Amanda Ziegler, LSCSW

02/15/2024

There's no right way to do this, but here's some tips to help.

11/28/2023

Humans....Humans want to be seen, heard, and understood.

💙

11/05/2023

A must watch for every parent and coach involved in youth sports. Our kids' mental health matters.

ICYMI: We released “Not Good Enough” in partnership with the Kansas City Royals earlier this month. It’s an important documentary focusing on the mental health of youth athletes that we believe all parents, coaches, guardians, and more need to see. WATCH: http://www.shutoutthestigma.com/documentary

Thanks to the Royals, Pine Tar Creative, and Plan A Films for passionately developing this concept into an impactful film, and helping us to surrounding youth mental health.

06/23/2022

These are so great!

💛 credit:

05/09/2022

What do you do after a stimulus? Do you pause? Do you jump to response? How can pause be of benefit? What would a pause look like?

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” —Viktor Frankl

If you wrote this quote as a formula, it might look like this: S( )R.

This week, I’m celebrating 26 years of sobriety. Before I got sober, there was no space at all between the S and the R. Something happened, someone did or said something, and I’d come out swinging or fearing or worrying or apologizing. I responded in a way that led to more stacked stimuli and responses. There was very little growth and very little freedom.

I’ve learned to pry open that space over the past 26 years. Breath, curiosity, better sleep, working out, intention, therapy, prayer—I’ve learned to practice what Buddhists call the sacred pause.

But the past two years have taken a toll, and now it’s time for a serious recommitment to creating and maintaining space. For me, this includes a three-month sabbatical, a break in podcasting and social media, and making sure our team takes time away. You can read more on the website.

In one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard, actress, screenwriter, director, and producer Michaela Coel said, “Do not be afraid to disappear, from it, from us, for a while and see what comes to you in the silence.” I’m a big fan of silence. I can’t wait!

We set audacious goals in our organization—like “Start global conversations about shame and vulnerability”—but this might be our boldest move yet.

We’ll be back this fall. Rested and ready for our next audacious goal.

Stay awkward, brave, and kind,
BB

P.S. The stimulus/response quote has a long and unknown history. We know it’s not Stephen Covey (per him). Many scholars think it’s Viktor Frankl. You can read more in the post on brenebrown.com.

https://brenebrown.com/articles/2022/05/09/creating-space/

03/29/2022

Boundaries are difficult. Hard to understand. Hard to implement. I love this quote I saw recently-

Walls keep everybody out. Boundaries teach people where the door is. ——Mark Groves

May we all work on building doors, not walls, today.

03/06/2022

As Olathe reels from the events of yesterday, we must remember that we cannot always see people’s deepest pains. Our JoCo Mental Health Center provides a 24/7 hotline. Please reach out as needed.

Our hearts are with the students, staff and administrators at Olathe East, Olathe Police Department and the Olathe community.

For 24/7 mental health resources and support, please call 913-268-0156 or text 741-741.

01/18/2022

I have been taking some time away from Facebook to monitor my consumption but wanted to check in and see how people are doing. After the holidays? New year’s resolutions? Covid surge? School closures? How are my health care and teacher friends? Service industry workers?
I have been reading Brene Brown’s new book “Atlas of the Heart” and came across this today and it was too good not to share.
Stay safe. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to others.

10/29/2021

A new month is nearly upon us. The month of "gratitude". We use that term a lot, but what does it really mean? How do we experience it? How do we express it? How do those we love experience and express it? Do we take it for granted?

I've written in the past about humans' 3 basic needs- to be seen, heard, and loved. How can we use gratitude to help others feel seen, heard, and loved?

I challenge you for the month of November to pick a person you need to hear, see, and love better, and find an item everyday to thank them for.