Headroom

In Part Two of my conversation with Dr. Ana Kelly, associate professor of nursing at Columbia University, we explore the transformative power of immersing oneself in different cultures and communities. Dr. Kelly has been instrumental in encouraging nursing students to study abroad, highlighting how these experiences not only broaden their understanding of diverse healthcare systems but also foster deep personal growth.We continue our discussion on grit and resilience in healthcare professionals, focusing on the emotional toll of working in high-stakes, trauma-exposed environments. Dr. Kelly emphasizes the importance of building rapport with patients to establish trust while balancing the technical and humanistic aspects of patient care. This balance is best captured in the idea that healthcare providers must be both artists and scientists, mastering both the science of medicine and the art of compassionate care.As an educator, Dr. Kelly shares the challenges of training future healthcare providers, particularly in honoring student diversity while ensuring that each practitioner embodies the qualities of excellent patient.

In this episode of Headroom, I sit down with Dr. Ana Kelly, an associate professor of nursing at Columbia University, to discuss her remarkable journey in healthcare and academia.Dr. Kelly shares how her time in the Peace Corps—teaching biology in Namibia and working in health clinics—sparked her passion for nursing. Upon returning to Michigan, she pursued a nursing degree and discovered her love for teaching while working as a Supplemental Instructor at LCC, ultimately leading her to earn a doctorate in nursing.We explore healthcare stigmas and how they prevent individuals from seeking care or receiving proper diagnoses. Drawing from her experience at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Kelly highlights the profound impact healthcare providers have—not just on patients, but also on their families. She emphasizes the importance of teamwork in high-stress environments, explaining how collaboration fosters both resilience and joy in a challenging field.Dr. Kelly also discusses her research in South Africa, her five-year PhD journey, and her postdoctoral work at Columbia. One of her major findings revealed that anxiety and depression were almost never documented in patient records, despite their clear presence. She advocates for routine mental health screenings in primary care and discusses the financial and technological barriers that hinder advancements in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions.We wrap up this part of the conversation by examining the preparation of future nurse practitioners, emphasizing the need for grit, resilience, and personal growth alongside technical expertise. Dr. Kelly’s insights offer a compelling look at the evolving landscape of healthcare and the critical role mental health plays in patient care.

In part two of my conversation with Mark Vroman—former Battalion Chief of Meridian Township and current professor of online learning and prison education at Siena Heights University—we explore the critical importance of self-care for those in high-stress, service-oriented careers. Mark shares insights on preventing and managing vicarious trauma, also known as compassion fatigue, secondary stress, and burnout.We also discuss the role of gratitude in sustaining resilience while working with people in some of their most difficult moments. Mark reflects on his work in prison education, highlighting the transformative power of learning—not just for incarcerated individuals but for the broader community. Through education, lives can be reshaped, offering hope and meaningful change where it’s needed most.

In this episode of Headroom, I sit down with my friend and colleague, Professor Mark Vroman, to explore the profound impact of a career in emergency response and education. Mark, a graduate of Lansing Community College’s Fire Science and Emergency Medicine programs, served as a Battalion Chief in the greater Lansing area before pursuing an MBA and PhD. Now a professor of online learning, he plays a vital role in Siena Heights University’s prison education program.Together, we discuss the rewards and challenges of working in the helping professions, particularly in high-stakes environments where people face life-altering circumstances. Mark shares insights from his 30-year career in emergency medicine and community emergency preparedness, reflecting on the personal sacrifices, lessons learned, and the enduring value of service.

In this episode of Headroom, we continue our conversation with Jason Riley, LPC, CAADC, exploring how recovery and personal growth are deeply influenced by community and relationships. While therapy often takes place in a one-on-one setting, true transformation is accelerated and sustained through meaningful connections. We discuss the importance of group therapy, the role of relationships in healing, and how systemic approaches in counseling emphasize the power of belonging. Addiction recovery isn’t just about individual change - it’s about rediscovering purpose within a supportive community.

In this episode of Headroom, I sit down with Jason Riley, LPC, CAADC - once my student, now my colleague in mental health - to discuss addiction, co-occurring disorders, and the role of meaning in the recovery process. Drawing inspiration from Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, we explore how addiction counseling isn’t just about helping people stop destructive behaviors but about collaboratively guiding them toward what is truly life-affirming. We discuss the importance of connection, purpose, and the shift from traditional directive approaches in addiction counseling to a more person-centered, collaborative model. People don’t change simply because they’re told to; they need a reason to pursue something better. This is part one of a two-part conversation; in the next episode, we continue our discussion on meaning, addiction, and effective therapy.

In this episode, Dr. Michael Giles, a political science professor at LCC, delves into the intersection of philosophy and political science, with a focus on political theory, which he studied extensively in graduate school. His passion for the humanities stems from a deep interest in what it means to live as a good human being.In part two of this episode, Jim and Michael move from talking about the need to pursue a virtuous life, to talking about specific virtues philosophers and psychologists have proposed as necessary for the good life. Aristotle would submit that while living a virtuous life does not necessarily promise a happy life, but living without virtue does promise living an unhappy one., They explore some of the neuroscience of developing the ability to make healthy behaviors a positive and enduring habit, and conclude by discussing what Aristotle mean when he wrote about defining the great-souled person as one who neither overestimates or underestimates one’s potential to do, be and receive greatness.PDF: Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

In this episode, Dr. Michael Giles, a political science professor at LCC, delves into the intersection of philosophy and political science, with a focus on political theory, which he studied extensively in graduate school. His passion for the humanities stems from a deep interest in what it means to live as a good human being.This thought-provoking conversation explores Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, a foundational work that examines what it takes to live a happy, virtuous, and flourishing life. They also touch on Positive Psychology, a contemporary movement in counseling and psychology that draws inspiration from ancient Greek philosophy. In this first installment, they lay the groundwork by discussing how philosophers throughout history have guided people toward lasting happiness and personal development.Referenced PDF: Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

LCC Center for Student Access Consultant Andy George works with students with disabilities needing academic support and classroom accommodations. He grew up in the Lansing area and regrets having not gone to LCC prior to MSU, where he graduated with a degree in psychology in preparation to be a marriage counselor. He pivoted to education, mentoring, and coaching students and has found a way to live-out his passion to help others grow and succeed.Andy shares that he felt pressured in college to hurry up and make a decision about a lifelong career, since college is expensive. He now encourages students to take the time they need to make a good decision about their futures. And he discourages them from making unhealthy comparisons to others they see in college. Both he and Jim talk about how it’s impossible to know all the advantages and disadvantages that a person is carrying around, based on their life experiences and resources.Success in life includes gaining new skills to meet novel challenges, and even to deal with familiar challenges that come to us in a new way. Jim and Andy encourage people to view challenges from a Growth Mindset, understanding that even when life may not get easier, we can become stronger.LCC’s Center for Student Access (​​https://www.lcc.edu/services/access/contact.html)Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_with_Disabilities_Act_of_1990)

LCC Librarian and Professional Concert Bassist Chuck Page sits down with Jim Owens to discuss the connections between Music and Mental Health. Chuck grew up in North Carolina and went to college to study music and music education at Michigan State University. He and Jim discuss the process of Chuck finding a way to live parallel lives, so to speak, as an Academic Librarian and Professional Musician. They both discuss the process of finding their identity as musicians and discovering what role that passion would play in their lives. Finally, they discuss the therapeutic benefit of listening to music as opposed to playing music. There is a raft of research on the benefits of listening to music as a therapy, and research showing that healing is often accelerated when music therapy is added as an adjunct to recovery. They also discuss the benefits of playing music and how therapeutic it can be to express oneself through an instrument and how living an artistic life can be very satisfying.The effectiveness of music therapy, National Institute of Health

LCC Advisor Island Ewart is currently completing a graduate degree in clinical social work in preparation to provide clinical mental health counseling. She completed an undergraduate degree in psychology at Michigan State University, and will graduate with a Master of Clinical Social Work from MSU’s college of Social Work. Island talks about the challenges of attending a large university, and how important it is to create social connections by joining clubs and organizations. She decided on a major that connected her two passions: understanding how people work, and helping people work better.They clarify the different types of mental health providers and licenses, understanding that consumers may not understand the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist, for example. They discuss the necessity of seeing people not exclusively as individuals but as part of influential systems such as family and friends, and the importance of connecting with others in working through the challenges in life.

In this episode, Jim sits down with Rafael "Gabe" Revilla, an LCC Counseling Office employee often found at the front desk. With his finger on the pulse of student concerns, Gabe provides unique insights into the issues students bring to counseling.Jim and Gabe discuss the diverse needs students present and how LCC's support services are tailored to meet them effectively. Drawing from his own college experience, Gabe emphasizes the importance of acknowledging life's stresses and the strength in seeking help.Gabe shares a key to college success: personalizing the experience by connecting the curriculum to life goals. Instead of rushing through college, Gabe embraced various employment and academic opportunities, leading him to his fulfilling role today. This approach has allowed Gabe to learn from everyone he encounters and accelerate his personal growth journey.

In this episode Jim sits down with LCC Anthropology Professor Kali Majumdar to discuss mental health through a multicultural lens. The conversation ranges from collectivistic versus individualistic ethics, exploring false dichotomies, and understanding the overlap of biology, sociology, and psychology in understanding the human experience. Learning is a lifelong process which includes both unlearning some concepts as well as learning new ones. Anthropology, Dr. Majumdar says, offers a wider view of what it means to define oneself as a member of the human race. Though everyone is having a unique experience of life as an individual, the commonalities of life and identity that we all share can live alongside a collective sense of self without subjugating one to the other. The oversimplified classifications of identity may limit a person from experiencing a more full and whole life. Kali says we all have much in common, that we never really meet a stranger, we meet a friend, and that we need only to begin the conversation with another person to discover how connected we are.

LCC Police Chief Daryl Gaines sits down with Jim Owens to discuss the positive impact that physical health has on mental health.Chief Gaines talks about how physical fitness is required to be able to perform competent policing, and it helps manage the high amount of stress that comes with the job. There are inherent physical risks in doing the work of policing, and police departments are providing better support and resources for officers to stay in shape not only to do the job, but also to manage stress.There are many ways to approach developing aerobic (power) and anaerobic (endurance) fitness. Jim and Daryl, both avid cyclists, talk about the mental fortitude that is developed during endurance training and events. Cycling is a low-impact form of exercise and can be a way of achieving new levels of physical as well as mental fitness.Website: LCC Police Department

Dr. Steve Robinson, President of Lansing Community College, returns for part two of a discussion on mental health. In this episode, Dr. Robinson speaks less about his own journey in mental health, and more about what he has learned as a leader serving in higher education as a professor, provost, and president. He spent 15 years as a writing professor and learned firsthand the struggles that his students experienced as they voiced the various and ongoing traumas they were experiencing. Dr. Robinson and Jim talk about how professors can best support students who are experiencing mental health challenges. Both draw on their experience as educators, citing both data and anecdotes, regarding the pivotal role educators can play in helping students persevere through life challenges. Further, Dr. Robinson talks about the awesome responsibility of daily considering how best to support not only students, but the college staff, and even the members and organizations found throughout Lansing and mid-Michigan. Community College Presidential Ethics, Dr. Steve Robinson Mental Health by the Numbers, National Alliance on Mental Health

Dr. Steve Robinson, President of Lansing Community College, grew up in metro-Detroit, in a split-household, where his family was supportive of mental health, inspiring him to become an outspoken advocate of mental health care. He shares his journey through being an introverted theatre major who barely got accepted to MSU to discovering a love of English and teaching, persevering through 3 college degrees there. Jim and Dr. Robinson talk about the Imposter Syndrome and how experiencing doubt of one’s potential is common (aka “normal”). Dr. Robinson talks about how he takes care of his mental health, primarily through hobbies, especially music, but also through connection and communication with other people. Connecting with people socially and getting out of one’s head and into one’s body is important and worth making time for.The Imposter Syndrome, Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes Brainstorm, Dr. Dan Siegel Flow, Dr. Mihály Csíkszentmihályi Johari Window, Joseph Luft, Harrington Ingham

Ronda Miller, Dean of Student Affairs at Lansing Community College, shares her story of life as a kid through high school, college, adulthood, and finally into a career as a leader for student services. She shares what life was like as a kid of the 70s, and that she was expected to go to college after high school graduation. Her first attempt at college ended early, and she had to regroup to restart after working through some major life challenges. Part of her motivation for that restart was to be a role model for others. She earned degrees in family life education with the intention of serving others, and as a dean she sees her work as supporting a large “family” human ecosystem. Ronda talks about the importance of self-care, and the utility of compartmentalizing her roles in life to maintain balance. She shares that her diagnosis of depression led her to appreciate that she could not control everything in her life, and that she needed support, including pharmacological support, to pursue her passions. She dispels the myth that people who are successful are living a storybook life. She shares some of her core personal self-care practices that she relies on to stay in touch with her joy. Treatment Approaches for Major Depressive Disorder, Mayo Clinic. Impact of Gratitude Practice on Mental Health, NAMI.

Angela Mathews, chairperson of the LCC Board of Trustees, defines herself as a community activist. She wants everyone to know that college is possible, and that it’s okay to figure things out as you follow your heart's desire. Like so many other guests, she highlights that one of the things that made college so hard was trying to figure things out on her own. She finally graduated and got a degree in Human Services, working in the field for 26 years before she came back for a bachelor’s degree. She had to learn how to become a better student and to reach out for assistance from academic coaches, advisors, and counselors. Embracing vulnerability was a necessary and fruitful step in her own personal development. As a returning adult learner herself, she wants everyone to know that they are welcome at LCC, and she encourages them to push through and finish their academic goals. She highlights the importance of relying on one’s “tribe” - to include academic support as well as family and friends - in order to finish. She highlights the concept of being “functionally dysfunctional”, meaning that too many people mistake being functional for being healthy. We all have practiced pretending and faking it to make it, but Angela talks about the importance of taking a moment to examine one’s inner anxieties and exploring what really needs to be done to achieve health. Speaking on behalf of the Black community in America, she talks about how difficult it was to go public in her community about experiencing mental health challenges and seeking mental health support, and wants to see mental health support destigmatized in all communities. Finally, she talks about the importance of exercise, seeking joy, and recognizing that self-care is not self-ish. Laughter is good medicine, Mayo Clinic. A laugh a day keeps the doctor away, Harvard Press. Exercise reduces Anxiety and Depression, National Library of Medicine.

Dr. Felipe Lopez-Sustaita, Associate Dean at Lansing Community College for Support Services, shares his story of growing up in the United States as a migrant worker. Felipe received his master's degree in clinical social work, and his Doctorate in Community College affairs. Citing Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Serach for Meaning, he defines success in life as someone taking risks to pursue their purpose and passion. Felipe’s spirit of hope, hospitality, and indomitable belief that inside everyone is greatness waiting to flourish inspires all those who meet him. Felipe focuses on his “why” every single day. A powerful “why”, he shares, got him through lonely, dark times and helped him push through setbacks. He still considers himself a farmer, in a sense, but using his voice rather than hands, now, to make the world a better place. He encourages people to take on a growth mindset and take time to figure out their “why” and define some goals, dreams, and a direction. Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl The Golden Circle (find your why), Simon Sinek

Sam Bultman is an LCC Academic Advisor where he helps students plan their academic journey through college and beyond. Sam is also a licensed professional counselor who works part-time in mental health counseling. He defines his background as “blue-collar” and talks about the difficulty in being the first person in his family to go to and graduate from college. Some of the things he learned through those first few years of college proved challenging. Jim points out that it’s not always easy to stay motivated toward goals which are as abstract as a college diploma; it’s hard to see, semester by semester, the actual progress one is making toward that big goal. Sam suggests that we keep reminding ourselves, working toward abstract goals, of our purpose and passion for the goal we are attaining to. Like many guests on this podcast, when prompted Sam responds that the main need he sees as fundamental to ensure good mental health is person-to-person human connection. He recommends getting involved in groups who share a similar interest be it sports, hobbies, or intellectual interests. Both Jim and Sam recognize that, given today’s social media and other technologies, it’s probably easier now than ever to find a group to connect with, but is in other ways more difficult given the changes in social mores and traditions for how to start a new relationship. The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly made this even more difficult. Sam concludes the discussion around the topic of pain, and what it’s like to help walk someone through their trauma, pain, or whatever difficulty they may be stuck holding onto. His experience is that many people have become, unfortunately, accustomed to their pain and would sometimes rather stay there than risk moving forward. However, a good counselor can help inspire and guide someone out of their pain and into a new life. Internal Family Systems, Richard Schwartz, IFS Institute Student Clubs and Organizations, LCC Student Life Spark, Timothy Jorgensen, Princeton University Press