by Alyson Showell LaPorta
On Feb. 5th, Amy Edelstein and Alyson Showell LaPorta made their second appearance on “The Heart of the City” hosted by Malik Boyd on WWDM-AM, Talk 860 Radio. The theme of the show was “Protecting Your Inner Peace.” Together with Naimah Wilson, a mental health advocate, we spoke about various tools and strategies to protect an individual’s inner peace, inner strength, and mental health.
Among the topics discussed was what, exactly, meditation is, how it can be used, who it is for and the potential that it can unlock. Amy discussed the mindfulness and meditation tools within Inner Strength’s Teen Program and the Reducing Secondary Traumatic Stress professional development training, their impact on teachers, students, and school culture, and how to become trained in the tools. Alyson spoke about the mental health support aspects and how meditation can be an integral part of a self-care “toolkit,” additional components of a toolkit (such as therapy, acupuncture, support groups), and how they can help struggling, traumatized communities as a whole.
The show focused on the importance of promoting understanding and awareness, addressing the stigma and trauma of mental health challenges, and the critical nature of how we as a community can change the cultural conversation.
Amy also spoke about her decades of study, experience, and knowledge, and how she has been using that deep well of education to effect much needed change.
Malik Boyd is dedicated to making these conversations be part of a larger shift. The Heart of the City and Inner Strength are talking about how to form a community partnership to bring mental and emotional wellness to areas of the city where access to well-being resources is limited and yet where they are so very needed. You can listen to the episode below!
