PrevenTable: A PreventEd Podcast

Our In the Weeds episode this week features Kristin Bengtson, Director of Community Services at PreventEd, and Lili Schliesser, Director of the All In Clayton Coalition. As experts in substance use prevention, they talk about the importance of decreasing accessibility of cannabis for adolescents and the function of stash bags, which allow parents to lock away their substances.

We have a triple threat of guests joining us for our In the Weeds episode this week: Courtney Hinton, Community Strategist III at PreventEd; Gerald Watson, Executive Director of Fresh Start Community Coalition; and Danyeal Crittenden of Lewis Place Coalition. With experience in substance use prevention, the trio discusses the generational differences in how cannabis is perceived, the ways that cannabis is depicted in media, and the importance of safe storage.

Alcohol freedom coach Allison Barber sits down with Nichole to share more about helping people navigate their drinking habits. Allison touches on the difficulty of breaking out of an alcohol-saturated culture, describes how she talks to her family about alcohol, and explains the lifestyle changes she made as a person who no longer drinks.

Associate Director of GuidEd, Presley Menendez, is our second #IntheWeeds guest as we navigate through the questions surrounding cannabis and its legalization in Missouri. Presley discusses her approaches to talking with adolescents about cannabis, ways to rebuild trust between kids and parents, and touches on guiding conversations with empathy and not judgment.

Tom Etling, President of PreventEd’s Board of Directors, sits down at the PrevenTable to talk more about his marketing expertise and time working with nonprofits. He shares how he helped PreventEd kickstart its rebrand and create the name we all know today, delves into changing misconceptions about people in need while at St. Patrick Center, and even chats about being an Eisenhower Fellow.

Welcome to In the Weeds, where we dig up answers to big questions about cannabis following its legalization in Missouri. Our very own Stacie Zellin kicks off the podcast this week to share more about PreventEd’s efforts to dispel cannabis myths and stay up-to-date on the most recent cannabis research. She provides insights into the opportunities and challenges that cannabis legalization brings, talks about PreventEd’s ethics trainings, and describes the importance of translating complex information into a digestible form for the public.

Huvona Watkins, Executive Director of Almost Home, is featured on the PrevenTable this week to discuss her organization’s work in assisting young moms with reaching self-sufficiency. She shares how Almost Home provides the stepping stones to end poverty two generations at a time, their goal to create a better life for children, and the different roles and responsibilities of moms that utilize their program.

Ann McCauley, Missouri Director of the Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Regional Project with MU Extension, sits down with Nichole to discuss recovery friendly workplaces. Ann touches on the philosophy of putting the health and wellness of employees to the forefront of a company’s priorities, the designation process, and her efforts to shift perspectives surrounding hiring people in recovery.

The power couple of LGBTQ+ health is on the #PrevenTable this week! Ben Greene, a public speaker, advocate, and author joins us along with his wife, Samantha Levine, a medical and public health student. They share more about gender roles and norms in society, address drinking culture in LGBTQ+ spaces, and explain several social determinants of health that disproportionately impact queer folks. Plus, Ben talks about his book, “My Child is Trans, Now What?” which is coming soon!

Claire Wyneken and Allison Williams, former and current CEOs of the Wyman Center, join the PrevenTable to talk about their programs to empower teens to lead successful lives and build strong communities. They emphasize the importance of investing in partnerships, explain the Teen Connection Project, and describe how they have helped over 350,000 young people form meaningful connections in the community.

This week’s PrevenTable episode features Dr. Marty K. Casey and Renee Cunningham, Executive Director and Executive Assistant of UnGUN Institute. After both experiencing and witnessing the ways that unresolved trauma impacts people, Casey created UnGUN to help disarm trauma in individuals. The pair describe how to detect bodily signs of trauma and self preservation, highlight the power of role models, and share more about the company’s self care products that made it all the way to Los Angeles for the 2024 Oscars!

Podcaster Alex Kaiser joins us to explain the motive behind starting his podcast, “No Lions Here.” He bravely shares more about his journey as a person with a substance use disorder. Alex describes his process of seeking treatment, details how he fights against the stigma of substance misuse, and takes us through his belief that freedom for him means being open about his struggles without concern about judgment from others.