Everyone Says Mental Health Matters. Wraparound Experts' Colleen Morris Says We're Getting It Wrong

[0:00]  Welcome back to another episode here on the Heart and Hustle with Colleen that says, "I grew up in the same neighborhood as my cousins. We walked the same streets yet their choices looked nothing like mine. Why? That question haunted me and it became my life's work. Colleen, what was that life's work?"

[0:16]  Hi. Um, so I have become a psychologist. I think I decided in about fourth grade and never changed my mind. Um, and really my mission is to figure out why people make the choices that they do and to help um the environments, the kids, the school systems, communities, and everybody making those choices around kids help them figure out how do we make the best choices? How do we have the best influence? What do we do together um to help kids be great good humans?

[0:54]  Yeah. And it's not easy, right? You made it sound like it was easy that you what you do, but it's [laughter] it's challenging. You've been doing this 20 plus years, right?

[1:03]  Yeah. Yeah. It's been a long time. And I, you know, have worked in every single kind of environment. So, have been in residential treatment um and have worked in beautiful schools. I mean, just let's say it just like super wealthy, right? Like super wealthy environments. Then I've been in super urban. I've worked in kids' homes um doing behavioral therapy for kids with autism. So I've worked in all these different environments over the last 20 plus years. And you just learn a lot about family systems and community systems and how we are just a little too segmented um or like everybody's on their own path. And one of the things that we've been trying to do wraparound experts is let's bring it all together.

[1:58]  Yeah. You know, one thing that you mentioned to me and actually just spoke to the last leader um that I was talking to on the podcast is that we just need one person in our lives to to really be that that um that driver who we become, right? And I recently was asked a question u from my neighbor as we were, you know, coming back from the airport. It's an hour by the way travel so it's a long conversation. and he was just I went to go see my brother back in Boston and we're just talking about adoption and he's like man so there's I think what my mom has 10 my father has eight kids so there's like 15 six even 16 of us and I can't I don't know all of them but I do know majority of them are still doing not still doing the same thing but they still dwelling on the past per se and not saying that my life is perfect but I've I've been able to see the other side of it and statistically someone like myself right I just found out there's like a half a million kids in the foster care system that a very small percentage actually get to see the other side of the world, right? And and the other the or somewhere past your backyard and um when we talk about that, you mentioned just having that person in your life that can really dictate what your future looks like. And I've had plenty of that. I can call go back to that. How important is that, Colleen? In the space that you've been doing this for 20 plus years and and you're you're kind of a mastermind at all this. Um I don't know about that but u it's uh it it's crucial. It it is the deciding factor. So we have watched kids in really rough situations and if they have that one person it doesn't necessarily have to be in their home either. It could be a teacher. It could be you know the person who works at the gas station that has worked there 20 years and always remembers them when they come in. You know, it's just it's a stable, consistent, positive influence and somebody who could say you can do this. You can make it and and give some options, give some perspective. That's the other part of it is that you know, yeah, there is this path, but did you ever think about this one?

[4:05]  That might be a little bit harder, but if nobody tells you, if nobody gives you those options as a little kid, how are you gonna figure that out on your own? you know, so imperative, vital, all the really great important words of you need that one person. And that's something that I don't know if it's intimidating or whatever. When I do art talks to schools, I try to tell them, you have no idea the smile you give to that one kid could change the trajectory of their life.

[4:38]  Yeah,

[4:40]  it's huge. It's a big job. So, um,

[4:43]  so many times I feel like adults will plant seeds and that could be a good seed or a bad seed, right? Like there's so many seeds that are planted

[4:50]  and some I don't think they intentionally do it, but I've seen adults also plant a lot of bad seeds. And I'll tell you one that I experienced and not that I remember. Another teacher actually called this upon as I grew up a little older. She said, "Ephan, remember when you went to your guiding counselor and your guiding counselor told you you might as well just go get a nine toive job cuz school wasn't for you? look at all the amazing things you've done in your life. But that was someone trying to plant a bad seed in my life, right? Luckily, I had a lot of good, positive seeds that were planted that kind of outgrew that that But I You're excited to say something. Go ahead. Go ahead.

[5:22]  I'm sorry. I'm excited to say something because I want people in education, community agencies, anything. If you do not like kids, go get a different job. Like, why would they say that to you? Now on the other hand, I also don't believe in artificially inflating someone to a point where it it's an unattainable or unrealistic, let's say that maybe unrealistic goal. So, you know, I don't know the stats. How many kids make it to the NBA? Right? Like not that many. So, I don't want to sit in a classroom of 30 and tell all 16 boys in that class, you're all going to the NBA. Well, that's not true. It's just not true. So, you know, we can't all we can't also inflate it. We have to be realistic, positive, realistic, and also that, you know, sort of tough love um to get somebody to the other side, that's really what it's about. But honest to goodness, if I could stand up in front of every school system and say to them, if you don't actually like kids, please leave right now. Right now,

[6:31]  it's not about the paycheck. They It's not like they're getting paid the biggest amount of money. I feel like the school system and being a teacher or being in the education field, it's truly a passion. It's truly uh purpose- driven. And it's not so much for the paychecks. And we've seen that over the years, right, where teachers are still fighting for uh better pay. And I I I go back to that uh counselor and it's not what she said, is how she said it. And I think a lot of times it's exactly that because she could have said exactly that, but said, "Hey, you're so creative that maybe we can help you find XYZ." And she just left it there. Yeah,

[7:03]  that's exactly it. Because you know what? We there are so many amazing things that humans can do in the world. And it doesn't mean that everybody has to follow the path of okay, graduate from high school, go to college, go to get this job that there are so many options out there. The what the guidance counselor should have done in my opinion is said exactly what you did. Hey, let's take your strengths and let's figure out how you can do that every day of your life and enjoy it and yeah, make a living out of it. that would have been a different way to approach it. Totally agree.

[7:35]  Early in your work with schools and families, as you kind of mentioned, where did you see um first that mindset, not just resources was the bottleneck?

[7:44]  Say that to me again. I'm sorry.

[7:45]  Yeah, no worries. Early in your work with schools and families, where did you first see that mindset and not just resources was actually the bottleneck to continue to thrive in in the space that you're in? Well, you know, um, schools schools are systems that are bureaucracies, right? So, like it's there also are rules that we have to follow and that makes it difficult navigating through it. It's one of the reasons very honestly when I first got my degree, I went into public school for about 5 seconds and left because I knew that with my personality, a public school system was not going to be a place that I felt like I could contribute to the be a positive influence to the kids because there's just going to be so many rules I had to follow, at least in my geographic area. So, I was out. I was like, I'm finding a different path to do this. Um and now circling back we of course work with uh all public schools as many as we can um understanding it but that that sort of system is difficult um for people to to navigate well and it's what we have it's what's what we have to work with. Um, but for us, you know, trying to be creative in our systems in a way that is more of open communication because we can do that with our public schools and with our private schools. Um, because we have a little bit less, I guess, rules in the way our organization is built. We can say the truth easier. Um, and that's kind of our mission is to say the things that we know other people probably want to say but have some restrictions and can't say it.

[9:28]  Yeah.

[9:28]  That's what we do. [laughter]

[9:29]  Yeah. No, I am totally with you because I lead the nonprofit to the school. However, we're a separate entity. We are a 501c3 and have no affiliation with the actual county. So, we can say things a little differently. Um, for sure, right? Because we're not part of the school. And it's very sad that we have to um walk on eggshells at times in those spaces because um the truth does hurt. But I think what the truth is what's going to do is allow us to really grow from it and being able to help others in this space and and and create a better future because it's not about us. It's about the next generation

[10:02]  and and

[10:02]  absolutely creative about it too. Like let's we we all understand the system. So let's be a little bit creative about how we manage the system because we can do that. You manipulate is sometimes viewed as a negative word and I have tried and I've done actually I've done um women leadership uh programs with teenagers all all women um or girls teenagers middle school and I said we need to rework the way we think about the word manipulate um because it has such a negative connotation to it. However, people understand the word and that you get in there and you kind of change things the way you want them to be. But if you go in in a way that you want to positively manipulate a system, then fantastic. That's what I think we need to do. And that's how we try to be creative. I know your rules as your school system. So, how about we try this approach which positively manipulates the system you're in?

[11:06]  Yep. And that mindset has allowed you to go from three employees to 60 in just four and a half years. Like really? Yeah. Really fast growth that's ground in values. But I can imagine there were still some frustrations as well through it all. What did that challenge look like?

[11:21]  Yeah. You know, um sometimes when you want to do things in a certain way, the truth is is that the system wins. There's only so many ways to pay for services, right? So there, you know, we're like, "Oh, this would be great. We can do this, we can do that." And then, you know, a school system will come back to us and say, "We don't have enough money to pay for it." And the business, the psych side of me wants to go, "Oh, forget it. Don't worry about it. We'll just do it." But then if I want the business to actually exist, you we can't we can't do it. So, that has been probably one of the biggest frustrations. Um, but I've also made it my mission to be uh an expert in school funding so that I can offer some solutions that maybe they haven't thought of. So I research all kinds of federal funds, state funds, like grants, all so that we can try to access the ability to get the services to the schools. So that has been one of the things we've really worked on as a core in our business so that it isn't a barrier.

[12:26]  Yeah. and and it's not easy to be quite frank. I think that you mentioned um there's smart people refusing really to collaborate um which is crazy to me. But why do you believe ego is that biggest barrier when it comes to child welfare and educational systems and how do you dismantle that?

[12:42]  Well, you know, I haven't completely figured out where it comes from and I don't know if it's at the college level when you know we're all being trained in our own specific fields that we are inflated in how important they are. And I'm not saying they're not important, [clears throat] but one of the things I consistently have seen over the years is a team of really smart people sitting down at the table supposedly there for the kid. And what it ends up being is a conversation about who's smart or who's the smartest sitting around the table. Like my idea is the best because and then listing all these reasons. And I'm sitting there going, "Yes, yes, that's a good idea. But what about for him?" like is that the best idea for him? Maybe it's a great idea and yes, you are really smart, but maybe the person sitting across from you's idea will work better. And that is one of the things that you know that is a no-go. If you're going to come into this organization, you better be willing to collaborate and let go of your ego because you are not always going to have the answer that is best for that kid. And even me sitting here as, you know, I'm the psychologist, I'm the founder, whatever. I cannot tell you how many times I have sat with my team and I've been gung-ho. Clearly, I like really believe in what I'm saying. I'm going and going and my my teammates will say to me, well, have you thought of it? Like, and I will sit there and go, oh, shoot, you guys are right. No, and having that it is people see it as a weakness. I see it as energizing that I can sit with a group of people feel vulnerable, feel confident enough and trust all of us enough that we're really the goal is really just to do the best thing for that kid. I might not have the answer all the time. Um, and that's what we expect. Well, that's really that's also goes back to your leadership of inviting people to the table that are smarter than you, more creative than you. Because if you are the smartest person at that table, then you're in the wrong room. You've created, you've got the wrong people around you. To be quite frank, you're never going to grow in that space. So, it's always good to see that people are challenging you on your own words that you've mentioned. Hey, you remember when you said this? Well, listen, I was listening and this is where we think we could really, you know, be a bigger um, you know, partner or a bigger player in the space. So I love that. Can we talk about some of the things that you guys do? What the services? What are the programs that you guys are doing?

[15:16]  Sure. So um we mostly go into schools and then communities uh like head starts. Do you have Head Starts where?

[15:24]  Yeah. Yeah.

[15:25]  Okay. Um so we provide actual professionals. So psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, um special education teachers, uh that go into schools or communities and work with the kids. they will do uh testing to find out where the kids need help. Um and then they will actually do interventions with the kids. So a big portion of what we do is actually professional staffing. Um and we train our people, we monitor them. You know, we're consistently collaborating with our people out in the field. Um and then the other pieces of what we do is we actually do um psychological evaluations here in our office and they are private evaluations. And what's unique about it is that because we have worked clinically and we have worked in schools, families can come to us and gain a perspective that they don't necessarily get if they get an evaluation just at a school or at an evaluation just at more like a hospital because we have both. So we're able to say to them clinically, this is what we're looking at. However, when you go to school, they're not going to do these two things because the school doesn't have to. but they will do these two things. And we've just had tremendous positive feedback from parents and organizations because we're able to combine those two mindsets. Um and I'm really proud of our team for for the way that they are um executing on that. And then um the final big thing that we do is that we provide trainings to everybody and anybody. We want everyone to get on the same page and be speaking the same language. So, we will meet with kids, um, we meet with parents, we meet with school staff, we meet with community staff, and we want everyone to understand this is what autism is or this is what depression really is or, you know, all of that because there's so much out there in the world that just isn't accurate. You know, it's just things we've all made up from our own personal experiences which are important, but maybe not the actual definition of it, you know. So that's a big deal for us. And empowering kids to understand mental health and mental illness is huge because way too many of our kids are like, "Oh, I have anxiety." And they don't. They're worried. They have typical feelings of nervousness, but they don't have an anxiety disorder. I think we've glorified it just a little bit. And I don't I don't mean it in a bad way. I I think it's fantastic we are having these conversations. But I also think we have to keep it leveled. You don't have a disorder. That's actually very typical feeling. Let's figure out how to work with it. You know what was actually um bothersome a little bit here is um my wife, her brother maybe 25 years old, I believe, and recently um went to go see a therapist after a breakup, right? And he went through some things in his in his life from, you know, mom kind of walking away and just life happening, per se, right? That's just we all got stories and immediately they put him on prescriptions on on drugs and it's like this is a 25-year-old that uh wanted to go to the military, right? But now they consider him bipolar and probably just because of the story that he was saying. Instead of them just trying to figure out the story, they just automatically just went into this direction. And it's so sad because I was also talking to somebody else and he says, you know, your friend, I would love to go to therapy, but I feel every time they I go there, [snorts] they always want to put me on some drugs. and he's like, "I don't want that." You know, I didn't have that experience, but you know, it's really sad when we want we're trying to get assistance and this is what was happening. And not everyone's doing that cuz I had a good therapist. But you also mentioned your thoughts create your feelings and and your your feelings create your behaviors and and all these different things, which is like why why are people going to see a therapist and the outcome is that? I think it's scary. Don't you think?

[19:29]  I I do too. It makes me uncomfortable. I understand that at the heart of it, you're trying to control the emergency of the emotions, you know, the crisis of those emotions right away. Um, I do think we jump to it too quickly. Um, you know, with the medications, I but I also on the other hand, there are some situations where that person absolutely needs it to be okay in the everyday. Um, but I do think we jump to it because all the other things, those thoughts, those feelings, and how you learn how to manage those takes work. We say it's like a sport or a hobby. You literally have to practice mental health skills every day. Every single day. And you might not even see it out loud. It's in your head. That's where it really begins is your thoughts. So, you know, I'm driving into work and I'm like, I've got this podcast today. Shoot, what if I screw up or what if I and then I have to go stop your thought because what if you do wonderfully

[20:33]  what if you you know so I have trained my brain to when I start going down that negative pathway to cut myself off and say the exact opposite and that takes work

[20:49]  and that's that's the issue is that you know we we be have become a quick society, you know, immediate gratification and that's just not how uh good mental health is sustained.

[21:03]  Okay, so let's stay on that space, right? Mental health. I am a big believer in mental health and I do believe like I created I think I told you this journal called the mindset reset and it was really questions. Sometimes we don't ask ourselves questions the way we should ask ourselves questions or people don't ask us questions the way they should. It's how people say things. It's not what they said. So I think it's yes it's us stopping it but it's also and when it's happening in our minds but even those people around us the noise of people that are are doubting you people that are saying it's not possible or people uh calling you with all their negative stories about you're in a space of trying to get out of this rut right like I think there's when we talk about mindset there's a lot of factors on how we could really change cuz it there was this time in my life as well the especially as a founder as a as a leader imposter syndrome happens all the time to us.

[21:54]  Oh yeah.

[21:55]  Where we doubt ourselves, right? And it is having to just think differently, right? It is having to turn on some good music maybe at the time, some worship music in my case to really be able to get out of that could realize like no, that's just the enemy trying to get at me and in reality I I have to stop that. So do you feel like all those are factors as well?

[22:13]  Oh my gosh. Absolutely. And and what we have to do is, you know, you you have to empower yourself to take the information around you and sift through it. And this is what uh you know, I I I've told you I have four girls. Uh they're 15 and under. And one of the things that I do when they get in an argument or they come home and say, "So and so said, my first question is, what part of that is true?" M

[22:43]  so find the fact first and then let's deal with the stuff around it. But is that true? And if the answer is yes, okay, so then we walk down the yes road. If the answer is no, then it's why are you giving it so much power then? Yes, it hurts your feelings. That's why you're giving it that's one reason you're giving it power. But if it's not true, what are you doing? You know,

[23:12]  you know what my wife says all the time, Colleen? When I'm like I tell my wife like, you know, you're making me upset or something or something along the lines. I can't make you upset. You can only make yourself upset. And I hate when she says that, Colleie, but it's another thing that we could talk about, right?

[23:26]  That's hilarious because it's one of my examples I give all the time. One of my um youngest daughter and the next one, so they were five and maybe eight. They come running in and my eight-year-old is crying um because the 5-year-old had kicked her. And the 5-year-old goes, "She made me kick her." And I was like, and you know, I said to the 5-year-old, "Whose legs are those? Who controls the muscles in your legs?" Like, I'm not saying she didn't deserve it. That eight-year-old, she probably did deserve it. But you kicked her. Let's own it. You know, that's the other part is we've glamorized this victimness. You know, sometimes I I push a little hard on this and I know I don't know. I don't want to ruffle feathers. Um but you know, it it has become glamorized to be a victim. Um and I think our society is just trying to figure out how to have positive attention. And sometimes what happens is when you are looked at as the victim, you receive attention for it. Um, and we've just kind of glamorized that a bit more than holding somebody accountable to well, what role did you play? And yes, that's horrible stuff that has happened.

[24:52]  Um, and I'm not talking about big big victim situations at all, just like every day. But like, let's hold people accountable for what role you play in those interactions. and refuse to have the victim story. Refuse it.

[25:07]  Yeah. I I think there's a pivot here as well because we talked about the kids mindset and and how we can shift that. But if they go home to school to to a community where the old narrative still is living, change won't stick. How do we actually build alignment across all those stakeholders?

[25:24]  Yeah, that that might be our hardest mission and the one that we are most driven to figure out. Uh we want to get families in, we want to get parents in, we want to educate because the truth is when you become a parent, you didn't go and take a hundred psychology classes like I did, you know, like you don't you don't see those behaviors and go, "Oh, I understand cuz that book told me that this is the way that blah blah blah." Like you don't do that as a parent. So you are living the cycle that you've been in cuz that's what you know. Um, and sometimes you change a bit of it because you didn't like it. But it's it's about education. It's about having really hard, honest conversations and being willing to take a step back and say, "What can I do to change this?" Um, and I think that that's being vulnerable and trusting people and it's hard to get to. So, we have started with kids themselves. So, we work with a whole bunch of teenagers in credit recovery type high schools where, you know, traditional public hasn't worked and we start having the conversations with them and that's honestly where we find out where our next conversation needs to be. Well, my parents don't understand and then we immediately go, we got to get to those parents and help them understand this is what's going on. Um, and it's just that consistent connecting of the dots of of an honest conversation. I People often think there's some sort of uh, you know, rocket science. We're going to sell you like this really cool program. It doesn't exist. We have to just get back to the basics. Humans need to be valued. We need to value each other. We need to smile at each other. We have to stop being so angry. Not everybody is out to hurt you. It's It's just not true. So, we've all built ourselves up in these like boxes because it just feels angry out there and we've got to figure out how to get rid of that.

[27:22]  Yeah.

[27:23]  You know,

[27:25]  Colleen, it it it happened the other day, believe it or not, at the grocery store. So, I told you we got two kids. We were grocery shopping and we were at Aldi's, right? So, um we were having the the last register and and my wife happened to be in the way. So, I'm trying to like maneuver the cart. some lady kind of rammed into her cart and my wife was like, "Oh, sorry." You know, she kind of pushed the cart back and she says, "Uh, just, you know," she said something. I can't remember what it was, but I think she might have been a little bit on the smart mouth as well. And the lady says, "F you." B- word. And my wife was now my wife's really mad, right? And she's like, "Excuse me?" And I'm like, "It, you know," and she held that even in the car. And I'm like, "Did it really matter?" Like, at the end of the day, the lady was mad. and you don't know what she went through in her day. Like why do we especially when we were our kids, right? That's it. We are teaching our kids as well how we kind of feed back to things like that. So it's like you have to kind of remember these things. Just because someone else is in a bad place doesn't mean you have to match that energy. And you hear it all the time. Oh, I match energy. But why?

[28:28]  Right. Exactly. Well, and there's a couple things going on in that scenario. So your your wife matching that energy and then continuing the narrative like it kept going, you know, and so we're we're just giving more power to it. I like to say, why are we doing that? But also, why did the reaction have to be so negative from the other woman? Why why are we doing that as humans? Why are we so angry? Why can't we just go, "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry." And just keep going. You know, like

[28:59]  it's it's we we all did we forget that we all make mistakes.

[29:04]  Mhm.

[29:05]  You know, not everybody who walks next to you and accidentally bumps into you was doing it just to hurt your shoulder. I don't understand. We It's It was an accident. I I want us to get rid of that. Like we that that just layer of anger

[29:22]  because every adult in a room is truly an influence. So that woman was an influence, right? whether she knew it or not. Um, what's one simple shift you asked listeners to try tomorrow when we talk about our adults?

[29:33]  Um, I would say, and it's funny that you brought up the uh like grocery cart thing. I would say to start walking around your world smiling or feeling kind, you know, like thinking as you're walking around, I'm going to keep my head up and maybe say hi to the person I'm walking past instead of putting my head down and just on my own mission. you know, we we need to just bring back a little bit of kind humanness um that I think we're forgetting about. So, that would be my one shift is do something little, you know, do something little in the world. Hold the door for somebody or if you see someone struggling a little bit like that changes another person's next steps in life. Like, you have no idea. They could have been having a crap day. You held the door and said, "Hey, I hope I hope you have a good day." And all of a sudden, you've brought a little bit of light into them that they never thought they were going to have that day. And it sounds silly, um, but I believe in it. I believe in those chain reactions.

[30:44]  I do agree. I do agree. And if someone wants to partner up with wraparound experts, whether that's an educator, a funer, a community leader, what is the first step?

[30:54]  Um, so I recommend everybody check out our website. We put everything on there wraparoundexperts.com and then email us, call us. We are we are very personal about it. Um so come down see us. We love having visitors. That's it. Really just get in touch with us and open an honest conversation. We have things on our website where you can make inquiries if you want to work here or you need our services and we we have a rule. We get back to you within about 48 hours. All right. And just to kind of as we get to that blind question here to wrap it up, there's a mental conference happening December 1st through the 4th. And I I if I'm not mistaken, it's here in Orlando, my hometown. Uh what's the vision there? And why does that gathering also matter? you know, um, so I'm going to be super honest. I'm not exactly sure what their theme is this year, but what I think is fantastic is that it's a mental health um, conference for people who work in schools and communities. And wow, that we're even having one,

[31:58]  you know, that people are going to all get together and we're going to have the conversation, like I was saying before, where we can have hard conversations and try to all get on the same page, what's going on in our worlds. Um, and the goal most of the time of those conferences is to give information, but also give interventions, tricks, tools. This is what you can use. Did you guys hear about this new way we're looking at XYZ? Um, and it helps us all just kind of know what's going on in the world um, and what we can do about it. So, I encourage I'm we are forever learners. I'm like, where are we going next? What can we see? What can we learn? Um, so

[32:39]  and I love it. And I don't know if we probably said this a little earlier, but where are you guys located for people that want to know more about Reparon Experts and and the communities you serve?

[32:46]  Yeah, we are in Cleveland, Ohio. Um, specifically Ohio City. And we serve right now we serve the majority of Northeast Ohio. And our goal in the future is to expand across Ohio and then maybe start reaching out to some different states surrounding us. Um, but you know, we're we're slow and steady on that kind of stuff because we won't do it unless we can really provide quality service. So

[33:11]  that's it. Yeah. Don't don't need to just uh scale if if it doesn't really aligned with the values. Yeah.

[33:19]  Y

[33:20]  I love you. So I leave you this uh this this blind question here. You spent years helping others break people's cycles, but what's one narrative in your own life uh maybe a limiting belief or a wound you had to unlearn last to lead outward change?

[33:35]  It is a fantastic question. Um

[33:38]  yeah, how do you know every time we get to these these are always a good question because I I can really see people start to think it's like wait a minute these questions don't get asked all the time, right? You really got to dig deep on these questions.

[33:48]  Yeah. Um, you know, sometimes, um, I forget, you know, as much as I say about these little things, sometimes I really forget how much influence um, and the energy that I have affects other people.

[34:08]  Um, and it it sometimes is debilitating to me. So, uh, when I ask people like, you know, what's my superpower? We do these exercises and almost always people say the energy that you bring to the table is your superpower. People are connected to you. You're like a magnet of it. And honestly, that has been one of the things that throughout my life I have always noticed that actually personally drains me. So, um, personally, balancing the energy that I give off, but also reserving a little bit so that I can show up the next day, um, has been a challenge that I still don't think I do a fantastic job of. Um, because I love giving that energy because I can see the reaction and if I can fire up other people, that's great. I get excited. And then if I deplete myself too far though, then I can't show up. I go back to as leaders, we are we're taught how to lead to pour into others but not into ourselves. And that's the space we get into nine times out of 10. And I think that's when the imposter syndrome starts to yell at us and all these things really start to come at us. And and luckily I'm pretty sure that you have a great partner in life that um sometimes has to kind of check you like wait a minute like you did you forget the why or did you forget all these different things or right?

[35:33]  Um or sometimes it's getting lost in a maze with a cup of wine. Colleen, [laughter]

[35:39]  I mean, we'll see. We'll see what happens.

[35:42]  Colleen, I appreciate. Where can people find more of um just what you guys are doing? What is the website? Social medias. Are you guys on there?

[35:49]  Yes, absolutely. So, we're on Instagram and Facebook. Um it's, you know, wraparoundexperts.com is our website and the links to all of our social media is on there. Um please follow us, ask us questions. Um you know, we tell us ideas. We love hearing new idea ideas. Have you ever thought of um those are some of my favorite emails

[36:11]  to get uh so yeah that would be the best way.

[36:15]  All right. Well guys, if you guys are still watching, make sure you guys do like, subscribe, and comment. Don't forget there is a convention happening in Orlando the 1st to the 4th. So if you want to also meet Colleen and her team, they will be there present. I'm pretty sure to answer any other questions that you guys have or just to just just to listen sometimes to just be an ear for someone. That right there in itself helps people. A lot of times people think it's just having to talk and talk. Sometimes just listen to somebody that makes somebody say I am one that to my wife all the time like I'm I love to vent to my wife and sometimes I got to let her know I don't need you to give me a response. I'm just trying to vent here. Okay. Just trying to vent here. Okay. Just trying to get it out so I can move on with my day. But guys, we thank you so much for being here. Colleen, we thank you so much and I can't wait to see the growth that's happening. Um definitely looking forward to that convention. and even thinking about bringing some of my board members to be there, especially that we're in the space of kids. I think it's a it's a place that we need to be um as we work with our youth. So, thank you so much. May you enjoy your weekend. Enjoy your

[37:11]  pumpkin patch. That's the word I was looking for. Is it a pumpkin patch? Yeah.

[37:15]  Yeah, that's what it's going. Pumpkin patch last. We thank you guys. My name is E Fray and this is Colleen. We'll catch you guys on the next one. Lers.