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.

Juan José Daboub wanted nothing more as a sophomore at ND than to major in finance and  become a successful investment banker. By the time he was a senior, that wish list had altered slightly but he spent two exciting years at Goldman Sachs before transitioning to BCG as a strategy consultant.  A true extrovert, Juan José built relationships everywhere he went and credits active participation in a variety of corporate sponsored case competitions with giving him connections. insights, and new skills -- not to mention a little bit of extra pocket cash, which every college student appreciates. There was no shortage of advice around what he MUST do in order to get the "right" job and Juan José says pay attention to that, BUT he also reminds you to pay attention to what's most important to you and make sure that the MUSTs of the job search don't get in the way of the MUSTs you've identified for your college experience. In the end, it's all about balance and having a solid strategy.

Juan José's recommendation:
How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton M. Christensen - a great resource to help you figure out what matters most to you and find perspective when it comes to the balance between your work and personal lives.

Find more on Juan José's background on his LinkedIn profile.

Please check out the pod's sponsor Fire Stationery and follow them on Instagram @firestationery.  Mother's Day is right around the corner and Fire Stationery has lovely notecard sets to gift your mom and/or they will handwrite your personal message in a card and mail it to her for you. ❤️

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.

Business Analytics (BAN) was a brand new option when Lauren transferred into Mendoza at the start of her sophomore year. There were no upperclassmen to ask about the coursework or job prospects so it was a bit of a leap of faith. Still, Lauren liked the BAN pitch, and felt it would give her a breadth of knowledge and skills that included bits of all the majors and played to her strengths. And, having spent her first year in the College of Arts & Letters, it was a no-brainer to combine her new business curriculum with more of the Psychology classes she'd fallen in love with. That combination makes her a natural as a consultant with West Monroe but certainly wasn't where she thought she was headed when she made that major decision. Experiential classes, an on campus consulting job, and a disciplined approach to school, gave Lauren exactly what she needed to find her niche.

Lauren's recommendations:
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb, and a second vote for:
Guy Raz: How I Built This Podcast - just a wealth of stories about companies you love and founders who floundered and make it all seem a little more possible for the rest of us.
Recommended by Prof. Carl Ackermann for whom Lauren was a TA: Personal Finance for Dummies by Eric Tyson.

Find more on Lauren'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 your 2021 wardrobe. 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.

Where to begin? When I met Eugene Staples, I knew immediately that he was a high energy, highly entertaining young man with many talents, ideas and dreams. I did not imagine that he'd pursue degrees in Marketing, Film, and Religion and create his own brand, Genie Deez, that is both a person and a multi-media company. And all before his 30th birthday. We talk about early struggles  and why he's drawn to constant learning in both structured and organic ways every day. He explains the crazy work ethic that he credits to four years on the drumline with the ND Marching Band and how it's not magic, but people sometimes see it that way. Genie is a modern Renaissance man working hard to live a good life, make scholarship accessible, and contribute to important conversations in ways that engage, inspire, and surprise. This is one of those conversations - don't miss it.

Genie's recommendations:
YouTube - learn anything and everything. Start with Genie's own channel.
The Internet Movie Script Database - IMSDb - read the scripts of your favorite movies.

Find more on Genie's background and current projects on his website and then connect with him through his various social media accounts linked there.

Please check out the pod's sponsor Fire Stationery and follow them on Instagram @firestationery.

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.

It was her roommate's positive engineering internship and an invite to a great tailgate that put GE Healthcare on Madison's radar. But it was her curiosity and enthusiasm that got her in front of the right person to be considered for the Financial Management Program (FMP) and  gave her two years rotating through a wide variety of options in the world of corporate finance at the start of her career. As a strong student who was still a bit unsure what exactly she wanted to do in the vast expanse of "finance," Madison sought out rotational programs that would show her many different facets in a relatively short period of time. Managing the men's swim team at ND didn't leave her a lot of time for other extra-curriculars, but she's very clear that the experience gave as much to her as she put into it and allowed her to stay close to a sport that she loved. The Saturday of our conversation she'd gotten up at 5 am to go swim -- an activity she views as exercise, stress relief, and a habit that grounds her. That kind of dedication shows up at work too, and opens lots of doors.

Madison's recommendations:
The Morning Brew - Madison subscribed after guest Heather Eaton recommended it and now she's hooked.
The Old Man and the Three podcast - JJ Reddick & Tommy Alter talk basketball, current events and interview some big names in the NBA, entertainment and political worlds.
Formula 1: Drive to Survive documentary on Netflix - Racing is big business and there's lots to learn from this deep dive into the unique world of Formula 1.

Find more on Madison'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 your 2021 wardrobe. 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.

Today we are talking about the benefit of the deep dive...but maybe not in the way you think.


Please check out the pod's sponsors, Fire Stationery and Velvet & Vine, for all your smart stationery and cute 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!!