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Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson
Ready Set Collaborate is a podcast with a wealth of knowledge on networking, collaboration, and partnership, unlocking the secrets to successful teamwork and Innovation. Whether you are an entrepreneur, a creative professional, or just someone who can understand the power of networking and collaboration. This podcast is your go-to resource. Join us as we explore the stories, strategies, and insights from experts, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders who have experienced the magic of networking and collaboration to achieve successful results.
Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson
Healing Trauma: A Conversation with June Hill on Mental Wellness and Community Impact
What happens when personal trauma transforms into community healing? June Hill's story offers a powerful blueprint for turning pain into purpose.
June Hill never planned to become a behavioral health advocate. But after surviving domestic violence and founding A Dream Foundation Center in 2018, she discovered layers of generational patterns in her own life that needed addressing – from alcoholism recovery to breaking the cycle of teen pregnancy. This realization shaped her organization's holistic approach to healing, which now serves diverse communities with trauma-informed care.
"We help people become whole in whatever way they see fit," June explains, describing how her foundation bridges the gap between mental wellness and real-life resilience. Through clinical counseling, life coaching, support groups, and entrepreneurial mentorship, A Dream Foundation Center creates judgment-free spaces where clients can be vulnerable about their challenges, whether they're high-earning professionals battling anxiety or individuals rebuilding after trauma.
Breaking generational cycles emerges as the conversation's most powerful theme. June candidly shares how sometimes this means losing relationships with people who don't support your vision for change – something she experienced firsthand while maintaining her sobriety and guiding her daughter toward different choices than she had available. "It's okay if you would like to live your life like that, but I would like to live my life another way," she reflects on standing firm in her boundaries.
What makes June's approach unique is how she prioritizes cultural competence through bilingual services, diverse staff, and an authentic understanding of community needs. The foundation particularly focuses on supporting BIPOC communities, women navigating mental health challenges, and entrepreneurs seeking stability. Success stories abound – from business owners who've tripled their income to parents returning to school and creating better futures for their families.
Ready to be part of this transformative work? Visit adreemfoundationcenter.org to volunteer, donate, or attend upcoming events. Every story matters, every voice deserves to be heard, and healing becomes possible when we connect and collaborate.
Connect with June Hill
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/may.hill.77
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adreamfound
Phone: 470-282-1301
website: https://adreamfoundationcenter.wpcomstaging.com/
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Speaker 2:Welcome. Welcome to the Ready Set Collaborate podcast, where we have another inspired episode of the Ready Set Collaborate. I'm your host, wanda Pearson, and today we're diving into a conversation that speaks to the heart of healing purpose and community impact. My guest, june Hill, program Care Manager at a Dream Foundation Center Let me make sure I got that right June A Dream Foundation Center. June is a true leader in behavioral health advocacy and trauma-informed care. With over 20 years of experience serving marginalized and underserved communities. She's leading a movement that brings mental wellness with real life resilience, empowering individuals to break generational cycles and rewrite their stories. I love this, june, because a lot of times we get stuck in that generational curse and we want to get out of that generation of curse. June, welcome to the show and I'm so honored to have you. Oh, it's a pleasure being here. Yes, so honored to have you. Pleasure being here. Yes, it is, and I thank you for coming. But I'm going to read your bio before we dive into some of the questions I want to ask you.
Speaker 2:Okay, june Hill, program Care Manager and Behavioral Health Advocate, community Empowerment Leader. She's a Program Care Manager at a DREAM Foundation Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to trauma, to trauma-informed behavior, health services and empowerment programs. With over two decades of experience serving marginalized and underserved communities, she leads with compassion, strategy and deep commitment to healing and transformation. To healing and transformation. At Adrian Foundation Center. I'm trying to do it in a third party. They focus on bridging the gap between mental wellness and real life resilience. To oversee holistic service delivery, including clinical counseling, life coaching, support groups, wellness retreats and entrepreneurial empowerment. To ensure every client I'm going to be tongue-tied here every client receives cultural, competent care tailored to their unique journey. Her passion lies in helping individuals break generational cycles, rebuild their lives and rediscover their voice. I'm especially focused on advocating for BIPOC. Now what does that mean BIPOC?
Speaker 3:It's the Indigenous community, so Black, Indian, Native Americans, the underserved and the marginalized community.
Speaker 2:Okay, so diverse. Yeah, so diverse communities, right, and women navigating mental health challenges, trauma or systematic barriers. Let's connect if you're interested in partnerships, behavior, health and innovation and culture, creating sustainable change in the lives of others. I love that, june, and I think that's why I introduced you to Coco, who is going to be a guest on my show as well. I think what you do is actually great. It's very inspiring of what you do, and I give you that props for it because I tell you I was actually I was, I am a social worker.
Speaker 2:When I got back into the community, well, I mentored middle school girls and adults or whatever. So it's so needed these days, right as far as what's going on with the mental health with everybody, and it really is. It's really phenomenal that you do this, to be out in the community, and I know God is blessing you to do what you got to do. So thank you, I in the community, and I know God is blessing you to do what you got to do, so thank you, I want to tell you thank you, so so.
Speaker 2:June. Can you tell us about what led you to the world of behavioral health and community care?
Speaker 3:So what led me to the world of behavioral health and community care was the community. So, over time, when we are growing up, we had we experienced childhood trauma. So, over time, when we're growing up, we experience childhood trauma and then, as an adult, we may not be able to navigate those situations or even picking up things that we see our family members doing, and I had different instances of this throughout my life. It didn't come to a point where I felt like I had to do something about it until I experienced domestic violence and started my organization in 2018. While starting my organization, I thought that I was catering to domestic violence survivors and then it transitioned into things. It made me look at other things in my life that contribute to me picking the wrong person to be in a relationship with and that's why we have trauma-informed care and doing the domestic violence experience and having a brain injury and then not having to have that space where I could take off for work. So I had to work on myself, keep a job, have a creative outlet and help other people, all while I was helping myself. And while I was doing that, I noticed different things about myself. I noticed like after college, I noticed I had became an alcoholic in college. After college I stopped drinking and then I go to my 20th year reunion and I found out, hey, that's good you did that, it's some people that is not able to do that. So I'm like I thought it was just the domestic violence thing but really I had a whole cycle of breaking generational curse with alcoholics in my family, overcoming having my child in high school being a teen mom and my daughter not being a teen mom, breaking that cycle. So it started when a domestic violence situation arise and I created my nonprofit organization and I'm trying to niche down to my demographic. It went into. Okay, you also have anxiety from just running a business running a high, a successful business. A lot of people don't understand that business owners are three times more likely to have anxiety and chronic illness and things of that nature just by having a high stress job. So you have a lot of.
Speaker 3:It was a lot of different layers I had to overcome after I started my nonprofit organization, looking at myself and I'm like, okay, I'm all of these things, I'm the recovering addict to alcohol. I'm all of these things, I'm the recovering addict to alcohol. I am the single mom that had a child in high school. I am the business owner. That is stressed out. So I couldn't contribute all of those experiences to the one domestic violence thing and I still wanted to be able to help people in my nonprofit. So that's when we went into the behavior health and I started understanding more stuff about myself and I said, hey, this will be nice for other people. So I started catering to my tribe, which was single parents, domestic violence survivors, people struggling with addiction, people having parents, of having parents that are struggling with addiction. So it just turned into something that was going to help me and I'm able to help other people. So that's how a dream foundation grew into what it is today.
Speaker 2:That's awesome because actually that was the next question I was going to answer, but I'm actually, but you just answered it. But I love that because, I God, it seemed like we have a lot in common. My mother was her last year of high school when she got pregnant with me First time having sex. She had me and she married my father, who they both loved each other, but she married my stepfather and that's when the domestic violence and alcohol came into play. So I really love what you're doing because it's so needed. Out here today we may not say that we have problems, but at the same time, what we grew up to be, but we want to do something better, especially for other people. So thank you for saying that. I appreciate it. So tell us a little bit more about your mission of a Dream Foundation Center and the types of services you provide.
Speaker 3:Okay. So at Dream Foundation, our mission is just to help. We don't have. Our mission is not to just help people with low income, because we service everyone people with no income and people with income but our mission is to help people become whole in whatever way they see fit, because a couple of sessions may not be able to heal everything in your life, but if you're a struggling business owner and maybe you just need some coping mechanisms on how to or build up your confidence so you can get paid more money and you're not as stressed out when you're able to go into those boardrooms or you don't feel unworthy in those boardrooms so you're able to charge whatever you you desire.
Speaker 3:So we work on confidence, we work on behavior, health. So we have life coaches, we have mental, we have virtual support groups. So our virtual support groups go over budgeting, anxiety, high stress. We try to check everything off of the list and we have it once a month, usually the third Saturday in the month at seven o'clock. So we go that's more of the life skills every day. We have mental health counselors, we have life coaches, and then we also have a skills every day.
Speaker 3:We have mental health counselors, we have life coaches and then we also have a business cohort. So we have a business cohort. It's called building your business with confidence and in this cohort we're able to help you manage your money and kind of help you talk, help you learn more about the tier two in business. Like you already make your money. Now how are you going to survive? Do you have short-term disability? Do you have life insurance, those types of things, cpas how to manage your money. After you've been making your money, we take the stress away in the cohort. So that's like you come to us, maybe you have counseling, maybe you want to start a business, so now we help you with managing your money in your business and coming up with a retirement plan and or something emergency funds, something that can keep you safe when you go through those.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I get it. I tell you it's funny because we the mentoring I do at the middle school we actually had a community for you last week and this is middle school kids. So we actually had a community for you last week and this is middle school kids. So we actually did a simulation of what kind of job you want, how much college education you had, and so they got a budget to go down how much they will make and you know how much you would spend like for housing, for transportation, for if you have children, how many children you have, and so on. But it actually was really amazing to see these. And this is middle school now, so we're preparing them for the eighth graders, preparing them for high school. So I wish we had this when we were growing up. They didn't have this kind of thing, right. So having that budget and being able to go through the different things and sticking with it.
Speaker 2:But what was funny was that I had this section about clothes, buying clothes for you and your baby and food. So it was funny because the kids came there and they had two kids and I said, okay, there's going to be 100 for each kid, and I was telling the young lady. I said you have diapers. Diapers for $75. I said this is not even, it's more than that, but clothes for the kid. But you forgot about the formula. A lot of people may not breastfeed so you got to buy formula for that. So it's funny because the kids say they were saying I'm getting a divorce, I'm not going to get married, I'm not going to have kids. So it really teaches them to maybe break that generational curse. So I appreciate you saying that, but that's awesome. That is awesome. So how do you approach care differently for underserved and BIPOC communities?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, just being personable with them, everyone, everybody that comes to us. You're either referred or we meet on a personable basis. So just making a comfortable environment, because it has to be a no judgmental zone in order for people to feel safe. In order for people to feel safe, I mean, in order for, even if you are making money, you got to feel safe to say, hey, I'm not budgeting my money or hey, I need help. I look good, I'm buttoned up, I need help with stuff that you can't see. So we want people to feel welcome and just coming to us. So just being personable. We have a website, we are on social media and then also we attend community events.
Speaker 2:So if you see us out in the community, feel free to come up and tell us we are safe and confidential exactly, and that really makes a lot of sense to do that and I love that because, like you say, it's no judgment zone, because a lot of people are afraid to even tell you about their problems because they may be embarrassed. Right, do you get that? Problems because they may be embarrassed right.
Speaker 3:Do you get that? Yeah, yeah, they may be embarrassed or we have an image that we put out to the world, even as a single mom, even to our children. Sometimes we can't, it's hard for us to say we can't provide for them or we can't show up in ways that they need us, and sometimes we need help too. So I think being a mom, being a dad, auntie, uncle, or whatever title you have at your job is hard to ask for help when you need help.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it really does. It really does. So what does it mean to offer culturally competent and trauma informed support in today's world?
Speaker 3:Oh, just so, we have our therapies are bilingual in today's world. Oh, just so, we have, our therapies are bilingual. We have people that we have language interpreters that help Creole Spanish, so we check all the boxes off the list. And then also we have life coaches, because some people are not as relatable to therapists as they are with everyday people. So we have as well, and community leaders that help out to make sure that we're not, we're not talking over their heads or we're not relatable to them. We hire people with second chances.
Speaker 2:We hire everyday, traditional people if that makes sense, that makes a lot of sense. And actually I was going to ask the next question. As far as well. You speak about breaking generational cycles, right? What are some of the biggest obstacles people face in doing that? Because sometimes it's hard to break generational cycles. It's if they're willing, right. So how do you do that?
Speaker 3:For me. I felt when I was breaking a generational curse by helping my daughter navigating her through life so that she wouldn't be pregnant in high school. I found me personally. I found that it was hard because I had to lose friends and family members because they didn't see the vision that I seen for my daughter and they, oh, it's okay if she don't go to college and whatever reason why. They felt like those standards wasn't acceptable. I just had to say, hey, it's okay if you would like to live your life like that, but I would like to live my life another way. So I think, just going against the grain, going against the grain being your authentic self and knowing what you want, you want better for yourself. And even when I did it for myself and I go to environments where I'm not drinking and some of my relatives don't invite me to things because I don't drink and it doesn't bother me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. It's a shame that they do that because they say, oh, she don't drink, so I want to invite. But you stand your ground and I'm so happy that you do that because you have a daughter. How old is your daughter now?
Speaker 3:A 22.
Speaker 2:OK, so 22. So you have a 22-year-old daughter. You want to be an example of what's out there. So that is very I love it.
Speaker 3:I love what you're doing there, and it's for standing your ground and say it's okay, that's fine, yeah you learn different things, where you learn how to spend time doing other things, hobbies and things of that nature, because your life is not consumed about with addiction. If people put things in your face, you're going to always go to that, but if you find somewhere else to tailor your energy, you can pick up something else and you won't even look for that. Reading a book, going to the art museum it's so much more than going to a bar and drinking absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2:That's why I taught our girls as far as diversity, well, we love plays, we love to go out to dinner, we love movies. So I've been doing that since they were younger. I have two daughters and now I have four granddaughters, so we want to teach the same thing that this is what you can have. And even I was talking to my daughter and she has two daughters. She said mommy, I remember when I used to go out to dinner with you and Dad, I said yeah, you used to go out on dates with us. You used to break our dates here, but it taught her that this is what you should expect. You know what I mean. And having a man that would take you out to dinner Not to McDonald's, but something that you're worth it there yeah, that is great. I'm glad you do that. So how do you, how do you like? Coaching and entrepreneurial empowerment programs help clients rediscover their voice and rebuild it.
Speaker 3:Oh, yes, most definitely so, sometimes, depending on what their need is. We help them find jobs, we help them transition their business, we help them just show up in their everyday relationships, we help build their confidence. So that's pretty much. We help them with stuff that they're, we help them with their weakness just to make them a better person and then when they show up for their self in a better way, they're successful in every aspect in your life. Sometimes people just need to have somebody say you can do it.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes Affirmations.
Speaker 3:Yep, affirmations and accountability. Sometimes they just need accountability too. Just somebody to say hey, you didn't do what you said you was gonna do, and why didn't you do it? And then they come back and say X, y, z, and then we work on that reason why they didn't do it and walk it back from there.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. I tell you, I really like that what you're doing there, because the accountability it really means a lot. So they know they got to do what they said they were going to do. That's really important because that way they learn and they especially if they have kids you want to teach your kids the same thing. They got to be accountable, held accountable for what they do and I think that over time we stopped showing up.
Speaker 3:We don't realize it because we help so many other people. So once you bring the accountability portion, I think that makes them self-reflect on how they wasn't showing for themselves and usually most of the time there they will change.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, and because they have somebody that they can trust, like you, what you do as far as your coaches and stuff, it makes a big difference. So can you share a moment or story that deeply impacted you doing your work in the community?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I have a lot of stories. Sometimes I have people that come and they are maybe struggling to keep their business afloat. We're able to help them in their business. Sometimes it's like, hey, jump on a job for six months and then six months later we see them on their job and running their their business. Sometimes it's like, hey, jump on a job for six months and then six months later we see them on their job and running their successful business and it's like their income has tripled or doubled and we're like, hey, this, all we wanted you to do was make more money so you wouldn't stress out. I think that seeing stories like that, or seeing moms transition into school or getting their degrees, or helping their household by picking up that second income I have a few stories, but all in all, I'm just thankful that they're able to transition their lives and help me because, you know, I didn't know I could do this Kind of something. That happened out of trauma, so I'm just thankful that I'm able to help people.
Speaker 2:I love that. I love it because I actually, when I graduated from college, I worked at Mercedes Benz. But then I want to get into what I went to school for social work. So I worked at Job Corps. And Job Corps is like you heard of Job Corps, right? Yeah. So girls who got in trouble, that they wanted to get a profession. So one of the girls girls I told God. I said if I can just get through two of these girls, I'll be happy. Well, I end up getting through the two toughest girls.
Speaker 2:And it so happened that I was in the mall with my husband at the time and she called me. She said my name was Abrams. I don't know who she's talking about then, but it was Miss Abrams. I said I can't believe it. So she was one of those. She actually became a dental assistant and she was getting married. She had a kid. That just helped. I was just like, wow, I did something to help somebody else. So, just like you, right to see what you have have done and that's all we want to do. We want to just make an impact on the community and helping people that need help and people who say they want to do more. So I love what you do here, so let me ask you something now. So your vision? What partnerships of support does your organization need most right now to expand your impact?
Speaker 3:Oh, most definitely Okay. So we would love to have other entrepreneurs volunteer. We'd love to have. If you have a business that have a job, send us your job listing. If you work at an area and some jobs are available, send us some job listings. If you would like to stop by and volunteer some time. We have events all the time at the office. Click on the website volunteer time, donate to us if you would like to donate. We would love to partner with other behavioral health businesses. We'll love to partner with any corporate sponsors okay and that, yeah, that, that's needed any schools the poli-dol program at the school.
Speaker 3:Any colleges the poli-dol program at the colleges okay, okay, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:So, for listeners who want to get involved, what's the best way they can support the work you're doing? I think you already mentioned that, but there is something else that they can support you in doing.
Speaker 3:You can volunteer, donate or come to our events. That is wwwadreemfoundationcenterorg. Or you can, you can. You can sign up to volunteer. We have a mental health awareness event May the 31st from 10 to 2. You can stop by the office in Lawrenceville and it's 259 Langley Drive, suite A in Lawrenceville, georgia, so you can do all of the above.
Speaker 2:Okay, good, and you're going to send that to me so I can put it in the show notes so people can see exactly where to get into contact with you. So, yeah, this is, this is awesome and I really, I really honor you what you're doing here, because there's really much needed, especially in this community. A lot of stuff going on as far as people losing their jobs and a lot of mental health, depression, anxiety, all of those things that actually plays a fact of what we go through when we and then they could go forward, all of those things that actually plays a part of what we go through when we, and then they conform to doing other things that not good for them. So, thank you, june, I appreciate you, but thank you so much for sharing your heart, your vision and your wisdom and the incredible work you're doing through A Dream Foundation Center. You reminded us how healing is not just personal. It's a cultural and communal environment.
Speaker 2:So, to our listeners, if you've been moved by today's conversation, I encourage you to reach out to june and I'm going to put the show notes in there. We can reach out to it, support the mission and consider how you can be part of the solution. Every story matters, every voice deserves to be heard, and healing is possible when we come together. June, would you like to say some ending words here?
Speaker 3:No, I thank you for everything. Oh, just don't forget to reach out to us.
Speaker 2:Yes, definitely, I'm going to put the information in the show notes. So make sure you this is a great foundation that she's doing and how she built it, and what I love about it is from your experience, how you want to help others, from your experience. But thank you so much, so until next time, stay inspired, stay connected and always Ready Set, collaborate. Make sure you follow, like and subscribe. We're also on YouTube as well, so thanks again, jill, for being my guest on this show. All right, thank you Bye.
Speaker 1:That wraps up another episode of All right, thank you, bye.
