Learn 2 Listen

This is a special recording from an in-person event with the Orr Fellowship. Our guest speaker is Allison Ehrhart Allyn, MA LICSW, a licensed social worker in the state of Massachusetts and Co-Founder of Ehrhart Singer Therapy Group. If you recognize her voice, that’s because she’s been a repeat guest on Learn 2 Listen, so be sure to check out those previous episodes should they interest you. The conversion is moderated by Annah Van Gheem and Danny Cuevas, two of my wonderful friends and teammates on the Orr DEI Team.

This conversation is tailored to young professionals, but we hope you can find many golden nuggets no matter what stage of life or headspace you’re in. We chat through how to be intentional when addressing mental health so we don’t minimize the experiences of people around us, the differences between mental health and mental illness, where and how to find value in our lives, how to define your boundaries and then share those boundaries with important figures in our lives, as well as many more topics!

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we’re joined by Jenny Sichel, Paralympic silver medalist and three time silver medalist at the World Championships as well as the Operations Director at the National Council on Independent Living and Paralympic coach for USRowing. In addition to talking about Jenny’s career in the rowing world, we discuss her networking with the mindset of ‘what do i have to lose’, pursuing acting in film and talk shows, the lack of equity and equality of media coverage and medal payout for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, readjusting how we view success as an athlete, dealing with discrimination for disability, and becoming an advocate.

On this live audience recording of Learn 2 Listen, we team up with Big Brothers Big Sisters as well as Mike Leonard and Bud Boughton of ERPro Plus to talk about mentorship, listening to your mentee, and impacting the next generation by sharing life experiences. In this episode, we specifically talk about the importance of mentorship, the potential mentorship can have on an individual or a group, lessons learned through the years of raising kids and mentoring others, how to sift through uncertainties and insecurities as a mentor, and how to take the first step in becoming a mentor.

This episode was recorded in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana. If you'd like to get involved and volunteer, please fill out this form!

Colton Haymon, Solutions Architect Manager at Range21 and Co-Founder of ColMonet, a feel-good lifestyle brand, joins us this week on Learn 2 Listen to chat about life. Specifically, we chat through not fitting in growing up and how that influenced our lives now, quickly being able to identify your own people, how we think we stand out, having friends that bring you out of your shell, investing in friendships, protecting your time, and starting your own brand.

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen we’re joined by Allison Allyn, MA LICSW, a licensed social worker in the state of Massachusetts and Co-Founder of Ehrhart Singer Therapy Group. We chat through Justin Suia’s podcast Losing Control with Dr. Colleen Hacker, what is the relationship between leadership, vulnerability, and confidence looks like, the connotation of vulnerability and weakness, identity and the self, and much more!

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, Olivia West is a Brand Marketer & Global Launch Readiness Associate at Eli Lilly as well as founder and owner of The Speaking Company. She is an avid cyclist as well as a DEI advocate. On this episode we chat about Olivia’s past of showing horses and her journey in starting cycling, how cycling has become a point of pride for her, knocking down barriers that could stand in one’s way, and what impact Olivia would like to have on the Indianapolis community.

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Mario Leavell, Sales Representative at Stryker Surgical Technologies and VP of Evansville Bicycle Club. On this episode we discuss when Mario started cycling, why cycling and maintaining your physical and mental health is important to him, lesson learns from cycling, balancing work and working out, the inclusive nature of cycling (it welcomes all shapes and sizes), the community engagement cycling brings to riders, the impact community cycling can have, and so much more.

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Armando Sanchez, Notre Dame Alumni (2020), Orr Fellow Alumni (2020), and Product Manager at Multiply. We chat through;

Being each other’s accountability partner

Personal and professional development

What we wish we knew about transitioning into the workforce

What expectations vs reality look like in the workforce

Navigating being a first-generation college student and graduate

Completing mindset training & the power of your subconscious

Mindless timelessness & dopamine detoxing

This week we are joined by Sam Manfreda, former D1 Rower at the University of Notre Dame (‘21) and current Software Engineer at Google. Sam is one of Mariah’s very best friends (if you couldn’t tell from the many laughs) and trusted confidant. In this episode, you’ll hear them discuss what it’s like to transition away from higher education and the service industry to a full time position at one of the biggest tech companies, the idea that there is plenty of space for emotion and empathy in our world, different methods of coping with stress and expressing vulnerability, as well as the interesting relationship one can have with working out and guilt. That’s a lot of stuff to cover, but lucky for us, we recorded it all ;).

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen we’re joined by Allison Allyn, MA LICSW, a licensed social worker in the state of Massachusetts and Co-Founder of Ehrhart Singer Therapy Group. Allison tells us all about what therapy is actually like, the difference between sport psychology and clinical therapy, the negative connotation between vulnerability and weakness, the difference between process and progress, and more!

This episode of Learn 2 Listen is a tad bit different in that my lovely friend and Orr Fellow, Devon Ngo, is interviewing our host, Mariah Parsons, on why she started Learn 2 Listen. Devon attended the University of Notre Dame (Class of 2021), is currently in the Orr Fellowship, and is also an Operations Analyst and Photographer. He is currently building out his photography portfolio and asked Mariah if she would be featured. The mission of Devon’s project is to capture people in their element, doing what they are passionate about, and for Mariah, that’s podcasting! If you’re in the Indianapolis area and are looking to get involved with Devon and his photography, please check him out via his website!

On this Episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Monroe Olsen, former D1 Volleyball player at Notre Dame. Monroe shares about her opinions on spirituality and religion and how they influence her perspective. Mariah and Monroe discuss their different narratives as it pertains to being injured and stepping away from sport, wading through the waters of being sent home during the COVID pandemic, and transitioning out of our careers in athletics to intentionally slow down.

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Beverly Yanez. She is an American soccer coach and former professional player who is currently the assistant coach of Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She’s also a loving wife and mother of a little 1 and a half year old. She shares about what it was like to step away from being a player into a coach and how that reshaped her identity. Bev and Mariah also chat about what it's like to push down and hide anxiety when you're in athletics which flows into a conversation around coaching and mental health.

Listen to Bev and Mariah's previous conversation on AFH Presents: Conversations on Sports and Mental Health.

Today we are joined by Sophie Wang and Lexi Andrie, two Orr Fellows and founders and CEO and COO of the non-profit LUMA Galleries. We talk about their personal journeys and what they’ve learned through founding a non-profit that illuminates different narratives. In this episode you’ll hear about how and when we started to become aware of our own individual needs, shame around injury, painful experiences bringing out growth, amplifying the voices of others, the importance of human connection, how to avoid negative self-talk, and so much more.

Get your tickets to LUMA Volume I: https://www.lumagalleries.org/event-details/luma-vol-i

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we’re joined by Cory Camp, a phenomenal human being and expert in helping athletes find their flow state. He’s a swimmer, coach, author, podcaster, and founder of Forever Athlete. He takes personal development and trains others on how to be successful in it. In this episode we talk about the struggle to label yourself with an intro and on social media, content creation, making lifestyle and personal development easy and sustainable, the Psychophysiological window of tolerance of stress, flow state psychology, intermediately challenging yourself, imposter syndrome and so much.

We’re joined by LaVonne Idlette, Olympic track star, lawyer and investment coach, and contestant on The Amazing Race. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she competed in the Women's 100 meters hurdles as well as attending Hampton University to compete in the heptathlon. She also competed on The Amazing Race in 2020 for season 32. LaVonne now spends her time helping high achievers, such as professional athletes, lawyers, and doctors, invest in commercial real estate to educate on financial fitness and create passive income.

There’s so many great take-a-ways but we’ve taken to highlighting a few:

The mental shift necessary to go from being good at many things to becoming great at one

Why it’s important to surround yourself with other high achieving people

Unlearning stereotypes (for example: that athletes aren’t intelligent)

How to stay aware from those who try to keep you in the dark by keeping you uneducated

The buckets you should keep you money in and why you should diversify your financial profile

Be sure to subscribe, review, and follow @learn2listen_ on Instagram/TikTok/Facebook/Twitter to stay up-to-date

On this episode we’re joined by YouTuber and content creator Brooke Sabey. In this episode you’ll hear how Brooke and Mariah relate over their college experience being disrupted and being sucked back into hometown life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Have you ever felt like you regressed into the person you used to be? Brooke tells the story of how she convinced her parents to let her have social media and a Youtube channel at 12 and how her main friend group she met through the Internet when she wasn’t accepted by middle schoolers. Brooke and Mariah relate over seeing their role models succeed and relate to being bullied and made fun of but to then to pay it back and hopefully be that person for someone else. Are you your own boss? Have you learned your boundaries? Or, do you want to know the time sink and the behind-the-scenes that goes into content creation? Listen to hear it all & be sure to subscribe.

This week, we are joined by Alea Rashid, current Orr Fellow and graduate of Butler University. one of my closest friends here in Indy and there’s so much we go into. Have you ever thought through how your past experiences impact the person you've become? In this episode you'll learn about how Alea’s life was impacted by having all brothers growing up and how joining a sorority taught her a different perspective. Mariah shares her mirrored version of that where rowing taught her to embrace her athleticism and confront her fear of being ‘too masculine’. You’ll also learn about the international trips Alea and Mariah have been fortunate enough to go on and what they both learned and took home with them. Do you know what etymology is? What about barracudas? Do you know why this podcast was founded? All the answers lie ahead…

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we are joined by Alex Oleson, a fellow Orr Fellow, friend, father, and podcaster. Alex speaks to how he shifted what he sees as successful as he approaches fatherhood. We talk a lot about having some areas of our identity that lend themselves to privilege and some areas of our identity that don’t lend themselves to privilege. Hearing Alex walk through growing up as an adopted child and when he started seeing and understanding how he developed and fit into society in many different ways is bound to leave a lasting impact. There are many awesome insights shared in this episode as to what identity seeking is like and how it can be complicated through different lenses. Growing up is weird and hard at points, we strive to blend in while also differentiate ourselves from others and discover our passions. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to launch a podcast, Alex and Mariah do just that.

Today we are joined by Sarah Kolczak, current Orr Fellow and Co-Founder of Soul & Flow, a wellness experience and community to connect deeper to our higher selves through mind, body, soul, & flow. We chat about Sarah’s experience growing up as a performer. We also talk about Sarah’s background as a ballerina and the sometimes toxic culture that surrounds the world of dance. Have you ever had your thoughts consumed while you were working out on what you and your body looks like? Well, so have we, and we dive into it. If you've never chatted with someone who has completed her yoga certification and created her own business around it, this episode is definitely for you. Please be sure to subscribe to our podcast to stay up to date and leave a review! Check out Soul & Flow here: https://www.soulandflowwellness.com/

On this episode of Learn 2 Listen, we are joined by Priscilla Wiggins, a current Masters student earning her degree in Counseling Psychology at Temple University. She and Mariah talk all about her journey playing soccer while simultaneously exploring the process of loss and identity after the passing of her father when she was 21. We kick off the conversation around the transition out of sport (and what we miss and don’t miss) with the changes in life. Then we talk about the relationship athletes have with their bodies once they stop sport. Mariah talks about needing to reframe the way she looks at working out and not basing it off of guilt but rather for fun. They relate over needing to catch ourselves when we are working out and start to get frustrated when outcomes are not seen or we’re not able to do the same things we used to be able to do. Priscilla talks about the phenomena of countertransference and explains the delicate relationship between a counselor and patient and not only focusing on struggles during therapy sessions. Priscilla also talks about how she was aware of therapy from a young age as her family wanted to be open with each other. One thing that hits home is having to walk through validating each of our emotions and being able to hold opposing feelings at once.

Danielle Berman, Founder and CEO of TackleWhatsNext, the premier community and support team for athletes transitions from sport to well, what’s next. In this episode, we fangirl over the power of telling stories and sharing experiences, especially around career transition. We chat about the worries that come with change or choosing where to go after sport when sport has been your ‘job’ for the better part of your adult life. Danielle brings up the great point that there is no blueprint as to how to do that. TackleWhat’sNext is a great resource to help athletes make this transition and connect them with the right people. We also talk about how we really only see the good part of going to college or even social media as a whole and how no one tells or shows you the bad side. People don’t post or showcase when they’re upset and hurting and that’s why it’s so important to have both sides of the story or even know that there are two sides. Have you ever thought about the difference or distinction between balance and prioritization? Because I never really had and wow- it was such a great point of reflection for me to really think about. Sometimes your priorities fluctuate depending on the day and events that come up and learning how to prioritize and tell other people you’re doing that is difficult yet rewarding. With that, I hope you take away as much as I did from Danielle and I’s conversation.

Leeann Passaro is Chief Operating Officer at The Hidden Opponent, an advocacy group that raises awareness for Student-Athlete Mental Health to address the stigma in sports. Not only is Leeann passionate about her non-profit work but she is also a high school English teacher and soccer and lacrosse coach. Leeann vulnerably shares her story about her relationship with soccer, her coach and team, and her history of concussions. We bond and elaborate about the guild and uncertainty that surrounds injury in sport. We give our two cents about the fear and manifestation of symptoms that surround injury and why it creates a web of pressure and confusion. Leeann discusses her reframing of a very difficult situation where she wasn’t asked to return to soccer her senior year where she was forced to transition out of sport a year earlier than she thought she would.

Madeline Barlow, Ph.D., is an Athlete Mental Performance Coach currently working at Drexel University to help athletes become mind-wise and transition away from sport post-graduation. Madeline is also the founder of the MindWiseMentor, the creator of the Mind-Wise Method, and the author of the book The Highly Sensitive Athlete. She earned her degree at the Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania where she was a varsity swimmer of four years. Join us today as Madeline tells the Learn2Listeners community what it means to be mind-wise. She shares some of her favorite practices everyone can integrate into their daily schedule. We take a deep dive into the take-a-ways Madeline experienced from her fourteen-year swimming career, mainly navigating one’s body image while constantly competing in a bathing suit. Thank you so much to Madeline for taking the time to teach us all how to be more mind-wise and sharing her story on Learn 2 Listen.

Doctor Nancy Michael is currently a Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Neuroscience and Behavior Major at the University of Notre Dame. She has dedicated her professional life to the scientific community, having studied pharmacogenetics, molecular biology, and neuropsychology, all while publishing multiple research papers. Join us as we discuss human tendencies and connections surrounding life transitions and the COVID-19 pandemic from a neurological point of view. We begin by discussing the transition from collegiate life into post-graduation life, which many students struggle through, and what advice Dr. Michael provides her students with. Then, we dive into the pandemic and its neurological impacts on students and communities. If you’re curious how we try to reestablish socialization as an everyday necessity and how we must unlearn the anxiety and guilt that accompanied the pandemic, listen now!

Thank you to Doctor Nancy Michael for her insight, time, and continuous dedication to education. Don't forget to share your thoughts on the @learn.2.listen Instagram and subscribe to our podcast!

Monica Mesecar is currently a Notre Dame senior in the class of 2021 from Indiana who will graduate with her bachelor's in Neuroscience and Behavior with a minor in compassionate care in medicine. She lives in Ryan Hall, where she serves as a senior fellow. While at Notre Dame, Monica has been on the yearbook committee, served on the neuroscience senior leadership committee, and as the social media liaison. She is also a founder and member of ND's Access-able club, designed to educate, advocate, and build a community for students with disabilities. Monica is dedicated to the healthcare field and projects working in research before attending medical school. Join us as Monica discusses what drew her to neuroscience, the pressures of collegiate life, the intricacies of the COVID-19 pandemic as a student, and her experience as a student with disabilities. Monica shares and educates us all about her story with grace, honesty, and maturity at unmatched levels.

Thank you to Monica for taking the time to be vulnerable with the Learn 2 Listen community and share her story. Don't forget to share your thoughts on the @learn2listen_ Instagram and subscribe to our podcast!

Brianna Leverenz is a former swimmer for The University of Tennessee Knoxville where she graduated with a degree in kinesiology in 2019. While at school, Brianna was extremely involved in sports philanthropy where she spent 3 months in the Philippines teaching children how to swim. Brianna and Mariah met through their mutual interest in sports philanthropy as Brianna continues to serve and inspire those around her. She now works for Stanford as a clinical researcher to fulfill her amazing and demanding work. schedule. Join us as we chat about Brianna's journey during her four years as a student, athlete, and leader. She bravely and honestly shares her vulnerabilities and advice with us as well as some female empowerment!

Thank you Brianna for inspiring us all with her dedication to serving others. Don't forget to share your thoughts on the @learn2listen_ Instagram and subscribe to our podcast!

Katherine McManus graduated from Notre Dame in 2016. She was a member of the women's lacrosse team from 2012-2016. After graduating, she spent a year interning for Student Welfare and Development (ND Athletics), got her MA in Sport and Performance Psychology from the University of Denver, and a MA in Clinical Psychology from American University. Her research focuses on body image, eating, and exercise behaviors in athletic samples and childhood obesity community intervention and prevention strategies. Katherine believes in applied research that inspires action and change within systems and individuals. When working with clients, Katherine aims to help them feel and be their best in all areas of life. She believes in strengthening skills one already has, teaching new skills, and working within a clients’ lifestyle and needs. Join us as we chat about Katherine's personal and professional journey and how she focuses on positivity through adversity.

Thank you Katherine for opening up to the Learn 2 Listen community and sharing her vulnerabilities and strengths. Don't forget to share your thoughts on the @learn2listen_ Instagram and subscribe to our podcast!

This is the first episode of the Learn 2 Listen podcast, which was recorded live at the University of Notre Dame. Even if you aren't affiliated with any religion or even a different religion, this episode is a must-listen. Father Pete McCormick is Notre Dame’s director of campus ministry, chaplain of the men’s basketball team, and previous rector of Keogh Hall. Father Pete joins Learn 2 Listen to chat about what it is like being a leader in the Notre Dame community and provides us with endless advice about traversing moments of self-doubt and uncertainty. He encourages us to take a leap of faith and to embrace not having all the answers all of the time. Learn more about Father Pete and his story as we listen along! Thank you Father Pete for providing us comfort and advice along our life journey. Subscribe to the podcast and follow us on all social media platforms to stay up to date!