Dawn Neuburg couldn't participate in Ep. 52. For Ep. 53, we’ll play clips of Vasu Tolia’s answers to my questions. Dawn will then respond. As always, we’ll entertain additional comments and questions from the audience.

Creativity gives us a doorway into what we feel. It can help us begin conversations that are otherwise difficult to start. That is one reason the mission of No Shame On U matters so much to me. Their work reminds us that mental health conversations should not be hidden in silence or shame.

Vasu Tolia joins us on the next episode of "Shining Light on Shadows: A Candid Conversation About Mental Health" to talk about the challenges she faced in finding her footing after retiring from her medical career.

If we really want better outcomes for youth and families, we must begin treating foster parents and caregivers as an essential part of the youth’s team, rather than an after thought.

Eva Green will discuss the challenges, realities, and opportunities to better support those impacted by foster care while working toward more stable and healing outcomes for youth, families and caregivers.

While there is more awareness than ever about the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of young people, many students and families still struggle to access timely, consistent mental health support.

We will explore why so many of us struggle with self-care — including the belief that we are “bad at it,” the pressure to keep going, and the guilt that can come with resting or putting our own needs first.

I have to tell myself over and over that no one’s trauma is worse than another person’s trauma. The trauma may have occurred differently, or under different circumstances, but each person’s trauma is their own. We get to own our own stories and no one gets to tell us how to process that, what to feel or when we should be “over” it.

Sexual assault and violence do not affect everyone in the same way, but that does not make one person’s pain more valid than another’s. Too often, survivors feel pressured to measure their trauma against someone else’s story. The truth is simple: trauma is trauma. My story, your story, and our stories all deserve care, compassion, and healing without comparison.