.png)
Cultural Curriculum Chat with Jebeh Edmunds
Welcome to the Cultural Curriculum Chat™ Podcast — where culture meets curriculum, and conversations spark real change. Hosted by author, educator, DEI consultant, and cultural storyteller Jebeh Edmunds, this show is your weekly guide to creating inclusive spaces where every voice is seen, valued, and celebrated.
Whether you're an educator, leader, DEI practitioner, or a lifelong learner committed to equity, you’ll find empowering dialogue here. We dive into multicultural education, workplace inclusion, global perspectives, and the stories behind the people shaping our communities. Expect honest conversations, practical tools you can use right away, and uplifting storytelling rooted in authenticity and lived experience.
From classroom strategies to courageous workplace conversations — from cultural history to creative pedagogy — each episode is crafted to inform, inspire, and ignite action.
Listen in to learn how to:
- Build culturally affirming learning + work environments
- Lead with empathy, equity, and intercultural competence
- Integrate diverse voices and global narratives with confidence
- Expand your cultural lens through story, conversation, and curiosity
Together, we’re cultivating a world where inclusion isn’t an initiative — it’s a lifestyle.
Subscribe, share, and stay connected as we continue fostering transformative learning, one courageous conversation at a time.
Welcome to the Cultural Curriculum Chat™ — where culture lives, learning grows, and equity leads.
Cultural Curriculum Chat with Jebeh Edmunds
Season 6 Episode # 14 Empowering Educators: Prioritizing Mental Health for Inclusive Education with Dr. Ericka Goodwin
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What if the secret to a more inclusive and supportive educational environment lies in prioritizing mental health? Join us as we welcome Dr. Ericka Goodwin, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and bestselling author, who shares her remarkable journey from St. Louis to becoming a leader in mental health care. Through her experiences, Dr. Ericka highlights the pressing need to prioritize mental well-being, especially within communities of color. She passionately discusses the challenges and triumphs of her career, offering invaluable insights into creating environments that prevent burnout and allow individuals to thrive.
Educators play a pivotal role in recognizing and addressing mental health challenges in children and families. Our conversation tackles these pervasive issues, focusing on the gap between the onset of symptoms and access to treatment. Dr. Ericka and I discuss the systemic limitations that educators face and the importance of collaboration among stakeholders to bridge these gaps. We dive into strategies for fostering emotional regulation and presence in educational settings, emphasizing the vital role of social-emotional learning (SEL) for both students and teachers. Tools such as yoga, breathing exercises, and grounding techniques are explored as ways to maintain emotional balance.
The importance of family involvement is underscored, as we explore the integration of SEL activities into daily routines to enhance children's emotional well-being and reading skills. We address the challenges posed by inconsistent state mandates and increased screen time, advocating for consistent home routines to reduce anxiety. By fostering psychological safety and open communication between families and educators, we aim to better support students facing unique challenges. Our discussion offers a comprehensive look at the intersection of mental health and education, providing practical strategies for creating a more inclusive and supportive environment.
Find Dr. Ericka's Better with Dr. Ericka Podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/better-with-dr-ericka/id1566743906
COME SAY Hey!!
Facebook: @JebehCulturalConsulting
Pinterest: @Jebeh Cultural Consulting
LinkedIn: @Jebeh Cultural Consulting
Leave a Review on our Podcast! We value your feedback!
Buy My Book: The Orange Blossom https://a.co/d/dRgzqgB
🎉 Show your support and rock the culture!
Check out the official Cultural Curriculum Chat™ merch — from cozy beanies to statement mugs that celebrate community, curiosity, and inclusive storytelling. Grab your favorite pieces and rep the movement! ➤ https://jebehedmunds.com/merch-shop/
👉 Every purchase helps support the podcast and our mission to amplify diverse voices.
Empowering Educators With Dr. Erica
Speaker 1All right , good morning everyone . Jeba Edmonds here on a wonderful , fabulous episode of the Cultural Curriculum Chat podcast and , if you're watching on YouTube , mrs Edmonds Cultural Corner , I have in our guest chair today the Dr Erica Goodwin bestselling author Goodwin , best-selling author , co-host of the podcast Better with Dr Erica . I was her guest earlier this year and I'm just honored to have her on our show today . We are going to talk educators all about SEL and how we can be more inclusive educators with that . She is a notable adult and adolescent psychiatrist and hails from the East Coast in Georgia and I cannot wait to talk more , so let's get into it . Welcome , dr Erica .
Speaker 2Thank you , and I'm going to warn you , your listeners I am coming from Atlanta , my allergies are on 10 and any of you that have been down here know that that can happen . So you might see a little blinking in this Kleenex . Come out , I'm not crying because you're making me sad , it's my allergies .
Speaker 1Thank you for the heads up , thank you , thank you . So , dr Erica , just give our audience just a little bit of your story and your upbringing before we get into it .
Speaker 2Sure . Well , the first thing is I'm originally from St Louis , Missouri , so I am nativelya Midwesterner . So I was born the only child to totally doting parents and I always like to say that my appearing in the universe was a big deal because my parents had very close friends and there were like six men there all saying they were my dad , which made for an interesting position for my mother to be in . And , ironically , as I made my introduction into the wonderful universe , my dad's back went out and he actually missed my delivery . But you know , I had a really great childhood , loving family , everything was great .
Speaker 2And then I decided I was coming to Atlanta to go to Spelman College where I stayed and I did med school at Emory . Then I did adult psychiatry training at Morehouse School of Medicine , then decided to take a little sojourn up to DC and do a congressional fellowship and then did my child fellowship at Harvard in Boston and I went back home , was hanging out there for a while , then became a traveling psychiatrist , traveling all around the country seeing people , and one of the things I often saw is I just really wasn't happy with the mental health care that a lot of people got , especially people of color . It just was all over . The country thing was a lot of times people just were not getting the best quality care , to the point where I even saw some mental health struggles in my family and someone actually had a heart attack before the age of 40 due to mismanagement of their medications Don't worry , they're okay now .
Speaker 2And I was traveling around the country and then I decided I'm going to have a job like a more regular job , and you know I think everyone's been there that time where you're checking all the boxes . You know I'm the first doctor in the family , you know I'm successful , you know all those good things . I'm living the dream . Then I got to what I thought was my dream job , and I don't know if anybody out there is used to having your dream job . You wake up and you realize your dream job . You wake up and you realize your dream job is a nightmare .
Speaker 2And I was in one of those positions where I was working all the time seeing all these patients . I wasn't hardly getting paid and it was just going sideways . And then I realized at one point I could sit on my couch and make as much money as I am going to work all the time . We had a four person call group that went down to three , which meant I was on call all the time . I was seeing people in hospitals all over . It was just doing the absolute most .
Speaker 2And I remember there was this morning I was getting ready for work and at that time I had probably my favorite shower I've ever had . It had like this most beautiful glass green tile , my favorite shower I've ever had . It had like this most beautiful glass green tile . And I remember sitting on the tile in the shower and just tasting the salt , mixed with tears , of just the idea of going to work .
Speaker 2And I don't know how many people out there have had those moments where you know it , just going to work feels like torture and even though you may feel like you were called to do this work and you were going to live in your purpose , but something about your job just is not the jam . And I remember just sitting there thinking I just can't do this , you know , and at that point then I had to start taking the steps to leave , which meant overall , when it was all said and done , I gave away over $200,000 worth of services that I did not get reimbursed for for eight months and paid the services that I did not get reimbursed for for eight months and paid . I can't remember by the time I stopped getting paid because I needed attorneys . I think I didn't get paid Somewhere between $50,000 and $60,000 to leave . But the thing I learned was I never want anybody else to feel kind of helpless or that you're trying to live your dream , you're trying to live your purpose and the environment you're in is just toxic .
Speaker 1Yeah , and , like you said , at what cost ?
Speaker 2And I just realized I just didn't want anybody else to feel like that .
Speaker 2You know , just to feel that helplessness and also feel like you're not valued , that you're working hard , you're doing these things to make a difference and you don't have anything to show for it but bags under your eyes and feeling tired and collapsing on the couch . So that kind of brought me to where I am , to Dr Erica , who's the Harvard trained psychiatrist , author , podcast host and corporate speaker . You know that . You know I'm just really passionate about helping people be better , do better and live better . And being at a place now where I can work with people and especially with my podcast , give people tools so that you can put you back in your life , Cause you're busy , You're giving to your friends , you're giving to your family . Because you're busy , You're giving to your friends , You're giving to your family , You're showing up for work , You're showing up for everybody , but you're not showing up for yourself . So my big thing is putting you in that position where you can start showing up for yourself and be the main character in your life instead of like an extra .
Speaker 1I love that , dr Erica , and yes , your show gives us practical tools and we'll have all your information in the show notes of how to , like you said , live better , be better and do better . And you are the epitome of that and I'm sorry that it happened as the catalyst for you to change , you know , but it is , you know , in good measure , and overflowing , of how you are helping and impacting so many of us every day with your work and your passion . So thank you for that and thank you for , you know , having that aha moment in that shower going . This can't be my , my routine moving forward . So , thank
Supporting Educators Through Mental Health
Speaker 1you , thank you . So thank you , thank you when you're talking about seeing the mental health crisis , especially with our families and our children of color , what has influenced you to share your voice with all of us , and especially educators , to see the signs ? Yeah , are there like any things that us educators could look for ? If we need , would we know a student really needs help ?
Speaker 2Well , one of the biggest things that has just inspired me is just the fact that this stuff is everywhere . You know that this isn't . I've worked in so many different environments . I've trained in public , I've trained in private , I've worked public , I've worked those high-end cash rehabs , I've worked some of everywhere almost , and the thing is is it doesn't matter how much money you have , it doesn't matter what your race is , it doesn't matter your religion , it doesn't matter your gender .
Speaker 2Everybody's struggling .
Speaker 2And I think that's what really inspires me is seeing how many people are struggling and then seeing that gap between when people start having symptoms , especially children , and when they actually get help , and the fact that there's a quote and I'm not going to say the whole thing , but it's like by Benjamin E Mays .
Speaker 2It's like I only have a minute 60 seconds in it , maze . It's like I only have a minute , 60 seconds in it , and the thing is is you can't get time back . So that gap from when people are starting to have simple symptoms and having impairments to when they're actually getting treatment and are having some resolution of symptoms , that's time people can't get back and being wanting to help people have tools so they're not struggling unnecessarily because that's time you're not going to get back . That's you know . For kids , you know they start having difficulties , they're not paying attention to what they're getting behind in school . And what's one thing our school system just has difficulty with is if you don't have parents with money that can get really good tutors or send you to Kumon or Sylvan or something to get you caught up . The educational system just hasn't always been equipped with tools and resources to help someone get caught up .
Speaker 1Yes , that's so true .
Speaker 2And the thing is is they're getting behind in schoolwork . So then you know , a lot of times unless it's something like social studies , where you're learning new stuff every time Well , if you didn't learn your foundation skills , you're not going to do well as you go forward . If you don't have a good foundation in reading , well , you're going to have difficulty . English , english , arch , You're going to suck in social studies . All these things , yes , and all these things that just kind of pile up . It just kind of pile up and and then also , if you're having difficulty and you're not engaging , well , you're going to have difficulty forming good attachments and interpersonal relationships . It's just seeing how something that looks like it should be in a bubble ends up affecting everything .
Speaker 2And the thing with teachers is you all spend so much time with kids and we're in environment now with kind of the fact that our economy is the way it is . People are working a lot , you spend the most time , but having teachers and educators with as much information and resources as possible , it's just helpful for the whole system . But the one thing I do want to say is it's not just on educators , you know , and I think sometimes we want you all to be as prepared as you can . But I also feel like sometimes the system puts an unearned and unnecessary pressure on you all to be the ultimate people that figure everything out , that come up with solutions and fix it all , and that , technically , is not your job .
Speaker 1No , and it's not fair and it is that , just like you said , that unpaid , but the expectation of how come you didn't recognize that Johnny was struggling ? It's like I was recognizing it . I did tell the families . The families don't have the extra resources to get the help . And usually too , as an educator , in my experience , the boiling point you can see it kind of bubble in the defensiveness and I'm fine , but you can see the bubbling up of the frustration . Oh , I can't get that passage , or he's missing school or she's missing school , and then there could be trauma at home that is out of our control as well . Those are other factors that we're trying to , like you say , prepare them for their next level of schooling or their next level of life , and we just don't have the tools or the resources or the expertise you know if I had you sitting next to me in my class , dr Erica , we would have been like , yes , you help with that mental health , I'll help with the standards .
Speaker 1And we got you know we would be that power team , but we just don't . And thank you for recognizing that that , yeah , teachers would love to if they could , but they don't have the necessary tools again in our education system to help our kids . And it's that helpless feeling too . As educators , we feel helpless , like we would love to make sure those students have what they need , but we don't have the capacity . And again , us teachers are also burnt out and stressors as well . And again , us teachers are also burnt out and stressors as well . So that mix of that . You know how do you navigate as a psychiatrist with your clients I know you're right , we are all struggling and how do you help us have that beacon of hope with your practice ?
Speaker 2Well , the first thing is is I look at my calling and my job as a psychiatrist as to literally be a beacon of hope and to hold on to hope until you can hold on to it for yourself . So so part of it is just being able to reassure people that we're going to work together until we find a solution , understand the importance of being present in all these different spaces , because the one thing that gets difficult , especially for educators , is you don't have the tools to fix everything , which means you need . There are other stakeholders that are extremely important , including , you know , your kids . Your kids are actually stakeholders , and their parents , and it's one of those things where part of it is that education that the buck can't continually be passed . The parents can't pass the buck off to the education system .
Speaker 2At some point you have to be present and you know , figure out what's going to help you fill those gaps , and you know , for a lot of people that may even be . You know for some of my parents that there's be . You know for some of my my parents that there's a lot going on with their kids and they're having difficulty keeping up because you know , I think there's there's the group of people that are kind of checked out because they're overstimulated and they're doing the most . You know , honestly , they , they have all these kids , they're working all these hours and they probably don't really have the time , um , and it's not all fueled by survival . And then you have the families also that you know .
Speaker 2The cost of living right now is so outrageous that you can have two parents that are working extremely hard , that are barely making enough money to put food on the table and keep the lights on , and they're having to work two or three jobs and it's hard for them to be everywhere . So I think part of it is is figuring out what people's capacity is and then feel it , figuring out how to fill the gaps . But at some point you have to be present in one way or another . But I've also and we've also seen times where you have the family , where someone's working day and night doing all this stuff and you can talk to their kids and their kids still feel like they're present , even though they're gone a lot , and I . So I think the first part is people being people , being present and then also figuring out ways to communicate with the education system , with the families .
Speaker 1Yes , that I love , that I love . The presence in the communication is so important . Yes , was there another point ? Sorry , I just got excited because those are yeah .
Speaker 2It's huge and and the you know and some of it's it's stuff that people don't think about but you have if you're not tech savvy , because right now a lot of communication , especially out of COVID , you know , it's a lot of there are these digital platforms that the kids' grades or their things are in , and that way is that if you're not digitally savvy , I need you to ask for help and not just assume you can't do it or you can't follow along . And then , if it needs to be a point where you're not digitally savvy or you do not have reliable internet or data usage usage , that you can have a conversation with the educators and then possibly go back to old school where someone's sitting a little note home or doing phone calls , but the thing is someone doesn't know if you're not in the portal .
Speaker 2You know and some of it's basic stuff like that , because I realize a lot of things have changed so you know when you need help actually asking for it , so someone can help you . And I think in this age the role of school advocates is even bigger than it probably was .
Speaker 1And I think that push for more school advocates to help be that buffer from the school to the parent , I think is really important as well . Oh , so good , dr Erica .
Creating Grounding Strategies for Educators
Speaker 1Another thing when you're talking about being present , there's some things that we did in SEL social emotional learning for people who are listening that aren't in the education field .
Speaker 1There's lots of programs out there that we would , you know , do an SEL in the beginning of our day , a part of our morning , you know , getting together meetings . There's teachers that we would do yoga and breathing exercises with kids , especially before a test . Are there any other strategies that educators could use to help those kids be present and more centered ?
Speaker 2Well , and one thing the funny thing is , I can't take credit for this . I saw this . I'm going to admit , every once in a while I am on the social media and there was a clip where I think it was Michael Bublé was talking about how his six-year-old daughter loves Snoop Dogg .
Speaker 2I love that affirmation song . I actually downloaded the whole little record , so some days I'm sitting here listening to . You know my family loves me so much . I think it's just finding those tools that you know we talk about them , probably even more like in leadership spaces , but translate over there , such as , you know , positive music or affirmations . You know I love the idea of doing small meditations or things with kids , maybe even doing gratitude statements or things like that .
Speaker 2Statements or things like that , and you know , taking advantage of , you know when there are times where people can actually be grounding and using grounding techniques in class . And you know , also making sure people's feet are on the floor . You know , sometimes just a ground . I think are huge . But I also think one of the huge things is one thing are the things that we do with kids . The other thing is that what we do with staff because the other thing is when we're dealing with social , emotional learning and emotional intelligence is there's an element of making sure that as educators and staff , because the thing is is everyone that touches a school or educational platform impacts these kids , from the lunchroom people to the screen , to the front . You know , the front desk person to the person in control outside is being in a place where everyone's doing what they need to be regulated . To begin with , because it's hard to help people with social , emotional learning if you're dysregulated .
Speaker 1That's it . And you're right , everybody needs to be regulated and maybe having more staff taking that into practice . So many of us is like , okay , here's a new SEL program , download it . Here's the video , it's 10 minutes . Here's some worksheets . But again , what is there for the staff to you know , purposefully , have us get grounded and reconnect before the kids come in . You know , I think that's really important . And for our mental health too , to get ourself centered before they start coming in , I think is really important . Oh , I love that . I love that . How can our families benefit with grounding too ? Because we're talking about in those classroom , in those touch points . But what about the adults at home ? Are there any suggestions that you have for them to be grounded and present ?
Speaker 2And one of the things I love is you know just as we would sin , and it's so weird . I'm still trying to get used to it . So many of the kids I work with don't have homework . I'm like I know my boys don't eat Some of them .
Speaker 1I'm just like what .
Speaker 2These kids don't have homework and then one day they do and they don't know what to do with it . They're like home is for home , school is for school . I don't even know how to manage homework . I shouldn't even have homework . And then when they get to the point where they actually have homework , they're ill prepared . So I'm hoping at some point we can find yeah , I don't know yes .
Speaker 2I know there were times I had kids that they'd be up all night doing homework . I think that's inappropriate , but at some point you have to learn some study habits so that by the time you get to college you can actually handle a workload . Yes time . Some of the homework could be these social , emotional learning things or emotional intelligence types of activities , and then you turn it into something that the families are doing together .
Speaker 1Love that .
Speaker 2The only thing people have to do take home is academic or just read something tonight is to start having some of these habits be ones that parents are working on with their children . You know that one thing that's huge is having a nighttime routine , you know also , and reading is a sticky point for some reason . Also , and reading is a sticky point for some reason , I don't know what . At what time , all of a sudden , it just seemed like there was just an outrageous amount of kids that are having challenges reading . But you know , I'm also a fan of , even as an adult . If you're a parent and you hate reading , it sucks , but you're going to have to act like you like it To make it fun , because I feel like reading is something that also . You know . Everyone talks about journaling , but if you have difficulty reading and have difficulty with language skills , you're not going to write it down .
Speaker 2You know , so just sometimes rolling those things into fun activities where everyone does it Like .
Speaker 1I grew up in a family where everyone read .
Speaker 2So there'd be times you'd see the living room . I'd have a book , my cousins would have a book , my grandmother would have a book . My parents had books . My grandmother's favorite things to do outside of reading were crossword puzzles and Scrabble . You know so it's just making some of these things not feel so stressful .
Speaker 1you know so it's just making some of these things not feel so stressful , you know that's big , that's big and and and to for your point of the reading and why there's such an influx .
Speaker 1And you know , with my research too , with the mandates of different states and their reading standards and what is going to be pushed and what is
Supporting Educators and Families
Speaker 1going to be pushed back , and that's a whole different episode of the frustrations of why kids are not , you know , apt to read , because now with the screen time and all of that and you know , and again a lot of those kids get slipped through the cracks and if they don't have the passage or they can't guess the word , we still move them up to a different grade and then again that piles up .
Speaker 1And then again their mental health of I don't want to read in front of the kids , in front of my peers , because they're going to tease me because I don't know . So there's a lot there too . But yeah , my point is too and I really like how you said of having that routine , that consistency of what kids can expect will definitely lower their anxiety , correct , because they'll know what to expect coming home . Maybe we read or listen to an audio book together as a family , maybe we go on a walk , but something calming , I think , will really help , especially with the pressures of day-to-day school . I think that's great .
Speaker 2And the other thing is is you know , I think something that's underutilized is sometimes you know either those , those handouts or worksheets , or they have little things you can stick on your wall with , like the little faces of emotions or an emotion wheel . And I think the other thing is helping kids get practice of naming emotions thing is helping kids get practice of naming emotions . So you know , it may be when you check in in the morning or maybe you might do a check-in when . I'm still a fan of if people can , sitting down to dinner with the whole family together is asking and it may be something . Someone just picks out what they feel and says something about it .
Speaker 2But some of it is getting practice doing it . It's not something that has to be an exercise of perfection , but the more people get practice of naming their emotions and naming their feelings , the easier it is for them to identify emotions and then link that to what they need . So you don't have the issues with a lot of the emotional dysregulation we see in homes or in schools . A lot of times it's kids can't identify how they're feeling . So it typically comes out often is either really angry or they totally shut down and just are staring at the wall .
Speaker 1Yeah , oh , I love too much for them to recognize . Maybe they could take a walk and do a lap in the hallway with the pass just to kind of get themselves back to center to learn . There's all kinds of tips and tricks up our teacher sleeves that we can use and should utilize to again not make that child feel ostracized or othered but to recognize going . I know this kid , you know they might be at a different home on the weekend because they're in a two-parent household and this child is , you know , more amped up when they're at this side of the family . So I'm going to give them time to just kind of settle in .
Speaker 1You know , starting the new day , you know things like that we already are reflective on of our students . So thank you for reiterating that of knowing their capacity being consistent , having that family buy-in , families asking for help . I feel like there's a lot of shame of that too , of I'm supposed to understand it and help my child , and I feel like if I do ask for help then I'm going to be judged and it's like you know , teachers would love to help , but if we don't know what we don't know , then that's where we end up too . Oh , before we go . Dr Erica , are there any final tips or thoughts that our listeners and viewers could get from you to move forward today ?
Speaker 2I have two One is one is circling back to something you just said and I think it's really important is one of the things that to really have the ideal educational environment is bringing in . You know , and I love how now , at this part of my career , I start learning business terms because I'm like , oh , we could use this other places , is . You know ? I think overall you want to create psychological safety in the school and for the kids , and and and creating a culture of which parents can let people know what's going on , because , just as it happens with adults that an example is you can have someone that is depressed and struggling . Well , if you don't know they're depressed and struggling , they're going to look like they're not getting their tasks done , they're not meeting expectations . They may look disengaged , you may think they're disinterested and they don't care , but they're depressed . You know their depression very differently and I think there has to be a point where we're able to create a culture where families are comfortable talking to educators about what's actually going on , because then you have the knowledge to meet the child where they are .
Speaker 2If you don't know they're shuffling from house to house or something extra is going on , well then you don't know , so you can't support the kid as well . You know , if there's an issue and there's just a huge amount of food insecurity , you know it's . They're just all these different kinds of things . Or you know , mama or my , I have some kids . They call their grandparents peppy If they're in the hospital . You know , it's just little things , that when you know what's going on , it's a lot easier to meet a kid where they are and to read it correctly . And I think , just as that happens with adults , you can misread things very easily with kids if you don't know the context . Yes , yes .
Speaker 2If someone doesn't have power or they're having issues , well , someone may not be doing their homework later in the day If they have no internet , well , they might not be doing this . It doesn't matter if you have a Chromebook if you have no internet , no power . It doesn't matter if you have a Chromebook if you have no internet , no power . You know so it's just all those little things that when we're able to create partnerships with families and educators , it allows people to help better and also to lend what resources we do have in the educational environment to help .
Speaker 2So , you know , I'd say the biggest one is actually asking for help . And the second is if , if you have a question or you feel like , ooh , my kid's not struggling with something , or or you know it comes up a lot with kind of bullying or even just social skills deficits , talk to someone you know , let the school know you have a concern and follow up on it . One you know , let the school know you have a concern and follow up on it . And a lot of times I feel like things are . You know , right now a lot of these systems are overrun , that you know . Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets heard making requests in writing .
Speaker 1I love that Make the requests in writing , asking for help , being transparent and educators too , just checking in with the family . A quick phone call goes a long way . It's like you know I'm just , you know that child isn't acting like themselves , or is there something I should know or anything I can help , support or get you a phone number or resource that can you know , take , you know , can help with that . I think that too , just having that parent teacher connection and keeping those communication lines open just to show that you really are interested in their child's wellbeing .
Speaker 2So one more yes .
Speaker 1Yes .
Speaker 2And also for parents , is you have to take care of yourself . That raising raising a human is probably one of the most challenging and more rewarding things you can ever do . It takes a lot of time and energy and patience and it is difficult to do if you are not taking care of yourself . So it means you need to get sleep , you need to eat in a healthy way and you need to take care of whatever is going with you or mental health wise . If you need some mental health treatment , get it . Take care of your blood pressure , get your physicals . Make sure that you are taking care of yourself to put yourself in the best position to take care of your children .
Speaker 1I love that , I love that . And now , where can friends find you , dr Erica , they have a couple places to find me .
Speaker 2One is you can find me on the socials , not as much on the Twitter or X or whatever it is these days , but on all social media . I'm Dr Erica D-O-C-T-O-R-E-R-I-C-K-A . My parents use all the letters and my podcast is Better With Dr Erica . You can find it on all major podcast platforms . It's Better With Dr Erica .
Speaker 1Yes , and I will have all of your socials on that and friends .
Speaker 1Her biggest tagline at the end of every episode is to give yourself a hug . And oh , yes , I do . I have to pull over in my car because I know I got to be safe and give myself a hug after each episode . I love your energy , dr Erica , thank you again . I'm so honored that you wanted to take the time to be on my show and everybody else . Thank you again for watching and listening on the Cultural Curriculum Chat Podcast and Mrs Edmond's Cultural Corner . I'll see you next time . Bye-bye , thanks for having me . Yes , you're welcome . Oh my God .