ABOUT THE CREW
If you haven’t checked out our very first Episode, head over to our episodes page (or click here) and give it a listen! Just a forewarning… it is very clear that I’m not a “um” public “um” speaker, ha! One of the best mental health tips I’m still learning and can give you right off the bat is to A. get uncomfortable so you can grow and B. lighten it up and laugh it off. As we are navigating this new awesomeness that is “That Foreign Feeling” please know that we appreciate you tuning in and spending time with us and genuinely hope you are able to always take something useful away from each and every episode, blog, and piece of information we share with you. We had a blast with this first episode and are thrilled for what’s to come and to share this journey with all of you. Anna said it best in our intro “Welcome to That Foreign Feeling, a podcast that creates space for conversation surrounding mental health, grief, and loss”. Without further ado, here is a quick recap of who each of us are, from our very first Episode “The Crew”.
That Foreign Feeling is made up of 5 ladies from Minnesota and Wisconsin. We have momma’s, sisters, daughters, entrepreneurs, students, and a whole lot of mental health ups and downs just like everyone else. Here is a little about each one of us here at That Foreign Feeling.
Steph (that’s me in case you're wondering the voice behind this post) is from Western Wisconsin, New Richmond area, whose primary roles are Wife, Mom, Homeschool Teacher, and Volunteer/Early Loss Coordinator for our wonderful hometown non-profit, “Halos of the St. Croix Valley''. I became aware of my personal mental health journey during my high school years. As I became a momma, it hit me that I needed to really figure our how to care for my mental health because I now had two little girls who most likely would grow up and need the same tools I was hoping to find.
Anna, also from Western Wisconsin, is the incredible woman, entrepreneur, and founder of The Butterfly Path - an amazing local non-profit that she started in 2017 to raise money and awareness for mental health resources in our area and surrounding communities. Both Anna and I had known about each other’s non-profits years before we were able to connect and she leads us into the conversation about how it finally happened through her manifested conversations with Niccy about connecting with Halos. Anna talks about how Niccy connected us through her C.H.I.P. program and how we gained our wonderful interns who played a big part in match making and getting us together, finally!
Niccy, a.k.a. the glue, really was the missing piece to getting us connected. Another Western Wisconsin’er, Niccy experienced grief early on in life when her dad passed at age 12, grandpa at 17, followed by her grandma, her fathers mom. Niccy saw her mom struggle with picking the right coping mechanisms, watched her fall apart, and made the decision that she wouldn’t use those same vices. Her mental health journey also came on her radar in her high school years and at first it felt better to suppress those feelings. Once covid hit, it was like hitting a wall and she decided it was time to deal with it. She quite her job, got a new job, people noticed, and she was back and thriving as a wonderful wife and mom again. Niccy works for A.H.E.C. (Area Health Education Centers) and it was with their C.H.I.P. (Community Health Intern Program) that she was able to nab Grace and Allie as two of her interns and placed them with Anna and I. All 5 of us were able to connect through Niccy where we “became close, and are so ready to do this Foreign Feeling”!
Grace joins us from the eastern side of the state near Green Bay and attends college at LaCrosse where she studies public health. Grace was connected with me through Niccy and the C.H.I.P. program and worked for Halos throughout her summer- graciously staying closer to New Richmond so that she could come to town and help in and out of the office. She also dealt with the loss of her father early on in life in high school, super unexpectedly. It was a rock she had to overcome and she’s still here today, doing life, attending school, and fun fact, the lovely poetic woman behind our name ‘That Foreign Feeling’.
That's us folks!