Paula is joined by an awesome panel of dedicated social workers Ancy, Cindy, and Emily who discuss the origins and impact of their annual retreat for school social workers and youth mental health providers. The retreat, which began in March 2024, aims to address burnout, provide continuing education units, and foster community among professionals. Despite personal challenges, such as health issues and grief, the organizers emphasized the importance of collaboration and self-care as well as the significant positive changes identified by participants. The next retreat is scheduled for March 2025, with a focus on the youth mental health crisis.

Contact/Socials:
Ancy & Cindy
Email: velocityvisions@gmail.com
Website: www.velocityvisionsinc.com

Emily
Email: emily.george@nyu.edu
Instagram: emg.sw.ed
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-george-lcsw-ms-ed-a4b4ab88/

Retreat, Remix, Revive
Email: retreatremixrevive@gmail.com
Instagram: retreatremixrevive
More Info & Waitlist: bit.ly/retreatremixrevive

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Motivated by recent conversations with parents and students, Paula explores the critical importance of sleep for adolescents and other age groups, shares information on the impact of insufficient sleep on our mental and physical development/health, and suggestions to develop a sleep schedule.

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Jacob discusses his experiences navigating the complex healthcare system, emphasizing the importance of self-advocacy and caregiver support. He shares his experiences with open-heart surgeries and his interdisciplinary approach to healthcare, advocating for a multi-dimensional perspective, stressing the importance of open dialogue and much more!

Guest Bio:

Dr. Jacob Kendall demystifies health(care). He is the survivor of two open-heart surgeries in early adulthood and has formal training in gerontology, public health, social work, biology, and theology. Jacob believes the key to mastering health and being a savvy patient or caregiver is a convergent 4-dimensional approach, integrating multiple perspectives to show that health and healthcare are more than individualistic, medical, here, and now.

Contact/Socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobevanskendall/

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Layne, a charity auctioneer from Toronto, shared their journey of raising nearly $55 million for charity over 15 years, and discussed their transition from a financial advisor to an auctioneer after a transformative experience at a charity gala. Layne highlights the challenges of being a non-binary person in a male-dominated field and the importance of asking for help and the power that lies in community, empathy, and using one's privilege to support marginalized groups.

Guest Bio:
Layne is a non-binary, successful entrepreneur with a charming, animated personality, and armed with a collection of captivating anecdotes.

An advocate for social impact, Layne’s work as The Auctionista has raised over $40 million for charity across North America and they have taken the stage over 1,500 times. They champion the idea that no challenge is insurmountable, and no dream is unattainable.

Layne would know best. Before blazing a trail in a male-dominated industry and creating a wildly successful company, Layne changed career paths from a Financial Advisor to Director of Development at a charity, only to courageously pivot again. Through their determination and perseverance, they decided to take the leap and reinvent the role of auctioneer.

With live fundraising firmly under their belt, Layne stepped into the world of keynote speaking to deliver powerful messages about the importance of living authentically. In 2024, Layne launched The IMPACT Workshop; a DEIB-learning series targeted to organizations that is focused on helping participants understand the concepts of gender identity, and how to create a workplace and community that is inclusive and accepting of all, honoring intersections of identity including race, body size, abilities, age, etc.

Now, the ever-innovative Layne, is one of the most coveted and respected auctioneers, speakers, and workshop facilitators, with a sparkling reputation for personal storytelling that connects.

Contact/Socials:
Instagram: @theauctionista
Email: info@auctionista.ca

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Bronte shines a light on her journey and approach to language learning. She affirms the importance of understanding learning styles and the need for clarity in language learning. Bronte shares her experience starting in sixth grade and her passion for languages, which has led her to learn 11 languages! She highlights the significance of setting realistic expectations and the value of practice and encourages learners to embrace mistakes as well as recognize that rest is essential for learning.

Guest Bio:
Bront’e helps passionate polyglots and introverted language learners go from frustrated to fluent in multiple languages all without the overwhelm, frustration, and constant burnout . She is the founder and creator of the Fluency Mastery Lab, which helps language learners make more progress in their language studies with the support of monthly language coaching & a community of passionate language learners, and has been learning multiple languages for 12+ years (currently at 10+ languages and counting)! Her goal is to help more introverts become polyglots and ultimately start using the languages they’re learning in their day-to-day lives.

Contact/Socials:
Facebook: thepolyglotfox
Instagram: @thepolyglotfox
TikTok: @thepolyglotfox
Youtube: https://bit.ly/3XJiNTe
Website: https://thepolyglotfox.com/

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Paula picks apart the emotion of joy, speaking to its role in both the mental and physical of our existence. She shares the biological aspects of the way joy is regulated by the frontal lobe and thalamus, associated with neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. Paula highlights the challenges in cultivating joy as well as suggests practices to support investing in experiences that enhance it.

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Paula explores the emotion of disgust, emphasizing its importance despite being often overlooked. She provides a simple definition of disgust, explains how it can be triggered by various sensory experiences and, highlights strategies to manage its complexities.

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Paula discusses the emotion of fear, emphasizing its impact on our mental and physical health. She defines fear, and shares information associated with the fight, flight, freeze, fawn responses, and the impact of prolonged fear. can lead to negative health effects, including anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular issues. Paula suggests strategies to manage fear and highlights the importance of addressing fear to prevent long-term health impacts.

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