In this episode of STAY Tuned, Micah Webster shares his journey of living with anxiety, supporting a sibling with serious mental health conditions, and finding healing through both therapy and his faith. As a behavioral health researcher and person with lived experience, Micah offers a unique perspective on the intersection of mental health, spirituality, and community. Micah discusses how supportive, inclusive faith communities can offer a space of grace, flexibility, and belonging; especially ...
Jun 13, 2025•38 min
In this episode, we sit down with Wyatt Wagner - a dynamic 21-year-old youth peer advocate, nonprofit founder, and newly announced candidate for his district's board of legislators. Wyatt shares the powerful story behind Youth of Lewis County , the nonprofit he started to create safe spaces and supports for young people in his rural community. We dive into the challenges and triumphs of building youth-led programming in areas with limited infrastructure, strong religious influences, and limited ...
May 06, 2025•31 min
In this episode, we dive into the impactful work of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (now known as MassAbility) and how it empowers young adults with disabilities to build fulfilling careers and independent lives. Our guest, Amanda Baczko from MassAbility, shares personal insights from her journey with her mental health and professional exploration, offering a glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of navigating career and personal exploration with a disability. We discuss MassAbili...
Nov 07, 2024•50 min
In this episode, we chat with Destiny Maxam. Destiny is a therapist who shares her story about self-advocacy and navigating life with chronic illness and a spinal cord injury while building a career in the mental health field. She opens up about going back to school while living in a nursing home, her passion for psychology, and what drives her to help others living with chronic illness, disabilities, and mental health conditions. She also speaks on how the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commissio...
Oct 23, 2024•42 min
In this episode, we sit down with Davy, a musician and member of our young adult advisory board who shares his experience of using creativity and music to support his mental health. We discuss the transformative power of creative communities and their impact on mental health. Davy talks about discovering creative writing groups, musician groups in both virtual and hybrid communities. He shares how structured environments, like virtual writing sessions and local art events, fostered accountabilit...
Sep 16, 2024•37 min
Part 2 of our conversation with Scott Bryant-Comstock covers the intention of, and evolution of, the Children’s Mental Health Network (CMHN), an organization he founded to act as an independent voice supporting improvements in mental health practices for children and young adults. The CMHN managed to bring together people from diverse backgrounds for dialog around interventions, policy change and current systems of care. This “old geezer” (his words) shares experiences and wisdom, but reminds us...
Aug 01, 2024•48 min
Do you procrastinate until the last minute for assignments and then feel frustrated at yourself for not starting sooner? You’re not alone. In this episode of STAY Tuned, Emily and Mei (our podcast hosts) get real about their personal ADHD journeys, exploring what it’s like to be diagnosed later in life. From struggles throughout school and work in young adulthood, they share their highs, lows, and everything in between. Join us for a relatable conversation about the challenges faced by women who...
Jul 10, 2024•35 min
In today's episode, we speak with a remarkable guest, Scott Bryant-Comstock, an advocate in the field of mental health for over 40 years, and Founder and CEO of the Children’s Mental Health Network. Scott shares his decades-long journey from working in halfway houses in San Jose to pioneering parent-professional collaboration in national mental health policy. His career is filled with funny stories and transformative encounters; and has powerfully impacted the mental health space. Join us for pa...
Jun 24, 2024•35 min
There is a stereotype that gaming is a waste of time, but this episode with Derek Lewis, a member of our Young Adult Advisory Board challenges that notion head-on. Derek shares his personal journey, revealing how gaming became a lifeline for him, while growing up in a gang-prone LA neighborhood. We talk about how gaming helped Derek build meaningful relationships, including one with a gamer friend who stood by him as his best man at Derek's wedding! Tune in to learn how virtual worlds can become...
May 10, 2024•39 min
Debbie Nicolellis, the Training Director for the Helping Youth on the Path to Employment (HYPE) Study at the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research brings her knowledge on all things accommodations in this episode. What can mental health accommodations look like in school and work? If your medication makes you drowsy in the morning, maybe it’s shifting your work hours to start and end an hour later. Who can use accommodations and how do you set them up? Debbie answers all our questions on ...
Apr 30, 2024•46 min
AmandaGrace Krier, a certified peer specialist with Youth MOVE National joins the show and discusses her journey advocating for herself in school and then in the workplace. There is not just one way to practice advocacy. It can look like anything from standing up for yourself to standing up for others through legislation. For AmandaGrace, self-advocacy was not always easy but was a skill she had to practice. Now she teaches others how they can practice advocacy for themselves, and she shares the...
Mar 20, 2024•26 min
Can a mobile intervention using avatars help young adults manage their mental health after being discharged from the emergency department? Dr. Lourah Kelly’s “Avatar Project” explores this possibility. She’s testing an app-based cognitive behavioral therapy intervention for young adults with alcohol misuse and suicidal thoughts who have visited the ED. Lourah shares that “this age group [has] the highest rates of alcohol use disorder and suicidality, but very low rates of utilization of behavior...
Feb 12, 2024•48 min
Today we talk with Joshua Calarino, a member of our Youth Advisory Board, about ways getting involved in his community has helped his mental health. Joshua shares his journey, from someone who struggled with their mental health in high school, to his discovery of different activities that helped him feel better and more connected to his community. His story of recovery started when he said “yes” to an invite to a salsa dance class. We talk about his participation in Youth Move, as a peer support...
Feb 01, 2024•33 min
Do you find yourself going back to your childhood favorite shows and movies like Wizards of Waverly Place, Mulan, or Max and Ruby? Maybe you find yourself playing your old games like Webkinz, The Sims, and Pokemon. It’s actually quite common if sometimes all you want to do after a long day of work is consume the nostalgic content you grew up with. But what we wanted to know is, what is it about nostalgia that soothes us? Why do we find comfort in the things from our past? Can nostalgia be intent...
Nov 16, 2023•42 min
Graduate high school, graduate college, get a job. A deceivingly simple timeline that young adults were expected to follow since they were kids. In reality, life is messy and we're here to tell you detours along the way are normal and there's more than one way to reach your goals. In this episode, we bring on Maya Ingram, a Project Director here at UMass Chan Medical School. Maya tells her story of how she navigated the ups and downs life has thrown at her all while paving the way for her career...
Sep 12, 2023•41 min
Today's episode might be a longer one but we promise it's worth it! Join us and Dr. Michelle Mullen CRC, CPRP, as we discuss her work on preventing disability and keeping young adults out of a system that breaks them. She explains why the language used to describe the mental health of young adults is so key and what can be done to change the narrative of self-blame. We also get into her thoughts on what the future of mental health care should look like for young adults and how we can work toward...
Jul 26, 2023•58 min
Left alone at a baseball field in a thunderstorm with no way to get home, 17-year-old Joan Sullivan found that her life had changed forever. Joan would later be diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), stemming from the tangled web family often weaves. As young adults, many are left to overcome the traumas they were dealt growing up, leaving them confused and powerless as they transition to adulthood. In this episode, Joan shares her story about how she was able to find her power ag...
May 16, 2023•42 min
While Emily and Mei are not taking a leave of absence from work or school right now, it's still important to discuss, should you ever feel that taking a leave is the right option for you in order to prioritize your mental health. How does one go about sharing their mental health conditions with their supervisor? What's it like coming back from taking a leave? How might you address your leave of absence with colleagues? They have brought on Ali Gold, the State-Wide Youth/Young Adult Peer Coordina...
Apr 13, 2023•52 min
Hello hello! Emily and Mei are back this week with a special episode of STAY Tuned. In this episode, Emily and Mei wanted to let you guys get to know us a little bit better. They keep it real and discuss their struggles in creating healthy routines in a life where screens dominate one's whole day and later get into the lonely reality of post-grad life. How does one make friends outside of work and school? They would love to know. Later on, they get a little meta and discuss some of their thought...
Apr 13, 2023•49 min
Today's episode features iSPARC's very own Emma Narkewicz, a research coordinator here at the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research. Emma begins by walking us through her work on Pre-employment Transition Services in Massachusetts. Later we dive into what it's like being a young adult with mental health conditions entering the workforce and sustaining a career. Let's talk navigating mental health as a young professional, living wages, and what we wish we had known going into college!...
Apr 13, 2023•49 min
Hello! We are back with a new episode. Today's podcast episode features Nana Yaa Marfo, PhD, a clinical psychology postdoctoral fellow here at iSPARC. Dr. Marfo provides outpatient clinical care and conducts mental health services research. Her past experiences working on weight-related studies informed our chat today. We discuss unrealistic body expectations promoted by social media, food insecurity on college campuses, the impact of weight stigma on young adult mental health, and how the socia...
Dec 09, 2022•46 min
Wow! We covered a lot in this episode. Join in on our conversation with Antonia Barba, as she guides us through her expertise in trauma-informed, affirming care for LGBTQ+ youth. We touch on how clinicians can work with unwilling caregivers to accept gender and sexual identity, the intersectionalities of LGBTQ+ youth, advocacy work, and even dive into the systemic issues within our healthcare system.
Nov 11, 2022•58 min
In this episode, we interview Michelle Munson, PhD who is a professor at NYU's Silver School of Social Work. Dr. Munson walks us through her innovative research, collaborating with youth to fully understand what implementation strategies and tools will best meet their unique needs and desires.
Oct 14, 2022•49 min
In this episode, we interview Vanessa Klodnick, PhD, on her work in youth and young adult services engagement and speak with her about her vast experience in participatory action research in transition-age youth mental health services.
Jul 16, 2022•47 min
In this episode, we interview Dr. Maryann Davis, an internationally renowned expert in youth and young adult mental and behavioral health services on her journey into developing the field of transition-age youth mental health services research.
Jul 14, 2022•47 min
