Send us a text

When eight-year-old Marcus Smith II experienced his first anxiety attack, no one knew what to name it. This untreated childhood anxiety would shadow him through his meteoric rise as a first-round NFL draft pick and eventually bring him to the brink of suicide—twice. But from these darkest moments emerged a powerful mission that's transforming youth mental health across the nation.

"Football was my band-aid," Marcus reveals in our deeply moving conversation. This temporary covering masked his underlying struggles until the intense pressure of professional sports stripped it away. Without proper mental health tools or support, Marcus found himself paralyzed by anxiety on the field—"almost like a vegetable"—despite his extraordinary physical abilities and years of training.

The turning point came in 2018 when Marcus finally spoke those transformative words: "I need help." The overwhelming support from his Seattle Seahawks teammates showed him the power of vulnerability and sparked the creation of Circle of M, his groundbreaking nonprofit. Unlike traditional youth programs focused solely on physical development, Circle of M pioneers a holistic approach where mental wellness precedes physical training. "We do everything backwards," Marcus explains. "It should always be mental first and then physical, because the brain itself controls the rest of your body."

Through innovative techniques like "feelings wheels" that help youth identify and articulate emotions, Marcus is building a generation equipped with tools he never had. His powerful message for future healthcare professionals—"Be where your feet are"—offers wisdom for anyone navigating challenging careers. As a husband, father, and man of faith, Marcus embodies authentic leadership that meets people exactly where they are.

Ready to join this mental health revolution? Follow Marcus's journey and learn more about Circle of M's transformative work by visiting thecircleofm.com or connecting on Instagram @thecircleofm. Together, we can ensure no child faces their mental health battles alone.

Send us a text

Christina Shapiro's journey from Mexico City to Chief Strategy Officer at UNICEF USA exemplifies how financial innovation can transform humanitarian aid. Witnessing inequality firsthand and inspired by her father's medical service to all income levels, Christina developed a deep commitment to creating economic opportunity for vulnerable populations.

After building crucial skills at firms like L'Oréal and Goldman Sachs, Christina now leads UNICEF USA's innovative finance initiatives, including the groundbreaking Bridge Fund. This revolutionary financing mechanism solves a critical timing problem in humanitarian response by providing immediate capital when emergencies strike, before donor funds arrive. Since 2011, it has fast-tracked nearly $700 million in impact, supporting emergency responses from Afghanistan to Ukraine.

One powerful success story demonstrates the fund's life-saving potential: during the Ukraine war's global wheat shortage, the Bridge Fund facilitated advance financing to manufacturers of ready-to-use therapeutic food, enabling treatment for 6.5 million severely malnourished children at just $66 per child.

Christina is also pioneering "Child Lens Investing," challenging the financial sector to recognize children as key stakeholders in investment decisions. This approach provides investors with frameworks to reduce harm and maximize positive impacts for children across various asset classes and investment strategies.

As UNICEF USA's Chief Strategy Officer, Christina focuses on mobilizing Americans to improve outcomes for vulnerable children worldwide, despite the "poly-crisis" of funding cuts, climate events, and global instability. Her approach leverages innovative financing tools like sovereign debt refinancing and forward financing solutions to complement traditional philanthropy.

Join this movement to support the world's most vulnerable children. As Christina powerfully states, "Children are one-third of our world, but they're 100% of our future." Visit unicefusa.org to learn how you can help create financial solutions that save lives.

#catalyzeimpact #ideagen #UNICEF

Learn more about UNICEF here: www.unicefusa.org

Send us a text

Phyllis Farrell takes us on an extraordinary journey through her pioneering career in Alzheimer's research and her passionate commitment to transforming how we approach brain health. From her unexpected path starting with an economics degree to eventually leading late-stage Alzheimer's drug development teams at Eli Lilly, Farrell demonstrates how diverse perspectives strengthen our approach to healthcare's most challenging problems.

What makes this conversation truly special is Farrell's ability to balance sobering reality with genuine optimism. She doesn't shy away from the devastating impacts of Alzheimer's—both on patients and the predominantly female caregivers who support them—yet her message is fundamentally hopeful. The groundbreaking revelation that over 40% of dementias are preventable through lifestyle changes shifts our understanding from inevitability to opportunity.

Most powerfully, Farrell dismantles the harmful misconception that cognitive decline is simply part of normal aging. Instead, she offers practical, science-backed strategies anyone can implement today: Mediterranean diet, regular exercise, quality sleep, blood pressure management, limited alcohol, social engagement, and cognitive stimulation. Her introduction of NeuroQuest, an innovative brain health assessment tool, provides a personalized approach to brain health that resonated deeply with HOSA's Future Health Professionals.

Whether you're a healthcare professional, student, or simply someone concerned about brain health for yourself or loved ones, this episode delivers actionable insights alongside a profound message: we can change the trajectory of Alzheimer's disease if we start caring for our brains decades before symptoms appear. As Farrell reminds us, the next generation of healthcare professionals has "the creativity, the grit, and the values" to revolutionize how we approach this challenge—and the time to start is now, not when something goes wrong.