Loneliness is at an epidemic level in this country right now.

This isn’t hyperbole. Multiple studies have confirmed that Americans feel more isolated than ever.

And this was BEFORE our lives and the way we interact with each other was uprooted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even before the masks, sheltering in place, and virtual birthday celebrations became the norm…

...we as a society were struggling to connect with each other.

Given this reality, it makes sense that my most popular episodes in 2019 & 2020 were those that were centered on mental health.

This week’s episode centers on feelings.

Honoring our feelings.
Expressing our feelings.
Regulating our feelings.
Processing our feelings.

Our guest, Dinah, has worked for over 13 years in the fields of health, social work, counseling, and education, and is the founder of a nonprofit organization targeting the issue of sex trafficking.

She has extensive training and experience in the field of restorative practices, and has worked to help schools adopt a trauma-informed approach at the student, staff, and organizational level.

She currently works for a university in Los Angeles, where she creates trauma-informed curriculum and trains service providers in Los Angeles County to provide trauma-informed care to the clients/students they serve.

I’ve played back so many moments from this week’s interview in my head, over and over again.

I also had to note down a lot of the wisdom that Dinah shared with me.

For example, she emphasized that our behavior is communication.

This blew my mind.

The follow-up questions and conversations that came out of that took my understanding of mental health to a whole new level.

I’m telling you, this episode is so important.

Do yourself the favor.

Hit play.

To learn more about Dinah, head to her Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/dinahmsw/
or website https://www.thecrss.org/