Photo by Arthur Franklin on Unsplash
The arts are inherently expressive and often function as a vehicle for processing emotions, connecting with others, and igniting change. As a result, artists regularly engage with people who open up about their challenges, yet they are not typically seen as a population requiring training or tools for responding in ways that are compassionate, safe, and healthy… or for supporting their own wellbeing in the process. Now there is a mental wellness training designed specifically for people in creative professions, a training that recognizes the potent intersection of creativity and mental health. As a musician whose touring career was ended by major depression, Dr. Tasha Golden designed the training she wishes she’d had all along.
Guest
Dr. Tasha Golden is both an artist and public health scientist. Dr. Golden is a career singer-songwriter; Director of Research at Johns Hopkins University’s International Arts + Mind Lab; and adjunct faculty for the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine. She is an international speaker and consultant who helps leaders apply the science of Creativity and Wellbeing to grow their impact.
Notes
We discuss:
- The “How We Human” (HWH) training is the first training of its kind designed specifically for people in creative professions. Dr. Golden developed this mental wellness training in recognition of the potent intersection of creativity and mental health.
- Tasha’s background and the experiences that led her to create this training.
- HWH is a two-part virtual training that supports creatives, educators, and change agents of all kinds in becoming trauma-responsive, caring for their own health, and supporting the mental health of their clients, participants, students, and communities.
- Key takeaways of the training:
- Framework for trauma-informed practice for a safe environment.
- Better understanding of mental health and its relationship to trauma.
- Tactics for boundary-setting, self-care, and preventing burnout.
- Insights into how creativity and arts boost collective healing and wellness.
- Tools for growing trust and collaboration.
- Breakouts and reflection exercises that bolster learning.
- Curated resources for continued learning and application.
- Recommendations especially for music educators who are working with and shaping the next generation of creatives.
Connect/Other Resources
- Tasha Golden’s website
- How We Human training
- You can find Tasha’s music with Ellery on Bandcamp
Other episodes we mentioned or that you may enjoy:
- Ep. 172: Arts on Prescription: Thrive with the latest wellness toolkit and unveil a healthier path for you and your community; with Tasha Golden, PhD
- Ep. 173: From founding drummer in Maroon 5 to mental health advocate – Ryan Dusick’s journey through struggle to connection and purpose
- Ep. 70: What you don’t know about 1 in 6 people you encounter, and why it matters; with David Knott
- Ep. 20: Music Heals the Soul, with founder & Dove Award winning songwriter Steve Siler
- View all episodes related to Science & Health and Education & Community
In-Episode Promo
JAMBAR: In addition to music, I am passionate about health & well-being. For me, a healthy lifestyle includes eating a diet that is mostly whole, unprocessed foods. This is pretty easy when I’m close to home, but living a full life often takes us away from a convenient refrigerator and a predictable schedule. Enter my favorite whole food energy bar. JAMBAR is a Certified Organic whole food bar, non-GMO and gluten-free. Created by a food science and nutrition expert, athlete, and musician, JAMBAR is packed with protein and fiber, and minimally sweetened with only all-natural sweeteners. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated, and has a one-year shelf life. These bars don’t melt, freeze, or crumble – which means they can go from a day of ice skating in Minneapolis to a trip to the beach when I’m visiting my daughter in Florida. (The only problem with the beach trips is keeping my kids from eating all my bars because they love them, too!)
Fuel your full life and healthy lifestyle with JAMBARs. Available at Amazon, select retailers, and jambar.com. For more info, you can also visit Episode 160. Links are in the show notes.
SONIX: This is a quick break to tell you about Sonix, the service that I use to transcribe these episodes. Sonix is an artificial intelligence transcription service that automatically converts audio and video files to text – and can translate to over 40 languages. I transcribe these episodes to make them more accessible. I tried multiple services, and chose to stick with Sonix because of their accuracy, affordability, and because their site is just so easy to use; that’s a big plus for me, to not need to spend a bunch of time figuring out one more platform! While I love podcasts, I do tend to be a very visual learner. I figure other people probably are, too; and having that written form of your work just makes it more versatile. Sonix transcripts make the most of your hard work and can increase traffic to your site. Sonix is spelled s-o-n-i-x. You can check them out with a free trial PLUS an extra 100 minutes of free transcription by using the link sonix.ai/invite/enhancelife100. There’s a link in the show notes. Again, it’s sonix.ai/invite/enhancelife100 for a free trial AND an extra 100 minutes of free transcription.
Coda
Tasha shares her song Lay Your Head Down, which she’s called “a lullaby for adults—written to help address and soothe fear, overwhelm, despair…Our audiences have long loved it.”
Closing Words
And that is a little bit of Tasha’s song, Lay Your Head Down; there is a link in the show notes to this song on Bandcamp. Thank you so much to Tasha for joining us again today, and for redeeming her own struggles by learning from them and translating that knowledge into the How We Human training.
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Thank you so much for joining me today. Until next time, may your life be enhanced with music.
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