Mind Wide Open

Mewael Habtai is an aspiring actor, writer, and entrepreneur  and student at UCLA. He is active on Tik-Tok with over 100k followers. He is an aspiring screenwriter and poet as well as being a DJ. Julia Kong is a Los Angeles based, Burmese-Chinese actress, model, and artist. Her self-expression is dedicated to healing, empathy, and providing a safe space on the internet for vulnerability. Social: @juliaakongDaniel Nzanga (Matondo) is a rapper, DJ, and graphic designer from Seattle, Washington. IG and Twitter: @youngmatondoFlora Medina is studying fashion design and merchandising at Drexel University. She is a survivor of suicidal ideation and self-harm and is passionate about mental health and helping others who share similar experiences. She hopes to combine her love for photography and design with her passion for socio-economic equality and liberation. IG: @theflomedinaTyra Popovich is a student, musician, and visual artist at Pitzer College and is passionate about increasing access to arts education for low-income communities of color. Mental illness has significantly impacted her family and she is eager to have and participate in open conversations around mental health. Instagram: @tnicpoNathan Nzanga was born and raised in Seattle and is a first-generation Congolese-American. storyteller with a whole lot of love to share. Recognizing the power in his pen, Nathan is a storyteller with "a whole lot of love to share". Nzanga speaks of universal truth taking his audience on an invigorating ride reflective of his journey through life's ups and downs. Sonically, Nathan wears all of his musical influences on his sleeve, blending hip-hop with elements of folk, R&B, soul, gospel, and musical theatre. Nathan Nzanga is a multi genre artist referring to himself as a SoulPop Storyteller. www.nzangamusic.com

Female founded by Brittany Snow and Jaspre Guest, September Letters launched in September 2020. They wanted to create a platform that not only raised mental health awareness but provided support for those in need through the power of letter writing.ᐧBrittany Snow is an actor, director and has been an activist in the mental health space for over a decade. Jaspre Guest is the founder and CEO of Noise 784 a PR / branding agency and Happy Noise a good vibes brand. Brittany and Jaspre became friends over their shared passion for breaking the stigma with mental health and their love for their dogs.Website: https://septemberletters.com/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/SeptemberLetters/_created/Instagram: @septemberlettersBrittany Snow, Co-Founder September Letters, Actor and Director Brittany Snow's Instagram: @brittanysnowJaspre Guest, Co-Founder September Letters,  Founder and CEO of Noise 784 & Happy Noise Jaspre Guest's Instagram: @jaspre

Mason Spector is a 26-year-old Los Angeles native and co-founder of the clothing company Madhappy. Madhappy's mission is driven by creating impactful products and experiences that make people feel optimistic and drive conversations around mental health. What started as his mom hand-sewing stitches onto sweatshirts in her home, turned into a new age brand, merging clothing with real causes. Mason has dedicated his career to bringing awareness around mental health and expanding the platforms on which it is discussed. After struggling with addiction,  Mason is now over 2 years sober and an advocate in the addiction recovery community. He is a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2020, a proud college dropout, and a certified life coach in addition to his work on Madhappy and the Local Optimist.

Matt Pinfield grew up loving all things radio which led to visits to the local AM station WCTC in New Brunswick at the age of ten, where he would sit in with the patient and supportive night jock, giving him the chance to learn everything he could about being a DJ and being on the radio. When Matt turned sixteen, he had his first chance to do a real live radio show on the Rutgers University radio station WRSU, where he would later become promotions director and music director. He also did summer shows on Princeton University's WPRB in the early '80s. Now with real on-air experience, Matt looked to the next level, which was getting a job at a commercial radio station.Matt got that chance in 1984, as a weekend/overnights/fill-in jock at WHTG- FM in Asbury Park NJ in 1984. He embraced the opportunity he had been given, and soon enough he secured a regular midday slot, quickly followed by the coveted afternoon drive. Matt's reputation as the most knowledgeable and respected music personality at the station led to a dramatic increase in listenership and helped put WHTG on the national map as one of the first alternative music stations anywhere, leading to the worldwide alternative music revolution to come in the early 90s.His next promotion took him to the position of Music Director at WHTG. During his tenure, his talent and personality were recognized by his peers and he was awarded the Gavin Award for Commercial Alternative Music Director of the Year back to back in '92 and '93, the first time anyone who was not in a major market had won the award. In early 1994, he was promoted to Program Director at WHTG.With his talent, personality and unmatched enthusiasm for music now making waves on a national level, he was approached by MTV, and they quickly recognized Matt was the right person to join their global brand. In ‘93, Matt did his first on-air MTV hosting on the show “120 Minutes” as a fill- in. Although he didn't get hired as the permanent host at that time, it was clear that this would be inevitable when a permanent slot opened up. No one knew the alternative music scene more thoroughly, or was respected more by the artists.In January of '95, Matt was named Manager of Music Programming for MTV, and was one of the committee of 10 who picked and programmed the videos and created specials for the channel in one of their most influential periods. Just months later, Matt was asked to start hosting “120 Minutes”, the cutting edge alternative music program on MTV.Due to his vast musical knowledge and relatable delivery, MTV research soon showed he was MTV's most loved and respected VJ. This quickly led to a dramatic expansion of his on-air responsibilities to include over the next 5 years over 15 regular shows, over 100 specials, and used his style as the template for the original MTV2 (M2), where he became that channel's first VJ.In the spring of '96. Howard Stern suggested that WXRK in New York City flip format from Classic to Modern Rock and asked them to hire Matt.Although they wanted him to do afternoon drive, because of his growing MTV schedule, he ended up doing a 4-hour free form New Music/Classic show called “The Buzz” which ran until the station changed format in the mid-2000s. Pinfield continued to do the show when he left MTV to move to LA in 2000 to broadcast from K-ROCK LA's studios. Matt's move to LA was to host and write the USA network TV show “Farmclub.com” which was on TV from 2000-2001 where A-list artists played live alongside unknowns who uploaded their music to the show's website. Interscope CEO and show creator Jimmy Iovine said, “it was a great show and idea…think Myspace and Facebook but way ahead of its time, when no one had broadband.”When the show finished, Matt moved back to NYC and was named Vice President of A&R and Artist Development for Rock at Columbia Records where he signed and oversaw the making of many gold and platinum recordsbetween 2001-2006.Matt continued hosting “The Buzz” on WXRK, New York, and was then hired to do the first weekly music interview show in HD by Marc Cuban for HDNET. “Sound Off With Matt Pinfield” lasted 4 seasons and featured interviews with artists from every music genre-Rock, Pop, Country, Hip-Hop, Jazz, andR&B.In May of 2008, Matt started doing morning drive for WRXP in NYC, a new station that fused modern and classic rock and remained with the station until it changed ownership and format in June 2011. In July 2011, MTV brought back Matt's signature show and changed the name to “MTV2's 120 Minutes With Matt Pinfield”. The show's return met with praise from over 250 publications and websites including The NY Times, The LA Times, Entertainment Weekly and Hollywood Reporter. The show aired weekly on Fridays.Matt has continued to host radio shows and specials for SiriusXM since 2003 on the Lithium, First Wave, Left Of Center (now SiriusXMU), and Volume channels. In 2014,
he was elected to the Board of Governors of the Recording Academy and Grammys where he worked to help pass legislation on artists' songwriting and performance fair royalties compensation. He remained on the board until he moved to San Francisco to do the morning show on legendary rock station KFOG during 2016-17.Matt is the host of the classic rock history syndicated weekend radio show “Flashback” for Cumulus Radio Networks which airs on over 200 stations in the U.S. and Canada including KLOS in Los Angeles and KSAN in San Francisco. He also produces “The Hivecast with Matt Pinfield” which is a free podcast through iTunes and MTVHIVE.COM. Matt started a live streaming show to benefit MusiCares for the COVID-19 pandemic, called “In A Lonely Place with Matt Pinfield” featuring conversations with artists as diverse as Foster The People and Yungblud.Allison Hagendorf is the Global Head of Rock at Spotify, host of the brand new show on Spotify called Rock This, with Allison Hagendorf as well as a national television host/live announcer and music journalist. She is the official host of the world's most famous New Year's Eve celebration, Times Square New Year's Eve, seen by more than a billion television viewers across the globe. Allison also serves as the Live Announcer for both the MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Movie Awards, and is the host of Refinery29's “Be A Badass” series, The CrossFit Games Live Show, and The X Games Live on ABC and ESPN.Allison began her entertainment career in A&R at Sony Music's Columbia Records and Epic Records. She recruited new talent globally, and oversaw the album production for many artists including metal band, Lamb of God, whose single “Redneck” received a Grammy nomination for “Best Metal Performance.”Hagendorf then transitioned from working with bands in the studio to interviewing them on-camera. She hosted the live primetime music competition show on The CW Network, “The Next,” which was executive produced by hip-hop icon Queen Latifah, and featured superstar mentors: Gloria Estefan, Joe Jonas, Nelly, and John Rich. Allison also became the main host on Fuse, hosting numerous shows including “Top 20 Countdown” and “Grammys Live,” and traveled with Fuse across the country covering national music festivals such as Bonnaroo, Warped Tour, SXSW Music Festival, and Lollapalooza.She also hosted the first-ever live television broadcast of both The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and The Stagecoach Festival for AXS TV and co-hosted “Music Fridays” with supermodel, Chrissy Teigen, on MSG Network. Additionally, Allison has hosted a variety of shows on both VH1 and The Cooking Channel.Allison is also a health/wellness coach who has inspired thousands in her dual role as rock n roll expert and health advocate. She ascribes to positivity, knowing yourself, exercise, self-care, and emotional intelligence.She is the mother to son, Cole Hendrix, just six months old and married to health advocate, Brian Jaffe. They make their home in Los Angeles. 

Susan Silver is an American music manager, best known for guiding the successful careers of rock bands Soundgarden (1986-2010), Alice in Chains (1988 - present) and numerous other incredible artists. She is the owner of Silver Management and co-owns the legendary Seattle club, The Crocodile. Susan is the proud mother of college student, Lily Jean Cornell-Silver, and is an honored member of an extended family of Seattle-based musicians, colleagues, and friends with whom she has worked for over four decades. Today, Silver's time and energy are also focused on providing connection and support to young, local artists and non-profit organizations that bring health services and art opportunities to youth and women. These include: ArtsCorps, The Residency Project, The Vera Project, Road Recovery, YouthCare, Every Mother Counts, Mary's Place and Hedgebrook. Her previous service work includes Board positions with One Reel, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, MusiCares, National Academy of Recording Artists and Sciences (NARAS), and the Seattle-based Westside School. Silver also continues to share her experiences as a music manager, business owner and promoter at industry conferences and community events around the country, including SXSW, Foundations Forum, Music West, Rockrgrl Conference, NW Area Music Association (NAMA), National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). In Nov 2019 she interviewed Gloria Steinem at the Paramount Theater. 

Dr. Christine Yu Moutier (pronounced You Moo-tee-ay) knows the impact of suicide firsthand. After losing colleagues to suicide, she dedicated herself to fighting this leading cause of death. A leader in the field of suicide prevention, Dr. Moutier joined AFSP in 2013 as Chief Medical Officer, and it's through her passion and commitment that we see a lasting impact via research, education and support to communities across the U.S.She has testified before the U.S. Congress and provided multiple Congressional briefings on suicide prevention, presented to the White House, spoken at the National Academy of Sciences, co-anchored CNN's Emmy Award winning Finding Hope suicide prevention town hall, and has appeared as an expert in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time magazine, The Economist, The Atlantic, the BBC, CNN, NBC, CBS and other print, radio and television outlets.Throughout her career she has focused on training healthcare leaders, physicians, and patient groups in order to change the culture surrounding mental health, fighting stigma and optimizing care for those suffering from mental health conditions. In addition to co-founding AFSP's San Diego Chapter, Moutier co-led a successful suicide prevention program for medical faculty, residents, and students, which featured AFSP's groundbreaking Interactive Screening Program.Since earning her medical degree and training in psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, Moutier has been a practicing psychiatrist, professor of psychiatry, dean in the UCSD medical school, and medical director of the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit at the VA Medical Center in La Jolla, treating diverse patient populations from Asian refugees to veterans to corporate and academic leaders. She also served as co-investigator for the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression study (STAR*D), a large National Institute of Mental Health trial on the treatment of refractory depression.Moutier has authored Suicide Prevention, a Stahl's series handbook, articles and book chapters for publications such as the Journal of the American Medical Association, the Lancet, Academic Medicine, the American Journal of Psychiatry, the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Depression and Anxiety, and Academic Psychiatry.You can follow Dr. Moutier on Twitter at @cmoutierMD. 

For the past 31 years, Los Angeles born and raised, Harold Owens has specialized in the field of addiction and recovery. In 1996 he became the Program Director for the Exodus Treatment Center in Marina Del Rey, CA where he worked extensively with clients from entertainment, law, and business in recovery.  Mr. Owens has served as a consultant for the State of California's Impaired Physicians Program, implementing substance abuse treatment strategies for physicians who were either mandated to or volunteered to undergo substance abuse treatment.Since 1999, he has been at the MusiCares Foundation, the charity arm of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (GRAMMY Organization). As senior director of the MusiCares/MAP Fund, he is responsible for the implementation of all aspects of its addiction recovery programs including treatment services, case management, and provider contracts. He is also a frequent moderator and panelist at a number of national music industry conferences that address the problems of addiction in the music and entertainment communities.In October 2001 and again in 2006, Harold received Official Commendations from Mayors' James Hahn and Antonio Villaraigosa for Outstanding Service in the Field of Addiction Recovery.Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Harold serves on the boards of a number of non-profit charity organizations including Miriam's House, The Promises Foundation, and most recently, Rwanda Rocks the first music school for children and teens in Kigali, capital of Rwanda.

Mitul Desai is Senior Advisor for Digital Innovation at Fountain House, a 70-year-old organization that pioneered a community-based mental illness recovery model now serving over 100,000 individuals around the world.  Mitul is also an active advisor and investor in the mental health tech space.  Prior to Fountain House, he spent five years at a global payments technology firm, leading cross-functional teams across product management, data services, and digital strategy.  From 2010-2013, Mitul served in the Obama Administration as a Senior Advisor at the U.S. State Department, where he designed and built public-private partnerships. He began his career in the health care industry, first as a patent attorney at leading law firms and the pharmaceutical firm Merck, and later as a Wall Street analyst at the investment bank Piper Sandler.  Mitul has a B.A. in chemistry and philosophy from Rutgers University and a J.D. from the Boston University School of Law.  He is a member of the Schizophrenia International Research Society and serves on the Boards of NAMI-NYC and Firefly, CUNY's Public Health Innovation Accelerator.  

ALEXI PAPPAS is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, and Olympic athlete. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Runner's World, Women's Running, Sports Illustrated, The Atlantic, and Outside, among other publications, and she has been profiled in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, New York,
and Rolling Stone. Pappas co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in the feature film Tracktown with Rachel Dratch and Andy Buckley. Most recently, she co-wrote and starred alongside Nick Kroll in Olympic Dreams, the first non-documentary-style movie to ever be filmed at the Olympic Games. A Greek American, Pappas holds the Greek national record in the 10,000-meters and competed for Greece in the 2016 Olympics. She lives in Los Angeles, California. Dubbed a “renaissance runner” by the New York Times, Alexi Pappas competed (and broke records) for Greece in the 2016 Rio Olympics and was training for Tokyo when the pandemic hit. As a writer, she has built a supportive community on social media with her free-spirited persona and inspirational poems. She is also an actress and filmmaker, co-creating and starring in the films Tracktown (with Rachel Dratch and Andy Buckley) and Olympic Dreams (with Nick Kroll), the latter of which was filmed at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics as part of their Artists-in-Residency program and premiered at SXSW '19 with distribution from IFC Films. Pappas' latest artistic feat is an empowering, funny and fearless memoir-in essays: BRAVEY: Chasing Dreams, Befriending Pain, and Other Big Ideas (The Dial Press Hardcover; On Sale January 12). Pappas candidly opens up about what she has learned about confidence, self-reliance, and mental health, including her struggles with post-Olympic depression and how her mother's suicide when she was four-years-old altered the course of her life and set her on a journey to self-actualization. BRAVEY is filled with personal stories that span from Pappas' early search for female role models, to her ongoing fight to pursue both her athletic and creative dreams, to learning about motherhood from a chance meeting with Maya Rudolph, who wrote the foreword to the memoir. Pappas' charm and go-after-it attitude are evident throughout, as she reveals her honest and entertaining reflections on each touchstone moment and the valuable lessons she learned along the way—foremost among them, how to be brave.    

www.instagram.com/nadyariot/Musician, author, artist, and activist Nadya Tolokonnikova, is a Russian conceptual artist, musician and political activist. She is a founding member of the punk feminist music group Pussy Riot, who have a history of political activism.  Nadya was famously arrested with Pussy Riot for their protest performance at the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, after which she was jailed in harsh conditions for 22 months.  Nadya's prison letter exchange with Slavoj Zizek “Comradely Greetings” was published in 2013, and her most recent book Read & Riot: A Pussy Riot Guide to Activism was released in 2018. Both books are first person accounts of Nadya's ongoing activism. Pussy Riot's music and educational videos – www.youtube.com/c/wearepussyriotPussy Riot's clothing line – https://pussyriot.storeSupport Pussy Riot on Patreon! – www.patreon.com/pussyriotSubscribe to Nadya's Instagram – www.instagram.com/nadyariot/

Founder of Going with Grace, Death Doula, Ordained Minister, Recovering Lawyer, Perpetual Seeker of nothing to be found"Alua Arthur is a death doula, recovering attorney, and the founder of Going with Grace, an end-of-life planning and death doula training organization that exists to support people as they answer the question, “What must I do to be at peace with myself so that I may live presently and die gracefully?” Going with Grace works every day to improve and redefine the end-of-life experience for marginalized communities. Alua was a keynote speaker at EndWell 2019, and has been featured in the LA Times, Vogue, Refinery29, The Doctors, and InStyle. She is inspired by the gift of LIFE itself and is always on the quest for the best donuts!"Website: www.goingwithgrace.comInstagram: @going_with_graceEnd of Life Training Program

www.bullythemusic.comA very old saying goes that no one saves us but ourselves. Recognizing and breaking free from the patterns impeding our forward progress can be transformative — just ask Bully's Alicia Bognanno. Indeed, the third Bully album, SUGAREGG , may not ever have come to fruition had Bognanno not navigated every kind of upheaval imaginable and completely overhauled her working process along the way.“There was change that needed to happen and it happened on this record,” she says. “Derailing my ego and insecurities allowed me to give these songs the attention they deserved.”SUGAREGG roars from the speakers and jumpstarts both heart and mind. Like My Bloody Valentine after three double espressos, opener “Add It On” zooms heavenward within seconds, epitomizing Bognanno's newfound clarity of purpose, while the bass-driven melodies and propulsive beats of “Where to Start” and “Let You” are the musical equivalents of the sun piercing through a perpetually cloudy sky.On songs like the strident “Every Tradition” and “Not Ashamed,” Bognanno doesn't shy away from addressing “how I feel as a human holds up against what society expects or assumes of me as a woman, and what it feels like to naturally challenge those expectations.”But amongst the more dense topics, there's also a lightheartedness that was lacking on Bully's last album, 2017's Losing . Pointing to “Where to Start,” “You” and “Let You,” Bognanno says “there are more songs about erratic, dysfunctional love in an upbeat way, like, ‘I'm going down and that's the only way I want to go because the momentary joy is worth it.'”The artist admits that finding the proper treatment for bipolar 2 disorder radically altered her mindset, freeing her from a cycle of paranoia and insecurity about her work. “Being able to finally navigate that opened the door for me to write about it,” she says, pointing to the sweet, swirly “Like Fire” and slower, more contemplative songs such as “Prism” and “Come Down” as having been born of this new headspace. Even small changes like listening to music instead of the news first thing in the morning “made me want to write and bring that pleasure to other people.”An unexpected foray into the film world also helped set the table for Sugaregg when Bognanno was asked to write songs for the 2019 movie Her Smell , starring Elisabeth Moss as the frontwoman of the fictional rock band Something She. “It got me motivated to play music again after the last album,” she says. “I loved reading the script and trying to think, what music would the character write? People asked if I'd play those songs with Bully but the whole point was for them to not be Bully songs. It was nice to get my head out of my own ass for a second and work on a project for someone else,” she says with a laugh.A highly accomplished engineer who ran the boards herself on the first two Bully albums, Bognanno was ready to be free “from the weight of feeling like I had to prove to the world I was capable of engineering a record, and wanted to be content knowing for myself what I can do without needing the approval of others to validate that.”So for SUGAREGG , she yielded recording and mixing responsibilities to outside collaborators for the first time and trekked to the remote Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minn., an unexpected return to her home state. Behind the console was John Congleton, a Grammy-winner who has worked with everyone from St. Vincent and Sleater-Kinney to The War on Drugs and Modest Mouse. “Naturally, I still had reservations, but John was sensitive to where I was coming from,” Bognanno says. “He was very respectful that I'd never worked with a producer before.”The studio's rich history (classics such as Nirvana's In Utero, PJ Harvey's Rid of Me and Superchunk's Foolish were recorded there) and woodsy setting quickly put Bognanno's mind at ease. Being able to bring her dog Mezzi along for the trip didn't hurt either. “I had never tracked a record in the summer, so waking up and going outside with her before we started each day was a great way to refresh,” she says.SUGAREGG features additional contributions from longtime touring drummer Wesley Mitchell and bassist Zach Dawes, renowned for his work on recent albums by Sharon Van Etten and Lana Del Rey. Dawes and Bognanno met at Pachyderm to work on parts just two days before tracking, “but it ended up being so much less stressful than I had expected and I loved it,” she says. “Zach wanted to be there to help and make my vision happen.”With 14 songs on tape, Bognanno and friends left Pachyderm thinking SUGAREGG was done. But once back home in Nashville, she realized there was more to be written, and spent the next five months doing exactly that. Moving to Palace Studios in Toronto with Graham Walsh (Alvvays, METZ, !!!), Bognanno and Mitchell recorded “Where to Start” and “Let You,” which proved to be two of the new album's key tracks.Ultimately, SUGAREGG is a testament that profound change can yield profound results — in this case, the most expressive and powerful music of Bognanno's career. “This is me longing to see the bigger picture, motivated and eager for contentment in the best way,” she says. “I hope the happy go lucky / fuck-it-all attitude shines through some of these songs because I really did feel like I was reentering a place I hadn't been to in a while and was excited to be back there.”

IG @coachcarlaboxerTwitter @coachcarlaboxerCoach Carla Wilcox is a heart-centered coach that utilizes the art and practice of boxing to help clients tap into their unique greatness. She started her boxing career in 1996 and turned professional in 2000 and competed for the International Female Boxers Association (IFBA) World Flyweight Title in Seoul, Korea in 2003. Coach Carla is the founder of the Seattle Boxing Gym and presented at the TEDxRainier in Seattle in 2010. After an auto accident in 2011, she entered into a three-year rehabilitative sabbatical. The short film of her healing journey was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network's Super Soul Sunday in 2014.In 2016 she co-created HEARTBEAT X, and in 2019 appeared in Nate Gowdy's portrait and storytelling series, “The American Superhero Project”. She has been featured on NPR, New Day Northwest, Pacific Northwest Magazine, the Seattle Times and is certified in Lifestretch and Thai Yoga Stretch. Coach Carla's private client list includes musicians, artists, business and community leaders as well as families. She is a motivational speaker and has provided team-building sessions for leadership teams at Nike, Amazon, Hedgebrook, the Seattle Girls School, the Midwest Transplant Network, the Maniilaq Association of Northwest Alaska and Morgan Stanley.

fantasticnegrito.comWhen you listen to Fantastic Negrito, you're invited to hear the story of life after destruction. Each song is a real story about a musician from Oakland who experienced the highs of a million-dollar record deal, the lows of a near-fatal car accident that left him in a coma and is now in the midst of a rebirth that took him from the streets of Oakland to the world stage.The narrative of this man is as important as the sound because the narrative is the sound. Songs born from a long hard life channeled through black roots music. Slide guitar, drums, piano. Urgent, desperate, edgy.Negrito burst on to the national radar by winning the inaugural NPR Tiny Desk contest in 2015 and has since won Grammys for his first two albums: The Last Days of Oakland (2017) and Please Don't Be Dead (2019). His third album, Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?, arrived in the summer of 2020 and includes features from fellow Tiny Desk winner Tank (Tank and the Bangas) and Bay Area legend E-40.

“Don't Sleep On the Fourth Jonas Brother,” warns The Cut – and no truer words have ever been spoken. Frankie Jonas, the youngest of the Jonas family, has arrived in the eyes of Gen-Z. An influencer in his own right, his unfiltered personality has caught the attention of TikTokers worldwide, curating unhinged content for his 1.9 MILLION followers. A current Ivy League student of Columbia University, his sheer genius jumbled with his off-kilter sense of humor results in "nihilistic, chaotic, and entropic" videos, the 20-year-old explains, while also empowering viewers to be their true authentic self and embrace the weird parts in all their glory. Cutting through his unpredictable stunts, self-deprecating jokes, and everything NSFW in-between, Jonas at-heart is a master creator and ready to prove himself as such. With his eyes fixed to dominate both the fashion and entertainment industry, he's squashed his hesitation about being in the public eye and is quite arguably, “Now the Most Famous Jonas,” hails PAPER Magazine. With top-tier spotlights on the Zach Sang Show, TikTok's #ForYou Podcast with Brittany Broski, The Kelly Clarkson Show, E! News, and notably hosting TikTok's Labyrinth Runway Finale, “The Cult of Frankie Jonas” waits with bated breath to see what he'll do next.

David Kessler is the world's foremost expert on healing after loss. His experience with thousands of people on the edge of life and death has taught him the secrets to living a happy and fulfilled life, even after life's tragedies. He is the author of six books, including the new bestselling book, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. He co-authored two books with Elisabeth Kubler Ross, including On Grief and Grieving where he helped her adapt the 5 stages for grief. His first book, The Needs of The Dying received praise from Saint (Mother) Teresa.

David's personal experience as a child witnessing a mass shooting while his mother was dying in a hospital inspired him to begin his journey. For most of his life, David has taught physicians, nurses, counselors, police, and first responders about the end of life, trauma, and grief. However, despite his vast knowledge on grief, his life was turned upside down by the sudden death of his twenty-one-year-old son. It moved him to write his newest book, Finding Meaning.
He is the founder of www.grief.com where you can find free resources to help after loss. The new paperback edition of Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief was released this September and includes an afterword that addresses the pandemic and other current events.
In 2020, David's wisdom has gone viral. His interview with Brene Brown is the #1 Podcast in the world. The audio of Finding Meaning has been submitted by Simon and Schuster for consideration as a Best-Spoken Word GRAMMY nomination. 

Over 25 years in comedy, Gary Gulman has established himself as an eminent performer and peerless writer. His most recent standup special for HBO, “The Great Depresh,” is a universally acclaimed, tour de force look at mental illness, equal parts hilarious and inspiring. A product of Boston, Gulman has been a scholarship college football player, an accountant, and a high school teacher. He has made countless television appearances as both a comedian and an actor.He is currently writing a memoir for Flatiron Books, tentatively titled “K Through 12.”​Twitter @GaryGulman IG @GaryGulman 

David Kessler is the world's foremost expert on healing after loss. His experience with thousands of people on the edge of life and death has taught him the secrets to living a happy and fulfilled life, even after life's tragedies. He is the author of six books, including the new bestselling book, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. He co-authored two books with Elisabeth Kubler Ross, including On Grief and Grieving where he helped her adapt the 5 stages for grief. His first book, The Needs of The Dying received praise from Saint (Mother) Teresa.

David's personal experience as a child witnessing a mass shooting while his mother was dying in a hospital inspired him to begin his journey. For most of his life, David has taught physicians, nurses, counselors, police, and first responders about the end of life, trauma, and grief. However, despite his vast knowledge on grief, his life was turned upside down by the sudden death of his twenty-one-year-old son. It moved him to write his newest book, Finding Meaning.
He is the founder of www.grief.com where you can find free resources to help after loss. The new paperback edition of Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief was released this September and includes an afterword that addresses the pandemic and other current events.
In 2020, David's wisdom has gone viral. His interview with Brene Brown is the #1 Podcast in the world. The audio of Finding Meaning has been submitted by Simon and Schuster for consideration as a Best-Spoken Word GRAMMY nomination. 

Niobe Way, Ed. D., is Professor of Developmental Psychology and the founder of the Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity at New York University (PACH). She is also past President of the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) and co-director of the Center for Research on Culture, Development, and Education at NYU. Her work focuses on the intersections of culture, context, and human development, with a particular focus on social and emotional development and how cultural ideologies influence developmental trajectories. The Listening Project, her current project with Joseph Nelson, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, David Kirkland, and Alisha Ali, aims to foster curiosity and connection in and outside of middle school classrooms across New York City. In addition, she created and teaches a core course for undergraduates at NYU called The Science of Human Connection. The course describes her theoretical and empirical framework developed over three decades and discussed in her latest co-edited book The Crisis of Connection: Its Roots, Consequences, and Solution (NYU Press). Dr. Way has also authored nearly a hundred journal articles and books, including Deep Secrets: Boys' Friendships and the Crisis of Connection (Harvard University Press) and Everyday Courage: The Lives and Stories of Urban Teenagers (NYU Press). Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and numerous foundations including The National Science Foundation, The William T. Grant Foundation, The Einhorn Family Charitable Trust Foundation, and The Spencer Foundation. She is a contributor to Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and her research is regularly featured in mainstream media outlets (e.g., New York Times, NPR, Today Show, NBC). Examples include Two Cheers for Feminism!and Guys, We Have A Problem: How American Masculinity Creates Lonely Men. 

www.louisknightmusic.comLouis Knight is a British-born, Philadelphia-based pop singer-songwriter. With a writing style that reflects his raw emotion, Louis' music unabashedly speaks plainly about his own deeply personal experiences about love, loss, and hope.
Louis (pronounced “Louie”) knew early that he wanted to write and sing music. Louis has a close relationship with his father John Surie – a marketing executive. Louis attributes his musical ability as coming from his father John who fronted a band in London in the 70's and 80's. Both Louis and his father were featured prominently on American Idol during the 2020 season.
His first official single was released in July 2019. “Just Kiss Me” became an instant Summer anthem that garnered significant praise from listeners. Following the release of the music video, Popdust stated, “This music video marks the beginning of an era for Knight.”
Louis released his first EP, titled “Small Victories”, gained critical praise and validated his ability to connect with his audience.
From that EP, his song “Change” is regarded as his most influential song to-date. About “Change”, Philadelphia Weekly wrote “…it's a stunning example of Knight's ability to translate his emotions and experiences into meaningful pop songs for the masses.”Louis' philanthropic efforts include partnering with The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to help carry the message of hope to those that continue to suffer.

Rock ‘n' roll is a religion. It's a commitment to an ideal, a belief system. The lifestyle and trappings may appear to be glamorous and romantic, but the road isn't easy. It requires staying power and an enormous amount of faith. The Pretty Reckless—Taylor Momsen [Vocals], Ben Phillips [Guitar], Jamie Perkins [drums], and Mark Damon [bass]—are truly a rock and roll band. Embodying unwavering integrity and serving up uncompromising anthems, the Pretty Reckless's unbelievable twelve-year journey has quietly brought them from sweaty small gigs to successive number one hits, gold plaques, and some of the biggest stages in the world—unprecedented for a rock act this century. Formed in New York City during 2008, the musicians and late producer Kato Khandwala initially made waves with their 2010 debut, Light Me Up. After countless gigs, they lit a fuse to burn everything down on Going To Hell in 2014. Not only did the record crash the Top 5 of the Billboard Top 200, but it also ignited three #1 hits—the Platinum-certified “Heaven Knows” (the biggest rock song of 2014), “Fucked Up World,” and “Follow Me Down”—a feat that had not been accomplished by a female-fronted group since The Pretenders in 1984. Meanwhile, their third offering, Who You Selling For, saw them return to #1 on the Mainstream Rock Songs Chart with “Take Me Down,” which cemented them as “the first band to send its first four singles to #1 on the chart,” according to Billboard. Praise followed from Vogue, Nylon, and more as the quartet lit up television shows such as Letterman and Conan. With over half-a-billion streams, they headlined countless sold out shows and toured with Guns N' Roses and many other heavy hitters.However, 2017 set off a series of events that shook the group to its very core, yet ultimately cast their fourth full-length album and Fearless Records debut, in the kind of fire, tears and blood that doesn't ever wash off… “There was no way to hide from this,” exclaims Taylor. “There was no running from what happened. I didn't have to ‘write' it; it was just infused into what we're doing. As the story goes, The Pretty Reckless landed a prestigious tour in 2017, opening for Soundgarden in packed amphitheaters across the country. Then, following a rapturous gig in Detroit, Chris Cornell tragically took his life. The aftershocks reverberated throughout popular culture and left a scar on The Pretty Reckless. They retreated, cancelling most of their touring and disappeared from the public eye. It got even worse eleven months later, when The Pretty Reckless' muse, friend and longtime producer Kato, had died in a motorcycle crash. “It sent us into a downward spiral.” Ben reflects, “We fell apart. It turned into a world of depression and substance abuse. At that point, we had to try and figure out how to continue making music. It was either death or go forward.” So Taylor and Ben turned to writing songs to channel the emotional toll, and in late 2018, The Pretty Reckless returned to the studio to record. For the first time, Taylor and Ben co-produced with longtime friend Jonathan Wyman. And the results are inspiring on so many levels. The sessions took well over a year in the studio, and now, the band introduce the album with the track “Death By Rock and Roll.” The song starts hauntingly with a recording of Kato's footsteps leading to a bold bluesy riff that snakes through the distortion. The din subsides on a solo vocal as the frontwoman croons, “On my tombstone when I go, just put, ‘Death By Rock and Roll'.” Her howl takes hold in between the massive beat and fiery fretwork. The song quickly ascended to No. 1 on the rock charts, marking the band's fifth chart-topper to date. It's a feat that has not been achieved by any female-fronted rock act in the chart's history, turning “Death By Rock and Roll” into a true “moment” for The Pretty Reckless. The band and the song have been praised by CNN, Paper, Forbes, Consequence of Sound, MXDWN, Alternative Press, Revolver, Loudwire, and more. “It has our whole mentality in the lyrics,” she goes on. “It's not a morbid song. It's, ‘I'm going to live my way; I'm going out my way'. That's the rock and roll ethic. It's empowering.” Bringing the trip full circle, The Pretty Reckless joined forces with Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil for “Only Love Can Save Me Now.” Tracked at the legendary London Bridge Studio in Seattle, it marked the first time Matt and Kim recorded at the space since Soundgarden's Louder Than Love. Nearing the six-minute mark, it trudges through detuned bliss and an off-kilter time signature before Kim conjures a slippery psychedelic solo as Taylor admits, “I want to be saved from the sound,” over Matt's percussive wizardry. “Lyrically, it goes with the world now,” Taylor adds. “It references what we're all going through.” Elsewhere, Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello lends his axe to the rambunctious and raucous “And So It Went.” Then, there's “25.” Her gravelly timbre quakes above an ominous funereal march and echoes of strings. She screams, “At 25, all hope has died and the glass of my intentions turns to sand…shatters in my hand.” Meanwhile, “Got So High” bleeds into a heavenly stoned refrain as an acoustic guitar rings out. After the nostalgic “Rock and Roll Heaven,” the record sails off to Valhalla on “Harley Darling” ushered along by harmonica, the sound of an engine revving and a devilish dedication as she sings, “Oh, Harley darling, you took my friend, you took everything and now I'm alone again.” The Pretty Reckless sound more alive than ever… “We lived this” Ben leaves off. “Rock and roll means everything to us. Taylor sacrificed everything for this record. I think it shows.” “We stuck to our ethics,” she concludes. “We built this up over time. Either you throw it all away or go for it. It's cliché, but rock and roll saved our lives."    

@UrsulaWhiteside@NowMattersNowUrsula Whiteside is a suicide prevention researcher, co-developer of NowMattersNow.org, and one of the first psychologists to publicly disclose that she has experienced suicide ideation. She thinks that lots of people have suicidal thoughts and yet it does not define them – or limit what they can achieve #ZeroSuicide

She is, simply, one of the greatest voices in the history of rock n roll. Period. For the past 40 years, Ann Wilson has been lead singer for the rock band Heart (35 million records sold), thrilling audiences with her vocal power and her natural gift to wrap her voice around an emotion in a song and lay it at the listener's feet.  Ann carved out a place for women to dominate a rock stage, and her icon status was cemented when Heart was inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.  Ann's early fascination with blues-based music culminated when she discovered Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin.  She conquered his howls, his wails, and put her own female stamp on them. (In 2012, Ann would bring Robert Plant to tears at the Kennedy Center Honors as he watched her masterful performance of his classic “Stairway To Heaven”.) After touring the big stages of the world with Heart, Ann is eager to re-visit the bluesy fertile ground that gave rise to her one-of-a kind voice.  She can bring intimacy to the stage, breaking hearts along the way. And inevitably, she will repair them as she transforms the moment into an up-on-your-feet, Rock Party. Every audience walks away, with wobbling knees, knowing they have witnessed a legend in her prime.  

Raina Morris is a comedy writer from Portland, Oregon.Instagram: @quakerraina | Twitter: @quakerrainaKateel Barnett is an all-around artist from Seattle signed to Atlantic Records. Kateel has a project out now called Mind Over Matters.Billy Keogh is a model and also works in cloud security. He is a Seattle native with a passion for people and mental health.Tyson Andrews is a University of Washington graduate, a full-time nerd and a part-time model.Rae Hirschfeld-Smith is a photographer, multimedia artist, and third year student at Occidental College in Los Angeles. She enjoys being outdoors, cooking group meals, and most reality tv. Interested in the intersection between art, media, and urban space, she is creating her own major of Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies. Rae is passionate about utilizing creative means to push for a more equitable, just world.Mikaela Lipsky is a sophomore studying Science Management and Neuroscience. She is passionate about, and involved in the movements for, racial justice and women's reproductive rights. At her college, Mikaela is a sprinter for the track team, a Black Student Association member, and an enthusiastic addition to any weekend surf trip. 

Dr. Mike is a clinical psychologist, executive coach, and co-founder of Hardcore Humanism. He has over 30 years of experience in the study and practice of helping people with mental and physical health issues as well as personal and interpersonal growth. He attended the University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate, Yale University for his Ph.D. in clinical psychology, and Brown University for his clinical internship and post-doctoral fellowship. During that time, he was fortunate to learn a range of approaches to the understanding and modification of human experience, including humanistic, cognitive and behavioral models.Dr. Mike has co-authored several papers and book chapters on a range of issues in clinical psychology, has presented his work at both national and international conferences, and has conducted several workshops on the delivery of clinical care. He has received grant funding from the National Institute of Mental Health for the development of skills-based intervention programs for treatment of depression, as well as awards for this work from the Association for the Advancement of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy and Society for Behavioral Medicine.Dr. Mike writes a regular blog for Psychology Today called Brick by Brick: Your Path to Hardcore Humanism. His writing has also been featured on CNN, USA Today, Fox News, Huffington Post and Everyday Health among other media outlets. Dr. Mike has appeared on numerous radio and television shows including CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, and Wall Street Journal Radio. He regularly gives corporate wellness talks, having presented at corporations such as Unilever, PricewaterhouseCoopers, MacQuarie Capital, and Center for American Progress. Dr. Mike has a clinical practice in New York City and lives with his wife and 2 children in Maplewood, NJ. In his free time Dr. Mike loves training in martial arts and working on music as a heavy metal vocalist.Sign up for the Hardcore Humanism Newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/GBmf0iU/HardcoreHumanismSignUpFollow Hardcore Humanism: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hardcorehumanism/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HardcoreHumanism/Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardcorhumanismLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hardcore-humanism/ 

https://robinstern.com/Robin Stern, Ph.D, is the author of two critically acclaimed books: The Gaslight Effect and Project Rebirth and the Co-founder and Associate Director for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and an Associate Research Scientist at the Child Study Center at Yale.She is a licensed psychoanalyst with thirty years of experience treating individuals, couples, and families and is also the co-developer of RULER, an acronym for the five key emotion skills of recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating emotions. RULER is an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning that is in place in 2700 schools across the US and internationally.Robin's work has received attention and accolades from major media outlets such as The Today Show, NPR, Time, Psychology Today, Huffington Post, Washington Post, The Hill, and Harvard Business Review, among many others. She has been a guest on local and national radio shows including NPR and WNYC and has been published in places such as VICE and Refinery 29.Robin practices in NYC and splits her time between NY and in New Haven, CT at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

Sienna Mae Gomez is an American social media personality and dancer from California. She is a nationally-awarded competitive dancer and is active at her high school in student government and as a member of the Varsity dance team. She also volunteers in her community through National Charity League. Sienna actively started posting content on TikTok to her @siennamaegomezz account in July 2019. In August 2020 she created another TikTok account – @siennamae – for her close friends and jokingly posted a video of her dancing in her kitchen with her belly out. That video – and several others poking fun at unrealistic beauty standards – went viral. Singer Lizzo copied one of Sienna's famous dances and wrote in the caption, “Body positivity has entered the chat!” As a competitive dancer, Sienna spent many years trying to “fit in” with her tall and thin peers. In 2019, she was honored with a coveted award at a California dance competition by judge Wyndee McGovern who told her, “You were born to stand out. Have confidence in who you are and what you bring to this stage because I promise, you will be a star.” From then on, Sienna worked on embracing what made her different, building her self-confidence and loving all parts of herself. Today, she encourages other young women to do the same through her fun, high energy, body positive videos. She receives hundreds of messages per day from women around the world thanking her for inspiring them to become more confident and to love themselves just as they are. In September 2020, Sienna was chosen by TikTok as one of 12 “Trailblazers” in the Latinx community, identifying her as one of the next generation's Latinx digital entertainment leaders. In December 2020, she was included in TikTok's “Top 100” list as one of the most impactful creators as a “voice of change.”

Eddie Vedder has served as Pearl Jam's front man since 1990. His debut solo release was the 2007 soundtrack album for the film Into The Wild and in 2012, Vedder's sophomore solo album, Ukulele Songs, received a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. He is an activist who has taken up causes from health care to antitrust and the co-creator of the non-profit Vitalogy Foundation, a public non-profit organization founded in 2006 by the members of Pearl Jam and their manager. The Foundation supports the efforts of non-profit organizations doing commendable work in the fields of community health, the environment, arts & education and social change. Eddie is also the co-founder of the EB Research Partnership along with his wife Jill who is Vice Chairman. He makes his home in Seattle with his wife and two daughters.

Jack Osbourne is an actor, host, reality TV star, and media personality. He is the son of iconic Heavy Metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and music manager/TV Host of The Talk, Sharon Osbourne.  Along with his sister Kelly, he starred on MTV's hugely successful reality series The Osbournes (2002–2005) which chronicled life inside the Osbourne family.  Jack gained high visibility on the show and was mostly perceived as a rebellious teenager. He grew up in front of the camera and the three years the series was on the air had a profound impact on his adult view of the world. After a stint in rehab, he has remained sober and has talked openly about his addiction struggles, depression, and his diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in 2012.In his career, Osbourne has hosted many TV shows for network TV including the BBC, The Travel Channel, and the History Channel with titles such as Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie (2005–2009) and BBC's Saving Planet Earth (2007). He competed on Season 17 of Dancing with The Stars, placing third with his family in the audience cheering him on. His openness on the show about his MS struggle endeared him to worldwide audiences and he was lauded for destigmatizing his illness. Jack and Ozzy also starred in the History Channel reality TV series, Ozzy & Jack's World Detour, and in 2020, he reunited with both his mother and father for the Travel Channel show, The Osbournes Want To Believe. The show concentrated on Jack trying to convince Ozzy and Sharon about the existence of paranormal activity. Jack lives in Los Angeles and is the proud father of three daughters, Pearl, Andy Rose, and Minnie Theodora. 

https://moniqueminahan.comMonique Minahan is the creator of The Grief Practice, an explanation and exploration of grief in the body through a polyvagal-based, trauma-informed lens. As a yoga teacher and SE™ Practitioner-in-Training with a profound experience of grief herself, she blends science and somatics with the soulful, human experience of grief in a way that honors the innate healing ability of every human being and every human body.

Michael Kenneth Williams is one of this generation's most respected and acclaimed actors. By bringing complicated and charismatic characters to life—often with surprising tenderness—Williams has established himself as a gifted and versatile performer with a unique ability to mesmerize audiences with his stunning character portrayals.Williams is best known for his remarkable work on THE WIRE. The wit and humor that Williams brought to Omar, the whistle-happy, profanity-averse, drug dealer-robbing stickup man, earned him high praise and made Omar one of television's most memorable characters.Williams also co-starred in HBO's critically acclaimed series BOARDWALK EMPIRE in which he played Chalky White, a 1920's bootlegger; and the impeccably suited, veritable mayor of Atlantic City's African-American community. In 2012, BOARDWALK EMPIRE won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.Williams received his first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor for HBO's BESSIE and subsequently received his second Emmy nomination his work in HBO's highly acclaimed limited series THE NIGHT OF.His recent projects include Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries WHEN THEY SEE US, which tells the heartbreaking story of the Central Park Five and which garnered Michael his third Emmy nomination as an actor. Williams recently wrapped the highly anticipated HBO series LOVECRAFT COUNTRY from producers JJ Abrams and Jordan Peele. Previous TV credits include Sundance Channel's HAP & LEONARD, the ABC limited series WHEN WE RISE from Dustin Lance Black and Gus Van Sant and the IFC comedy mini-series THE SPOILS OF DYING. Williams made his feature film debut in the urban drama BULLET after being discovered by the late Tupac Shakur. Previous feature film credits include Ghostbusters, Assassin's Creed, Bringing Out the Dead, 12 Years A Slave, The Road, Gone Baby Gone, Life During Wartime, Brooklyn's Finest, The Purge: Anarchy, Kill The Messenger, Inherent Vice, THE GAMBLER, MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN, and the John Leguizamo directed independent film CRITICAL THINKING, which will premiere later this year at SXSW. Giving back to the community plays an important role in Williams' off-camera life. He recently launched MAKING KIDS WIN (MKW), a charitable organization whose primary objective is to build community centers in urban neighborhoods that are in need of safe spaces for children to learn and play. Williams currently serves as the ACLUs ambassador of Smart Justice, and as an ambassador for the INNOCENCE PROJECT, while serving on the board for NY based organization URBAN ARTS PARTNERSHIP.Williams served as the investigative journalist and executive producer for Viceland's BLACK MARKET, a documentary program that exposes and comments on illegal markets throughout the world with a focus on the people involved and connecting with them on a human level. In 2018, VICE returned for its sixth season with an extended special season premiere featuring Williams as he embarked on a personal journey to expose the root of the American mass incarceration crisis: the juvenile justice system. RASIED IN THE SYSTEM offered a frank and unflinching look at those caught up the system, exploring why the country's mass incarceration problem cannot be fixed without first addressing the juvenile justice problem. Williams investigates the solutions local communities are employing that are resulting in drastic drops in both crime and incarceration. Michael's work on the spectacular documentary earned Michael is first Emmy nomination as a producer. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Williams began his career as a performer by dancing professionally at age 22. After numerous appearances in music videos and as a background dancer on concert tours for Madonna and George Michael, Williams decided to seriously pursue acting. He participated in several productions of the La MaMA Experimental Theatre, the prestigious National Black Theatre Company and the Theater for a New Generation directed by Mel Williams.Michael Kenneth Williams resides in Brooklyn, New York.CREW COUNTALL donations will be used to pay young people most impacted by gun violence, over-policing and Covid19.https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/crew-countLINKS TO MIKE'S ACTIVISM #WeBuildTheBlock Social Justice DinnersCrew Count Launch EventMental Health Retreat with Young Women Summer Youth EmploymentIn conversation with law enforcement   

https://www.duffonline.com  https://320festival.comDuff McKagan is one of the most recognized bassists in rock music history, best known as a founding member of Guns N' Roses. McKagan has become a prolific writer, as a five-year columnist for Seattle Weekly, and has had stints as a weekly sports columnist for ESPN, as well as a financial columnist for Playboy.com. He is the author of the bestselling autobiography “It's So Easy: and other lies”, followed by his second book, “How to Be a Man: (and other illusions)”. After attending Albers School of Business and Seattle University in his thirties, McKagan has established himself as a voice of business from within the music industry. Developing a reputation for financial knowledge, McKagan was highly sought after amongst other musicians for his advice on managing money. In 2011, McKagan partnered with investor Andy Bottomley to start Meridian Rock, with the aim of creating a capital management firm for musicians. McKagan resides with his wife Susan and two daughters, Grace and Mae, in Seattle, Washington.

Such a joy talking to my friend, Sir Carter a model, influencer and TikTok sensation about mental health and how it intersects with identity and social media. Sir Carter speaks beautifully about how he uses social media as a tool for vulnerability as well as his experience with mental health as a gay black man. For more information and resources: MindWideOpenProject.com.

https://www.marcbrackett.com  Marc Brackett, Ph.D., is the Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, a Professor in the Child Study Center of Yale University, and author of Permission to Feel is one of the recognized top three experts in the world regarding  He is the lead developer of RULER, an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning that has been adopted by nearly 2,000 pre-K through high schools across the United States and in other countries. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

https://traumastewardship.com  Laura van Dernoot Lipsky is the founder and director of The Trauma Stewardship Institute and author of Trauma Stewardship and The Age of Overwhelm. Widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of trauma exposure, she has worked locally, nationally, and internationally for more than three decades. Much of her work is being invited to assist in the aftermath of community catastrophes – whether they are fatal storms or mass shootings. Simultaneously, she has long been active in community organizing and movements for social and environmental justice and has taught on issues surrounding systematic oppression, structural supremacy, and liberation theory.