Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'. All. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7. The capstone. And my sister, we are just trying to survive.
[00:00:17] Speaker C: It is, you know, it's like no shave November or no excuses November. I'm just, I'm like, no trying to like, end up dead November over here. Seriously, it has been just chaotic for you. The same.
[00:00:39] Speaker B: You know, it's one of those things where I love the holiday season so much. Like, Christmas is my jam. You know, I love me some Thanksgiving, some great food, but there's just this like rushed and hurriedness that, you know, with. And I don't know if it's the nature of us being in higher ed or just being humans in general, but the rushness kind of steals my joy. Like leading up to the holidays, it's like I can't get my heart right because I'm trying to survive.
[00:01:05] Speaker C: Right. I saw a thing other day that, you know, it's supposed to be funny, but it said, hey, when you get the calendar of events for November and December, it's violent.
And it is, if you think about it, like you said in higher ed, you're trying to hurry up and you're still trying to teach, but then you're also trying to get some of the final assignments and the final exams.
Then you've got. You throw Thanksgiving and so people are gone for a week. So there's the travel.
[00:01:31] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:01:33] Speaker C: And then just all the things, like I said, just all the holiday things.
[00:01:36] Speaker B: Well, and I know, you know, obviously you and I, we are mothers, so, you know, we observe our own things in our school age children. But I will say I'm curious for your college students and for, you know, their attitude in the classroom, you know, students showing up in general. What's kind of the vibe check at this point with college students at this point in the semester? Are they kind of freaking out about it being the end of the semester and it's like, oh my gosh, I gotta make up for lost time. Are they kind of. Has the plane already landed for them? Like, what, what does that look like?
[00:02:09] Speaker C: It's a combo. You've got some that are tired.
They're tired, they're kind of, you can see they're trying to stay afloat, but they're just tired.
[00:02:21] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:02:22] Speaker C: You know, they're just treading water. There's some that, you know, you got your few that are just still going strong and then you have a couple that are panicking.
It's time to snuck up on them, I guess you could say, and then have some that are just over it.
[00:02:37] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I totally feel that.
[00:02:39] Speaker C: I remember those days.
[00:02:40] Speaker B: I do too. I. I definitely do. And, you know, and I think that there is this momentum related to football season where there's that sense of escapism on the weekends, and then it's like, oh, man, I gotta get her done on Monday. And I feel like that makes the Sunday scaries even more of a thing. Not only for students, but for us as faculty staff too.
[00:03:01] Speaker C: Yeah. And it doesn't help with the weather getting colder. No. Because then you just wanna stay at home.
[00:03:07] Speaker B: No. And it's weird because when it's really, really hot, I don't like to be really, really hot. But I also don't really wanna be that cold either. So. You know, my big question for you right now, Nika. Would you prefer to be in an extremely hot environment or would you prefer to be extremely cold? And what is your justification?
[00:03:28] Speaker C: I will take heat any day. Any day. Heat is obnoxious, I guess, but it doesn't.
I don't hurt. Like, I mean, yes, I know we can be out and get like dehydrated and heat stroke, but I can just move freely. Like I can just walk in and out of the house, not have to brace for that cold air that hits. I don't feel like I have to hurry up and run to the car and, you know, and all my muscles aren't clenched up when. When it's hot. I just feel more relaxed and at ease. How about you?
[00:03:58] Speaker B: About the same. And I think the thing. I don't know if it's because we live in an older house, you know, I love the character of it, but it's got the. Got those old house characteristics that I don't love so much. I think for us, whenever we're turning on the heat, I can never find the sweet spot of what does make people feel cozy. But then isn't stifling where some people in our household are like, oh my gosh, it's way too hot. I feel like I'm going to throw up or I can't fall asleep. It needs to be. It's. It's hard to find a sweet spot. And honestly, I think that's just really attributed to just inconsistencies with our heating system in our house in general.
I don't know.
[00:04:37] Speaker C: But yeah, it's either it's too hot or too. Yeah, yeah. You feel a draft?
[00:04:42] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:04:42] Speaker C: No, getcha. I get you no, no, November is Don't complain, no games November. Now, come on, we got to get through you so we can get to the holly jolly season.
[00:04:55] Speaker B: I know. Yes. And this, this whole, like we talked about in the last show, like this whole sunset at noon is. I'm just really not feeling that either.
I feel like, like once I've left the office for the day at 5 o', clock, I'm like, well, I guess I have to go to bed now. And so I'm like, I don't really know what to do. But you guys, can you tell that.
[00:05:15] Speaker C: We love our vitamin D and our sunshine? Can you tell where those girls. I mean, we get that seasonal grumpiness when the time changes, don't we?
[00:05:23] Speaker B: Yes. We're going to try to have an attitude adjustment. We really will now, you know, normally at this point in the show, this is where I say, you know, thankfully, this is not what we're talking about all show. We've got a fabulous guest for you, all that good stuff. But y', all, I'm just, just gonna let y' all in on a little secret. We actually don't have guests today. You know, there's one other time that we've done that this semester with our Halloween episode that was, woo hoo, spooky.
And all of Nika's really, really great sound effects and the ones that I just attempted. But we have to take a break, you guys, and then we're gonna really throw down on what we will be talking about just the two of us today. But for now, grab something to drink, run to the restroom, do what you gotta do. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the.
[00:06:14] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
[00:06:23] Speaker C: Happy Sunday. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Shana and Neeka on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:06:28] Speaker B: That's right. And if you are just now joining us, Neeka and I were previously talking about just the insanity that is November.
November is kind of that weird wild card, you know, has no shame.
It's just, you know, there's just a lot that's happening. And then also too, you know, what, what's people's normal mindset in November? It's just a little bit of everything. And I know also before the break, I had teased the fact that we don't have a guest today.
[00:06:57] Speaker C: We don't.
[00:06:58] Speaker B: No.
[00:06:59] Speaker C: But that's okay.
[00:07:00] Speaker B: It is okay. And I admittedly, as I was thinking about what we could talk about today, I was like, you know, What I am gonna see what kind. What kind of awareness months are happening during the month of November? Nika, I was telling you during the break earlier on that I knew that November was diabetes awareness. There's World Diabetes Day during November. But I kind of wanted to see what else happened in November. And I will say I was a bit shook, as the kids say, to see the amount of awareness type things that happened during the month of November. And I know, Nika, I kind of came in hot giving you today's advice agenda with all of the different awareness type things that are celebrated in November. But, y', all, we're gonna have to break this down into themes just because there were so many. I mean, there were. There were at least 10, 15, if not more, different types of awareness things that are celebrated during the month of November.
[00:07:58] Speaker C: Everybody just grabbed them a piece of November, piece of that pie.
[00:08:02] Speaker B: I know.
[00:08:03] Speaker C: For real, for real, for real, for real. But I mean, it's pretty cool because, I mean, you got to squeeze it all in. There's so many things. So you gotta. You gotta pick a month and go with it.
[00:08:12] Speaker B: So, you know, first I mentioned American Diabetes Month. So, you know, Nika, I feel like for us within the public health field, this is something that we are aware of. And so I'm curious, Nika, during your time as a health educator, especially when you would do the type of work that you've done within hospital systems and employee wellness, what kind of conversations did you have with participants just about diabetes education or awareness? Because I'm sure a lot of them probably disclosed to you a family history of diabetes.
[00:08:44] Speaker C: Right. So mine was people who had a family history of diabetes understood the difference between type one and type two.
And those I found that did not have a personal experience were kind of confused on which one was which.
[00:09:01] Speaker B: Sure.
[00:09:01] Speaker C: And I think one of the myths is that you have to develop type 1 diabetes in childhood, and if you get past childhood, you are free and clear. And that's not necessarily the case because we know it's an autoimmune disorder. So something attacks the pancreas and we quit producing insulin. And that type 2 really is dependent on our behavior.
[00:09:26] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:09:27] Speaker C: And so, you know, we used to hear it be called adult onset diabetes because you only got it after living on this earth for a little bit and making some more unhealthy dietary choices, lack of physical activity. But we are starting to see adult onset diabetes, which is really type 2 diabetes, happen more in children now. Obesity rates are rising.
[00:09:51] Speaker B: Yes. And I will say too you know, I think that when it comes to diabetes and giving individuals an awareness of what that is, there's a lot of conversation you'll see in the media or anywhere else. You know, there's usually that conversation that ties back to blood sugar. And so for those of you who may be listening, who are like, hey, actually, I really don't know what diabetes is. Like, what is the mechanism of action with this disease? And this is. This really boils down to your body's response to insulin or your body's ability to produce insulin. And insulin is kind of that gatekeeper for helping your body get that glucose to the other cells from the bloodstream. And so if that gatekeeper is not there or, you know, is just not not working really well, then your blood sugar does kind of build up and it gets high and. And that can cause a lot of health issues. And I will say, admittedly, I don't know if ever mentioned this on air before, but when we talk about a diabetes friendly diet and we're trying to be intentional with our blood sugar and watching our carbohydrates, when I worked one on one with clients, that's pretty much what I would do for all of my clients, whether there was an issue with diabetes or not. Because I think just really trying to be intentional with keeping our blood sugar in check is just not a bad thing.
[00:11:16] Speaker C: Right? It's not a bad thing. You don't want to make yourself insulin resistant.
I love the fact that people's eyes light up when they find out that, you know, exercise, you know, yes, you're burning the glucose off in your bloodstream, but you are making your cells more receptive to insulin. And so whether or not you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, exercise, the mechanism of exercise and physical activity makes your body more responsive and healthier to the whole, you know, pancreas, insulin, blood sugar process.
So that's why you always hear us in the health field say, move more.
Stand up when you can, take the stairs when you can.
[00:12:04] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:12:05] Speaker C: And we marry that with the dietetic part.
[00:12:08] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. No, and I think that is a great, tangible example of how those things go hand in hand and also just expanding on the benefits of physical activity and movement in general.
So for anybody who's ever kind of just had this very narrow view of what, why we are physically active, this is another reason why we want to, you know, we could. We could have a whole show talking about the benefits of physical activity. And honestly, we probably will at some point this academic year where we're Hyper focusing on that. But I'm glad that you brought that up. And I'm gonna kind of jump around with some of the different awareness topics.
I, I do want to jump over to, to Alzheimer's Awareness Month. But also I'll just go ahead and briefly mention that in my cursory search of things there is pancreatic and stomach cancer awareness this month, COPD and lung cancer awareness month. So all of these different health related chronic diseases.
[00:13:04] Speaker C: Well, I'm excited that you put Alzheimer's on this because just last night I was making my chronic disease PowerPoint lecture for my class on dementia and Alzheimer's. And so I think the big thing that people get confused about is dementia is the umbrella term.
[00:13:24] Speaker B: Yes, yes.
[00:13:25] Speaker C: And Alzheimer's is one of the diseases and dementia. And so I feel like, especially in the college age group, unless they've had a family member that has dealt with it, they're, it's kind of a foreign disease to them.
I feel like the more you get in the 30s, 40s and 50s, the more I think you become more aware of it because maybe you've now enough time on earth to have a family member who has experience.
[00:13:54] Speaker B: Absolutely. And you know, I think that this is a hot topic amongst our faculty and staff community here at ua. I know with our, well, BAMA Wellness and Work Life Group, they've often had me come and do a wellness class on something called the MIND Diet. I'm actually going to be doing it again in December for one of their webinars. So the MIND Diet was created at Harvard. Shocker. And it is a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet. And DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. And so what researchers at Harvard found with this combination is that it's actually used therapeutically for those that are in the early stages of cognitive decline or dementia and being helpful for the prevention of Alzheimer's. And it really focuses on trying to reduce the amount of oxidative stress and free radicals within our diet. So some of the big takeaways from the diet in particular is having it just eating a lot of high antioxidant foods. So things like blueberries, any of your fruits and vegetables that are rich in color in terms of things to avoid, it really encourages participants or people using the diet to completely eliminate or significantly reduce the amount of fried food in their diet. And so that's one of those things where it's like, why fried food? And I think we don't actively think about the fact that when your food is fried and this is not me saying never eat fried food, but just from a food science point of view, whenever food is fried as the way that it is cooked because of those high temperatures, you are causing a lot of unstable cells within that. Within that food product, and then we're consuming them, and those are free radicals and oxidative stress that kind of interfere with our body.
[00:15:49] Speaker C: It causes the body to have inflammation because, you know, inflammation is great. If you cut yourself, you're going to want inflammation because that shows that, hey, my body's doing its job. Here come the, you know, here come the white blood cells, the T cells, the B cells, all the good stuff that's gonna fix it. But when that. But when you have a cut, it goes and does its job and then goes back and rests. Yeah. When you have chronic inflammation, it. Your body just stays inflamed. And so it's constantly on. It's like having the fire department running back and forth to your house all the time. It's like they. They never get a. They never get a break.
[00:16:22] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:16:22] Speaker C: Even if your house is really on fire, you know, that chronic inflammation. And with Alzheimer's, you don't want that inflammation in the brain.
[00:16:32] Speaker B: No.
[00:16:32] Speaker C: And so that's why, you know, like you said, the Mediterranean and Dash diet helps reduce that. And another thing is sleep. Sleep is so important for everything, but we clean out those proteins that build up that cause the dementia, the Alzheimer's, the, you know, the frontal temporal lobe disease, all that stuff. And if you don't sleep, you're not clearing the gunk out.
[00:16:57] Speaker B: Yes, no, that. Thank you for mentioning that. I know we've got to take a quick break, but I. What I'll quickly say with the sleep, again, I. I'm just. I'm grateful you mentioned that because I think too, like, not even just like, getting to sleep and saying you got sleep, but what is the quality of your sleep? Are you actually getting to those different sleep stages that you need to. For that restorative level where there is the.
[00:17:24] Speaker C: Those.
[00:17:24] Speaker B: Yeah, the cleaning, those damaged cells that are getting to just be, you know, written from the body. And so I will make a plug and say that if you happen to be using, say, something like alcohol as a way to fall asleep at night, you know, people think like, oh, well, you know, I'll have a little nightcap. It makes me drowsy. Yes. It will initially get you to sleep, but alcohol is going to interfere with your ability to get into those deeper sleep stages that need for health purposes. Also, don't mix alcohol and melatonin, that's going to make whatever melatonin you're taking not really work effectively. It's going to keep your body from naturally producing it. Melatonin. So that's just a little like heads up FYI there.
But okay, guys, I'm gonna get off that soapbox. We have more awareness month week type things to talk about, but we gotta take a break. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied the Cheat and Nika on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:18:28] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
[00:18:37] Speaker C: Welcome back listeners. You are listening to Fit to be Tied with Shana And Nika on 90.7 the Capstone.
[00:18:43] Speaker B: That's right. And if you are just now joining us, man, what a show. So we right now we are talking about the fact that November has so many different awareness causes that are happening. You know, we really kind of highlighted on some of the health related ones earlier.
So American Diabetes Month, we talked about Alzheimer's awareness Month. We also briefly mentioned things like COPD and lung cancer awareness, pancreatic and stomach cancer. But now we're gonna kind of shift into that wellness and lifestyle awareness. And I wanted to kick things off, Neeka, with talking a little bit about National Gratitude Month.
I guess makes sense is an on and it's on brand for November if we talk about Thanksgiving and, and everything else. So gratitude. Do you think our young people do a good job with gratitude?
[00:19:36] Speaker C: Depends.
I think they have maybe more awareness than maybe we did growing up. I mean we talked about being thankful but there are so many different social media accounts and you know, different like hashtag this and things that. I feel like it, it's more on the forefront and you know, we, they think about it maybe a little bit more than we did at that age.
[00:20:00] Speaker B: I agree. You know, I agree with you. I think there's a lot more out there that makes gratitude mainstream. That makes it sound icky when, when I say mainstream but just makes it a more consistent thing to be thinking about. And I think that, you know, depending on what your opinions and worldviews are with like political cl, just, you know, our society in general, you know, it does put you in a place of gratitude and perspective about things for sure. And you know, we've often told individuals as part of their holistic wellness, doing things like having a gratitude journal can be really helpful. Admittedly I would like to be more consistent with that. Nika, I don't know if you've ever dabbled in that yourself, but I will say for myself, I probably need to get Back on being better with documenting the things that I have gratitude for.
[00:20:52] Speaker C: Yeah, I saw something other day where somebody said, write down, look for the silver linings of the day and write those down.
And it gets your brain into the scream of looking for the good things.
Because it's like if you gotta have five that you've gotta chart or write for the day, you're gonna start looking for them and then they're just gonna become more apparent to you. And it's kinda like how I've heard you say about food. It's not about removing things from your.
About putting so much good stuff on your plate that you have no more room for the quote, unquote, unhealthy stuff.
[00:21:30] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:21:31] Speaker C: So if you put so much more gratitude onto your plate, then it's gonna, you know, push out the next.
[00:21:36] Speaker B: Yeah, it's just definitely an attitude perspective.
[00:21:39] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:21:39] Speaker B: You know, I know with, with my kids, like, they'll talk about like wanting X, Y or Z and then we bring up, you know, just having gratitude. Well, and I'll, I'll just go ahead and say so. Back in September, my, my dad had passed away and so, you know, my kids were about that. We were all really sad about that. But we really tried to shift our perspective in terms of having gratitude that he was even part of their lives and that they did get to spend some time with, with them. Like, while I wish that they had him for so many more years, I'm glad that in their, you know, short lives of being a seven year old and a five year old, that they did get to spend time with him. So I think, you know, making those kind of shifts, I'll say in some of the professional work that I do with my patients and clients with eating disorders and body image, we actually talk a lot gratitude whenever we're trying to work on body image issues. So maybe I have an individual that's not at a point yet where they feel comfortable saying like, oh, I love my body or I love the way my body looks. We'll start with more neutral statements or statements about our body that don't have to do with our looks. Like saying, I'm so grateful for my legs that get me from point A to point B. Like I'm grateful for my ability at this point to be able to walk or to be able to have a brain that helps me successfully complete assignments and gets me to my dream career and things of that nature. Just as we're trying to build up some other body positive statements, it can be helpful to just have some gratitude about the very basic things that our body does in the way that it serves us.
[00:23:19] Speaker C: I asked my class earlier this semester, I said, if you named all the things that you love, how long would it take for you to name your body?
And I tell them, think of how hard it works. Its sole purpose is just to keep you alive and keep you here. It's doing so much for you on the inside that it's. If you get to thinking about, there's a lot to be grateful for. Yeah, yeah.
[00:23:41] Speaker B: Oh, for sure, for sure.
Okay, so taking a look at some of the other things on here, we have World Vegan Month, Bladder Health Month, Healthy Skin Month, Prematurity Awareness Month. So, Nika, taking a look at some of these different things.
[00:23:59] Speaker C: Let'S go with healthy skin, because I know last, last, last show you asked me if I had a skincare routine, and I answer that question with a question. Does it look like I do? I do not until my two children have a better skincare routine than I do. But the thing about skin that I want our listeners to understand and really take to heart is that it is your largest organ. Yes. We don't tend to think of it, we just that it's an organ, but it is and it can tell you so much about your health.
Encourage everyone starting at age 18 to go to a dermatologist and do a head to toe. Have them take a good look at you and they'll let you know when they need to see you back. But they are just kind of the keepers of your skin. So if you get something weird to pop up. Yes, A mole, they'll say, hey, that wasn't there last time.
[00:24:47] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:24:48] Speaker C: And I feel like people think, well, dermatologists, I don't have a rash, I don't have acne, I don't have a need for Botox.
And that has its place.
[00:25:00] Speaker B: Right.
[00:25:00] Speaker C: But you have to think about it as just like, hey, I need to go get my blood pressure checked, my blood sugar checked. You need to go get your skin checked.
[00:25:07] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. So instead of seeing the dermatologist or just care for your skin in general as being something that's vanity based, again, as Naeca mentioned, this is your largest organ. We want to be intentional with it. And I think when we think about our skin or our body overall, we only get one of them, them, you.
[00:25:27] Speaker C: Know, you can't turn it in for a newer model.
[00:25:29] Speaker B: Yes. Now, I will say that since our last show when we were talking about skin care routine or lack thereof, I would have thought I Would have had like a momentum for a game plan after that. I have not yet.
I was grateful that we didn't get this flood of people trying to like sell us some like snake oil and all that good stuff. But I'll say I'm still open to suggestions for like if you're like, hey, you know what? I am a woman in the same season of life and age as you and Naa, this is what, what works for me. It's pretty minimal, but it's, it takes care of your skin. Cuz I probably need a step up from just my makeup wipe and brushing my teeth at night, you know?
[00:26:13] Speaker C: Yeah, I get you. I get you. Which also leads me to say that going to the dermatologist, I feel like will help you. You like going to Sheena as a dietitian. People will go shopping at the grocery store and be so overwhelmed and then they'll say, just tell me what to eat. Yes. And you're like, well, it's more tailored than that. Or people will get so overwhelmed when they come to the gym and they're like, what machine am I supposed to use?
I get like that when I go down the beauty product aisle.
[00:26:44] Speaker B: Yes, Yes.
[00:26:45] Speaker C: I feel like I need someone who has some evidence based practices to tell me, hey, listen, this is, this is, this is not needed. Yeah, this is not going to do anything. This is, you know, so we all have our little piece of the puzzle in the world and you just got to find those, you got to find those professionals and seek them out. So we're just telling you, hey, we're seeking you out.
[00:27:09] Speaker B: I know. Yeah, it's like, yeah, tell me what kind of like products to use for skin care. And then maybe I'm going to. Maybe it's the same person or maybe it's going to be another professional where I'm, I'm like, okay, I don't know how to contour. I watch all these YouTube videos of these people doing like contour and like literally changing the like their entire face shape. It is fascinating to me, Nika.
[00:27:33] Speaker C: It is an art.
It, they're artists and you know, it's like when you're watching someone paint, you're like, where are they going with this? And all of a sudden they turn it around and you're. Wow. Yeah. To me that's when I see someone do their makeup very well.
[00:27:45] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:46] Speaker C: You can see things. I can't. Yeah, I can't see it with my eye until it's the finished product.
[00:27:51] Speaker B: I know. Maybe, you know, maybe once if our show ever evolves to having a like video recorded version we'll have to record on air and then maybe we'll get like a makeup artist to come and talk about like tricks of the trade, you know, because that is part of wellness and overall well being too. So I digress. I'm going to, I'm going to stop with that for now. I know we've got to take another break and then we'll go on to kind of our next umbrella of different awareness things for November. But y' all get hydrated. It's good for your skin.
Do what you gotta do. Run to the restroom. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone.
[00:28:37] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
[00:28:47] Speaker C: Happy Sunday y'. All. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and NA on 90.7 the capstone. And if you're just now joining us, you are, ah, lucky, not lucky. What would you say, my friend?
[00:29:00] Speaker B: No, you know, I think I will say that if this, if you're just now joining us, you might be like, hey, where is their guest? Like what are they doing? So if you are joining us, we've just been talking about some of the different awareness, awareness things that are, are celebrated during the month of November. We talked about health related things, some wellness related things. If this is the very first show that you've ever listened to, definitely go back and listen to some of our previous shows. I think that Nika and I really pride ourselves in being good interviewers.
[00:29:33] Speaker C: We do love our guests. We love, we love to learn from our guests the same as our listeners do.
And so, so, you know, today we're just keeping it cash, keeping it some casual. But I feel like we did drop some good information in our first segment about diabetes and Alzheimer's. So if that is something that you want to learn more about, we say, hey, listen to that. And we talked about skin in our last segment, but on this segment we are talking about the cultural and social awareness themes that are celebrated in the month of November.
[00:30:07] Speaker B: Yes. And so that's going to include Native American Heritage Month, National Adoption Month, Military Family Month, Career Development Month. There are some other months that we've just not talked about today. Nico, one of the things that I think I told you about on text but I didn't include in our outline today was like sweet potato appreciation or awareness. And I don't know why I did not put it on here. That has nothing to do with the culture and social awareness. But yeah. So the sweet potato, just that one kind of cracked me up. But I want to actually jump really quick to career development. Month. Month. Because I think, Nika, we have recognized that with all of our different guests that we've had, there are so many that have had nonlinear paths to the work that they do now. But I think that everybody has agreed that it is so helpful to have that sense of purpose in what you want to do. I know that we had Angelique Crawford earlier this semester from the Career center and they were talking, talking about all of the different ways that they help students figure out life and what to do in internships. And I mean, my goodness, I just wish I had that level of people pouring into me when I was here at the Capstone as a student.
[00:31:27] Speaker C: Right. Yes. I went to visit the career center's website after we had her on and they have some really cool online assessment tools that anybody can take.
[00:31:42] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:31:43] Speaker C: And even if you're already in your career and you know what you want to do, I love it because it was like a values assessment. And so some of the questions were like, I value working with the public or it's like I value working with numbers. Another question was like, I value creating things from scratch with my hands. So it was all these different questions that help guide you and then that would lead to the next question and the next question. And so it's like one of those fun little personality type quiz deals. But even if you know what you want to be answering them truthfully and organically, when you see the result at the end, you're like, well, yeah, but I say that to say for those who have not yet arrived to that destination, take those tests. And when it tells you you're best suited for this, if you answered it honestly, I really think it's going to lead you, you into, I guess, the neighborhood.
[00:32:45] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:32:45] Speaker C: That your career needs to be in. You may have not picked the street or the house yet.
[00:32:48] Speaker B: Right.
[00:32:48] Speaker C: That you're going to land on, but it's at least in the neighborhood. And I feel like that takes a little bit of that stress that I see for my students away because they'll know I want to help people or I want to do something in the human behavior field, but I don't know what that is. Yes. I'm like, well, at least you're in the neighborhood.
[00:33:09] Speaker B: Exactly. And you know, and I think, think it's such a balance because I feel like there are so many students and I'm sure that I was affected by this personally as well. Where Maybe you have family or you know, just parent expectations that are like, hey, you're going to go into XYZ field. Like that's an expectation of our family. Like we want you to go into something healthcare related or like, hey, we want you to be an accountant. So you know, there, there can be those family preferences, whether it's driven by family tradition and expectations or what their perceptions are of the job market. And I'm not going to, by any means that don't listen to any of that at all because I think it is this balance of finding like the type of work that you were made to do while also maybe finding what would be the most, you know, lucrative for that industry and kind of, you know, finding that balance there. But yeah, like, if you like, we spend so many hours of our day at our job, I know that you, you know, it for many individuals that's not our career, isn't what is going to ultimately define us. But reality is we spend a lot of our waking hours in our, in our job site. So you do want it to be something that you do find joy to some extent.
[00:34:24] Speaker C: Right. You don't want it to drain you. You don't want it to take away your happiness and your peace and your health inevitably, you know, because if you are miserable day in and day out because you feel like you are a, a, you know, a square block trying to go into a round hole. You know, like, you know those toys where, you know, when our kids were little and they tried to put the shape in the wrong spot and it was so frustrating trying to get it to squeeze in and you, that block was not made for that shape.
[00:34:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:34:53] Speaker C: And it may be lucrative and it may be, you know, I had a student one time that had been pursued doing pre med and her junior year she's like, I don't want to be a doctor anymore. And I was stunned because she had the grades and that's what we had been working on. And I said, what, what changed? And she said, I just had a conversation, a real conversation with myself. She said, when I was 13 and 14 and I was excelling in the sciences and the math, I was like, I'm going to be a doctor. And she said it became part of my identity. I would tell everybody, I'm going to be a doctor. And she's like, I hung on to that. And then I, I realized I don't know if that's really what I'm supposed to do, but I didn't want to go back.
For some reason in her Mind. It was like embarrassing to say, okay, never, never mind, I changed it.
[00:35:41] Speaker B: Right.
[00:35:41] Speaker C: Or I'm bailing on that, or I am disappointing people. They're like, oh, we're going to have a doctor in the family.
[00:35:47] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:35:47] Speaker C: And she's like, it was kind of like just this. Not a lie she told herself, but it was just like, this is a story and I was going to stick to it. And then she had a hard look one day and said, but I don't think I want to be a doctor.
[00:36:02] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:36:02] Speaker C: And that was very hard for her to have to kind of go back and tell everybody she knew.
[00:36:06] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:36:07] Speaker C: For the past. You know, she's 22. She's been telling people for the past nine years, I'm going to be a doctor. And now, no, no, I'm not.
[00:36:13] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:36:13] Speaker C: But I said, hey, better to know now than to get even further in and then think, oh, my goodness, the money and the time. Time I've wasted.
[00:36:23] Speaker B: Right, Exactly. No, I, I had a similar experience just in terms of expectations to be a doctor. And honestly, one of the only reasons that my parents, quote, unquote, allowed me to be a nutrition major was because they learned at Bama Bound that you could use that for the pre med track. You know, at that point, they didn't really understand what a dietitian did. Admittedly, I didn't either. And so. And so I'm just grateful that I just am successful as a dietitian. So they're not giving me the stink eye being like, you made a mistake. But I don't know, I just, you know, as much as it would be fun from a vanity perspective to be called doctor, so and so. And you know, you could put. I could have maybe potentially found a specific specialty. I think I was made to be a dietitian.
[00:37:10] Speaker C: I do, too. Yeah, I do too. And you're happy.
[00:37:12] Speaker B: Yes, so happy.
[00:37:13] Speaker C: That's the biggest thing, I think, you know, you. And that's when we talk about the cultural and social awareness. Like, like, where do you, where do you fit in in the culture?
You know, especially, like, and you're talking about your family, but then also social.
How are you going to best serve others in the world? Right. And if you're grumpalicious and mad at, like, I don't like this job. It's not. You can find a different job. I had a friend one time, and I have to share this. I had a really great friend one time. I.
My first major was in public relations. It grows. Great, great major, you know, but it just Wasn't the correct fit. Yeah. I had to find later on in life that I needed to marry that with health.
[00:37:56] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:37:57] Speaker C: But at the time, I was just doing straight pr, so, like, marketing advertising, and I am not that good at that aspect of it.
[00:38:06] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:38:07] Speaker C: Like, you know, I felt like I was trying to be something that I just didn't have the same skills to be. And I was miserable in a job. And a friend, we were sitting at the Cracker Barrel having some carbohydrates, and he. My friend just asked me, he said, what would be your dream job in pr?
And I said, there wouldn't be one. And he goes, there's your answer. It's not the job, it's the career. Yeah. And I was like, what?
[00:38:40] Speaker B: See, that's like that mic drop truth.
[00:38:42] Speaker C: Bomb right there, you know, like, tell the dug and do. And I was like, wait. Because I had been toying with the idea of going back and changing career paths, but I was in my late 20s. I was like, who does that, you know?
[00:38:52] Speaker B: Huh?
[00:38:53] Speaker C: I didn't know. And I think about that all the time.
[00:38:57] Speaker B: Oh, my God.
[00:38:58] Speaker C: Yes. And true. And so I was like, you're right. And so when I got into health promotion, health education, I realized. Realized all those skills I had learned and everything didn't. Was not for nothing.
[00:39:07] Speaker B: Right.
[00:39:08] Speaker C: But I was using.
I wasn't just in a job now I was in a career where I was getting to use other tools. So I just want to share that those are those questions. You need those people in your life. I feel like that will ask you those hard questions.
[00:39:21] Speaker B: Gosh, you do, Man, I. I have so many thoughts. I know we have to go on a break and, like. And I do have a fun question for us, and it's kind of adjacent all of these things we've been talking about, sort of. But, y', all, we're gonna take a break. Thank you for hanging with us. You are listening to Fit to Be tied with sheena nika on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:39:46] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
[00:39:55] Speaker C: Welcome back, listeners. You have been listening to Fit to Be be tied with Sheena and NA on 90.7, the capstone.
[00:40:01] Speaker B: That's right. And if you are just now joining us, you. If you go back and listen to our earlier segments, you're gonna be like, whoa, this is a little different from what we expect from Sheena and NA. Normally they have a guest, and yes, normally we do, but today we just. We're kind of having a potpourri conversation of sorts. With all of the different awareness things that are celebrated during the month of November. So we've gone from diabetes awareness to career development awareness to healthy skin month, all of these different things. But in this closing segment, you know, this is usually when we go for that fun question for our guests. And so Nika, I'm actually going to ask you just kind of in the spirit of all of these awareness months and days and weeks, if you had to make up an awareness day, week or month, what would it be?
Ooh, yeah, I can. And I'll give you some context as to why I'm asking this outside of our show today. And then also I can tell you what my answer would be if that could be.
[00:41:10] Speaker C: I'll hear your answer, buy myself some time.
[00:41:11] Speaker B: Yes. So I think you guys on the show, I've mentioned that in my staff meetings with my team, we've been doing this thing where we have our question of the day. And so one of our questions of the day was on this topic of like if you could make any kind of like national holiday or awareness day week or month, what would it be? And, and if you wanted to disclose why, you could say why. I'm trying to remember all of my co workers answers, but I believe I specifically said that I wanted it to be National 80s Day. And it's like everybody, like pretty much everybody, as long as it wasn't like super inconvenient. But in a dream world, if everybody could dress up like it was the 80s for one day, how fun would that be? I feel like you would be board for that.
[00:42:00] Speaker C: I would be first alone.
[00:42:01] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:42:02] Speaker C: Would do that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I, I was going down like a health promotion route, but yeah, down like the fun stuff.
[00:42:10] Speaker B: Yeah. So you could go. Yeah, so you could go in any direction. It could be love for a specific food. Like, I mean, I'm sure there's already like a National Cheese Day.
[00:42:18] Speaker C: There's a National Candy Corn Day. Yeah. There's a National Circus Paint Day.
[00:42:21] Speaker B: Yeah. So I mean, you know, so those are taken.
[00:42:24] Speaker C: Oh, that's such a great question. I think if I was going to do something health related, I think I would do.
If I was doing for college students, I think I maybe do National Coping Skills Day. Oh, yes.
And, and just maybe focus on building those. Yeah. You know, and that's not a, that's not a slight, you know, because I mean they're still learning. That's what college is for. I mean they're still young but in coping skills of like. Okay, the power just went out. The water line just broke. The tire just went flat.
[00:43:05] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:43:07] Speaker C: Can't get mom and dad on the phone. Can't get triple A on the phone. What's your next, like, problem solving skills day? Critical thinking skills.
[00:43:17] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:43:17] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:43:18] Speaker B: Oh, that needs to be a whole week. So it needs to be coping skills week. Yes.
[00:43:22] Speaker C: Skills week. Yeah, let's do that. I love that. Critical thinking month.
But if I was going to do fun, I would have to jump on the 80s thing with you.
[00:43:30] Speaker B: Yes, please do.
[00:43:31] Speaker C: I do. And I think I want to do.
I want to do a week of 80s music. Appreciate.
[00:43:39] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:43:40] Speaker C: I'll dj it.
[00:43:41] Speaker B: Yes. Oh, my gosh. Maybe we'll do that on the station. You know, I will come in here.
[00:43:45] Speaker C: And totally do the 80s hour. Anybody out there with me? Come on, let's.
[00:43:50] Speaker B: Yeah. So if our producer is listening, hopefully he is in. He's producing our show.
So just a little like that is what we want to do.
[00:43:58] Speaker C: Have a hole in the schedule. I'm available to drop a little bit of tears for fears on you.
[00:44:04] Speaker B: Oh, my. Atlanta. Okay, before we get super willy nilly with all the things, we're gonna end the show for the day. You guys, thank you always for listening to us. Until next time. You have been listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.67, the capstone.
[00:44:26] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.
