It’s November! I hope you enjoyed the extra daylight-savings hour last weekend! ⏰
Did you have a chance to listen to last week’s podcast ?TALKING MONEY? If yes, had you had any conversations with your parents or your partner or your children about money? Thanks to guest expert Kelly Harper for sharing her advice to make these conversations much easier!
This week we are also encouraging conversations – some of the most significant conversations you can have! Whether you are a parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle, teacher &/or coach, you can have a huge impact with kids and mental health.
Let’s do this…
? The Podcast:
“Talking YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH with Nicole German, founder, The Maddie Project“

Maddie & her mom, Nicole

Nicole German at Maddie’s Healing Garden at North York General Hospital

Nicole German & Andrea Wojnicki
It’s tough to imagine going through what Nicole has experienced. And to watch her advocacy now for youth mental health through The Maddie Project is just remarkable. Nicole, you are a hero. Thank you so much for ?sharing your story and your insights!
?Shine bright! ?
? 5 Points About Youth Mental Health

2.) The significance of WHY. Children should be able to voice mental health concerns without knowing WHY they’re happening. Make sure that the kids around you know that they can tell you how they’re feeling without explaining WHY. As Nicole says, “encourage kids to put their hand up for help.” Separately, we should be monitoring the youth around us and not jumping to conclusions for WHY they’re acting a certain way. When a kid acts out or misbehaves at school, the WHY is probably not because they’re a bad kid. The WHY could be stress or anxiety or depression. So give the kid a break.
3.) Three things we can do: Awareness, Empathy, and Advocacy. We need to watch for signals in our children (like isolation, or an obsession with social media, or dropping grades, or a loss of interest in things that they used to enjoy), – and then step in to help. That help means two things: being empathetic and advocating for the child, be it at school or through the mental health system. Don’t wait. Just get on it.

If you’re interested in learning more about The Maddie Project and potentially making a donation to help in the quest to raise awareness for youth mental health, check out the website here.
? Talking MENTAL HEALTH
Enjoy this week’s podcast, “Talking YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH.”
Yes, this episode sounds “heavy,” but Nicole is disarmingly open and encouraging – she is truly an inspired advocate.
I encourage you to take a look at the SHOWNOTES for this episode in particular for two reasons:
- The links to many relevant mental health resources
- You can feel Maddie’s spirit with the photos and the colour purple ?
THANK YOU!
Shine Bright,


Chief Talker & Communication Coach – Talk About Talk Inc.
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