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Join Aria for her kickoff conversation with Laura Gavigan, Empress Sean Smith and Melanie Funchess about wellness, balance, priorities and doing good! Stay tuned for our March post with more information on wellness as well as info on our incredible guests!    Laura is the founder of Mindful Matters and offers mindful education, counseling and coaching for anyone looking to find more balance, focus and peace in their lives. Working as an educator for 20+ years at the University of Rochester, Laura became interested in how life can inherently create stress and anxiety, leading to burnout and chronic health challenges. She has counseled, coached and advised thousands, integrating a framework of mindful wellness, compassion and support. Laura has led introductory and advanced mindful meditation classes and workshops and has been featured as a guest speaker or panelist for a wide variety of organizations. Mindful Matters offers classes, workshops and guided meditation both locally and internationally. Every program emphasizes a mindful approach through insight, practice and reflection to help people thrive, rather than survive.   Empress Sean Smith is Rochester’s foremost female fitness instructor and the owner of Baddass Bodies by Sean, the only black-female-owned gym in the City of Rochester. Baddass Bodies by Sean is an exclusive, members-only gym & personal training facility for women, children, and their families. Sean personally instructs group fitness classes appropriate for all ages & fitness levels five days a week, in-gym at varying times of day and at 6 am live via Zoom twice a week. Sean is available for in-gym personal training for one or more people by appointment. Find the schedule and other information on our website.   Ms. Melanie Funchess has served as an advocate for families and youth for over two decades. She serves as the Director of Mental Health and Wellness for Common Ground Health. A health planning organization serving the nine county Finger Lakes region. She is also the CEO and Principal at Ubuntu Village Works LLC. An organization dedicated to the creation of culturally responsive community-driven healing and wellness spaces. Melanie has worked extensively in the areas of family engagement and empowerment as well as community building. She presents, trains, and consults locally and nationally in the areas of cultural competence, culturally responsive practice, implicit bias, family engagement, community partnership building, racial trauma and healing, and mental health in communities of color. She also has a TEDx Talk Implicit Bias -- how it affects us and how we push through available on YouTube.    She is a devoted wife and mother of four young adult children (two boys and two girls). Her mission is to use her knowledge of systems and communities to create culturally responsive spaces for healing and opportunities for youth and families to be empowered and successful. To rebuild the village, where every child is our own, we have front porch neighborhoods, and we use language that respects everyone.   Links:  https://www.mindfulmatters585.com/ https://www.baddassbodiesbysean.com/ https://www.commongroundhealth.org/     Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, balance, care, health, invisible work, mental health, patriarchy, physical health, racism, roles, self care, sustainability   

Hello, friends! It’s Aria and our team is BACK with season 4 of Amplify Good, a monthly podcast about doing good in the time we have. This season the team and I are shaking everything up!(Well, almost everything!) Some stuff will be the same as when we first started this journey together: new episodes will drop on the second Tuesday of the month, you’ll still be able to link to streaming platforms from our website or listen wherever you download fine podcasts, and we’ll continue to tell you more about our themes and guests here on our sister blog.  And then there’s some new stuff! We loved the series format so much that we decided to continue with it in season 4. This season we are covering four topics or themes and you’ll get to hear from multiple guests over the course of 2 to 3 episodes per topic or theme. We are excited for these shifts in how we understand what it means to do good in the time we have, and we hope you are excited, too!   Our first topic addresses wellness. We got really into wellness at Aria Strategies in 2023 – trying to figure out what it meant for each of us, balancing obligations with our own well-being, figuring out how we wanted to show up in our communities and what care we needed to take in order to do so. We wrote about it a lot and we even kicked off our 2023 season with the topic. Heck! I wrote about it in my 2023 year end message! The first series of season 4 really dives into what it means to treat our own wellness as a priority, how to better understand wellness as a key component of a sustainable life, and how doing good supports our wellness as individuals and as communities. The more good we do, the more good there is to talk about, and the more we inspire each other to do good. So get comfortable wherever it is you listen to podcasts. Join us as we talk, listen, and explore what it means to do good in the time we have. Amplify Good is hosted and recorded by Aria Camaione-Lind. Our show is mixed and produced by Rayna Booth Podcast Launch and Management, with support from Melissa Pletscher-Nizinsky. Keywords: health, wellness, attention, care, love, exercise, joyful movement, food, nutrition, podcast, Amplify Good, blog, healthcare, mental health, passion, attraction, sustainability, personal, professional  

Back in October 2023 we introduced this series on the podcast centered around the importance of teacher diversity. We’ve all heard repeatedly, especially over the last few years, how important representation is, particularly for kids throughout all stages of their development. Throughout this series we listened to our guests lay out the importance of having educators of color in our schools. All kids deserve to feel safe and confident in school. They should feel like school is a community they belong to and deserve to feel they are seen both as individuals and for their potential. In September 2023 as an introduction to this series, Aria Strategies posted a blog post looking at why teacher diversity should matter to us all. You can read more here.   In the meantime, one of the main focuses of our guests to help increase teacher diversity in the long run, is to start focusing now on kids of color who express an interest in being educators. This is coming to fruition in the form of middle school clubs for kids of color interested in being educators.   Links:  Black in the Burbs   Brighton CSD    Carthage College (Wisconsin)   East Rochester CSD   Fairport CSD   Farrash Foundation   Gates-Chili CSD   Gates-Chili CSD PTO    Geneva CSD   Greece Central School District   Greece CSD SEPTA (Special Education Parent Teacher Association)   W.K.Kellogg Foundation   KONAR Foundation   Monroe County (NY)   NPLI   NYSED   NYU Center for Policy Research   PECAN (Roc the Future)   Penfield CSD   PLTI Rochester   RCSD East HS Teaching and Learning Institute (TLI)   RCSD PLAC   Regional Equity Network  Roc the Future   Rochester City School District   St. John Fisher University School of Education    Strive Together Network   The Children’s Agenda   Urban League of Rochester   Wheatland-Chili CSD    Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, Collaborate, School, Education, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, DEI, Professional, Social worker, Network, Advocacy, Philanthropy, Teacher, Segregation, Poverty, Disparity, Abundance, Action, Rochester, NY, Political, Parent, Family engagement, Project management, Community, Recommendations, Process, Grassroots, Data analysis, Communication, Indicators, Evaluation, Research, Black, African American, Latine,  Coach, Partners, Goals, Racism, Discipline, Suspensions, Identity, Future Teachers, Qualitative, Quantitative, Social science, Interview, Emergent, Pipeline, Urban, Suburban, Rural, Sustainable, BIPOC, Teacher certification  

Greece Central School District: Serving a student population of 10,775 students in 17 schools in grades PreK-12, Greece Central is the largest suburban school district in Monroe County and the tenth-largest district in New York State. The Greece Central School District serves most of the Town of Greece. The Greece Central School District was created in July 1928, but schools existed in the area before the Town was established in 1822.  Vision: We are committed to building a culture of high standards, engagement and supportive relationships.  We provide equitable access to opportunities for all students to pursue their full potential and become healthy, productive citizens who are actively involved in their communities. Core Beliefs:       We believe in placing Students First Our student's strengths, values, and opinions are at the forefront of our work.  We believe in Equity and Access Our students have access to high quality schools, innovative programs and necessary supports and we strive to remove all barriers that interfere with student success.  We believe in Striving for Excellence Our environment cultivates excellence by utilizing each student, parent, employee and community partner talents, strengths and skills.  We believe in establishing Coherence Our strategies and efforts are aligned, focused, and connected in order to ensure system-wide understanding and success. We believe in establishing Collaboration All students, parents, employees and community partners communicate and work together for excellence and success. We believe in inviting Voice  Our students, parents, and community member's contributions, opinions, questions and concerns are valued and drive our work. National Parent Leadership Institute (NPLI): The National Parent Leadership Institute is a nonpartisan, parent-centered, and anti-racist organization that partners with parents and communities to equip families with the civic skills, knowledge, and opportunities to be leading advocates for children at home, school, and in the community. We are pioneers in developing the field of parent leadership by embracing a cross-race, cross-class, parent-informed and pro-social learning approach to building parents as a constituency for community and recognizing children as the beneficiaries. Mission: We work with parents, public agencies, community organizations, local and state governments, foundations, and more to increase parent leadership, parent partnership, and parent voice at decision making tables, in order to create more caring communities for children. We support and celebrate PLTI alumni as they continue their leadership journey. We partner with Connecticut and Colorado in supporting their State-wide PLTI Initiatives We provide technical assistance to communities across the country as they support new cohorts of parent leaders, and as they work to build capacity within systems and staff to partner with parents. NYU Center for Policy Research: The Center for Policy, Research, and Evaluation (PRE) conducts applied research and evaluation studies focused on promoting positive educational outcomes for youth, and understanding the influence of both schools and communities on those outcomes. Its goal is to use research to inform educational policies and practices at federal, state, local, and programmatic levels. Mission: Our mission is to make research and evaluation for education that is action-oriented, liberating, accessible, and results in more equitable systems, policies, and practices. Recognizing that research is often used as a tool of domination, we believe in the reclamation of research tools to illuminate marginalized truths, stories, and experiences. We pursue our mission: in solidarity with youth, parents, educators, and communities that have been historically marginalized by oppression; collaboratively with researchers and practitioners from universities and

Luva Alvarez: My name is Luva Alvarez. I am the site/alumni coordinator for the Greater Rochester PLTI. I was born in Brooklyn, NY but have resided in Rochester for 20 years. I am a believer, connector, mom, wife, parent advocate, PLTI ALUM, Girl Scout Leader, Boy Scout leader, Eagle Scout mom, Mom of three Black Scholars, Lover of life, and a PARENT WHO LEADS. I am passionate about parents being engaged and empowered. I love spending time with my family and of course watching all those Chicago Fire & Chicago P.D shows. My favorite quote is “Her greatest power is believing in herself”. Elizabeth Maxwell: I am a parent leader, a mother of three, and a passionate cradle to career advocate. I started advocating for the disability community in 2004, in 2019 I began my journey as an Early Intervention Advocate for childhood education. As my younger children have entered k-12, I have continued to Advocate for the needs of k-12 and Early Intervention. I enjoy helping other parents become confident in their voice to share their struggles, successes, and barriers. Empowering and uplifting parents is important to me. Dr. Joellen Maples: Dr. Maples earned her B.A. in English, an M.A. in curriculum and instruction, an Ed.S. in English education, and her Ph.D. in English education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. At Fisher, she has served as an assistant/associate professor in the Literacy program and in the Inclusive Education Department before being appointed as interim dean/dean. In those roles, she provided numerous trainings in local school districts in the areas of culturally responsive teaching, critical literacy, and online teaching and learning. In her role as dean, Maples’ work largely focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has overseen program curriculum revisions for culturally responsiveness, implemented a teacher pipeline to diversify the local teaching workforce, and also planned campus summer programming for local city school district students. Her research interests include exploring effective strategies for facilitating democratic dialogue and critical literacy through the reading of young adult literature and online discussion about literature. She has published in prominent NCTE journals such as Voices from the Middle, The English Journal, and English Leadership Quarterly. Cedrick-Michael Simmons: Cedrick is the Director of Equity at Greece Central School District. He is a graduate of Greece Arcadia High School and Ithaca College, and he recently earned his PhD in sociology from Boston College. As the Director, Cedrick works with educators and students to remove barriers to ensure that all groups of students have the opportunities they need to reach their full potential. Their focus areas are professional learning about instructional equity, cultivating trust in our commitment to diversity and retention, and expanding opportunities for students to support equity work. Cedrick is also the Lead Facilitator for the Regional Equity Network, which recently hosted a summer institute that featured Zaretta Hammond as the keynote speaker. Wendy Y. Perez: Wendy Y. Perez is a Senior Research Associate at the NYU Metro Center. She has a Ph.D. in Education from the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies. She also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Pomona College and a Master’s Degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her research interests include using critical frameworks and asset-based approaches to urban education, education policy, higher education, family engagement, and Latinx K-16 pathways. Wendy has conducted research for UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access as well as for the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. She is the proud daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants. She has the privilege of raising her four-year-old son with her husband who is a middle school teacher in East Los Angeles. Tina Car

My name is Luva Alvarez. I am the site/alumni coordinator for the Greater Rochester PLTI. I was born in Brooklyn, NY but have resided in Rochester for 20 years. I am a believer, connector, mom, wife, parent advocate, PLTI ALUM, Girl Scout Leader, Boy Scout leader, Eagle Scout mom, Mom of three Black Scholars, Lover of life, and a PARENT WHO LEADS. I am passionate about parents being engaged and empowered. I love spending time with my family and of course watching all those Chicago Fire & Chicago P.D shows.  My favorite quote is “Her greatest power is believing in herself”.   Links:  Blog Talk Radio 24 Hour Mom Show: https://www.blogtalkradio.com/24hrmom Rochester PLTI: https://www.greaterrochesterplti.org/ NPLI: https://parentswholead.org/ Girl Scouts of WNY: https://www.gswny.org/ Boy Scouts Seneca Waterways Council: https://senecawaterways.org/ Panama: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama Greece Central School District: https://www.greececsd.org/   Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, mother, parent, children, scouts, mental health, self-care, community, citizenship, role model, panama, immigrant, service, kindness, love, family, neighborhoods, neighbors, women  

Madeline Funchess is a Rochester community organizer and creative. Centered in rest, Madeline strives to find ways to provide the tools for our community to thrive and live healthy lives, while fighting for a better tomorrow.   Mentors: Kerry Hughes - Because of the independence she taught me. Kerry taught me the importance of self-work & holding yourself accountable when no one is around. Growing up with two married parents, her lifestyle opened my world to more ways to be happy. Ways that don’t have to include the norms women feel pressured to follow. Things like not getting married, not having kids, and living alone. Not doing those things has made her no less successful!   Links:  Citizen Action: https://citizenactionny.org/ Spoon Theory: https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/ The Nap Ministry: https://thenapministry.com/ Big Brother, Big Sister: https://www.beabig.org/ Ricardo Adams’s Episode: https://ariastrategiesllc.com/amplify-good/podcast-episode-8-i-m-determined-to-keep-coming-out-here-until-you-come-out-with-me Mel Funchess’s Episode: https://ariastrategiesllc.com/amplify-good/podcast-episode-5-there-is-no-justice-without-healing   Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, mentor, mentee, mentoring, episode 3, human, community organizer, wellness, rest, events, policy, affirmation, Citizen Action, Capitalism, accountability, micro, therapy, advocacy, mental health, self-investment, family, education, youth, mutual care, revolutionary, sustainability, vulnerability, stories, boundaries, mentors, big brother big sister  

Luz has coached and trained hundreds of individuals and teams, and change is the one consistent challenge for all. With her experience in process improvement, project management, statistics and leadership, she can guide you or your team through this creative and healing process with love, compassion, and fun! You'll love the results you create!   Mentors: Tamara MacDuff at the Urban League of Rochester has been a great mentor for me and my business plan development by helping me prioritize my next steps for greatest impact. She's a connector in the community and had so many great ideas for the people and places I should go to get my business noticed. I'm grateful for her expertise and willingness to share her knowledge.   Links:    Loving All of You: https://www.lovingallofyou.com/ Xerox: https://www.xerox.com/en-us PLTI: https://www.facebook.com/GreaterRochesterPLTI/ Syracuse University: https://www.syracuse.edu/ Urban League of Rochester: https://www.urbanleagueroc.org/ Spiritus Christi Church: https://spirituschristi.org/   Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, loving all of you, change management, leadership, engineer, the Bronx, Xerox, training and development, statistics, analytics, dance, PLTI, Syracuse University, social media, values, mentor, empathy, safe, healthy, happy ,thrive, teaching, home, peace, connection, energy, whole, kids, family, coach, Urban League of Rochester, faith, Spiritus Christi Church

Special Message from Aria: When we started this podcast adventure I wasn’t sure where it would take us. One season or many? A few episodes or hundreds? I still don’t know what the future holds for this explosion of creativity but I do know how proud I am to release our 50th episode. We got this far because our team, our guests and our listeners heard something that resonated with them and kept coming back for more.   No project is the purview or effort of just one person- this podcast is the work of a dedicated team: a marvelous content creator: Melissa Pletscher-Nizinsky, and an incredible producer and manager: Rayna Booth, our generous guests, and the people who encourage me to build the world I want to live and work in.   This episode is special to me because I’m able to share my first cheerleader, my day one, the person who literally helped me become who I want to be: my mom. In a season where we are spending a lot of time talking about mentors and understanding the role of mentors in my life, I wanted to share my first mentor with all of you.   I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as my mom and I enjoyed recording it. She’s a pretty spectacular person and I’m so pleased to be able to share her with you for an hour.   Leslie Camaione is retired from a career working with nonprofit organizations dedicated to providing Special Education, Independent Living, and therapy services to children and adults, and their families. She has worked closely with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, New York State Department of Education, and New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities aiding educators, therapists, and practitioners in collaborative community-based, site-based, and home-based settings. Leslie supported various evaluation teams in providing identification, evaluation, and treatment recommendation services for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, transitioning school-age students, and adults.  She has participated in state and county initiatives to improve adult literacy among migrant populations, explore palliative care resources for Child Life Specialists, and develop first-year mentoring strategies for infant and preschool Special Education teachers in home and community-based settings. Leslie has acted as an on-site guest mentor to enhance person-centered planning in residential settings. She provided support group facilitation for mandated and volunteer parents at risk.    As a young mother and military spouse, Leslie pursued a non-traditional education resulting in two undergraduate degrees, graduate studies in counseling, education, and social policy, and a management certificate.      In retirement, Leslie's primary focus is on recreation, leisure, and travel activities that are enjoyed in the company of her husband, family, and friends.    Mentor:    I have enjoyed the good judgement and guidance of many individuals over the years. However, someone in particular stands out as a consistent role model and inspiration to me. Karen is a colleague from mid-career, who has become a dear friend. Her personal and professional experience provided sound mentoring support in my work life and continues to significantly empower me in retirement.      Links:  New York State Office of Children and Family Services New York State Department of Education New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs   Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, mother, parenting, people with disabilities, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, time, joy, reflection, health, abundance, gratitude, protective factors, creativity, physical activity, grandmother  

Dr. Cynthia Falk is Professor of Material Culture at the Cooperstown Graduate Program, a two-year master’s program in museum studies at SUNY Oneonta. Falk is the author of the books Barns of New York: Rural Architecture of the Empire State (Cornell, 2012) and Architecture and Artifacts of the Pennsylvania Germans: Constructing Identity in Early America (Penn State, 2008) as well as several articles and book chapters. Falk served as the co-editor of Buildings & Landscapes: The Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum from 2012-2017 and is currently on the National Historic Landmarks Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board. In the local community, Falk serves as deputy mayor of the Village of Cooperstown. In that capacity, she has worked to secure funding to benefit Cooperstown’s infrastructure, historic resources, and natural environment. Globally, Falk is a Special Assistant with International Ministries, an affiliate of American Baptist Churches USA. In this capacity, Falk has led trips to Israel and the West Bank, Haiti, and Honduras, and is currently working to be certified as a lay pastor.   Mentor: I have been fortunate to be mentored by various individuals, from a variety of walks of life, from my childhood until today.   Links:    Otsego County Barns of New York US Army Reserve Civil Affairs The Birth Center Winterthur American Baptist Churches Village of Cooperstown SUNY Oneonta Cooperstown Graduate Program   Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, season 3, academic, agricultural labor, American Baptist Churches, architecture, archives, Barns of New York, beer, children, Delaware, elected, family, farm labor, government, Henry Glassie, history, hops, intention, material culture, mentee, mentoring, mentors, Micah 6:8, midwife, migrant, motherhood, museum, new year, nonprofit, slavery, solutions, spouse, SUNY Oneonta, The Birth Center, US Army Reserve Civil Affairs, Village of Cooperstown, Winterthur  

Mother of three, President of Generational Engagement Matters.   Mentor: My mother because of her ability and strength in holding our family together after my father left her with ten children. Because she gives me a sense of what a woman can do and it has been an invaluable lesson. But knowing a Living God is my rock.   To make a donation to the Essay Contest, please call 585-749-3494.   Links:    UCLM News article about JR  Violence data Boys & Girls Club of Rochester "I'm Every Woman" song City of Rochester Rochester Office of Neighborhood Safety RPD Open Portal Louise Slaughter   Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, season 3, “I’m every woman”, boys and girls club Rochester, children, city of Rochester, counseling, Dr. Lewis Steward, essay, grandmother, gun culture, gun violence, healing, Johnny Ray Johnson, legislation, loss, Louise Slaughter, mentee, mentored, mentoring, mentors, mother, Rochester office of neighborhood safety, rpd open portal, solutions, trauma, uclm, violence data- us, violence prevention, youth, self-care

Sarah Fitzgibbons, LMHC, MT-BC, IMH-E®, spends most of her time thinking about how humans develop and connect, being an imperfect parent, feeling multiple feelings at one time, trying to eradicate shame and build connections, belly laughing, and striving for balance. Professionally, she has spent more than 20 years practicing, researching, supervising, teaching, and developing programs in the field of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, with specific expertise in infants and young children impacted by trauma, loss, attachment disruptions, child welfare, and parent-child relationship assessments. Sarah currently works as the Vice President of Programs and Practices at The Society for the Protection and Care of Children (SPCC) in Rochester, NY where she oversees multiple IECMH-embedded, multidisciplinary programs. With Sarah's leadership, SPCC has been strategically working to advance Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health competencies and increase cross-sector policies and practices locally and state-wide since 2012. SPCC has been a leading trainer in Western New York in the field of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Reflective Supervision and Consultation. Sarah is an instructor of Infant Mental Health and Reflective Practice/Supervision coursework at The Warner School of Education (University of Rochester). In 2015, Sarah participated in the inaugural cohort of IECMH experts across New York State to become Endorsed®.  She is Co-Chair for the NYS-AIMH board and serves as the Endorsement Committee Chairperson. Sarah actively works with local, state, and national IECMH leaders to advance the field, ensure fidelity, change policy, and increase capacity through initiatives and collaborative efforts. Sarah is deeply committed to cultivating and nurturing IECMH expertise across our community and state through relationship-based, culturally sensitive practice, teaching, reflective supervision, and consultation. Sarah holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy, a master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Naropa University and completed post-master's training in Infant Mental Health through the University of Colorado (The Kempe Center).  She is currently working on her doctoral dissertation on the associations between reflective supervision quality and practitioner reflective capacity at the University of Rochester. Above all other training, education, experience, and license, Sarah has been most deeply challenged, enriched, and inspired in her work through her role as a mother and daughter. Mentor: In this current season, it's Eva Marie Shivers and the amazing group of folks at the Indigo Cultural Center.   Links:  SPCC NYSAIMH University of Rochester GRHF CCSI, Inc. Irving Harris Diversity Informed Tenets   Keywords: podcast, good, do good, amplify, amplify good, season 3, adaptability, authentic, baby, balance, CCSI, connections, curiosity, Denver, discernment, dissertation, diversity informed tenets, doctoral student, early childhood, family, finger lakes, grhf, health, infant, Irving Harris, justice, language, laughter, liberation, mental health, mentee, mentored, mentoring, mentors, mother, music therapy, NYSAIMH, parenting, parents, partner, privilege, psychotherapist, relationship, Rochester, SPCC, systems change, teach, University of Rochester, vulnerable, well-being, spouse.