Learn 2 Listen

  On this live audience recording of Learn 2 Listen, we team up with Big Brothers Big Sisters as well as Mike Leonard and Bud Boughton of ERPro Plus to talk about mentorship, listening to your mentee, and impacting the next generation by sharing life experiences. In this episode, we specifically talk about the importance of mentorship, the potential mentorship can have on an individual or a group, lessons learned through the years of raising kids and mentoring others, how to sift through uncertainties and insecurities as a mentor, and how to take the first step in becoming a mentor. This episode was recorded in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana. If you'd like to get involved and volunteer, please fill out this form ! Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcast

  Colton Haymon, Solutions Architect Manager at Range21 and Co-Founder of ColMonet, a feel-good lifestyle brand, joins us this week on Learn 2 Listen to chat about life. Specifically, we chat through not fitting in growing up and how that influenced our lives now, quickly being able to identify your own people, how we think we stand out, having friends that bring you out of your shell, investing in friendships, protecting your time, and starting your own brand. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcast

  On this episode of Learn 2 Listen we’re joined by Allison Allyn, MA LICSW, a licensed social worker in the state of Massachusetts and Co-Founder of Ehrhart Singer Therapy Group. We chat through Justin Suia’s podcast Losing Control with Dr. Colleen Hacker, what is the relationship between leadership, vulnerability, and confidence looks like, the connotation of vulnerability and weakness, identity and the self, and much more! Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcast

  On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, Olivia West is a Brand Marketer & Global Launch Readiness Associate at Eli Lilly as well as founder and owner of The Speaking Company. She is an avid cyclist as well as a DEI advocate. On this episode we chat about Olivia’s past of showing horses and her journey in starting cycling, how cycling has become a point of pride for her, knocking down barriers that could stand in one’s way, and what impact Olivia would like to have on the Indianapolis community. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcast

  On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Mario Leavell, Sales Representative at Stryker Surgical Technologies and VP of Evansville Bicycle Club. On this episode we discuss when Mario started cycling, why cycling and maintaining your physical and mental health is important to him, lesson learns from cycling, balancing work and working out, the inclusive nature of cycling (it welcomes all shapes and sizes), the community engagement cycling brings to riders, the impact community cycling can have, and so much more. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcast

  On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Armando Sanchez, Notre Dame Alumni (2020), Orr Fellow Alumni (2020), and Product Manager at Multiply. We chat through; Being each other’s accountability partner Personal and professional development What we wish we knew about transitioning into the workforce What expectations vs reality look like in the workforce Navigating being a first-generation college student and graduate Completing mindset training & the power of your subconscious Mindless timelessness & dopamine detoxing Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcast

Today we are joined by Sarah Kolczak, current Orr Fellow and Co-Founder of Soul & Flow, a wellness experience and community to connect deeper to our higher selves through mind, body, soul, & flow. We chat about Sarah’s experience growing up as a performer. We also talk about Sarah’s background as a ballerina and the sometimes toxic culture that surrounds the world of dance. We also chat about what it’s like to workout looking into a mirror in a tight uniform and what that can do to one’s body image. We related to so many things and I didn’t even know of Sarah’s past of ballet or how deep it ran. Then Sarah walks through how she left her dancing career and started focusing on her yoga practice and becoming certified. Eventually, her love of yoga turned into her co-founding the Soul and Flow wellness experience. I was blown away and so impressed by this conversation and I hope you will be too!  Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcast

  Leeann Passaro is Chief Operating Officer at The Hidden Opponent, an advocacy group that raises awareness for Student-Athlete Mental Health to address the stigma in sports. Not only is Leeann passionate about her non-profit work but she is also a high school English teacher and soccer and lacrosse coach. Leeann vulnerably shares her story about her relationship with soccer, her coach and team, and her history of concussions. We bond and elaborate about the guild and uncertainty that surrounds injury in sport. We give our two cents about the fear and manifestation of symptoms that surround injury and why it creates a web of pressure and confusion. Leeanne discusses her reframing of a very difficult situation where she wasn’t asked to return to soccer her senior year where she was forced to transition out of sport a year earlier than she thought she would.  Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcast

Ever since I was in junior high, I’ve been bullied. It wasn’t that bad until I got to college in Valparaiso, Indiana. That’s when it started to become hell. By the start of my third year in September 2010, the bullying turned into cyberbullying. I would get calls from restricted numbers telling me just how worthless I was. I also was getting sexual references scrawled on my whiteboard. The more I tried to get help, the more I was ignored. This led me to get severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and contemplating suicide as a result. I was also taking way more credits than I could handle as well. This led to my grades suffering and being suspended for all of 2011. The reason I didn’t end it all is that I found an angel in disguise who became my best friend. When I finally graduated in December 2014, I made sure to send her an invitation. What I wasn’t expecting was a card telling me how proud she was for not giving up. To anyone who is being bullied, you aren’t alone. I’m here for you. ...

In my 24 years, I have witnessed firsthand how mental health struggles can debilitate one’s life. For me, most of my story illustrates how mental health and addiction have the ability to completely crush someone, while simultaneously reverberating its devastating effects to those around that person. The story does not have an ending because the battle with mental health struggles is an ongoing journey that some people must navigate day by day. Rather, the story sheds light on the ways in which mental health education plays a pivotal role in the type of love and support one can provide to those suffering. My brother and I are one year apart, so growing up, we were very close. We were given the same opportunities and tools to succeed. We went to the same middle school and both graduated with high honors; we were fortunate enough to attend prestigious high schools and graduate at the top of our classes. Once I left for college, I was beginning to see a change in my brother. In his senior ...

Hello everyone! I am so excited to be able to share my story with all of you! I just read a few incredible stories that some of you were brave enough to share, and my story is nothing like any of yours! However, I still want to write about it, for my sake as well as everyone else's who struggle in silence every day, too ashamed to openly talk about how we feel. I think I started becoming depressed my senior year of high school, but it was a vague feeling, and I did not really think much about it. I made it through freshman year of college without any issues, and after thinking that freshman year was WAY EASIER than I had anticipated, three more years seemed like it would be a piece of cake! I was SO WRONG!!! It was only a few days after I wrapped up classes that I started feeling extremely suicidal. I was on a trip with a few other members of my family and a close friend of ours to visit her daughter in another state when all of these really dark thoughts crept into my brain. I had...

I'd like to express my heart when it comes to vulnerability... A topic that few people address and many run from or do their best to hide behind. Whether it's personal experiences, or childhood traumatic experiences, it's difficult to be vulnerable. One must take that look into a mirror that reflects their life. And it's a stare that reflects back that can be unkind to most. In my past, I've had to overcome abuse, parental divorce, abandonment, low self-esteem, and anger. It took years of heartache and pain to overcome those internal thoughts; "it must be my fault". So my fight, my battle, my struggle has cost me valuable years of my life. It landed me in prison and had me in a place in my life where my heart was full of apathy. I struggled with depression for years and it took a praying mother and therapeutic counseling from someone who believed that my worst wasn't a reflection of my best for me to get better. And I haven't looked back since... M...

This is a story of a family member of mine. It's a roller coaster ride and journey. He grew up with both parents, mom was a stay-at-home mom and dad was the provider for the family, yes his dad was strict and mom was lenient. They weren't rich but they didn't need anything, but that all changed when his father was deported back to Belize. He was 11 years old and hurt. So he kept playing football and going to school as his dad wished. Times got really hard and his mom later met someone new and had two more children, 5 boys altogether. But his mom was also being beaten up by the new guy. Years down the line his mom got up enough courage to move on from the abuse, but my family member never let it go. It really hurt and angered him to see his mom being treated this way. His dad never did these things to his mom. My family member ended up graduating high school with a scholarship to play football, he ended up having two beautiful daughters but made a mistake later on down the l...

Growing up in a stereotypical suburb with the most amazing family, I was very protected. I never felt any type of intense emotions of sadness or hopelessness, and I thought that was just how life was supposed to be: involving no emotion besides happiness. I would always see quotes saying how it’s okay to not be okay or all emotions are valid, and although they made logical sense, I couldn’t relate because I never saw a reason in life to be sad for no reason. I would hear about depression and anxiety and feel bad for those people, but I really could not truly understand what made people feel this way if there was no direct cause. My “perfect” life really bounded me to see only one way of living which I thought was the norm. I was a competitive swimmer, I excelled in school, I had great friends and family, so I didn’t really think I was permitted to feel sad or depressed since I had this incredible life. Fall of 2017, I began my freshman year at The University of Notre Dame. This has bee...

Hello, let me start off by introducing myself so you can get to know me before you read about my story. My name is Sydnee, I’m originally from Vancouver, BC, but have moved to Edmonton to better my mental health and have a better living environment overall. You may be questioning this… Edmonton, AB, the place where it's flat and is always cold. Yes, I have found a better support group/ family support here and the living expenses have provided me with a better environment and leave me with more savings in my pocket at the end of the day. Vancouver is beautiful and I recommend anyone I meet to go there, but the downfall is how expensive it can and especially for a single individual in their 20’s… I created ‘the sociable’ as my way of helping others heal their mental health or even although to feel like they aren’t alone because we’ve all experienced mental health in our own way and it's very important to continue bringing more awareness to this. I want to share my story, let alon...

Age 2 was the first time I exhibited signs of what would eventually be diagnosed as Trichotillomania (A hair pulling obsessive-compulsive disorder). Only I predominantly just pulled from my eyelashes. It was a condition nobody understood but one that I learned to accept as years went by. At age 5 my parents separated & my mum began a relationship with a man who we quickly discovered was a violent, abusive alcoholic. Horrific abuse ensued & that’s when I started showing signs of another condition called Dermatillomania (A skin picking obsessive-compulsive disorder). I was pretty withdrawn growing up but hid what was going on behind closed doors exceptionally well. Aged 14 we finally were able to break free from the environment we were in & I lead what I’d call a fairly normal life until I reached age 20 & my mum passed away. This began a dark spiral of events. Suddenly everything I had kept secret from my childhood came flooding back & I felt feelings I had never exp...

Brianna Leverenz is a former swimmer for The University of Tennessee Knoxville where she graduated with a degree in kinesiology in 2019. While at school, Brianna was extremely involved in sports philanthropy where she spent 3 months in the Philippines teaching children how to swim. Brianna and Mariah met through their mutual interest in sports philanthropy as Brianna continues to serve and inspire those around her. She now works for Stanford as a clinical researcher to fulfill her amazing and demanding work. schedule. Join us as we chat about Brianna's journey during her four years as a student, athlete, and leader. She bravely and honestly shares her vulnerabilities and advice with us as well as some female empowerment! Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcast

  Hi my name is Bethan I’m 21 from Chester and I’m the founder and owner of Brave Beauty! I'm willing to share a little brief story about myself and some experiences I’ve had as a reminder that help is out there and ‘it’s ok not to be ok' and accept help. I have been living with mental health issues myself for about 5 years but I have only been receiving professional help the last year and a half. It took 4 long years for me to realize something was wrong as I was always the giver, the people pleaser, the one that makes everybody laugh which makes me happy. I started to realize it was less and less easy to stay happy and a lot easier to be sad all the time. I was frustrated I couldn’t work out why I was feeling this way and I felt silly talking about it as people would say “what do you have to be sad about”, “you’re never like this”, “come on cheer up” just like it was that easy... I had a lot of past relationship issues with my child’s father which I won't go into detail a...

Father Pete McCormick is Notre Dame’s director of campus ministry, chaplain of the men’s basketball team, and previous rector of Keogh Hall. Father Pete joins Learn 2 Listen to chat about what it is like being a leader in the Notre Dame community and provides us with endless advice about traversing moments of self-doubt and uncertainty. He encourages us to take a leap of faith and to embrace not having all the answers all of the time. Learn more about Fa ther Pete and his story as we listen along! Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcast

  I have always been someone that gets really attached to people. I have jumped from person to person, but truly also had great friendships and whatnot in the process. Clearly, I love attention so having had new people to constantly surround myself with is fun. On the other hand, though I have also learned very well how it feels to be constantly let down, over and over again. More recently over quarantine, I have also felt what it is like to have a delayed realization of a need to “heal” I guess. College has been fun but also very difficult. The one thing that really shook me at my core, however, was losing the trust of someone who was one of my best friends. At the beginning of one of my college years, I was raped by this person who, at the time, was a great friend of mine and who seemed to really care about me. I was devastated that someone I trusted could do that to another human, especially me (because you never think it will happen to you!). I really suffered later, but right ...