Mind Matters With Mia

Hi everyone and welcome back! I know it's been a while, but I'm so excited to bring you this episode with the wonderful Jacquie Pershing-- Valencia's amazing social worker and wellness coordinator-- for Mental Health Awareness Month in May! Straight from the school's wellness room, Jacquie and I chat about the complicated emotions that often come with big changes in our lives. Whether that be excitement, fear, grief, or a messy mix of them all, we're covering it all! 

Note: With high school graduation and college quickly approaching, I am taking an indefinite break from the podcast, but this isn't the end of Mind Matters with Mia! I'm hoping to continue this in some form during college, but I will be forever grateful for these past few years creating this podcast

Hello everyone and welcome back! Today I'm talking to one of my close friends Xagros Faraji about... college apps! As high schoolers in the fall semester of our senior year, we are right in the middle of a very stressful season. Tune in to hear us talk about our essay-writing processes, our thoughts on prestigious colleges, and how comparison is the thief of not only joy, but also sanity. 

(Quick note: Some of the audio was deleted during recording so about halfway through, there's a slightly awkward transition. Thanks for understanding!) 

Hope you enjoy! 

Hi and welcome back to Mind Matters with Mia! Today, Mia is sitting down with Laura, a fellow senior in high school, to talk about her mental health experiences. Laura gives a great tip for eating disorder recovery and reflects on the forms of therapy that have worked for her.

In this episode Mia talks to Sam Sterba, a recent high school graduate, about his identity as a transgender man and his journey transitioning. We go into how gender dysphoria affected his mental health and how the stigma around his disabilities makes him feel. 

Welcome back to Mind Matters with Mia! In this episode, Payton and I break down how social media affects our mental health in several ways- from comparison, to validation, to addiction, we get into it all! Bottom line: it's not all as real as it seems. Hope you enjoy! 

Hi everyone! In today's episode I will be talking to Zoe Monterola, a rising freshman at UCLA. We had a great chat about what "productivity" really means to us and how the construct has both helped and hurt us. Hope you enjoy, and remember, you are your biggest investment! 

Hi! This is part 2 of our mini college series where I talk to college students about how their experiences have affected their mental health! Today my guest is Adia Fadaei, a freshman in college, and we'll be talking about how to handle the feelings of not being in control in a time of uncertainty. We also go into her awesome job at a teen crisis hotline and what lessons she’s learned from going to therapy. 

Hi everyone! Today's episode is the first in a 2 part miniseries on navigating mental health in college. Today I’ll be talking to Kelsey McIvor, a freshman at UC Berkeley! We talk about the little things that have gotten her through her first semester of Zoom school and how to enjoy life better while struggling with anxiety. Hope you enjoy!

Hi everyone! In today's episode I talk with Trinity Quattlebaum about the pressure she gets from her parents about schoolwork, grades, and more. We talk about how this has affected her mental health, how she copes with it, and the advice she has for anyone going through the same thing. Hope you enjoy!

Hi and welcome back to the podcast! Today I’m talking to Shanzay Hassan, a junior in high school. Her story about coming out as lesbian is a very raw and vulnerable one, so I hope you join us! She goes into the cultural stigma around her sexuality, the liberation she felt after coming out, the community that helped her during her darkest times, and more.

TW: sexual assault

Hi everyone! Today, Jordan Hill joins me for another episode in my new student series. She talks about the overwhelming thoughts she has on a daily basis and how she manages them. I was surprised to hear her experiences and realize that I actually go through the exact same thing. Listen for some super interesting insight into how our brains work!

In today's episode, fellow junior in high school Wyatt Stephens talks to me about his experience with depression and how therapy changed his life. We go into the dangers of toxic masculinity and how he was raised with the opposite mindset. I am so grateful to be able to talk to him about this current, pressing issue and I'm so excited for you to take a listen! 

Welcome back to the podcast! In today's episode, the very first in my new "student series," I talk to Usman Khan about his own mental health journey. Usman is the 19 year old founder of Together, an online platform striving to increase positivity. We have a great discussion on self growth and awareness, anxiety, and techniques to get through the stress of high school. You can find Usman and Together at @tgthrorg on Instagram. 

Today, Mia talks with Elise Ogle, program manager at Limbix, a digital therapeutics company whose mission is to increase access to mental health treatment using technology. She gives great insight on what empathy really means based on first-hand experiences from the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford, and how it affects others' mental health. Mia and Elise also dive into the importance of empathy in all aspects of life, including business and design. 

Rachel Miller, founder of Closegap, talks to me today about one of the most pressing issues right now- youth mental health. Normalizing talking to youth about their mental health is extremely important for lowering rates of depression and suicide in the teen and adult years. Closegap is an emotional wellness platform made for students to check in daily about how they're feeling and anything that might be going on at home. You can find out more at https://www.closegap.org/! 

How ironic that this title was the result of 3 hours of overthinking! Did you know that overthinking is actually a form of anxiety? Many people just attribute it to part of their personality and don't realize how much it actually affects our metal health! Today on the podcast, Meredith Arthur, the content lead at Pinterest, founder of the Beautiful Voyager website, author of the new book "Get Out of My Head," and fellow overthinker, joins me to talk about personal stories focused on our perfectionistic habits and what we can do to help them. 

Did you know that over 40 million people in the US struggle with anxiety? That's almost 18% of the population. Today on the podcast, licensed social worker Ana Ayala comes on to talk about everything you need to know about anxiety. We go over the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, what's going on inside the brain of someone with anxiety, why anxiety is common in teens, and more.

Breakups can be tough. Ryann Summers, one of the founders of All Mental Health and @meafterwe, comes on today to talk about how to care for yourself and have self compassion after a breakup. Don't forget to go follow @meafterwe on Instagram!

Mia and Karen Beck, a Marriage and Family Therapist, break down the basics of depression and how it differs from normal sadness. 

Hi everyone! In this episode Mia and Kimberly Notch, a counselor intern at Valencia High School, dive into all the time management tips you need to know, from dealing with procrastination and prioritizing sleep to managing social media and technology. These skills are crucial to prepare high schoolers for the real world. 

In this episode, Mia talks with Jake Windell, a firefighter paramedic, about his intriguing work in the critical incident stress management team at his fire station. They discuss the reasons for trauma in this field, the the downfalls of the stereotypical "tough guy" firefighter mentality, and much more. Listen until the end to hear a little bit about Jake's adorable therapy dog, Owl, who helps with detecting anxiety in firefighters at the station!

In this episode, Mia talks with Paul Blount, LCSW, about his fascinating job at a prison and the interesting situations he works in. We later delve into the basics of psychosis and what causes its related mental illness, schizophrenia, one of the most misunderstood mental illnesses.

In this episode of Mind Matters With Mia, Mia Yen sits down with the fabulous Ms. Desso, a teacher at Valencia High School, to talk about her mental health journey and the mental health of students at Valencia.

In the first ever episode of Mind Matters with Mia, Mia talks to the wonderful Amanda Hills, LCSW, about mental health in general. She breaks down the fundamentals of mental health and goes into some tips for handling stress at school. From self-compassion to mindfulness, join Mia in her first episode of this podcast, marking the beginning of an exciting new journey.

Welcome! In this short trailer, Mia explains her goals for this podcast and why she started it! Mind Matters With Mia launches April 14th! Stay tuned.