PrevenTable: A PreventEd Podcast

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.

This week on the PrevenTable, Beth Elders, the Executive Director of the Greater St. Louis Chapter of the American Red Cross, shares more on her journey of working in disaster relief. A PreventEd Teen Institute participant as a high schooler, Beth comments on how she truly found her place in the program, discusses her experience moving from working for the church to the Red Cross, and opens up on how she stays calm in the face of disaster.

The PrevenTable is back for our Season 4 premiere featuring rocker and radio host Moon Valjean and his wife, Mallory, a life coach and entrepreneur! In this episode, the pair covers the highs and lows of the rock music world, including their decision to stop drinking. They also share more about connecting with other sober people through social media, trusting the process of establishing healthy habits, and learning to appreciate their accomplishments despite obstacles.

Musician and songwriter Clint Lowery joins the PrevenTable for our Season 3 Finale! Known for being the lead guitarist for Sevendust and having gigs with Korn and Seether, Clint shares his experience with rock and roll culture. As a self-identifying sober person, he describes the process of making music sober, discusses generational differences in speaking about substance misuse, and shares how music and fitness keep his mind and body healthy.

Jennifer Massie Fadler, Founder and Executive Director of Life House Youth Center, discusses her organization’s objective to provide a safe and loving space outside of the home for children to spend time. Jennifer talks about building relationships with kids, the various ways the organization serves children, and her vision for Life House to exist in communities around the U.S.

Terran Rome, Executive Vice President of Legacy Institute, sits down at the PrevenTable to describe his organization’s mission to teach kids essential skills and knowledge for navigating adulthood. Terran explains the origin of the idea, which came about during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizes the need for extracurricular alternatives beyond music and sports, and stresses how beneficial it is for people to learn about their history and identity.

Labor recovery specialists James Pursell and Aaron Walsh join us from Lean STL to talk about their work providing resources for mental health and substance misuse for laborers. The duo describes the power of having a peer to confide in, the overlap between work and being in recovery, and the challenge of making prevention appealing to workplaces.

Hubbard Radio-KSHE 95 promotions coordinator Rian Gilkerson joins the podcast this week to talk about the reality check she faced during her time in the Marine Corps. Rian discusses her experience as a woman in the military, covering topics such as intimate partner violence, military ranking power dynamics, and how military members often fail to recognize substance misuse. (TW // Sexual Harassment and Assault)