Grief doesn’t fade on a schedule, and it often hits hardest after everyone else has “gone back to normal.” I’m joined by Kelly Edmondson, a nurse, mother, and the founder and CEO of Timely Presence, to talk about the stretch of time most people overlook: the weeks and months after the funeral, when the texts slow down, sleep gets harder, and a teen can feel forgotten.

We get specific about teen grief and loss, including why the death of a close friend can be uniquely isolating, how adults sometimes leave teens out of ceremonies even when the bond is real, and what it looks like when a young person is silently carrying extreme sadness. Kelly shares a healthier way to think about mourning: we don’t move on from a loss, we move forward. That simple shift makes room for a truth teens struggle with: you can miss someone deeply and still find moments of joy, pride, and laughter.

We also dig into practical grief support for parents, caregivers, and chosen family: ask better questions, build new rituals for birthdays and holidays, and stop trying to advise someone out of pain. Listening and fixing are not the same thing. Kelly explains why teens often have less realistic access to grief counseling than adults, even when schools offer resources, and what it means for adults to stand in that gap with steady presence.

If you want a clearer map for supporting a grieving teen and a deeper understanding of bereavement, trauma triggers, and healing over time, hit play. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find these tools.

🔗 Connect with Kelly Edmonson:

http://www.thetimelypresence.com/

Send us an anonymous text message

Support the show

Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive!

Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search

Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com

I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog!
Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog

Join the MindShift Universe—where real conversations spark transformation! 

Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492

Thank you for listening!

She didn’t just write a memoir about surviving foster care, abuse, addiction, and homelessness. She posted the records. Adrienne Caldwell joins us to talk about Unbroken, Life Outside the Lines and the decision to put her Children’s Protective Services case files, psychological evaluations, and counselor reports online as proof, context, and a public reclaiming of truth.

We get into the uncomfortable gap between paperwork and personhood. What happens when official files describe a teenager as manipulative, conniving, or cold, and that teen is actually improvising ways to survive? Adrienne speaks with rare honesty about the coping mechanisms she used, why she used them, and how she learned healthier communication and emotional skills later. If you care about trauma informed parenting, teen mental health, child welfare, or understanding “problem behavior,” this conversation puts real life texture on those words.

We also focus on hope that is practical, not fluffy. Adrienne shares what she would tell a teen who feels judged or invisible, why your current environment is not permanent, and how opportunities like scholarships, exchange programs, trade school, the military, or college can become real exit routes. We close with a challenge to look at the people around us through a lens of understanding instead of judgment, because there is almost always a root reason behind behavior.

Subscribe to Mind Shift Power Podcast, share this with someone who works with teens, and leave a review so more listeners can find these stories and this kind of healing.

🔗 Connect with Adriene Caldwell:

https://www.unbrokencaldwell.com/

Send us an anonymous text message

Support the show

Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive!

Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search

Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com

I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog!
Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog

Join the MindShift Universe—where real conversations spark transformation! 

Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492

Thank you for listening!

Someone taught a lot of us to get quiet. Not always with words, but with a look, a dismissal, a “you don’t know enough yet.” That lesson follows kids into adulthood, where low confidence turns into smaller choices and muted leadership. I sit down with Jackie Bailey, an international conversation coach and the executive director of the Speak Feed Lead nonprofit, to name the moment silence gets learned and map out how young people can unlearn it.

We talk youth leadership development in a way that’s practical and personal: how trust changes a child’s identity, why responsibility builds resilience, and why “letting kids fail” is often the most loving path to real maturity. Jackie also shares what she heard from young people during the pandemic, when school, sports, and routines disappeared and many felt they had to stay silent to protect stressed parents. If you care about youth mental health, parenting with intention, or building communication skills that last, this conversation connects the dots.

Then we go deep on what happens when a young person steps onto a TEDx stage and what changes after they walk off. Jackie has coached youth speakers through that process, and she explains why the real win isn’t performance, it’s knowing “I can do hard things” with receipts. We also break down how Speak Feed Lead turns life experiences into stories, talks, podcasts, workshops, a Costa Rica family retreat built around real connection, and a Tanzania humanitarian mission that brings voices from remote villages to the world.

If you believe a voice can change a life, support this work and help it spread. Listen, share with someone raising a teen, and subscribe so you don’t miss what comes next. After you listen, will you leave a review and tell me the first time you felt truly heard?

🔗 Connect with Jackie Bailey:

https://jackiebailey360.com/

https://speakfeedlead.org/

Send us an anonymous text message

Support the show

Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive!

Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search

Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com

I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog!
Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog

Join the MindShift Universe—where real conversations spark transformation! 

Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492

Thank you for listening!

Think you need a title to lead? Think bigger. Leadership starts in small, daily choices—how you show up when no one is watching, how you treat people, and how boldly you stretch toward your potential. With leadership coach Leslie Nelson of Pivotal Connections, we dig into why growth isn’t optional, how to spot leaders in the making, and what to do once responsibility lands on your desk.

We unpack the “law of the rubber band” and why healthy tension between where you are and where you could be fuels development. Leslie shares clear signals of emerging leadership—initiative, discernment, problem solving, generosity, teachability—and brings them to life with relatable examples from schools, first jobs, and teams. We talk character as alignment between values and actions, and how adversity forces a choice between character and compromise. From social courage to everyday integrity, credibility is built through consistent behavior.

You’ll also hear practical guidance on choosing your circle wisely, steering clear of gossip and shortcuts, and finding mentors who live the standards you want. When a title arrives, the real work begins: learn your people beyond the “tip of the iceberg,” place strengths where they can thrive, communicate context, and apply the golden rule. Leslie closes with six concise commitments for young leaders—believe in yourself, write your vision, stand up for right causes, hold your values, keep stretching, and embrace generational diversity by learning across ages.

If you’re ready to grow your influence, serve with integrity, and lead well—title or not—this conversation will meet you where you are and push you forward. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs a nudge, and leave a review with the one leadership habit you’ll practice this week.

🔗 Connect with Leslie Nelson:

http://www.pivotalconnect.org/

Send us an anonymous text message

Support the show

Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive!

Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search

Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com

I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog!
Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog

Join the MindShift Universe—where real conversations spark transformation! 

Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492

Thank you for listening!

What if fear isn’t failure—it’s silence before the first word comes out? We sit down with 13-year-old TEDx speaker Tanoushri Shriram to explore how tiny, consistent risks can transform a quiet voice into a confident one, even in a world where judgment feels nonstop.

Tanoushri shares the moment a mentor nudged her to the front of a room without warning, and how that single push rewired her idea of readiness. We unpack the line she delivered on stage—“fear showed up as silence before it showed up as failure”—and turn it into a practical toolkit for real life: start with micro-actions, borrow courage from mentors, and treat setbacks like reps in the gym. From raising a hand after getting laughed at to planning a NAMI workshop that supports mental health, her story shows how action creates proof, and proof creates belief.

We also address the modern pressure cooker: social media’s constant scrutiny and the way viral opinions seep into classrooms and daily choices. Together, we separate helpful feedback from noise, and show how to convert criticism into a practice plan. Self-talk takes center stage too—short, specific phrases that calm spirals and move you to speak, ask, and lead. Along the way, we reflect on the power of allies like Jackie Bailey, whose mentorship opened doors and reframed risk as learnable.

If you’ve been waiting to feel brave before you begin, this conversation offers a different path: move first, let readiness follow. You’ll leave with strategies to test courage safely, protect your focus from unhelpful opinions, and build skills that compound over time. If a 13-year-old can turn silence into a stage, what might your next small step unlock?

Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review—what tiny risk will you take this week?

Want to see Tanushri's TEDx Talk? Visit:

https://www.fatimabey.com/125

Send us an anonymous text message

Support the show

Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive!

Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search

Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com

I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog!
Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog

Join the MindShift Universe—where real conversations spark transformation! 

Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492

Thank you for listening!

Grief doesn’t hand out maps. We sat down with Guardian AIngels founder John Cammer to explore a simple but radical idea: what if your journal talked back with compassion, structure, and a voice that feels familiar enough to help you open up? John lost three close friends and spent years numbing the pain, until building an AI-guided journaling tool helped him finally cry and start the hard work of healing. That turning point became Guardian AIngels, a mobile-friendly web app designed to guide you through Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning with prompts that are gentle, clear, and clinically grounded.

Here’s the heart of it: you answer a set of questions that capture your unique relationship—nicknames, humor, shared memories, speech patterns—so the prompt “voice” reflects your experience, not a generic internet version of the person you lost. The app avoids social media scraping and keeps firm boundaries; the persona explicitly refers to itself as gone, supporting acceptance and preventing false hope. You choose your cadence of guided prompts (three, five, or seven per week), and you can opt for a standard grief counselor persona if modeling a loved one feels too close. The goal isn’t to simulate life, but to offer a familiar presence that helps you process pain, adjust to a changed world, and form an enduring connection that moves with you.

We also dig into guardrails, teen relevance, and where the tech goes next. John explains why he’s cautious about voice and avatars—too much realism can keep people stuck—and how Guardian AIngels is meant to complement therapy and community, not replace them. Pricing is transparent, with plans from $10 to $50 per month, a seven‑day free trial, and a 10‑week flagship program. Do the work—respond to 80% of prompts—and you unlock 90 days free, because healing takes practice, not a single moment.

If you’ve been circling grief without a safe place to land, this conversation offers a humane, structured way to start. Listen, share with someone who needs it, and then subscribe or leave a review to help more people find tools that honor love while rebuilding life.

🔗 Connect with John Kammer:

https://guardianaingels.ai/

Send us an anonymous text message

Support the show

Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive!

Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search

Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com

I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog!
Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog

Join the MindShift Universe—where real conversations spark transformation! 

Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492

Thank you for listening!

What if the label you see first is blinding you to the person who could change your team, your school, or your city? That question drives a candid conversation with Angela Calzone, president and CEO of Inroads to Opportunities, a New Jersey nonprofit serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health challenges. Together, we unpack how person-first thinking turns inclusion from a slogan into a system: vocational training, life enrichment, and mental health supports that meet people where they are—age 14 through retirement.

Angela’s journey—from serial entrepreneur and turnaround consultant to mission-driven leader—offers a timely blueprint for teens and early-career listeners anxious about “choosing one path.” Skills like strategy, marketing, and leadership don’t evaporate when you switch lanes; they compound. She shares how those tools now fuel accessible programming, stronger organizations, and community partnerships. Along the way, we confront the quiet costs of exclusion: lost ideas, weaker culture, and missed productivity when workplaces overlook disabled talent. With real stories and practical insight, we highlight why many disabled employees bring extraordinary loyalty, focus, and perspective when barriers come down.

We also explore the human side of inclusion: respect, humor, boundaries, and the patience that grows when you adapt teaching and communication. That patience doesn’t just help the learner—it reworks the teacher, manager, and teammate into better listeners and clearer thinkers. We imagine what changes when schools normalize collaboration across difference and when employers design roles with flexibility and accessibility. Fewer assumptions, richer dialogue, and a culture that sees ability before label.

Ready to reframe how you see difference—and how you show up at work and in life? Press play, then share this conversation with a friend or colleague. If it resonates, subscribe, leave a review to help others find the show, and tell us one inclusive change you’ll make this week.

🔗 Connect with Angela Calzone:

https://www.inroadsto.org/

Send us an anonymous text message

Support the show

Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive!

Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search

Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com

I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog!
Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog

Join the MindShift Universe—where real conversations spark transformation! 

Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492

Thank you for listening!

Think changing the world requires a title or a perfect plan? We make the case that real power lives in the rooms almost no one enters: school boards, city councils, and state committees where a handful of voices can move budgets, shape curricula, and set community priorities. With guest Braden Frame, a former firefighter turned political strategist and CEO of The Cartographers Group, we unpack how a career built on service evolved into influencing policy, why local races swing on dozens of votes, and how young people can start making a difference long before they can cast a ballot.

We get practical about pathways: serving as a page at the statehouse, interning in a council office, or volunteering on city campaigns that align with your values. Braden breaks down the mechanics of testimony, lobbying, and constituent emails, translating “politics” into approachable steps that fit a student’s schedule. We also confront today’s information tide: AI-fueled fakes, weaponized spin, and the subtle pressure to accept the loudest narrative. Instead of checking out, we offer a method—verify sources, study the opposition’s best argument, and protect your judgment—so your voice gains clarity rather than heat.

At the heart of this conversation is a simple truth: you don’t need to master every issue to participate. Pick the one that touches your life—safety, schools, costs—and learn who decides it locally. Show up in person, because attendance is influence, and influence stacks. When underrepresented groups abstain, they don’t just go unheard; they green-light the agenda of those who do turn out. If you’re 14 to 17, your presence, questions, and testimony still matter. If you’re 18 and up, your vote tells leaders which communities count.

Subscribe for more raw, practical conversations on youth empowerment and civic action. Share this episode with a friend who’s ready to show up, and leave a review with the one local issue you’ll tackle next.

🔗 Connect with Braden Frame:

https://www.bradenframe.com/

Send us an anonymous text message

Support the show

Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive!

Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search

Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com

I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog!
Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog

Join the MindShift Universe—where real conversations spark transformation! 

Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492

Thank you for listening!

What if the thing you were told disqualifies you is actually your edge? We sit down with Janaya, a 20-year-old pre-law student who turned a learning disability and a stutter into a 4.0 semester, a spot on the Dean’s List, and 71 credits that pushed her into junior standing ahead of schedule. Her story isn’t a highlight reel—it’s a blueprint that trades vague motivation for step-by-step practice you can use right away.

We unpack how she separated disability from intelligence and refused the labels that once defined her. Janaya walks through the study system that changed everything: recording lectures for replays and spaced repetition, building a weekly calendar with honest time blocks, using Pomodoro work sprints and intentional breaks, and visiting office hours until the concepts click. She explains how extended test time, quiet testing spaces, and earplugs cut noise and anxiety, and how tutoring upgraded her writing from below standard to college-strong. She even shares how she uses AI to simplify dense prompts into clear analogies, then works back up into academic language.

Public speaking used to send her into a spiral—rushing, stuttering, and shame. Now she rehearses, breathes, slows down, and continues even when the stutter shows up. Along the way, we talk credit acceleration, early graduation planning, and the discipline that turns effort into results. If you’re searching for practical study tips, learning accommodations, confidence building, or strategies for stuttering in college, this conversation offers a grounded, repeatable approach.

If this story sparks something in you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Your next step is a decision—what will you choose today?

To listen to the previous episodes as a part of this series of Janiya's journey, please visit:

https://www.fatimabey.com/121

Send us an anonymous text message

Support the show

Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive!

Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search

Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com

I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog!
Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog

Join the MindShift Universe—where real conversations spark transformation! 

Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492

Thank you for listening!

Ever feel like everyone else got a social manual you never received? Christopher Carazas joins us to talk about discovering he’s autistic at 35, after years of “passing” through school, work, and life across multiple continents. What starts as a story about diagnosis becomes a deeper look at masking, self-worth, and how seeing your wiring clearly can change everything.

We trace his childhood through Latin America and West Africa, where forgiving international schools made quirks easier to hide but didn’t solve the puzzle of sensory overwhelm, blunt honesty, or last-minute plan changes that knocked him off balance. Christopher explains how praise for the “polished” student was often applause for the mask, not the person. He also shares the flip side: fast pattern recognition, languages that unlocked global work, and the empathy that felt big inside but didn’t always translate into words. Together we break down the moments that finally made autism make sense, why ADHD alone didn’t explain the full picture, and how a name can turn shame into strategy.

We get practical for listeners who suspect they—or someone they love—might be on the spectrum. From accessible online screening tools and school counselors to toolkits from Autism Speaks, we outline first steps that can lead to better support. Christopher offers grounded advice for teens and adults in places where awareness is still low: accept yourself first, then build simple systems for routines, sensory boundaries, and clear communication. We zoom out to show the broader value of neurodivergence—out-of-the-box thinking that powers engineering, social impact, media, and public service—and spotlight his book, Now That I’m Still Here, which chronicles late diagnosis, surviving abuse, and rebuilding with purpose.

The heart of the conversation is a challenge and an invitation: blending in can hold you back when your edge is the way you think. If you’re tired of spending your energy on masking, this is a path toward clarity, language, and leverage. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—what mask are you ready to drop?

🔗 Connect with Christopher Carazas:

http://chriscarazas.com/

http://substack.com/@ccarazas

Send us an anonymous text message

Support the show

Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive!

Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search

Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com

I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog!
Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog

Join the MindShift Universe—where real conversations spark transformation! 

Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492

Thank you for listening!

What if the difference between chaos and clarity is just one breath? We sit down with 13-year-old TEDx speaker Vihan Reddy, whose calm response during a terrifying accident—a car running over his foot—reveals how a simple method can reshape choices under pressure. Vihan walks us through PACE: Pause, Assess, Choose, Engage. It’s a clean, four-step framework that turns raw emotion into practical action, whether you’re melting down during practice, stuck on a test question, or trying to repair a friendship after a heated argument.

Together, we unpack how the pause creates space to think, and why assessment is more about noticing the one fix that matters than overanalyzing. Vihan shares how a single coaching cue—maxing the wrist on a forehand—transformed his tennis form, and how that same lens works outside sports. We talk about the hidden cost of lashing out, how panic multiplies pain, and the surprisingly powerful skill of letting wisdom in without swallowing everything you hear. You’ll hear clear examples of PACE at work: taking a breath instead of smashing a racket, filtering distractions while studying, and choosing a steady response when emotions surge.

The conversation turns practical fast: how to practice PACE before the moment, build a reliable mental filter, and set boundaries with friends while staying kind. If you’ve ever wished you could hit reset when you feel yourself tipping over the edge, this is your playbook—short, memorable, and grounded in real life from a voice wise beyond his years.

Listen now, try PACE this week, and tell us where it changed your outcome. If the story resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.

Connect with Vihaan Reddy:

 [email protected] 

Watch his TEDx Talk:

https://www.fatimabey.com/119

Send us an anonymous text message

Support the show

Every episode brings global perspectives and leadership insights. Click on the "Support the show" link above and keep the mission alive!

Search MindShift Power Podcast buy topic here: https://www.fatimabey.com/podcast-search

Explore more about my work beyond podcasting, check out the blog, share your thoughts, or become a guest! https://www.FatimaBey.com

I also have another podcast called The MindShifter Audio Blog!
Experience my written words like never before, as I personally narrate my blogs for a truly engaging audio journey. https://www.fatimabey.com/audioblog

Join the MindShift Universe—where real conversations spark transformation! 

Follow me on social media: https://www.fatimabey.com/#1035650492

Thank you for listening!