Maintaining Normalcy in an Abnormal Time: Virtual Discussion

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the members of our global community to think differently about everything from how, when and where we work and how we buy groceries to how we socialize and the role we play in the support of our larger communities. To that end, many of us have asked ourselves, “how do we maintain some semblance of normalcy in this very abnormal time.”

The Capital Pride Connections Initiative will host a panel focusing on the maintenance of our physical, mental, and emotional health in a time of social distancing, economic volatility and global empathy. Members of the panel will share insights across their respective practices with the goal of offering support and sharing best practices for healthy functioning throughout this time. The panel will begin with a 5 minute mindfulness exercise led by Connections Initiative Committee member, William Morris. Panel members will then speak for roughly 5-10 minutes on the topic and then the floor will be opened to questions from the audience.

PANEL MEMBERS:

Leslie Adams: Leslie is a David E. Bell Postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Center for Population Development Studies and collaborator with the Health Equity Research Lab. She completed her doctorate in Health Behavior at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her research interests explore the intersections between masculinity, racial identity and mental health service disparities among Black men. Currently, her research examines relationships between depressive symptomatology and health services utilization using a mixed methods and community-engaged approach. Leslie is from Atlanta, Georgia and earned her B.A. and MPH from Dartmouth College.

Rachel Pike, Holistic Wellness Coach. Rachel is a certified life coach and personal trainer in the DMV. She has been working with individuals and groups to achieve holistic health for 13 years. Staying focused on keeping it simple and doing one’s best, Rachel’s clients have experienced relief in many areas of their life over the years. Rachel also acts as a non-profit consultant, sharing her healthy relationship management and life coaching principles in the professional sector. You can hear more on her podcast, We Teach Love.

Gwen McCrea is an educator with over 15 years’ experience working with students of all ages, from pre-schoolers to adult learners. Currently, she teaches geography online for Western New Mexico University and works as a Learning Specialist and Academic Coach at Northern Virginia Community College. Her focus is on helping students develop tools and strategies for a good work/school/life balance. She encourages self-reflection, the setting of priorities, and the establishment of routines to support students’ progress toward their goals.
Gwen completed her doctorate in Geography at the University of Minnesota. Her research is located at the intersection of environment, politics, and human/nonhuman relations and is concerned with how our understandings of the nonhuman world inform environmental policy and the governance of nature. While her research is not directly applicable to her work as an academic coach, the pursuit of her own academic goals (while working full time and having small kids) has given her years of personal experience trying out dozens of productivity and focus tools. She brings this experience to her one-on-one and group sessions with college students and adult learners.

Who We Are: The Capital Pride Connections Initiative

Purpose: To provide support and create opportunities for all members of our community to connect, socialize, network and engage. We acknowledge the importance that intersectionality plays in our identities. We are many. We are different. We are unified through the LGBTQ+ experience.

Goals:

• To provide monthly programming that foster a connection amongst the groups in our community.
• To curate conversations across all aspects of each identity.
• To create programming that embraces the intersectionality of our unique experiences.
• To celebrate the shining magnificence of our strength and spirit.