're 00:16:34.169 --> 00:16:36.590 100 % right You know you see these videos now 00:16:36.590 --> 00:16:39.110 on social media of people freaking out in traffic 00:16:39.110 --> 00:16:42.049 and smashing windshields And you know when you've 00:16:42.049 --> 00:16:44.169 been in therapy, or if you're a trained professional 00:16:44.169 --> 00:16:47.529 like yourself you instantly know this has nothing 00:16:47.529 --> 00:16:50.289 to do with the person that cut them off. There's 00:16:50.289 --> 00:16:54.909 something very much that's there's something 00:16:54.909 --> 00:16:57.649 else going on in their lives that that are pushing 00:16:57.649 --> 00:16:59.370 them to that that thing like one of the greatest 00:16:59.370 --> 00:17:01.629 things I learned in therapy is like imagine you're 00:17:01.629 --> 00:17:06.069 a barrel right and you know you're if you wake 00:17:06.069 --> 00:17:09.750 up with with rainwater up to here up to the brim 00:17:09.750 --> 00:17:12.369 which the rainwater being your your stress your 00:17:12.369 --> 00:17:14.779 trauma your emotions it's gonna take just a little 00:17:14.779 --> 00:17:16.740 bit of rain for it to spill over. So the idea 00:17:16.740 --> 00:17:21.160 is to keep that barrel near empty, right? We 00:17:21.160 --> 00:17:23.259 all wish it was empty, but it's kind of impossible, 00:17:23.319 --> 00:17:26.000 right? So keep it near empty, and you do that 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:28.359 through mindfulness, meditation, talk therapy, 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:34.759 medication, whatever it is. So I love what you 00:17:34.759 --> 00:17:39.569 do. I also, I've dabbled in this... holistic 00:17:39.569 --> 00:17:41.710 approach that you talked about, because it says 00:17:41.710 --> 00:17:44.230 you've advocated for non -medication and non 00:17:44.230 --> 00:17:47.910 -labeling approaches, and I remember when I first 00:17:47.910 --> 00:17:51.569 started going to therapy, the therapist I went 00:17:51.569 --> 00:17:54.349 to at the time did not have the ability to prescribe, 00:17:54.710 --> 00:17:58.769 so I went to my primary, and this is not a, I'm 00:17:58.769 --> 00:18:01.170 not disparaging primary doctors, I love my primary 00:18:01.170 --> 00:18:04.150 doctor, and everybody should have one, but I 00:18:04.150 --> 00:18:06.349 also think that there's a certain portion that 00:18:06.349 --> 00:18:08.829 should not be doling out mental health medication, 00:18:08.869 --> 00:18:10.990 because I remember the primary doctor I had at 00:18:10.990 --> 00:18:14.150 the time, I was explaining what I was going through, 00:18:14.450 --> 00:18:16.269 and without even making eye contact, just looking 00:18:16.269 --> 00:18:18.690 on his computer, was like, do you want, I don't 00:18:18.690 --> 00:18:20.890 know, do you want Lexapro, do you want Prozac? 00:18:20.910 --> 00:18:22.910 And I remember sitting there thinking, I don't 00:18:22.910 --> 00:18:28.150 know what I want. And medication does work, but 00:18:28.150 --> 00:18:30.950 I think there needs to be a mental health professional 00:18:30.950 --> 00:18:34.119 that's catering it, because... I recently started 00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:35.920 working with Dr. Shiavi, who I've had on the 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:38.619 show, and she is a specialist like yourself. 00:18:39.059 --> 00:18:42.019 And she takes a holistic approach. And so there 00:18:42.019 --> 00:18:44.380 are tests now. I did a DNA test that was able 00:18:44.380 --> 00:18:49.220 to tell me, by name, what medications will work 00:18:49.220 --> 00:18:52.000 for me, what medications I might feel some effects 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:54.160 from and want us to stay away from, by name. 00:18:54.579 --> 00:18:58.299 And there was also a test I took that showed 00:18:58.299 --> 00:19:01.559 my gene mutations. how I have a gene mutation 00:19:01.559 --> 00:19:04.579 with serotonin. And I mean, it is, medicine is 00:19:04.579 --> 00:19:08.660 coming, and science is coming, it's come so far. 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:11.299 Do you wanna talk about that a little bit, about 00:19:11.299 --> 00:19:13.619 the medication and some of the holistic approaches 00:19:13.619 --> 00:19:16.000 that you believe in in practice? Yeah, so especially 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:22.380 when I got started, I mean, part of my, I was 00:19:22.380 --> 00:19:24.539 probably a lot more aggressive in terms of, you 00:19:24.539 --> 00:19:27.839 know, not asserting, you know, we shouldn't be 00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:30.779 drugging. like really young kids. So that was 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:33.119 a big focus of mine. And my wife would always 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:36.680 have to remind me about, I'd get more with honey 00:19:36.680 --> 00:19:39.359 than vinegar. You know, you might have to take 00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:43.660 a little, but it took me some years to really 00:19:43.660 --> 00:19:47.799 kind of, you know, incorporate that. But you're 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:50.539 right. I mean, the thing with medication is, 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:52.859 especially without knowing that stuff that you 00:19:52.859 --> 00:19:55.390 know, You don't necessarily know what's going 00:19:55.390 --> 00:19:57.309 to work or what's not going to work. It's like, 00:19:57.450 --> 00:20:01.069 you know, it's like an experiment of one. Like, 00:20:01.150 --> 00:20:04.190 you know, let's try this and see what. And so, 00:20:04.250 --> 00:20:06.470 you know, for me early on, especially working 00:20:06.470 --> 00:20:08.750 with parents is like, you know, often it was 00:20:08.750 --> 00:20:10.690 like they said something they necessarily wanted 00:20:10.690 --> 00:20:12.829 to do. They weren't getting medication for their 00:20:12.829 --> 00:20:17.029 kids. So our approach was let's try everything 00:20:17.029 --> 00:20:20.250 we can, you know, and if and if we and if you 00:20:20.250 --> 00:20:22.240 decide at some point like this is that. Like, 00:20:22.299 --> 00:20:25.579 this is a parent's choice with their doctor about 00:20:25.579 --> 00:20:27.259 whether or not they're going to try medication. 00:20:27.420 --> 00:20:34.359 It's like, I'm just providing some thoughts around 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:37.359 that. And one of it was like, if you get to a 00:20:37.359 --> 00:20:39.019 point where you think that's something you want 00:20:39.019 --> 00:20:42.900 to try, then don't feel guilty. Don't feel... 00:20:42.900 --> 00:20:46.559 Right. Defeated. It's not a loss. Right. And 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:50.150 just know that your goal can still be... eventually 00:20:50.150 --> 00:20:51.950 maybe not to have to use the medication. That's 00:20:51.950 --> 00:20:55.089 right. Or you use the lowest dose possible, you 00:20:55.089 --> 00:20:57.630 know, or they sometimes they do drug holidays 00:20:57.630 --> 00:21:01.390 for their kids. Yeah. So it was more about, you 00:21:01.390 --> 00:21:05.609 know, empowering them to, you know, really be 00:21:05.609 --> 00:21:08.049 in charge of that decision, but also know that, 00:21:08.049 --> 00:21:10.829 you know, once your decision is not final, like 00:21:10.829 --> 00:21:13.289 you could. It's not like once you're on it, you're 00:21:13.289 --> 00:21:15.109 on it forever. It doesn't have to be that way. 00:21:15.210 --> 00:21:19.150 And it did feel that way for me. You know, I 00:21:19.150 --> 00:21:23.269 think, I guess I used to treat medication kind 00:21:23.269 --> 00:21:25.869 of like back surgery back in the day, which was 00:21:25.869 --> 00:21:28.450 like, if you go to a doctor and the first thing 00:21:28.450 --> 00:21:29.890 they want to do is backs, you know, you're having 00:21:29.890 --> 00:21:32.150 back problem, they want to do back surgery. That's 00:21:32.150 --> 00:21:34.190 a red flag. Like there's a, let's try a million 00:21:34.190 --> 00:21:36.589 other approaches first and let's use the medication 00:21:36.589 --> 00:21:39.170 or let's use the back surgery last. Do you kind 00:21:39.170 --> 00:21:41.630 of feel it's that way in mental health? Like 00:21:41.630 --> 00:21:43.589 let's try, cause there's, especially now with 00:21:43.589 --> 00:21:46.410 all these different forms of therapy, you know, 00:21:46.470 --> 00:21:49.460 maybe Let's try those first and and worry about 00:21:49.460 --> 00:21:51.400 medication last well especially with the young 00:21:51.400 --> 00:21:54.359 kids because again the Brain still developing 00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:57.220 yeah, it's like what mid 20s or so until your 00:21:57.220 --> 00:22:00.720 brain is Mostly fully developed like so we're 00:22:00.720 --> 00:22:03.000 introducing things and the young kids that can 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:06.779 You know can be problematic sure if we're not 00:22:06.779 --> 00:22:10.740 careful, so That's why I always you know I'm 00:22:10.740 --> 00:22:15.140 cautious with that and also we can You know it 00:22:15.140 --> 00:22:18.190 can It doesn't really address necessarily what 00:22:18.190 --> 00:22:21.849 the root of it is. So again, a lot of my background 00:22:21.849 --> 00:22:23.730 is dealing with kids who are dealing with a lot 00:22:23.730 --> 00:22:27.890 of significant trauma and stuff. So they may 00:22:27.890 --> 00:22:31.849 be acting in a way that if they have some medication 00:22:31.849 --> 00:22:36.250 might help settle them out. But part of the reason 00:22:36.250 --> 00:22:38.369 that they're there is because of their history. 00:22:38.430 --> 00:22:40.730 So it's not addressing some of the root causes. 00:22:40.769 --> 00:22:43.069 It's just numbing it, yeah. Just kind of masking 00:22:43.069 --> 00:22:49.259 it. So making sure that we still you still explore 00:22:49.259 --> 00:22:52.960 some of those potential reasons why they are, 00:22:53.319 --> 00:22:56.339 where they are, where they are, and try to promote 00:22:56.339 --> 00:22:58.180 things that are healing. You mentioned mindfulness 00:22:58.180 --> 00:23:02.059 can be very healing. One of the things we know, 00:23:02.539 --> 00:23:06.740 and that's come a long way too. Some of the things 00:23:06.740 --> 00:23:09.880 that get researched is what makes money, right? 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:11.960 So if you're not gonna necessarily make a lot 00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:15.690 of money by selling a mindfulness program. And 00:23:15.690 --> 00:23:17.390 universities may not be spending, you know, millions 00:23:17.390 --> 00:23:19.269 of dollars doing the research, but there has 00:23:19.269 --> 00:23:22.009 been some research done that shows that it can, 00:23:22.009 --> 00:23:25.670 you know, alleviate things for some people. But 00:23:25.670 --> 00:23:26.730 one of the things that I like about it, because 00:23:26.730 --> 00:23:30.049 I work with young kids and we teach them about 00:23:30.049 --> 00:23:33.890 mindfulness and, you know, breath work and that 00:23:33.890 --> 00:23:36.589 kind of stuff in the schools. And we've even 00:23:36.589 --> 00:23:39.430 been having them do some yoga with a person that 00:23:39.430 --> 00:23:40.930 we've been bringing in. And the kids love it. 00:23:41.009 --> 00:23:44.950 I mean, they enjoy that. But getting them to 00:23:44.940 --> 00:23:48.240 like take a breath just to pause just to 100 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:51.460 before they like react to something like it's 00:23:51.460 --> 00:23:55.480 something you have to like do consistently you 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:58.440 know um for it to become something that becomes 00:23:58.440 --> 00:24:01.000 then something you can rely on so you know a 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:04.519 lot of the kids um that i work with they just 00:24:04.519 --> 00:24:08.380 react to things right so um i often talk about 00:24:08.380 --> 00:24:10.660 like uh you know if you grew up in this area 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:13.259 and you know what it's like when you go the first 00:24:14.429 --> 00:24:16.789 sledding opportunity and when it snowed, you 00:24:16.789 --> 00:24:18.430 know, sometimes you're going down that hill and 00:24:18.430 --> 00:24:22.069 it's kind of slow because you haven't created 00:24:22.069 --> 00:24:24.950 those grooves in the snow yet. I love that. Once 00:24:24.950 --> 00:24:27.690 you've gone down a number of times, then that 00:24:27.690 --> 00:24:29.910 pathway is like, you know, it's really fast. 00:24:30.089 --> 00:24:31.950 Absolutely. And so a lot of our kids, that's 00:24:31.950 --> 00:24:34.089 their like neural pathways, like when they respond 00:24:34.089 --> 00:24:36.710 to things, like it's just an automatic, you know, 00:24:36.930 --> 00:24:42.779 fight flight or this kind of thing. And so to 00:24:42.779 --> 00:24:46.720 create those new neural pathways takes a lot 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:49.859 of time like that. It's a lot of work. So, you 00:24:49.859 --> 00:24:51.799 know, practicing the mindfulness, practicing, 00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:55.220 you know, calming strategies, you know, to develop 00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:57.279 new neural pathways so that then when they're 00:24:57.279 --> 00:24:59.079 confronted with something, instead of just automatically 00:24:59.079 --> 00:25:02.220 going down that path, I'm going to fight you. 00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:05.000 You're going to take that pathway of I'm just 00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:09.059 going to take a breath. take a moment to kind 00:25:09.059 --> 00:25:10.640 of think about what's going on, and I'm gonna 00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:12.700 choose a different way to respond. You're so 00:25:12.700 --> 00:25:16.119 right. You're so right. It's been, you know, 00:25:16.420 --> 00:25:18.400 people think that sometimes you go to therapy, 00:25:18.819 --> 00:25:20.500 and then, like, you know, there's some magic 00:25:20.500 --> 00:25:22.599 bullet they're gonna hit you with, and they don't 00:25:22.599 --> 00:25:25.259 realize that, you know, a lot of the work is 00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:29.539 outside of the office, and kind of retraining 00:25:29.539 --> 00:25:32.140 your brain. And, you know, so it's funny, like, 00:25:32.140 --> 00:25:34.500 when I first started with my struggles, if I 00:25:34.500 --> 00:25:36.099 had heard someone say, well, you should try yoga, 00:25:36.119 --> 00:25:38.109 you should try going for a walk, In my mind, 00:25:38.190 --> 00:25:39.769 I would laugh it off because I would think, listen, 00:25:39.930 --> 00:25:42.789 no walk in yoga is not going to help the hell 00:25:42.789 --> 00:25:47.009 that I'm feeling. Not realizing that it's piece 00:25:47.009 --> 00:25:51.849 by piece, you know, that those things work in 00:25:51.849 --> 00:25:53.369 addition to everything else we talked about. 00:25:53.609 --> 00:25:56.170 But you got to slowly chip away at it and create 00:25:56.170 --> 00:25:59.910 those new neural pathways. And all of that is 00:25:59.910 --> 00:26:02.730 so important. I do want to talk about the 5K, 00:26:02.849 --> 00:26:06.130 but one question I wanted to ask you as a professional. 00:26:07.869 --> 00:26:13.250 There's a lot of crossover with anxiety, depression, 00:26:13.650 --> 00:26:17.289 ADHD, borderline personality disorder. I mean, 00:26:17.430 --> 00:26:19.569 if you go online, it's very overwhelming because 00:26:19.569 --> 00:26:21.769 a lot of the symptoms are the same symptoms. 00:26:22.269 --> 00:26:24.130 And it can be hell trying to figure out what's 00:26:24.130 --> 00:26:27.250 going on. But one thing we're hearing a lot about 00:26:27.250 --> 00:26:31.049 is ADHD. When I was growing up, I clearly had 00:26:31.049 --> 00:26:33.859 it. but again this is the 80s and 90s and back 00:26:33.859 --> 00:26:35.779 then it was very much of you're disrupting the 00:26:35.779 --> 00:26:38.039 class leave or you need to put them on Ritalin 00:26:38.039 --> 00:26:41.940 and you know the stigma is oh squirrel he can't 00:26:41.940 --> 00:26:44.279 pay attention but what people don't realize is 00:26:44.279 --> 00:26:48.880 there's so much more struggle and so much more 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:51.819 to ADHD than just lack of focus. Lack of focus 00:26:51.819 --> 00:26:54.660 is a part of it for sure. Do you want to talk 00:26:54.660 --> 00:26:57.240 about that a little bit on some of the misconceptions 00:26:57.240 --> 00:26:59.579 and what you know about that? Well yeah I certainly 00:26:59.579 --> 00:27:02.579 agree with you know growing up in the 70s and 00:27:02.579 --> 00:27:07.920 80s it was a much different thing yeah and uh 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:10.059 you know we've seen a lot it's an interesting 00:27:10.059 --> 00:27:12.200 thing i mean we could probably do a whole show 00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:14.819 just on that but oh god i could go forever yeah 00:27:14.819 --> 00:27:18.259 um but i think i think you're right i see so 00:27:18.259 --> 00:27:21.259 from my vantage point a lot of it is like you 00:27:21.259 --> 00:27:25.319 know um we just expect kids to fit our you know 00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:28.640 expectations like so in terms of a classroom 00:27:28.640 --> 00:27:31.240 setting, like we just expect kids, they're all 00:27:31.240 --> 00:27:33.460 just gonna sit, and there's chairs for seven 00:27:33.460 --> 00:27:37.099 hours, and pay attention, and they're seven years 00:27:37.099 --> 00:27:41.119 old, but that's not how it works, and we know 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:43.839 that some kids, it's just very difficult for 00:27:43.839 --> 00:27:46.980 them to do that. So we should be making adjustments 00:27:46.980 --> 00:27:51.759 for them, not expecting them to adjust to some 00:27:51.759 --> 00:27:56.619 unrealistic expectations. Part of it for me is 00:27:56.619 --> 00:28:03.779 the label is the label. Part of the reason when 00:28:03.779 --> 00:28:07.460 I talk to the parents, especially in kids, about 00:28:07.460 --> 00:28:10.059 the labels is I don't want them just to identify 00:28:10.059 --> 00:28:14.640 themselves as that. I want them to identify themselves 00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:16.720 with all the amazing qualities that they have 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:20.640 and not say, well, I can't help it. Or use that 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:24.099 as a way to define themselves. So yeah, we have 00:28:24.099 --> 00:28:26.619 those behaviors that are associated with ADHD, 00:28:27.539 --> 00:28:32.200 but what else makes you who you are? What are 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:35.940 those qualities that make you? And so some of 00:28:35.940 --> 00:28:38.759 the things that may be problematic at school 00:28:38.759 --> 00:28:42.400 may be, in other parts of their life, may be 00:28:42.400 --> 00:28:49.609 a strength. I love that. So again, helping them 00:28:49.609 --> 00:28:51.589 to develop some strategies so that, you know, 00:28:51.869 --> 00:28:55.529 there are situations where we do need them to 00:28:55.529 --> 00:28:57.730 maybe adhere a little bit to what the expectations 00:28:57.730 --> 00:29:00.609 are. I'm not saying that kids should just be 00:29:00.609 --> 00:29:02.309 running around the building like... No, no, no. 00:29:02.809 --> 00:29:05.509 But, you know, they can certainly be walking 00:29:05.509 --> 00:29:08.269 around the classroom. Yep. They're not disrupting. 00:29:08.289 --> 00:29:10.230 They could certainly have some fidgets there. 00:29:10.410 --> 00:29:14.170 They can have some breaks. You know, a lot of 00:29:14.170 --> 00:29:16.450 schools and classrooms now are using calm corners, 00:29:16.609 --> 00:29:19.420 which is something where... Yeah. But again, 00:29:19.500 --> 00:29:20.900 it's something you have to really teach the kids 00:29:20.900 --> 00:29:22.680 how to use appropriately. It's not just back 00:29:22.680 --> 00:29:24.640 there and play. It's like if you really need 00:29:24.640 --> 00:29:27.740 a break, it's a place you can go back and maybe 00:29:27.740 --> 00:29:31.700 color or do something that's gonna be kind of 00:29:31.700 --> 00:29:35.740 calming for you. What was your question again? 00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:38.680 Talking about ADHD, you forgot his question. 00:29:39.079 --> 00:29:41.160 No, so the question is just like, you're right 00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:43.140 on it. Just like some of the misconceptions about 00:29:43.140 --> 00:29:47.579 ADHD and... how it's more than just lack of focus. 00:29:48.140 --> 00:29:52.140 Yeah. And also, I mean, you know, probably 10 00:29:52.140 --> 00:29:53.599 years ago, they started talking more about it 00:29:53.599 --> 00:29:56.640 with girls, too. Yes. Girls who maybe had difficulty 00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:59.359 with the focus. They were just kind of getting 00:29:59.359 --> 00:30:01.640 overlooked because, you know, the boys tend to 00:30:01.640 --> 00:30:06.160 be more, you know, yeah, outwardly. Yes. Displaying 00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:09.640 some of those things. So, you know, I think there's 00:30:09.640 --> 00:30:14.220 been a. You know, definitely it. It's definitely 00:30:14.220 --> 00:30:18.140 evolved. You know, I think it's definitely better 00:30:18.140 --> 00:30:20.099 awareness. And also, I think, you know, again, 00:30:20.099 --> 00:30:22.799 giving kids, you know, opportunities to have 00:30:22.799 --> 00:30:26.500 breaks in school. A hundred percent. Because 00:30:26.500 --> 00:30:28.799 it's a struggle. Like, it's not like, you know, 00:30:29.460 --> 00:30:32.480 people will have those difficulties. It's not 00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:37.019 like they, you know, want to. No. It's not like 00:30:37.019 --> 00:30:39.980 they're, you know, not wanting to. Right. And 00:30:39.980 --> 00:30:43.039 I think I think that's what it was. It was Like 00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:44.900 you said in the beginning, oh, this is the rules 00:30:44.900 --> 00:30:47.119 of the classroom. If you can't follow it, then 00:30:47.119 --> 00:30:49.660 you can't be part of it, or there's something 00:30:49.660 --> 00:30:53.180 wrong with you. When the fact is, our brains 00:30:53.180 --> 00:30:55.859 are not allowing us to do the, like, we need 00:30:55.859 --> 00:30:58.339 to move, we need to fidget, we need to take a 00:30:58.339 --> 00:31:00.720 break. You know, it would be like, you know, 00:31:00.900 --> 00:31:03.980 different quarterbacks have different, different, 00:31:03.980 --> 00:31:07.099 what's the word I'm looking for, processes in 00:31:07.099 --> 00:31:10.589 between games, right? So like, one quarterback 00:31:10.589 --> 00:31:12.789 might like to watch film and then go go out in 00:31:12.789 --> 00:31:15.410 the field and practice these drills or no one 00:31:15.410 --> 00:31:18.130 quarterback has the same the same process you 00:31:18.130 --> 00:31:19.769 can't tell them well that's not how we do you 00:31:19.769 --> 00:31:22.829 got to do everyone processes information different 00:31:22.829 --> 00:31:24.670 everyone has different processes and it's like 00:31:24.670 --> 00:31:28.589 that with ADHD you know it there's there's more 00:31:28.589 --> 00:31:32.670 to it than just focus it's it's feeling overwhelmed 00:31:32.670 --> 00:31:35.309 like you can't start a project or getting hyper 00:31:35.309 --> 00:31:38.940 focused on something too much or The big one 00:31:38.940 --> 00:31:44.579 is being very reactionary, being very rejection 00:31:44.579 --> 00:31:48.000 sensitivity. There's just a lot to it. So I'm 00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:51.440 so glad that you're able to shed the light on 00:31:51.440 --> 00:31:54.759 that. And certainly one of the things that especially 00:31:54.759 --> 00:31:59.019 young kids need is they need a recess. Some of 00:31:59.019 --> 00:32:02.059 our schools have completely taken that out of 00:32:02.059 --> 00:32:06.900 the school day. And I think that's part of the 00:32:06.900 --> 00:32:10.069 thing too. I think we're seeing probably more 00:32:10.069 --> 00:32:13.769 of some of the behaviors than we might have seen 00:32:13.769 --> 00:32:17.150 years ago because I think we're seeing more of 00:32:17.150 --> 00:32:18.829 them because now we're putting kids in situations 00:32:18.829 --> 00:32:22.450 where they're really not able to do what we want 00:32:22.450 --> 00:32:24.349 them to do. Like we're putting so much focus 00:32:24.349 --> 00:32:28.650 on test scores, on things that really don't have 00:32:28.650 --> 00:32:32.190 a lot of meaning. You know, school, seven hours 00:32:32.190 --> 00:32:35.579 for young kids can be like... It can be difficult. 00:32:36.200 --> 00:32:40.019 And we've made it even more challenging because 00:32:40.019 --> 00:32:45.839 it's just so scripted and they're trying to fit 00:32:45.839 --> 00:32:49.559 so much in because it's all about how well they 00:32:49.559 --> 00:32:52.500 do on some of these tests. And not that tests 00:32:52.500 --> 00:32:55.440 don't have a place, but we overemphasize them 00:32:55.440 --> 00:32:58.279 and we start way too early with them. And if 00:32:58.279 --> 00:33:01.940 we looked at other countries that don't do what 00:33:01.940 --> 00:33:04.289 we do, and have better outcomes, you would think 00:33:04.289 --> 00:33:07.130 we'd make some adjustments, but. Listen, you 00:33:07.130 --> 00:33:09.809 are speaking my language. I took a sociology 00:33:09.809 --> 00:33:12.829 class where we studied the workforce. I've talked 00:33:12.829 --> 00:33:14.470 about this many times on the show. We studied 00:33:14.470 --> 00:33:17.490 the workforce in overseas countries where they're 00:33:17.490 --> 00:33:20.390 given four to six week vacations, four day work 00:33:20.390 --> 00:33:24.509 weeks, complete health benefits, and these workers 00:33:24.509 --> 00:33:26.789 are getting interviewed and they're being asked, 00:33:26.910 --> 00:33:28.859 like, well, don't you find... that you're not 00:33:28.859 --> 00:33:31.220 making as much money and, I mean, you're allowing 00:33:31.220 --> 00:33:33.779 all this vacation time. And the bottom line is, 00:33:34.099 --> 00:33:36.299 if you take care of your workers, if they have 00:33:36.299 --> 00:33:39.940 enough money to afford to live, if they have 00:33:39.940 --> 00:33:42.460 enough vacation and weekend time to spend with 00:33:42.460 --> 00:33:46.019 their families, it all comes back full circle 00:33:46.019 --> 00:33:48.380 into society where everybody is more rested, 00:33:48.839 --> 00:33:51.640 healthy, happy, and more willing to work harder. 00:33:51.960 --> 00:33:54.619 And it's kind of that same mentality in school 00:33:54.619 --> 00:33:58.569 with what you're saying. and having a recess, 00:33:58.569 --> 00:34:00.950 you know? Well, even, I mean, you know, kids 00:34:00.950 --> 00:34:05.589 are born with a natural, you know, love of learning, 00:34:05.650 --> 00:34:09.650 curiosity, you know, wonder. And it seems like 00:34:09.650 --> 00:34:12.690 our goal in education now is just to squash that. 00:34:12.869 --> 00:34:15.730 Right. It's like, why aren't we... Celebrating 00:34:15.730 --> 00:34:19.309 it. Yeah. Celebrating that, like, you know, giving 00:34:19.309 --> 00:34:20.909 kids more opportunities to explore things that 00:34:20.909 --> 00:34:22.670 they might have a passion for instead of just 00:34:22.670 --> 00:34:26.030 making them not like school because... It's just 00:34:26.030 --> 00:34:28.769 not interesting. So we really have to think, 00:34:28.869 --> 00:34:31.449 you know, what is education for? Like, what's 00:34:31.449 --> 00:34:33.170 the purpose? Right. I mean, that's a question 00:34:33.170 --> 00:34:35.269 I think really we have to be asking ourselves, 00:34:35.429 --> 00:34:39.389 especially after COVID. What is the ultimate 00:34:39.389 --> 00:34:41.690 purpose? Because it's certainly not just to memorize 00:34:41.690 --> 00:34:45.489 facts. Exactly. You know, for some it may be 00:34:45.489 --> 00:34:49.389 to learn a skill through even bringing back some 00:34:49.389 --> 00:34:51.670 of the BOCES programs in high school and learning, 00:34:51.670 --> 00:34:55.670 you know, a career through that. Not every kid 00:34:55.670 --> 00:34:59.050 certainly has to go to college, but, you know, 00:34:59.170 --> 00:35:01.010 really giving kids more of an opportunity to 00:35:01.010 --> 00:35:03.869 explore what it's like, you know, collaborate 00:35:03.869 --> 00:35:06.610 with each other and just, I think, be more creative 00:35:06.610 --> 00:35:08.929 and allow teachers to be more creative. You know, 00:35:08.949 --> 00:35:12.449 again, teachers, you know, sometimes get a bad 00:35:12.449 --> 00:35:15.889 rap, but boy, I have so much respect for what 00:35:15.889 --> 00:35:19.110 they say every day. But giving them some more 00:35:19.110 --> 00:35:22.110 autonomy and creativity to work with their peers 00:35:22.110 --> 00:35:25.539 and And the resources, giving them the resources. 00:35:26.539 --> 00:35:29.440 Instead of just telling them, okay, X, Y, and 00:35:29.440 --> 00:35:34.059 Z. That was scripted out for them. They deserve 00:35:34.059 --> 00:35:38.420 it much. I always loved and respected teachers. 00:35:39.480 --> 00:35:43.239 But like you, I only worked in the school. Before 00:35:43.239 --> 00:35:44.880 I took this job, I worked in the Ithaca City 00:35:44.880 --> 00:35:46.599 School District for about a year and a half. 00:35:48.280 --> 00:35:51.840 And anything I thought I knew, I... I didn't 00:35:51.840 --> 00:35:55.820 I didn't realize what they're up against the 00:35:55.820 --> 00:35:59.480 resources they don't have sometimes The support 00:35:59.480 --> 00:36:01.980 that that the lack of support in some areas. 00:36:01.980 --> 00:36:05.420 I mean they're also Some of the things you were 00:36:05.420 --> 00:36:08.199 talking about are celebrated there there are 00:36:08.199 --> 00:36:10.619 They do have leeway to be more creative and teach 00:36:10.619 --> 00:36:11.840 the way they want to teach so there were some 00:36:11.840 --> 00:36:13.599 good things too but I really got to see what 00:36:13.599 --> 00:36:16.159 teachers go through and how important they are 00:36:16.159 --> 00:36:18.539 and We need to take care of our teachers for 00:36:18.539 --> 00:36:20.559 sure. But listen I get You would have been out 00:36:20.559 --> 00:36:23.039 of here 10 or 15 minutes ago. Unfortunately, 00:36:23.099 --> 00:36:24.960 I found out you were involved in mental health, 00:36:25.039 --> 00:36:26.780 and it's something I'm passionate about, so I 00:36:26.780 --> 00:36:29.300 apologize. Let's talk about the Inner Harbor 00:36:29.300 --> 00:36:33.480 5K. That's why you're really here. Michael Gilbert, 00:36:34.139 --> 00:36:36.380 you are the, would I say you're the executive 00:36:36.380 --> 00:36:40.099 director of the Inner Harbor 5K? The Inner Harbor 00:36:40.099 --> 00:36:43.659 5K is something that it's about child and family, 00:36:43.760 --> 00:36:47.599 you know, has put on for 17 years. It was part 00:36:47.599 --> 00:36:50.880 of the nonprofit that was one of our fundraisers, 00:36:50.900 --> 00:36:55.219 but also one of our community events. So I've 00:36:55.219 --> 00:36:59.760 certainly been the race director of that with 00:36:59.760 --> 00:37:02.159 all my other hats. But I'm excited this year 00:37:02.159 --> 00:37:04.159 because we're actually making a transition where 00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:06.539 we're partnering with the Syracuse Run Club. 00:37:08.000 --> 00:37:11.480 We'll have to get them on at some point. But 00:37:11.480 --> 00:37:14.719 they're about a year old now. And it was funny 00:37:14.719 --> 00:37:20.230 because last year, putting on a race, I learned 00:37:20.230 --> 00:37:23.409 is not as easy as maybe I thought it was when 00:37:23.409 --> 00:37:26.090 I first started, because I ran in races, but 00:37:26.090 --> 00:37:29.170 I'd never certainly organized one. So, I mean, 00:37:29.210 --> 00:37:31.250 luckily I had some people who had done it and 00:37:31.250 --> 00:37:34.050 helped me, but it's a lot of work, especially 00:37:34.050 --> 00:37:37.230 the couple of weeks leading up to it. So, last 00:37:37.230 --> 00:37:39.750 summer I was down at the Inner Harbor, kind of 00:37:39.750 --> 00:37:41.070 checking out the course and making sure there 00:37:41.070 --> 00:37:44.849 was no holes that people might fall into as they 00:37:44.849 --> 00:37:47.570 were running around. And this group of runners 00:37:47.570 --> 00:37:50.789 came, you know, through the harbor, it was like 00:37:50.789 --> 00:37:54.070 probably 150 runners. I was like, what is going 00:37:54.070 --> 00:37:57.050 on? I've never seen anything like this in the 00:37:57.050 --> 00:37:59.949 city. And so as they're running by, I'm asking 00:37:59.949 --> 00:38:02.769 people like, what's going on? And somebody finally 00:38:02.769 --> 00:38:04.349 yelled out that it was part of the Syracuse Run 00:38:04.349 --> 00:38:13.789 Club and get a hold of Eli. So I checked them 00:38:13.789 --> 00:38:18.190 out and saw what they were doing. And so I started 00:38:18.190 --> 00:38:20.440 to... collaborate a little bit with them. You 00:38:20.440 --> 00:38:22.840 know, we often have a lot of shirts left over 00:38:22.840 --> 00:38:27.159 and so, you know, and I asked them if they want 00:38:27.159 --> 00:38:28.820 some of those and to help promote the race, but 00:38:28.820 --> 00:38:32.760 also kind of clean out my garage of stuff I don't 00:38:32.760 --> 00:38:36.380 need. So, you know, they thought they wanted 00:38:36.380 --> 00:38:40.179 to start their own race. And so I let them kind 00:38:40.179 --> 00:38:43.659 of explore that. And I think they learned what 00:38:43.659 --> 00:38:47.409 I learned early on that takes a lot of work and 00:38:47.409 --> 00:38:49.269 it's also can be expensive depending on where 00:38:49.269 --> 00:38:52.889 in the city you want to run. So, you know, so 00:38:52.889 --> 00:38:54.230 I just approached them and said, you know, if 00:38:54.230 --> 00:38:56.710 you if you really want your own race, I go, what 00:38:56.710 --> 00:38:58.570 do you think about the Inter Harbor 5K? Because, 00:38:59.010 --> 00:39:00.610 you know, I'm going to be probably looking to 00:39:00.610 --> 00:39:03.070 transition. I wanted to keep going, but I don't 00:39:03.070 --> 00:39:07.230 want to be the one who's doing it. And so they 00:39:07.230 --> 00:39:10.170 were interested in that. So we've been, you know, 00:39:10.230 --> 00:39:14.369 meeting frequently in the last few months to 00:39:14.369 --> 00:39:16.900 help them, you know, learn about all the different 00:39:16.900 --> 00:39:19.739 components to the race and with the idea that 00:39:19.739 --> 00:39:22.719 eventually they'll kind of take it over fully. 00:39:22.880 --> 00:39:24.480 I mean, I'll still be involved. I'm still going 00:39:24.480 --> 00:39:26.500 to help them. Sure. You know, our nonprofit is 00:39:26.500 --> 00:39:28.320 still going to do a lot with the Brexey run because 00:39:28.320 --> 00:39:32.059 that's, you know, very important to us. But they're 00:39:32.059 --> 00:39:36.119 going to bring a lot new new energy to it, new 00:39:36.119 --> 00:39:40.719 life. It's a younger crew. So they're much more 00:39:40.719 --> 00:39:43.960 savvy with the social media stuff and the you 00:39:43.960 --> 00:39:46.659 know, their flyers and graphics than I would 00:39:46.659 --> 00:39:49.900 ever hope. It's a good partnership. So they're 00:39:49.900 --> 00:39:52.039 bringing a lot to the event. And we're already 00:39:52.039 --> 00:39:57.059 seeing that. We're already, you know, our registrations 00:39:57.059 --> 00:40:00.219 are already beyond what we've had this year. 00:40:00.480 --> 00:40:02.980 So it's a good partnership. Yeah. And this is 00:40:02.980 --> 00:40:07.900 exciting. So it's the Syracuse Inner Harbor 5K. 00:40:08.420 --> 00:40:12.800 It's on October 5th, Sunday, October 5th, 2025. 00:40:13.239 --> 00:40:16.599 There's a lot going on. You've got the 2k race 00:40:16.599 --> 00:40:20.539 Run for brexy which starts at 9 a .m. The 5k 00:40:20.539 --> 00:40:23.360 races at 930 1030 our awards You've got a kids 00:40:23.360 --> 00:40:26.300 activity zone with games giveaways Otto's gonna 00:40:26.300 --> 00:40:29.480 be there ice cream and then post race I love 00:40:29.480 --> 00:40:32.559 this talking about you know mental health awareness 00:40:32.559 --> 00:40:35.320 and and and that is is you got post race yoga 00:40:35.320 --> 00:40:40.010 massage a DJ food truck raffles This is awesome. 00:40:40.309 --> 00:40:42.590 What let's talk a little bit about the 2k piece 00:40:42.590 --> 00:40:44.590 run for brexie. What is what is that about? That's 00:40:44.590 --> 00:40:46.309 that kind of kicks the whole event off. Yeah, 00:40:46.389 --> 00:40:50.269 so We've always had a kids run with our race. 00:40:50.510 --> 00:40:52.530 Yeah, so sometimes it's been a mile sometimes 00:40:52.530 --> 00:40:55.230 It's you know number of years ago We went to 00:40:55.230 --> 00:40:57.849 a 2k just to be a little different and also to 00:40:57.849 --> 00:41:00.550 fit the the course because it's you know It's 00:41:00.550 --> 00:41:05.050 hard to get an exact route down there. Yeah And 00:41:05.050 --> 00:41:07.590 and then three years ago there was a student 00:41:08.400 --> 00:41:11.059 Brexie in Syracuse City who was I think it was 00:41:11.059 --> 00:41:13.119 in January She was walking to the corner store 00:41:13.119 --> 00:41:15.500 to get milk for the family and there was a drive 00:41:15.500 --> 00:41:18.420 -by shooting Oh had nothing to do with her and 00:41:18.420 --> 00:41:22.820 she was killed I You know got to know mom a little 00:41:22.820 --> 00:41:24.860 bit from some work I was doing the community 00:41:24.860 --> 00:41:27.639 over on the west side and she was working there 00:41:27.639 --> 00:41:32.659 and You know, I talked to her a few months after 00:41:32.659 --> 00:41:35.860 and I said, you know, I You know, I'd like to, 00:41:35.960 --> 00:41:39.500 you know, I have an idea about the 2K run, because 00:41:39.500 --> 00:41:41.980 I knew she wanted, I mean, Brexia had such a 00:41:41.980 --> 00:41:45.099 spark to her, like, she was like, just lit up 00:41:45.099 --> 00:41:47.199 the room, I think, wherever she went, you know, 00:41:47.199 --> 00:41:49.739 you know, talking to people that knew her well. 00:41:51.159 --> 00:41:55.039 You know, I've always said that about her. And 00:41:55.039 --> 00:41:57.300 so, you know, I approached Mom and I said, you 00:41:57.300 --> 00:42:00.300 know, I'd like to name the race after her and, 00:42:00.420 --> 00:42:02.690 you know, kind of promote it and you know we'll 00:42:02.690 --> 00:42:04.909 give some stuff back to the community we donate 00:42:04.909 --> 00:42:07.570 a lot of like books and stuff to various places 00:42:07.570 --> 00:42:09.949 and do some scholarships for kids to go to different 00:42:09.949 --> 00:42:14.289 camps and so we try to do those in Brexey's honor. 00:42:14.670 --> 00:42:18.690 So mom was very appreciative and and she wanted 00:42:18.690 --> 00:42:21.289 to do it so this will be the third year that's 00:42:21.289 --> 00:42:23.849 been the 2k Peace Run for Brexey so the idea 00:42:23.849 --> 00:42:26.789 is you know to to come out and have some fun 00:42:26.789 --> 00:42:31.059 to you know to remember her in a positive way. 00:42:31.659 --> 00:42:36.980 It's also about just the senseless gun violence 00:42:36.980 --> 00:42:41.099 that they'll deal with. We're not going to spend 00:42:41.099 --> 00:42:44.480 time at that event, really going negative on 00:42:44.480 --> 00:42:46.380 it. We really want it to be a positive event. 00:42:46.440 --> 00:42:49.659 But we also want that awareness that not only 00:42:49.659 --> 00:42:51.960 for Brexie, but for all the other... We've lost 00:42:51.960 --> 00:42:55.690 a lot of kids in the city. It's awful. I mean, 00:42:55.829 --> 00:42:57.929 that's why this show exists to counter that. 00:42:58.010 --> 00:43:00.289 You turn on the news locally, nationally, and 00:43:00.289 --> 00:43:02.969 it's just doom and gloom. And it feels more than 00:43:02.969 --> 00:43:05.050 ever with the 24 -hour news cycle. So an event 00:43:05.050 --> 00:43:07.570 like this is amazing. Also, the proceeds from 00:43:07.570 --> 00:43:09.489 your event's going to support the local nonprofits 00:43:09.489 --> 00:43:11.750 you were talking about, as well as athletic departments 00:43:11.750 --> 00:43:14.469 at five Syracuse City School District high schools. 00:43:14.630 --> 00:43:17.809 So man, you're doing it all. That was the Syracuse 00:43:17.809 --> 00:43:19.389 Run Club. That was one of the things that they 00:43:19.389 --> 00:43:24.780 wanted to focus on. giving back to those athletic 00:43:24.780 --> 00:43:28.780 clubs. So yeah, we're gonna, it's gonna be fun. 00:43:28.980 --> 00:43:31.920 We may have some special guests that I can't 00:43:31.920 --> 00:43:35.179 handle yet. I mean Otto is pretty special. He's 00:43:35.179 --> 00:43:37.619 pretty special. And during the years we've had 00:43:37.619 --> 00:43:42.840 Crunch Man and Scooch. I don't want to say they're 00:43:42.840 --> 00:43:46.400 the same person, but we have had races where 00:43:46.400 --> 00:43:48.260 all three of them have been. That's amazing. 00:43:48.400 --> 00:43:51.989 It's been amazing. I was beginning to wonder 00:43:51.989 --> 00:43:54.570 if it was just, we had one person. You dispelled 00:43:54.570 --> 00:43:56.789 the conspiracy theory that it was one person. 00:43:56.809 --> 00:44:00.130 They were all in the same place. All right, well, 00:44:00.130 --> 00:44:03.030 before we hit the plugs, you guys are still looking 00:44:03.030 --> 00:44:06.130 for volunteers for the Inner Harbor 5K, correct? 00:44:06.289 --> 00:44:09.670 And also racers as well? Yes, definitely. Runners, 00:44:09.809 --> 00:44:11.949 walkers, if you want to volunteer, we'll definitely 00:44:11.949 --> 00:44:14.190 put you to work. We can never have too many volunteers. 00:44:15.230 --> 00:44:17.070 And the nice thing, again, with the Syracuse 00:44:17.070 --> 00:44:19.699 Run Club is they really want to do more. Like 00:44:19.699 --> 00:44:22.880 the after race kind of vibe. Yeah. That's with 00:44:22.880 --> 00:44:26.420 the DJs and the food trucks. And so it's probably 00:44:26.420 --> 00:44:28.460 going to get even bigger news to come. But even 00:44:28.460 --> 00:44:30.219 if you want to come down and just. I was going 00:44:30.219 --> 00:44:32.059 to say, even if you don't want to race, come 00:44:32.059 --> 00:44:34.320 down for the after party. Come down and check 00:44:34.320 --> 00:44:38.500 it out. And, you know, you still get a massage 00:44:38.500 --> 00:44:40.719 if you want. You know, I might just show up for 00:44:40.719 --> 00:44:44.070 that. Is that OK? Michael Gilbert, you are an 00:44:44.070 --> 00:44:46.849 amazing man. Michael Gilbert, it's all about 00:44:46.849 --> 00:44:49.269 childhood and family. Incorporated is his business. 00:44:49.750 --> 00:44:52.530 Also, one of the organizers for the Inner Harbor 00:44:52.530 --> 00:44:57.190 5K, which is Sunday, October 5th, 2025. Give 00:44:57.190 --> 00:45:00.909 us the plugs. Where can people go to check out 00:45:00.909 --> 00:45:03.630 info, sign up to volunteer, to register to race? 00:45:03.710 --> 00:45:06.489 Give us all the plugs. Right, so run sign up 00:45:06.489 --> 00:45:09.949 is the site that you can register either to volunteer 00:45:09.949 --> 00:45:14.289 or to But those links are also on our Facebook 00:45:14.289 --> 00:45:17.269 page and our Harbor 5K Facebook page. Also the 00:45:17.269 --> 00:45:20.010 Syracuse Run Club Facebook page. And we also 00:45:20.010 --> 00:45:26.710 have Instagram pages for the Inner Harbor. And 00:45:26.710 --> 00:45:28.590 it's about child and family and the Syracuse 00:45:28.590 --> 00:45:36.230 Run. My social media. It's okay. Listen, you 00:45:36.230 --> 00:45:39.789 do so much. You're allowed to... to not be great 00:45:39.789 --> 00:45:42.769 at one thing. Yeah, you're only one man. If you 00:45:42.769 --> 00:45:45.389 go to those platforms and you look for Inner 00:45:45.389 --> 00:45:47.550 Harbor 5K or Syracuse Run Club or It's About 00:45:47.550 --> 00:45:49.170 Child and Family, you're definitely gonna find 00:45:49.170 --> 00:45:52.329 something. Right, okay. Let's go with it. Don't 00:45:52.329 --> 00:45:53.989 bother trying to get a hold of him on social 00:45:53.989 --> 00:45:56.530 media. He doesn't know how. But he knows how 00:45:56.530 --> 00:45:58.230 to take care of people and he knows how to throw 00:45:58.230 --> 00:46:01.050 one heck of a race. And we're so happy you came 00:46:01.050 --> 00:46:04.969 on. Michael Gilbert, you're the man. The Syracuse 00:46:04.969 --> 00:46:10.019 Inner Harbor... 5K, Sunday, October 5th, 2025, 00:46:10.219 --> 00:46:12.639 Syracuse, New York, facebook .com, Inner Harbor, 00:46:12.840 --> 00:46:16.199 5K. And thank you for coming on the show. Thank 00:46:16.199 --> 00:46:18.039 you for having me. It's been great. This is awesome. 00:46:18.300 --> 00:46:20.380 Please come back. I will. All right. And with 00:46:20.380 --> 00:46:22.940 that, it is Mike Brindisi saying goodbye to you 00:46:22.940 --> 00:46:26.119 on this Tuesday on Good News York, sponsored 00:46:26.119 --> 00:46:28.320 by ads on the go, getadsonthego .com. We will 00:46:28.320 --> 00:46:30.400 be back tomorrow. And we'll see you then.