May is Mental Health Awareness Month. At some point or another in our collective histories, I have had at least one conversation with each of my podcast guests about their mental health. Life is hard on our mental health and college, because it's full of so many firsts happening so far away from the support structures we've built to date, can be very hard on our mental health. Today I pull excerpts from my conversations with Genie Deez, Jake Bebar, and Dillon Bailey where they opened up about their challenges in college. This is certainly not a male only phenomenon but they are the three guests that were most specific on this topic when we recorded. They talk about experiencing anxiety, stress, overwhelm, low self-worth, and depression. They also reference the people and actions that helped. And, I put my advisor and mom hats on with a few thoughts on this very important subject.

Recommendations:
The Life Coaching School Podcast w/Brooke Castille
Atomic Habits by James Clear

It helps everyone's mental health to receive a sweet handwritten note from a favorite friend. And retail therapy? It's not a permanent fix but the boost is real.  So please check out the pod's sponsors, Fire Stationery and Velvet & Vine, for all the smart stationery and cute clothing you need to create one bright spot in your day.

This is episode 26, which is the halfway point of Year One for this podcast, and I have some thoughts. How many of us have sat in a meeting or watched a terrible movie and thought, "there's two hours I'll never get back?" I'm going to guess all of us in one fashion or another. So I'm taking ten minutes this week to share how my view of the content has changed a bit, why the episodes have gotten a bit longer and, most importantly, why I think this podcast is such a valuable investment of your time. 

Please check out the pod's sponsors, Fire Stationery and Velvet & Vine, for all your graduation stationery and summer clothing needs.

Find more on Alison @ https://linktr.ee/alisonlevey and please send any compliments, criticisms, suggestions or observations to me at openbooktestpodcast@gmail.com. If you've got good things to say, it'd be even better if you wrote those in an Apple review. 😉
Thank you!!

Sofia likes the road less travelled. She's not one for the predetermined path no matter how attractive it might seem to others. That little bit of the rebel within led her to choose a major in Marketing which she felt gave her wide ranging options and didn't pin her down too early. But one chance meeting of the Marketing Club led to an enthusiastic pursuit of employment with Nielsen where she's learned a great deal about consumer behavior, measurement analytics, problem solving, and herself.  Despite being a fan of the Myers Briggs and StrengthFinders assessments (mentioned on the pod before), it's possible Sofia didn't see her own strengths that were so obvious to everyone else. She talks about how she explored a variety of options, had some meaningful conversations, and debunked some misconceptions before she found a role she loves and where she can really shine.

Sofia's recommendations:
The Defining Decade by  Meg Jay- a definite must read for all 20-somethings
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling - the subtitle says it all. 

Find more on Sofia's background on her LinkedIn profile. 

Please check out the pod's sponsor Velvet & Vine and follow them on Instagram to order unique and affordable finds for summer fun. You're cute, and your clothes should be, too.

Find more on Alison @ https://linktr.ee/alisonlevey. If you have questions that you'd like me to answer on the monthly bonus episode, The Highlighter Edition, send them to openbooktestpodcast@gmail.com.