A therapist and a client call into a Zoom meeting. <\/p>\n
No, that\u2019s not the start of a COVID-19-age joke \u2014 it\u2019s the blossoming routine for Aspen therapist Kathleen Callahan and Snowmass resident Marc Fernandes. <\/p>\n
But these call-ins haven\u2019t been for therapy sessions or virtual business meetups. These Zoom meetings are part of the therapist-client duo\u2019s new mental health podcast \u201cA Kinder Mind,\u201d which aims to put out real life, experience-based mental health, coping and self management strategies to support people through the pandemic and beyond. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith COVID and everything, we saw an opportunity to talk about mental health issues and maybe alleviate some pain people are having,\u201d Callahan said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt became obvious to Kathleen and I that there was a huge need in the community,\u201d Fernandes added. <\/p>\n
On a recent afternoon in Snowmass Base Village, Callahan and Fernandes talked about their inspiration for \u201cA Kinder Mind\u201d and explained how their relationship has shifted over the past two years from a \u201cdifficult\u201d client and therapist partnership \u2014 as Fernandes tends to push Callahan to thoroughly explain the reasoning behind many of her mental well-being strategies \u2014 to a close friendship. <\/p>\n
\u201cMarc never takes anything at word value, I definitely had to prove the science of what I was saying, which was great for me because I am a nerd, 10,000 times over,\u201d said Callahan, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist based in Aspen, laughing. \u201cWe have a great rapport and while we started as therapist-client, now we\u2019re friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Callahan said she\u2019s been pushing Fernandes, a longtime Aspen Skiing Co. ski pro with a background in musical theatre and video production, to pursue his dream of creating an at-home studio where he can produce voice overs, audio book readings, music and more. <\/p>\n
Late last year, Fernandes said he started getting the information and equipment he needed to make this studio a reality. So when COVID-19 spread to the valley and life as most people knew it was derailed due to the pandemic, Fernandes and Callahan said they decided to try producing a podcast that could give people realistic coping mechanisms and mental well-being strategies to help them through. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe started with a focus of we\u2019re all stuck at home, the pandemic happened, so how do we help people be better partners, better parents and better spouses?\u201d Fernandes said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t feel like anything we\u2019re putting out there is completely earth shattering but it is a constant reminder, if nothing else, that we should be paying attention to self care and taking care of ourselves in a way that allows us to be healthier, especially with everything that\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the COVID-19 crisis has evolved, so has the podcast. From tips and strategies to stay sane during the stay-at-home order, published on SoundCloud as \u201cMarc and Kathleen\u2019s Mental Health Podcast\u201d; to more tips based off personal experiences on things like how to recognize your values, carry forward the positive self-care aspects of the COVID-19 lockdown, and learn to be a better listener, especially amid the current Black Lives Matter movement, Callahan and Fernandes said the podcast episode discussions have grown in breadth and in listenership. <\/p>\n
Instead of just being published on SoundCloud, Callahan and Fernandes recently began posting Zoom videos of themselves recording the podcast on Facebook, too, with the current \u201cA Kinder Mind\u201d title \u2014 which refers to helping people learn how to be mentally kinder to themselves and then in turn be kinder and more compassionate toward others, becoming the best versions of themselves. <\/p>\n
And while both Fernandes and Callahan said the COVID-19-related social distancing and public health protocols offered up more time and resulted in the more immediate need of a resource like \u201cA Kinder Mind,\u201d the duo plans to continue tweaking and evolving the podcast so that it stays relevant and helpful moving forward. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not sure where it\u2019s going to go from here but we keep getting more and more followers and we want to keep it lively and relevant with what\u2019s happening in the world,\u201d Callahan said, noting that the podcast\u2019s Facebook group already has more than 500 followers. \u201cWe\u2019ll keep going as long as people see it as useful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ensuring the podcast is useful and helpful to local listeners who may be struggling with their mental health is the anchor for Callahan and Fernandes. Over the past two years, both said the Aspen-Snowmass community has greatly suffered from clusters of suicides, mainly during the offseasons. Fernandes lost two coworkers in back-to-back offseasons and Callahan lost her son to suicide in July 2018. <\/p>\n
Both feel that through being open and honest about their experiences and personal mental health struggles they can encourage and inspire other people to do the same, and want to do whatever they can support the mental health of their friends and neighbors. <\/p>\n