In Part Two of my conversation with Dr. Ana Kelly, associate professor of nursing at Columbia University, we explore the transformative power of immersing oneself in different cultures and communities. Dr. Kelly has been instrumental in encouraging nursing students to study abroad, highlighting how these experiences not only broaden their understanding of diverse healthcare systems but also foster deep personal growth.

We continue our discussion on grit and resilience in healthcare professionals, focusing on the emotional toll of working in high-stakes, trauma-exposed environments. Dr. Kelly emphasizes the importance of building rapport with patients to establish trust while balancing the technical and humanistic aspects of patient care. This balance is best captured in the idea that healthcare providers must be both artists and scientists, mastering both the science of medicine and the art of compassionate care.

As an educator, Dr. Kelly shares the challenges of training future healthcare providers, particularly in honoring student diversity while ensuring that each practitioner embodies the qualities of excellent patient.

In this episode of Headroom, I sit down with Dr. Ana Kelly, an associate professor of nursing at Columbia University, to discuss her remarkable journey in healthcare and academia.

Dr. Kelly shares how her time in the Peace Corps—teaching biology in Namibia and working in health clinics—sparked her passion for nursing. Upon returning to Michigan, she pursued a nursing degree and discovered her love for teaching while working as a Supplemental Instructor at LCC, ultimately leading her to earn a doctorate in nursing.

We explore healthcare stigmas and how they prevent individuals from seeking care or receiving proper diagnoses. Drawing from her experience at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Kelly highlights the profound impact healthcare providers have—not just on patients, but also on their families. She emphasizes the importance of teamwork in high-stress environments, explaining how collaboration fosters both resilience and joy in a challenging field.

Dr. Kelly also discusses her research in South Africa, her five-year PhD journey, and her postdoctoral work at Columbia. One of her major findings revealed that anxiety and depression were almost never documented in patient records, despite their clear presence. She advocates for routine mental health screenings in primary care and discusses the financial and technological barriers that hinder advancements in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions.

We wrap up this part of the conversation by examining the preparation of future nurse practitioners, emphasizing the need for grit, resilience, and personal growth alongside technical expertise. Dr. Kelly’s insights offer a compelling look at the evolving landscape of healthcare and the critical role mental health plays in patient care.

In part two of my conversation with Mark Vroman—former Battalion Chief of Meridian Township and current professor of online learning and prison education at Siena Heights University—we explore the critical importance of self-care for those in high-stress, service-oriented careers. Mark shares insights on preventing and managing vicarious trauma, also known as compassion fatigue, secondary stress, and burnout.

We also discuss the role of gratitude in sustaining resilience while working with people in some of their most difficult moments. Mark reflects on his work in prison education, highlighting the transformative power of learning—not just for incarcerated individuals but for the broader community. Through education, lives can be reshaped, offering hope and meaningful change where it’s needed most.

In this episode of Headroom, I sit down with my friend and colleague, Professor Mark Vroman, to explore the profound impact of a career in emergency response and education. Mark, a graduate of Lansing Community College’s Fire Science and Emergency Medicine programs, served as a Battalion Chief in the greater Lansing area before pursuing an MBA and PhD. Now a professor of online learning, he plays a vital role in Siena Heights University’s prison education program.

Together, we discuss the rewards and challenges of working in the helping professions, particularly in high-stakes environments where people face life-altering circumstances. Mark shares insights from his 30-year career in emergency medicine and community emergency preparedness, reflecting on the personal sacrifices, lessons learned, and the enduring value of service.

In this episode of Headroom, we continue our conversation with Jason Riley, LPC, CAADC, exploring how recovery and personal growth are deeply influenced by community and relationships. While therapy often takes place in a one-on-one setting, true transformation is accelerated and sustained through meaningful connections. We discuss the importance of group therapy, the role of relationships in healing, and how systemic approaches in counseling emphasize the power of belonging. Addiction recovery isn’t just about individual change - it’s about rediscovering purpose within a supportive community.

In this episode of Headroom, I sit down with Jason Riley, LPC, CAADC - once my student, now my colleague in mental health - to discuss addiction, co-occurring disorders, and the role of meaning in the recovery process. Drawing inspiration from Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, we explore how addiction counseling isn’t just about helping people stop destructive behaviors but about collaboratively guiding them toward what is truly life-affirming. We discuss the importance of connection, purpose, and the shift from traditional directive approaches in addiction counseling to a more person-centered, collaborative model. People don’t change simply because they’re told to; they need a reason to pursue something better. This is part one of a two-part conversation; in the next episode, we continue our discussion on meaning, addiction, and effective therapy.

In this episode, Dr. Michael Giles, a political science professor at LCC, delves into the intersection of philosophy and political science, with a focus on political theory, which he studied extensively in graduate school. His passion for the humanities stems from a deep interest in what it means to live as a good human being.

In part two of this episode, Jim and Michael move from talking about the need to pursue a virtuous life, to talking about specific virtues philosophers and psychologists have proposed as necessary for the good life. Aristotle would submit that while living a virtuous life does not necessarily promise a happy life, but living without virtue does promise living an unhappy one., They explore some of the neuroscience of developing the ability to make healthy behaviors a positive and enduring habit, and conclude by discussing what Aristotle mean when he wrote about defining the great-souled person as one who neither overestimates or underestimates one’s potential to do, be and receive greatness.

• PDF: Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics

In this episode, Dr. Michael Giles, a political science professor at LCC, delves into the intersection of philosophy and political science, with a focus on political theory, which he studied extensively in graduate school. His passion for the humanities stems from a deep interest in what it means to live as a good human being.

This thought-provoking conversation explores Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, a foundational work that examines what it takes to live a happy, virtuous, and flourishing life. They also touch on Positive Psychology, a contemporary movement in counseling and psychology that draws inspiration from ancient Greek philosophy. In this first installment, they lay the groundwork by discussing how philosophers throughout history have guided people toward lasting happiness and personal development.

• Referenced PDF: Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics