Hey there, and welcome to Real Talk with Gen Z, a new podcast mini-series. This is a conversation show. Members of Gen Z talk with experts in mental health. They discuss the unique experiences of our generation and explore crucial mental health topics.

According to a report from Harvard's Graduate School of Education, 36% of all Americans, including 61% of young adults, feel serious loneliness. The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated social isolation has exacerbated loneliness and its impact on the mental health of some young adults.   

In this episode of Real Talk with Gen Z our co-hosts Leah Hughes and Dillon Maheshwari are joined by Dr. Melissa Miller, a licensed psychologist leading Clinical Quality and Excellence at Vita Health, to share their real-life experiences of managing loneliness and isolation during COVID, how to build connection with others, and seek support for mental health needs. 

Host and guest bios below:

Dr. Melissa Miller:

Melissa Miller, PhD, is a licensed psychologist with 15 years of experience working across medical center, private practice, and telehealth settings. She currently leads Clinical Quality and Excellence at Vita Health. Melissa's area of clinical expertise is in the treatment of anxiety, trauma, and adjustment struggles in teen and young adults. Her clinical approach is grounded in evidence-based treatments that are proven to work and provided within the context of a warm, accepting, and respectful therapeutic space. Melissa is passionate about ending the stigma associated with mental health. She believes strongly that no one should go through difficult times alone, and she considers it a tremendous privilege to help others in their time of need.

Leah Hughes:

Leah Hughes is the 16-year-old daughter of Dr. Sonja Hughes and Mr. Willie Hughes of Oklahoma City who promotes a social impact initiative (Role) Model Behavior focused on motivating others to find their passion, use their voice, and take action for volunteerism.  Turning privilege into purpose, Leah has been a role model to youth as the creator of the annual Fostering Fashion Show which leverages her love for fashion and her passion for helping foster youth in a runway event to raise funds for Citizens Caring for Children and Cut It Forward, two Oklahoma organizations that support foster families.  To date, Leah has raised nearly $5,000 and served over 700 service hours in her desire to be a role model for youth.  Most recently, Leah was named the 2022 Oklahoma City Teen of Impact by the American Heart Association.  Leah has been on the Headmaster’s List for all academic reporting periods, and she is a member of the Varsity Pom team.  Leah enjoys playing competitive volleyball, singing, and helping with Children’s Church.  After graduating from high school, Leah plans to study business management before pursuing a career in the fashion industry.

Dillon Maheshwari: 

Dillon Maheshwari lives near San Francisco, California and is a 2022 graduate of Livermore High School. Dillon was the valedictorian of his graduating class and enjoys sports and fitness, both of which have played a huge role in his path and journey to social wellbeing. Dillan ran track, cross country, and played basketball all 4 years while at Livermore High School. Dillon will be attending UCLA in the fall with a major in data theory. 

Hey there, and welcome to Real Talk with Gen Z, a new podcast mini-series. This is a conversation show. Members of Gen Z talk with experts in mental health. They discuss the unique experiences of our generation and explore crucial mental health topics.

During the pandemic, over one-third of teens reported experiencing racism and the rates were highest among Asian (63.9%), Black (55.2%), and multiracial students (54.5%).

These experiences of racism can lead to poor concentration, memory issues, and feelings of isolation, among other things.

In this episode of Real Talk with Gen Z our co-hosts Simone Counts and Daniel Kim are joined by Dr. Sofia B. Pertuz, a senior advisor for the JED Foundation, to share their real-life experiences and discuss the impacts of race on mental health.

Host and Guest bios below:

Dr. Sofia B. Pertuz is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professional with over 25 years of experience leading strategic planning, assessment, and critical incident management for higher education, nonprofit and corporate organizations. Sofia is a senior advisor for JED, having previously served as JED’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Sofia is currently Managing Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Billie Jean King Enterprises and founder of Mainstream Insight LLC, leading organizations towards inclusive excellence. Sofia has presented keynotes and training workshops to international audiences on topics in culturally responsive mental health support, change management, social justice, racial equity, and LGBTQ advocacy, in both English and Spanish. Sofia has a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication from SUNY New Paltz and earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, Management, and Policy from Seton Hall University. Sofia also holds a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion for HR from Cornell University and is a Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).

Simone Counts is 25-year-old young professional and a mental health advocate who is passionate about achieving health equity, improving health outcomes and serving her community. In 2018, she graduated from Howard University with a degree in Health Management. She is an associate in the Leadership Development Program at CVS Health where she co-founded the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee. During her first rotation she supported the Aetna Mental-Wellbeing Strategic Initiatives team which influenced her to start a personal mental health blog called Everything Counts. Following her first rotation she supported the Aetna NY Medicaid Business Operations team and currently she supports CVS Health’s Workforce Initiatives Business Development & Special Projects team. In her current role she works to develop customized training & development programming to prepare people, especially those in disenfranchised communities for the workforce. The programs help break down some of the barriers people face when transitioning into employment. In her free time she loves to travel, be surrounded by friends and family and be active. 

Daniel Kim (He/Him) is a University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill graduate with a bachelor's degree in Public Policy Analysis and minors in Statistics & Analytics and Chemistry (May 2021). He interned as a project manager with CVS Health and is now working with strategic insights for Aetna Mental Wellbeing, Behavioral Health. He's an active member of the UNC community serving as a research consultant for cardiovascular disease in North Carolina and is passionate about mental health, technology, graphic design, and E-commerce.

Hey there, and welcome to Real Talk with Gen Z, a new podcast mini-series. This is a conversation show. Members of Gen Z talk with experts in mental health. They discuss the unique experiences of our generation and explore crucial mental health topics. 

Today’s episode is all about LGBTQ+ mental health, but it’s made for everybody, whether you’re an ally or a member of that community. And if you’re an LGBTQ+ teen, you probably know the pandemic has been especially hard. LGBTQ+ teens have consistently reported declining mental health, higher rates of suicidality, and less connection to others at school. This episode is here to help you or the LGBTQ+ people in your life get through these strange times and find a way to thrive.

In this episode of Real Talk with Gen Z our co-hosts Carolyn Scully and Cicada Fernandez-Turner are joined by Chris Bright, the Director of Public Training at The Trevor Project to talk about how mental health intersects with LGBTQ+ identities.

Real Talk with Gen Z is produced by Psych Hub, and made possible by Aetna, a CVS Health Company. 

Hosts and Guest bios below:

Host: Cicada Fernandez Turner (they/them) is a 21-year-old nonbinary/trans artist and LGBT+ advocate. They have spent the last several years learning and teaching about the community wherever they can. They volunteered with GLSEN for over 4 years as an educator and worked to help build safe online spaces for LGBTQ+ youth through their own platforms on social media and through CenterLink and Q-Chat space. Passionate about their art, they’ve been featured in local galleries and they spend most of their free time painting, drawing, writing and playing music, and of course, taking pictures of their dogs. 

Host: Carolyn Scully (She/Her) is a 23-year-old lesbian woman, young professional and LGBTQ+ advocate. Carolyn currently works in a Leadership Development Program at CVS Health focusing specifically on suicide prevention and strategic community partnerships. Since joining CVS Health in 2021, she has been a member of the PRIDE+ Colleague Resource Group and now serves on the National Leadership Team. In her free time, she enjoys going to Orange Theory Fitness classes, cooking with her girlfriend, and listening to endless Taylor Swift.

Guest: Chris Bright (she/her) is the Director of Public Training at The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth. Each year they provide life-saving and life-affirming training for youth serving professionals and adults. This year marks Chris' seventh year with the organization and they are currently working to bring Trevor's Lifeguard Workshop into the future with a new cutting edge video series aimed at peer to peer support and general education around mental health and suicide prevention. This series will allow high school and college age folks to better support themselves and others. In addition, Chris educates corporations, municipalities, and organizations on LGBTQ competent suicide prevention, active allyship, and creating inclusive, intersectional environments supportive of LGBTQ people. Chris identifies as Trans and resides in Burbank, CA with her husband, Seth and her dog, Asher. In her spare time she enjoys theater, theme parks and building large-scale LEGO sets.

Every other Thursday, Psych Hub invites you into a conversation on mental wellness for Gen Z, by Gen Z. How do we deal with lasting loneliness and isolation post-COVID? How do we address anxiety around returning to in-person school and work? What is unique about LGBTQ+ and BIPOC mental health? What do allies need to know about our friends', classmates', and colleagues' mental health?