The Carleena Show

Melissa Stone is a Police Social Worker with Bloomington Indiana's Police Department. Melissa and I discuss: why her department created this new program, the types of calls she responds to, how she interacts with people in crisis, law enforcement mental health, hostage negotiations, her unique role growing up in a working-class home, her decision to become a social worker, and advice she gives other police departments considering a police social worker program. If you enjoy this episode, you may like previous episodes where I interviewed a first responder, funeral director, forest ranger, working dog trainer, and many other guests with hands-on or misunderstood professions that help shed light on the human experience. Special Guest: Melissa Stone.

How do you engage teens in civil political discourse? One librarian in Nashville created a program called ProjectCiv, which seeks to promote monthly discussions between high school Republicans and Democrats. Amanda Williams Smithfield joins me on the podcast to discuss her work. The Carleena Show is hosted by Carleena Angwin--a writer, public health professional, and former Peace Corps Volunteer based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Visit the website and connect https://carleena.fireside.fm/. Special Guest: Amanda Smithfield.

Dr. Tamiko Webb discusses mindfulness interventions in the criminal justice system, counseling inmates in a maximum-security prison, the de-institutionalized movement of the mid-century, and reentry programs. Dr. Webb received her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Clinical Counseling, Teaching, and Supervision at Trevecca Nazarene University. Visit The Carleena Show website and connect https://carleena.fireside.fm/ Special Guest: Dr. Tamiko Webb.

Scot Greevy is a Forest Ranger with Tuscarora State Forest, which is located twenty minutes west of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Today on the show, Scot shares experiences from his job that aren’t necessarily on the job description, like helping people and animals in crises, searching the forests at night for a missing person, separating a bear and porcupine trapped together in a tagging cage, and training in the police academy but knowing his calling was the forest and not the city. Visit The...

My guest today is Kung Fu Visionary, Svitlana Zavialova. Born in Post Soviet Crimea, Svitlana moved to China in her early twenties to pursue Chinese traditional martial arts. She later transcended her performance style into a new form of movement storytelling. Svitlana is the founder of the Wu Woman Martial Movement style (the fusion of traditional Kung Fu and Futuristic Dance), an Actor and Entrepreneur. Discover Svitlana’s martial movement and Cognitive Kung Fu Experience from her website: http://www.svitlanazavialova.com/ The Carleena Show features in-depth conversations with guests from around the world. Host Carleena Angwin is a writer, public health professional, and former Peace Corps Volunteer based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. https://carleena.fireside.fm/ Special Guest: Svitlana Zavialova.

When Corbin Cabrera was 13 years old, his father--Army Lt. Col. David E. Cabrera--was killed by a Taliban suicide bomber in Afghanistan in 2011. Two years later, Corbin discovered a program that connected other children who lost a parent in combat or the war at home. The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) Good Grief Camp meets in DC each Memorial Day weekend and helps kids of the fallen connect, process their grief, and have fun together. A couple years later, Corbin would became a legacy mentor with TAPS and start mentoring a little girl and her sister. Corbin is a senior at Texas A&M University. Visit The Carleena Show website for a full list of episodes. https://carleena.fireside.fm/ Special Guest: Corbin Cabrera.

Remi Adeleke is the author of TRANSFORMED: A Navy SEAL's Unlikely Journey from the Throne of Africa, to the Streets of the Bronx, to Defying All Odds. Today on the show, Remi shares who he wrote the book for and why he decided to write the book himself and not use a ghost writer. We talk about his time as a Navy SEAL, working in human intelligence and how he learned to listen and find common ground with informants. I ask him what it’s like to be a lead consultant on the forthcoming Netflix film, 6 Underground and if he could offer youth insight on ways to find meaning and purpose in their lives. Visit The Carleena Show website for a full list of episodes. https://carleena.fireside.fm/ Connect with Remi Adeleke and purchase his book TRANSFORMED: https://www.thomasnelson.com/p/transformed/ Special Guest: Remi Adeleke.

Bret Atiyeh left his corporate job with a 401K and benefits to pursue his dream as a professional poker player. Bret shares that journey with us and sheds light on many poker-related misconceptions. We discuss online poker regulation, tracking software, competing in the World Series of Poker, amateurs who give up too much information at the poker table, women’s only poker tournaments (and the men who insist on entering). Bret answers listener questions about human behavior and gives advice to those thinking about leaving their day job to pursue poker full time. This episode is a part of a series of hands-on professions that shed light on human behavior. Other guests on this podcast include a military dog trainer, an outdoor survivalist leader, a spiritual counselor, first responder, and a funeral director, among others. Visit The Carleena Show website for a full list of episodes. https://carleena.fireside.fm/ Special Guest: Bret Atiyeh.

Jaya was six years old when she sat on her father's shoulders and watched Soviet tanks invade her city. After World War Two, Hungary became a satellite state of the Soviet Union and a Communist government was established. Soon after the 1956 uprising, Jaya's father put on a packsack and walked away from the family, destined for Canada. He hoped the family would follow. Ten years later, Jaya signed away her Hungarian citizenship and traveled alone to Canada, in search of the man she loved and missed so dearly. Moments after reuniting with her father, she regretted her decision. But she couldn't go back. Flash forward many years, Jaya would encounter guides and healers, Eckhart Tolle among them, who helped her find peace and healing. They all made the same prediction. "They will come, Jaya." And they did. People started arriving at her home, and asked for help changing their lives. Jaya planned to counsel people for a few months, but as more and more people arrived, her unique spiritual counseling business has flourished for over twenty years now. Connect with Jaya: http://jaiapracticalspirituality.com/home/. Special Guest: Jaya Friesen.

When Juanita Ramsey met her future husband in 1986, the Vietnam War was to her long over. She soon learned that to marry a soldier was to marry his war. Bill Jevne served as a Marine Corps platoon commander in Vietnam. The memories were burned in his mind. The poison of Agent Orange had colonized his cells. When his prostate cancer became terminal, he used the Death with Dignity option. "Our first date began with a story of these young men getting killed. And our last hours ended with him, still a platoon commander, calling his remaining members and telling them: 'I'm going to be dying in about an hour, and I want to say goodbye to you.'" Juanita Ramsey-Jevne now gives workshops on end-of-life options, embracing death to enhance life, grieving, and writing. Special Guest: Juanita Ramsey-Jevne.

Luke Smithwick has been a mountain guide for over twenty years, leading people on exploratory expeditions in Nepal, Alaska and the Rocky Mountains. In 2012, Luke founded Himalaya Alpine Guides (himalaya-alpine.com (http://www.himalaya-alpine.com/)), a brand focused on the unexplored, unclimbed and unskied terrain globally. In November 2018 Luke completed his 68th Himalayan expedition. Today on the show, I ask Luke how he has changed as a person over the course of his career. Special Guest: Luke Smithwick.

Laurel Holding is the Director of Program Development at Boulder Outdoor Survival School, where she has been guiding extended backcountry expeditions and teaching primitive and traditional living skills for 20 years. Connect with Laurel and BOSS: https://www.boss-inc.com/staff/laurel-holding/ The Carleena Show features in-depth conversations with guests from around the world. Host Carleena Angwin is a writer, public health professional, and former Peace Corps Volunteer based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. https://carleena.fireside.fm/ Special Guest: Laurel Holding.

Anthony Kane is a licensed funeral director and death expert based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Today on the show, Anthony discusses the changing funeral industry, the families and funerals he thinks about years later, PTSD in the funeral business, and his evolving perspectives on embalming. This is a fascinating discussion and we decided to record a Part Two soon. Stay tuned and send me any questions you have for Anthony. Visit the Contact page on my website https://carleena.net/ . Special Guest: Anthony J. Kane.

Robyn Udemans is a South African woman who has been living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for 17 years. Knowing very little about life outside her compound’s walls, Robyn decided it was time to change that. The result is a podcast called Aswat: Voices of Arabia, which serves as a platform for the women of Saudi Arabia to share the stories of their lives, aspirations, and achievements at a time when restrictions on women have been easing. Connect with Robyn https://voicesofarabia.xyz/ Special Guest: Robyn Udemans.

Tiffiany Portacio is leaving the United States soon and moving to Paraguay, where she will begin a two year commitment as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Tiffiany reached out to me a year ago when she was deciding if she should she apply to the Peace Corps or not. Today on the show, I ask Tiffiany to bring us back to that moment of uncertainty and walk us through her decision to apply. /// The Carleena Show Podcast https://carleena.fireside.fm/ /// Ordinary People Share Their Hero’s Journey /// Hosted and Produced by Carleena Angwin /// Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube: https://bit.ly/2AzCFib /// Editing and Graphic Design by http://stevenllorca.com/ /// Special Guest: Tiffiany Portacio.

Dr. Kurt Michael is a professor of psychology at Appalachian State University, a practicing Licensed Psychologist, and a crisis intervention and suicide prevention consultant on the national level. Today, Kurt discusses the research connecting Netflix’s television series "13 Reasons Why" with a significant increase in the use of the crisis text line: 741741. We also discuss an initiative to bring mental health services to thousands of rural North Carolina public school students. The Carleena Show Podcast https://carleena.fireside.fm/ /// Ordinary People Share Their Hero’s Journey /// Hosted and Produced by Carleena Angwin /// Subscribe to the podcast on YouTube: https://bit.ly/2AzCFib /// Editing and Graphic Design by http://stevenllorca.com/ /// Connect with Dr. Kurt Michael https://psych.appstate.edu/faculty-staff/kurt-d-michael /// Handbook of Rural School Mental Health, available here: https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319647333 /// The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK [8255]) is a United States-based suicide prevention network of 161 crisis centers that provides a 24/7, toll-free hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Special Guest: Kurt Michael.

Steve Kaplan is a comedy consultant for HBO, Disney, DreamWorks, Sony, and many other media companies. He teaches his signature Comedy Intensive Workshops around the world, and is the author of The Hidden Tools of Comedy and The Comic Hero's Journey. Today on the show, Kaplan explains how the Comic Hero's Journey differs from the classic Hero's Journey. “Characters in comedies don’t want to change. They want to stay the same,” Kaplan says. We also discuss drawing from personal experiences to create comedy. Connect with Steve Kaplan https://www.kaplancomedy.com/ The Carleena Show features in-depth conversations with guests from around the world. Host Carleena Angwin is a writer, public health professional, and former Peace Corps Volunteer based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. https://carleena.fireside.fm/ Special Guest: Steve Kaplan.

“This job will change you. You won’t look at life the same. We see people at their worst. But we also see people at their best.” Andrea Layne is a battalion chief with Ada County Paramedics in Idaho. After 30 years as a first responder, Andrea is retiring in April. Special Guest: Andrea Layne.

Two years after Kevin Hines was diagnosed with bipolar disorder (19 years of age), he attempted to take his life by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. The fall would break his body, but not his spirit. Today, Kevin is a brain/mental health advocate, award-winning global speaker, bestselling author and documentary filmmaker who reaches audiences with his story of an unlikely survival and his strong will to live. During our conversation, we focus on the last few years of his journey, traveling to high school auditoriums, military bases, health care facilities, and national news outlets to share his story and start a conversation about suicide prevention and mental health. I ask Kevin why his story resonates with so many people. I ask him to share insights and experiences with the unique communities he interacts with and what the media, government officials, and health care professionals can do to help prevent suicides. Connect with Kevin Hines http://www.kevinhinesstory.com/ The Carleena Show features in-depth conversations with guests from around the world. Host Carleena Angwin is a writer, public health professional, and former Peace Corps Volunteer based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. https://carleena.fireside.fm/ The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK [8255]) is a United States-based suicide prevention network of 161 crisis centers that provides a 24/7, toll-free hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Special Guest: Kevin Hines.

Christopher-Charles Chaney spent years caring for his mother, Mama Peaches, who passed in 2016 after suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. It was his love and struggles as a former caregiver that inspired him to journal his experiences on Facebook in 2015 and write his first award-winning caregiving book, Mama Peaches and Me: Wit and Wisdom for Worn-out Caregivers. Connect with Christopher-Charles Chaney https://www.chaneyspeaks.com/home Special Guest: Christopher-Charles Chaney.