Unlearn The Lies About Mental Health

How can we create a more compassionate and supportive environment that prioritizes mental health and wellness? Are you ready to join the effort to build communities of care that promote mental wellness and create a better future for all students?

Mental health is an essential aspect of overall health, and it is crucial to take care of our mental health as we do with our physical health. Hence, there is a growing recognition of the importance of mental health in society, and efforts are being made to improve access to mental health care. Unfortunately, many individuals struggling with their mental health are met with judgment, stigma, and dismissal from those around them, including friends and family members. Consequently, it intensifies their struggles and creates barriers to seeking help.

Therefore, it's essential to create a culture that prioritizes mental health and wellness, encouraging individuals to seek support and offering resources to help them manage their struggles. It involves providing access to mental health services, promoting awareness and education, and creating safe spaces where individuals can express themselves without fear of judgment. Ultimately, it's critical to listen to individuals' experiences and challenges without judgment and offer support and resources to help them through their struggles. Doing so can create a more compassionate and inclusive society that prioritizes mental health and wellness. However, it requires a collective effort from everyone and a commitment to creating a more humane and inclusive environment. With these efforts, we can create a brighter future for all students.

In this episode, we want to help people, especially education leaders, affect positive change and cultivate a healthier environment for children and themselves. It is to give them some strategies and steps to support our children holistically. Join us as we learn how to shift our language and mindset in ways that allow us to be competent and carry the vision for the next generation with care, compassion, and bravery.

Today, we're joined by Dr. Anglin-Taylor; she's been in the K-12 educational arena for over 20 years serving as an administrator and teacher leader intent on improving student achievement. She also advocates for children, equity in education, and promoting healthy school cultures in both public and private educational sectors. Her work has consisted of a multifaceted approach to leadership in urban and rural school systems.

Her talents include but are not limited to, expertise in creating programs and professional learning designs for administrators and teachers. She has done extensive work recruiting, developing, and retaining highly qualified teachers and leaders of color to address the needs of urban schools.

In 2021, Dr. Anglin-Taylor released her first book. Demystifying the Angry Black Woman Stereotype through Self-Actualization: A Discussion about Strong Black Women is a self-help, inspirational book comprised of anecdotes and stories from and about black women in leadership and their journeys. The book provides readers insight into what women of color experience as they navigate the professional arena and how their historical underpinnings aid them in overcoming age-old obstacles. Dr. Anglin-Taylor also owns an educational consulting business, Taylor Instructional Leadership Coaching and Consulting Services, LLC.

"I love the work that we can do for children, and I like to see the change in children's growth. There are lots of opportunities in education, and at the end of the day, it's worth navigating even though many things in education aren't so pleasant." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

Show Highlights:

(00:00:00) Episode disclaimer, highlight, and introduction

(00:02:35) Welcoming today's guest, Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor.

(00:03:59) A Black Woman in Education: Who is Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor?

(00:07:44) What is the current state of Faculty and Staff mental health and well-being?

(00:10:14) What came positive out of Covid?

(00:11:02) Adults also need access to mental health and self-care.

(00:12:15) A mental health crisis

(00:14:20) What are some ways that administrators can help in supporting their educators?

(00:15:13) The necessity for open conversations

(00:15:52) Partnership and Collaboration: You can't run a school alone.

(00:19:54) Advertisement: This podcast is powered by Speaks2inspire, the mental health solution for young adults suffering in silence. Speaks2Inspire promotes mental wellness by creating safe spaces for young people to learn and connect through the art of storytelling. Learn how to bring a speaks-to-inspire speaker to your campus by visiting https://speaks2inspire.com/speaker/. 

(00:20:38) Think about yourself without being selfish.

(00:22:00) Accountability mindset: What level of accountability are we willing to own and accept?

(00:24:42) Change starts when we shift our language.

(00:27:08) How do we all work together to help our students succeed academically and holistically?

(00:28:07) Have a reserved judgment. 

(00:31:03) Education is a partnership.

(00:32:33) Be a steward of resources without judgment.

(00:34:34) The Book: Demystifying the Angry Black Woman Stereotype through Self-Actualization: A Discussion about Strong Black Women

(00:36:10) The most painful experience of an educator.

(00:39:20) Keep our children safe and provide them with a great education.

(00:40:29) Accessing mental health doesn't make us weak.

(00:42:43) Shift how you see strength and vulnerability.

(00:43:28) Males and females exhibit depression in different ways.

(00:46:22) The Morning Duty

(00:49:18) What is mental health for Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor?

(00:50:11) Our mental health drives our perception.

(00:51:55) Connect with Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor.

(00:52:21) 14 Ways to Support Your Students' Mental Health [free guide] - https://bit.ly/mentalhealthguide4

(00:53:18) If you need that support for your mental health, reach out to the National Suicide 

Prevention Lifeline by calling 9-8-8 now. For local and national resources, go to 

http://www.speaks2inspire.com/resources. Join the Unlearn The Lies About Mental Health 

Facebook group: https://bit.ly/UTLcommunity.

Key Takeaways:

"The reason we continue to persevere through the challenges, adversities, and everything else that comes with it is that we realize it's worth it." – Abraham Sculley

"Adults in education have gotten more comfortable and concerned and are advocating more for their resources in mental health, as in teachers and administrators. We're talking a lot now about self-care." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"It's important for us to hold ourselves accountable as adults, as we recognize and acknowledge that we, adults too, need to engage in self-care. And that we need to access mental health and make sure that we're okay." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"The energy that we're giving into advocating for ourselves and our resources around mental health is the same energy we need to continue to give in advocating for our children." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"If we recognize a lot of these problems have been existing, then it helps us to understand the level of harm and the level of the challenges that COVID has added to what was already existing." – Abraham Sculley

"Be open to listening to different ways to reach the same intended outcome." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"You can't run a school. You can't fix it all by yourself, so you have to partner, collaborate, and be open to other ideas from people." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"Sometimes making shifts in when you communicate and how you communicate can relieve a whole lot of stress." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"I think you have to think about yourself without being selfish. If it's not good enough for you, your family members, people that you love, and people that are very close to you, it should not be acceptable for the children and the families and the communities in which you serve." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"I learned that if you just listen and trust the people that you hire, trust that they are competent." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"When you take ownership of everything, you now have the power and the ability to change things. And a lot of people are not willing to take that ownership because it hurts." – Abraham Sculley

"Every parent that does not show up to the student conference, it doesn't mean that they don't care or that they're not interested in their child's well-being or their academic progress." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"At the end of the day, most parents are doing the best that they know how to do." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"Education is about partnering with the family to educate the whole child, and most times, that partnering requires us to be stewards of resources." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"Stop judging these parents because not everybody's in a situation because they didn't do what they were supposed to do." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"If we're going to create spaces where people feel comfortable, seeking out mental health resources and support, we're going to have to suspend judgment." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"To access mental health, we have to feel safe enough to be able to acknowledge needing that support without it detracting from who we are and what we bring to the table, without discrediting the credit that we have worked so hard." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"Struggling with depression is not a sign of weakness. It's a sign that you're human." – Abraham Sculley

"Ask for help not because you're weak, but because you want to remain strong." – Abraham Sculley

"Stop making assumptions and passing judgment. Find out." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

"Mental health is a part of us all that is something to be nurtured in the same way that we nurture relationships to us of value and the way we think and feel dictates the way that we act, how we show up in the world and how we allow or don't allow people to show up for us. Our mental health drives our perception." – Dr. Angela Anglin-Taylor

Connect with Dr. Angela via the following:

• Website: https://tilccs.com/Email: dratilccs@gmail.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-angela-anglin-taylor-03838b86/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069981825838

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tilccs5817/

• CTA: Consultation and Support for Educational Leaders

Unlearn The Lies About Mental Health is Hosted by Abraham Sculley

• Contact Speaks 2 Inspire to learn about S2I programs: https://speaks2inspire.com/services/.

• Mental health resources for students: https://speaks2inspire.com/resources/.

• Connect with Abraham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrahamsculley/.

• Order a copy of Unlearn The Lies https://amzn.to/32B2jRh.

• Join the Unlearn The Lies About Mental Health Facebook group: https://bit.ly/UTLcommunity.

This episode is powered by Speaks 2 Inspire, the mental health solution for young adults 

suffering in silence. Speaks 2 Inspire works with colleges and universities to create and 

implement safe, comprehensive programs for campuses across the nation.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, don't hesitate to get in touch 

with the Crisis Text Line by texting "Home" to 741741 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

by calling 1-800-273-8255.