Episode Notes
Olivia’s graduating class was born into a world that changed overnight. We chat about flying before and after 9/11. TSA checks and extensive security measures like taking off shoes, belts, and jackets and packing liquid items in 3-ounce containers are normal. No big deal.
The Class of 2020 is the first high school graduating class to have online graduation ceremonies nationwide. No surprise to them that the world would change again.
From The New York Times article I mentioned above, college students have been requesting more counseling options with the rise in mental health concerns such as an outbreak of suicides. More than 9,000 people signed a petition asking for more mental health services at Saint Louis University. “Over the past decade, the rate of depression, anxiety and serious thoughts of suicide has doubled among college students according to Daniel Eisenberg, a professor at U.C.L.A. and a principal investigator of the Healthy Minds Study, an annual survey of thousands of students across the country.” The pandemic has intensified those trends where students report lower levels of psychological well-being. The Healthy Minds Study also reported higher levels of resiliency (meeting needs of safety, satisfaction, and connection).
Olivia talks about feeling the heaviness of anxiety she had never experienced before. It happened when a friend picked her up for a road trip to Duluth. Her peers are also dealing with depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. They are a generation finding resiliency in talking about what they are going through, finding satisfaction in meaningful activities, and cultivating deeper connections within themselves and other relationships.
As Olivia continues reflecting on her journey so far, she is more precise about what happened in 2020. Her sophomore year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is more fun. She settled into double majoring in psychology and Spanish, plays in the school orchestra, and is on the University rowing team. Paciencia y fe are her words for 2022: patience and faith. Enjoy our encouraging conversation. DOWNLOAD
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- Performance at Orchestra Hall 2019
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- Nordic Ski State Tournament 2020
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- Coach Stephen Hopke (Also Matthew’s Coach in the 1980s)
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- RSIS Chess Club
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- State Chess Co-Coaches of the Year (2014)
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- Olivia with her crew (2nd seat)
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- UW-Madison Women’s Rowing Team
The pictures above are connected to our conversation.
Next week, Olivia talks more about college life, adulting, and learning self-reliance skills like taking care of herself, being brave, and meeting Universal Human Needs.
NEXT STEP after listening: Challenge yourself and do the Conscious Attentive Leadership Mentoring (C.A.L.M.) Activities, below. 
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Conscious Attentive Leadership Mentoring
After listening, do these three C.A.L.M. Activities:
- Take this risk or do this adventurous task: Do this resiliency exercise this week and beyond and share it with others. Journal your joyful moments during the day or write about your uplifting parts, writing as if talking with someone about them. At the end of each day, train your mind to highlight the joyful moments you experienced during the day. Olivia mentioned a journal exercise that helped her deal with severe isolation during her first year at UW-Madison. She began an evening journaling exercise. She wrote as if she were talking with someone telling them about the uplifting things she experienced during the day.
- Apply Self-Compassion: Add to the exercise above experiences during the day where you felt our common humanity. It might be someone sharing how they overcame a difficult task. Or think about a food you ate, perhaps an apple, and the many hands that helped get the apple into your hands. Or a reporter of an article you recently read and the interviewed people and other research gathered to write the story.
- Welcome Appreciation: “I appreciate Olivia’s courage in doing her first podcast as a Guest Mentor. I appreciate Olivia’s openness to describe her school experiences, from attending the Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion elementary school, Plymouth Middle School, and Robbinsdale Armstrong High School to deciding to go to UW-Madison. I appreciate how she is navigating her way through this coronavirus pandemic. I appreciate the beautiful woman she has become inside and out. She is cherished and deeply loved.”
Your Turn. Start with, “I appreciate what I heard from today’s Guest Mentor, Olivia Foli. I appreciate this week’s adventurous task because….”
“Most of the problems in our lives and world are caused by relational dysfunction, a dysfunction in how we relate: as social groups, as individuals, to animals and the environment, and even to ourselves. Therefore, developing relational literacy—the understanding of and ability to practice healthy ways of relating—is essential for personal, social, and ecological transformation.” —Melanie Joy, psychologist, author, theorist, educator
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Podcast Guest Mentor
Olivia Foli
Olivia Foli is the daughter of Nancy Meyer and Matthew Foli. She is in her second year of college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying psychology and Spanish. Outside of her commitments at school, she loves reading, playing violin, running, nordic skiing, and using her Spanish. This past year she joined the Women’s Lightweight Crew team alongside the University Orchestra. She also had the opportunity to become a research assistant in the Learning and Transfer Psychology Lab on campus. In the summer of 2021, Olivia started her first full-time job at Mis Amigos Spanish Immersion Preschool, working with the executive team and in the classroom. She hopes to pursue an internship in Spain through the study abroad program.
Episode 308: College Life through Our Daughter’s Eyes
Author: Nancy A. Meyer, M.A.
Nancy A. Meyer, M.A., is a seasoned entrepreneurial leader, business and life mentor/coach/teacher, podcaster, author, and certified mindfulness yoga and meditation integrator (she integrates those skill sets into everything). Nancy’s compassionate and collaborative approach reinforces resilience while maintaining accountable conversations supporting how you redefine your lead while redesigning your business. Nancy calls this “Dual Innovation Leadership.” Nancy founded WeMentor, inc. in 1992 to change the leadership in our country by providing emerging and existing business owners with mentoring in Dual Innovation Leadership. She has mentored thousands and is eager to work with you! Assert self-leadership and get started today! Clients say, “Nancy is a compelling, engaging, and ‘decipher the trees from the forest’ kind of mentor, speaker, and leader. A dedicated entrepreneurial leader and mentor who role models what she preaches. Her style and candor enrich the content she delivers and the results clients experience.” Nancy accepts people where they are while inspiring them to breakthrough into new dimensions: As an Entrepreneurial Leader (Innovator), As a Competent Business Owner (Practitioner) As a Mentor (Role Model) As a Spiritual Being and Self-Leadership Master! Start by subscribing to WeMentor Mondays with Nancy PODCAST. Join your peers and...
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