Have you ever wondered how we can break down mental health's complexities into a language everyone can understand? Do you want to be part of a movement that embraces mental health and empowers individuals to seek support and understanding? Mental health is a deeply personal journey that is unique to each individual. It is essential to recognize that mental health is not a one-size-fits-all concept. What works for one person may not work for another. It includes medications, therapies, and the overall healing and recovery process. Embracing the individuality of mental health treatment requires acknowledging the need for personalized approaches and understanding that it often involves a trial-and-error process. Consequently, it can be a challenging and disheartening process, but it is crucial to maintain hope and resilience. Understanding that setbacks are a normal part of the journey allows individuals to persevere, learn from their experiences, and seek strategies that bring about positive change. In this episode, we want to help individuals recognize the importance of addressing mental health and the supremacy of peer support with those that struggle with mood disorders, anxiety, and depression. Join us as we discover strategies to break down mental health into a language that anyone can understand to lead us to create a society that values and supports the mental well-being of its people, especially our young generation. Prepare to be enlightened as we uncover strategies that broaden our understanding of mental health, equipping us to support ourselves and others better. Today, we're joined by Jasmin Kotek, the Miss South Central, Partner of CultureChange, and Brand Ambassador of You Matter MN. Jasmin is a Minnesota State University Mankato graduate and is currently a mathematics teacher at Faribault middle school. She is also an 8-year coach, the head coach of the Northfield Hiliners Dance Team, Tri-City United Cheer Team, and the Cannon Falls Fall Dance Team. Jasmin is also the author of a children's book, "Believe, Bella," which strives to break mental health down to the vernacular that any age can understand. When she isn't in the classroom or coaching, she serves as Miss South Central and will compete for the title of Miss Minnesota this coming June. With mental health being one of her passions, deriving from her personal experiences and the experiences around her, she helped co-found a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CultureChange, in which she helped pass a 4-part initiative at universities across the midwest providing access to mental health resources. Today she is a partner of theirs aiming to provide mental health resources through education and policy change. She also works with Change to Chill programming to promote her community service initiative as Miss South Central across Minnesota. "Mental health is not one size fits all. A medication that works for me won't work for someone else. If a therapy's right for me, that might not work for someone else either. And it was a lot of trial and error, and it got a lot worse before it got better." – Jasmin Kotek Show Highlights: (00:00:00) Episode disclaimer, highlight, and introduction (00:02:22) Welcoming today's guest, Jasmin Kotek. (00:02:53) Who is Jasmin Kotek? (00:04:21) A children's book: Believe, Bella (00:06:09) The Minnesota State University Mankato experience (00:07:52) How did Jasmin start to become a mental health advocate? (00:08:58) Mental health is not one size fits all. (00:11:00) The desire to get over the depression and forget (00:12:45) The Suicide of Brandon (00:14:06) How does Brandon's suicide affect little Jasmine? (00:16:02) Helping children process their emotions. (00:18:22) Having no safe place to express anxiety is painful. (00:19:28) Depression is a real thing. (00:21:17) What does it mean to be a mental health advocate? (00:22:19) What did mental health support look like for students at Minnesota State University? (00:26:13) The perfect timing of investing in student mental health (00:28:12) What did having conversations on campus about mental health look like? (00:29:41) How can educators support the students that they serve? (00:31:14) Come to Jasmine's meeting (00:33:38) Peer support is powerful. (00:34:47) The struggle of not being perfect (00:36:17) Strive for progress, not perfection. (00:37:30) I am enough and will always be. (00:38:21) Celebrating our survival and resilience (00:39:12) Don't compare yourself to others. (00:42:00) How can we eradicate mental health stigma? (00:42:53) What is mental health to Jasmin Kotek? (00:43:21) This episode is powered by Speaks to Inspire, the mental health solution for young adults suffering in silence. Speaks 2 Inspire works with colleges and universities to create and implement safe, comprehensive programs for campuses nationwide. (00:45:28) Where to connect with Jasmin? (00:46:14) The Exhale Project: Positive Word Bracelets (00:48:36) ...
