Author: onesource4wellness

I'm a registered dietitian and certified personal trainer on a personal mission to equip and empower motivated individuals in their pursuit of overall wellness.

Mental Health Matters: Five Young Voices, One Powerful Truth

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This week, I had the privilege of presenting on a panel for a Black mental health summit alongside my fellow co-authors of Life Is A Battle but We Will Win. The summit centered around resilience, healing, and collaboration across communities — mothers, men, caregivers, and youth.

As a population health leader, dietitian, youth advocate, and ally, I believe our responsibility is not simply to ask people to be more resilient — it is to build communities, systems, and spaces that address the root causes impacting mental health in the first place.

My portion of the conversation focused on adolescent athletes and their unique mental health experiences. Athletes are often taught to push through physical pain. Unfortunately, that mindset can sometimes extend to emotional pain too. While sports can build confidence, discipline, and resilience, they can also create pressure, perfectionism, identity struggles, and isolation when mental health challenges are left unseen.

One statistic shared during the summit stopped the room: suicide is one of the leading causes of preventable death among NCAA athletes. That is not okay.

But here is what is okay:
It is okay to not be okay.

For Mental Health Awareness Month, I wanted to move beyond simply talking about mental health and instead create space for honest conversation within my own home. So I asked my children three simple questions:

  1. Why is mental health important?
  2. What has been your experience with mental health?
  3. What words of wisdom would you share with other youth?

Their responses were raw, insightful, vulnerable, hopeful, and wise beyond their years. And honestly? I think we have a lot to learn from them.

“Your feelings matter.”

Mental health matters because it affects the way we see the world, ourselves, and other people. Sometimes people cannot see mental health struggles on the outside, but that does not make them any less real. I watch my friends struggle silently especially when painful experiences are brought up by others who do not realize the impact their words can have.

Their message to other youth was simple but powerful: “Keep your head up. You got this. There are people there for you.”

Sometimes the most healing thing a young person can hear is- You are not alone.

“Mental blocks don’t define you.”

One of my children bravely shared their experience with OCD, anxiety, and a severe mental block. What began as fear during competition slowly unraveled into something much bigger.

There are tears. Frustration. Fear. Questions. Therapy. Prayer. Patience. Healing.

Eventually, through support, treatment, faith, and perseverance, I began reclaiming confidence little by little. Today, I’ doing skills I once thought were impossible. I try to encourage others to, “Work hard. Trust the process. Dreams really can come true.”

And perhaps most importantly, mental health struggles do not define you. They are experiences that deserve support, compassion, and care.

“Finding the right support matters.”

Another child shared their experience navigating anxiety, ADHD, and depression.

I used to cry every night, feeling overwhelmed, and eventually realized that something bigger was going on. I started working with a therapy. The first therapist was kind but not the right one for me. The second therapist is an art and play therapist. We play games, get creative and connect through art. This built trust and a bond that changed everything.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to mental health support.

Healing can look like conversation.
Or movement.
Or medication.
Or art.
Or faith.
Or community.
Or all of the above.

They also wanted to call out the impact of screen time and sleep on mental wellbeing.

“Sleep is so important and the blue light from screens (especially before bed) can make it worse.”

“Sometimes you just need to find your people.”

One of my children was diagnosed with anxiety at six years old and later with ADHD.

I got diagnosed with anxiety when I was six and later with ADHD. I had to try a bunch of different medicines until we found the right combo. It took awhile but when we did it was so good. It helps me a lot.

They also emphasized the importance of trusted relationships: friends, counselors, and safe adults who make you feel understood instead of judged.

Their words were beautifully simple: “Never underestimate yourself. Sometimes you just need to find your people.”

There is so much wisdom in that. Connection matters. Belonging matters. Feeling safe enough to be yourself matters.

“Don’t struggle alone.”

The final response was short, honest, and deeply important.

Mental health is a “touchy topic.” It is something many people still struggle to discuss openly. Keeping everything bottled up only makes the burden heavier.

Their advice: “Talk to somebody you trust and find ways to help yourself so you’re not struggling alone.”

That’s it right there. Not struggling alone. Not carrying invisible pain in silence. Not believing you have to earn support by reaching a breaking point first.

What I Hope We Learn From Young People

What stood out most to me throughout these conversations was not weakness.
It was awareness. Insight. Emotional intelligence. Honesty. Hope.

Our youth are navigating enormous pressures:
Academic pressure.
Athletic pressure.
Social media.
Loneliness.
Comparison culture.
Identity development.
Fear of failure.
Fear of not belonging.

And yet, they continue showing up every day trying to figure out who they are and where they fit in this world.

Mental health conversations cannot begin only once someone is in crisis. We must create homes, schools, healthcare systems, teams, and communities where emotional wellbeing is normalized, supported, and protected proactively – not reactively.

So here is my invitation to you: Ask someone you love about their mental health.
Listen without fixing.
Create space without judgment.
Help people feel seen, heard, valued, and safe.

Sometimes one conversation really can save a life.

If you’re interested in learning more about my next book – Life is a battle but we will win – tune into this virtual book launch on May 28.

You can learn more and register for the free event here. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/AAGm5qPKQCi92lUX3-wNTw

Or, Pre-order your copy today!

When You’re Functioning, But Not Okay: Mental Health Awareness

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Redefining What “Struggling” Really Looks Like

For a long time, health was measured by what we could see; Blood pressure. Weight. Lab values. Physical endurance. If those checked out, we called ourselves “healthy.” But something has shifted. We’re beginning to understand that mental and social wellbeing aren’t secondary – they are foundational. You can be physically “fine” and still be carrying a level of emotional weight that quietly erodes your quality of life.

And the data is catching up to what many have been feeling:

  • Among youth, rates of persistent sadness and hopelessness have risen significantly over the past decade, with nearly 1 in 3 adolescents reporting poor mental health in recent national surveys.
  • Adults report increasing levels of anxiety, burnout, and emotional exhaustion, especially those balancing caregiving, careers, and constant connectivity.
  • Older adults face rising levels of loneliness and isolation, both of which are now recognized as serious health risks comparable to chronic disease.

Here in the Midwest, including communities across Wisconsin, these trends are showing up in our schools, our workplaces, and our homes.

Struggling doesn’t always look like falling apart. Sometimes it looks like showing up… while quietly unraveling.

The Cost of Holding It All Together

There’s a version of strength that gets praised in our culture; the ability to push through, stay composed, keep going no matter what. But there’s a cost to that kind of strength when it comes at the expense of processing what we carry.

Unresolved guilt.
Shame we never spoke out loud.
Hurt we minimized.
Forgiveness we haven’t fully worked through.

These don’t just disappear because we stay busy. They settle. And over time, that emotional weight doesn’t stay contained to the mind, it begins to show up in the body. It can look like irritability that feels disproportionate to the situation. Exhaustion that sleep doesn’t fix. A sense of numbness where joy used to live. When we carry things we haven’t acknowledged, the body keeps score in quiet, persistent ways. Holding it together isn’t the same as being okay.

The Brain–Body Connection

We often think of “impact on the body” as something reserved for major trauma. And while trauma absolutely leaves a physiological footprint, it’s not the only thing that does. Chronic, unrelenting stress – the kind that feels manageable day-to-day – can have a profound biological effect over time. When the body perceives stress, it releases cortisol. In short bursts, that’s helpful. It keeps us alert and responsive (think fight or flight). But when stress becomes constant, cortisol stays elevated. And that matters because sustained high cortisol levels are associated with increased visceral adiposity (fat stored around vital organs) which is linked to higher risks of cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, and inflammation. In other words: the body responds to emotional strain as if it were a physical threat.

This isn’t about blame – it’s about awareness.

Because the same system that responds to stress can also be supported and regulated. Small, consistent practices can help. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s giving the body signals of safety again.

The Turning Point: Holding Two Things at Once

There’s a concept introduced by Dr. Kim Whitmore in her book Grateful and Grieving that resonates deeply: the “ampersand” moments. The idea that two things can be true at the same time.

You can be grateful and grieving.
Strong and struggling.
Functioning and not okay.

That tension isn’t something to fix, it’s something to acknowledge. For many of us, the turning point doesn’t come from a dramatic breakdown. It comes from a quiet moment of honesty: Something feels off… and I’m willing to notice it.

Naming a feeling doesn’t make it worse. It makes it visible. And visibility is where change begins.

Even when your mind tells you to push it down. Even when old messages from childhood, culture, or expectation tell you to “get over it.” You’re allowed to feel what you feel.

Small Steps That Actually Help

When everything feels heavy, the answer isn’t to overhaul your life overnight. It’s to start small and start honestly. Here are a few simple ways to begin:

A 5-Step Grounding Exercise

This brings your body out of overwhelm and back into the present.

  • Name 5 things you can see
  • 4 things you can feel
  • 3 things you can hear
  • 2 things you can smell
  • 1 thing you can taste
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise

Name the Feeling (Without Fixing It)
Instead of “I’m fine,” try:

  • “I feel overwhelmed.”
  • “I feel frustrated.”
  • “I feel hurt.”

Clarity reduces internal tension.

Control What You Can, Release What You Can’t
Draw two columns:

  1. What I can control
  2. What I cannot

Seeing it visually helps your brain stop trying to solve the unsolvable.

Gentle Body Reset
A short walk. Stretching. Deep breathing. Not as punishment but as support.

One Honest Conversation
With yourself, or someone you trust. You don’t have to carry everything alone.

A Small Invitation Forward

You don’t have to solve everything today. You don’t have to unpack every layer of what you’ve been carrying. But you can start here:

Name one thing that’s been sitting beneath the surface.
Acknowledge it without minimizing it.
And take one small step forward.

Because progress in mental health doesn’t come from force. It comes from awareness followed by gentle action.

What’s Next

In the next piece, during Mental Health Awareness Month, I’ll be inviting a perspective that’s often missing from this conversation – our kids. Not as observers of mental health, but as participants in it.

Through their own words, we’ll explore what it looks like to experience emotions, pressure, resilience, and growth in the first 12 years of life. Because mental health isn’t something we arrive at later. It’s something we’re building together from the very beginning.

A Book is Born

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When Purpose Arrives Before You’re Ready

The book is here! And in a way that feels both familiar and deeply personal… it arrived early. Just like my babies did.

There’s something about early arrivals; they don’t wait until everything is perfectly prepared. They come when they’re ready. And when they do, everything else rises to meet them. This book feels the same.

It was born out of a season that stretched me in every possible way – physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. A season filled with uncertainty, decisions no one feels fully equipped to make, and moments that still live quietly in my body. And yet, here it is.

Not perfect.
But real.
And ready.

Because this book was never meant to be just mine. It carries pieces of so many shared experiences: the overwhelm, the questions, the silent strength, the moments we don’t always say out loud. It carries our story.

This week, we had a family meeting about focus and forgiveness. Simple in concept. Not always simple in practice. As we talked, I found myself sitting with something I hadn’t fully named before. In writing this book, I had to revisit moments that were incredibly hard including conversations with doctors who, in the context of a high-risk pregnancy, presented options that felt impossible to hear. At the time, those moments left an imprint. And while I’ve always understood that they were doing their jobs – operating within their training, their data, their responsibility – it doesn’t erase the weight of what was said or how it felt to receive it.

What I realized this week is that telling this story required something more from me. It required forgiveness. Not because anyone was wrong. But because I didn’t want to carry that weight forward. There’s a difference between remembering and holding on. And this book… in many ways… helped me begin to release.

So here we are.

The book has arrived.
Earlier than expected.
But right on time for what it was meant to do. To support. To reflect. To give language to experiences that often go unspoken. And to turn something deeply personal into something that might help someone else feel a little less alone.

If this story resonates with you, there are a few ways to be part of what comes next. If you’ve been following along and waiting, you can now order a copy directly from me or through Amazon.

Order on Amazon
ORder a Signed Copy

If you know someone walking through a high-risk pregnancy or early parenthood, you might consider gifting or donating a copy.

Donate a Book

And if you’re part of a community, clinic, or organization that supports families in these seasons, I would love to connect whether that’s sharing the book, starting a conversation, or simply exploring how this message could reach those who may need it.

Connect with Dr. CAssie

More than anything, thank you for being here. This may have started as my story. But it continues because of all of us.

More Than My Story

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A few weeks ago, I shared why I had to write this book.

What I didn’t expect was how many of you would reach back – sharing your excitement, your anticipation, and your own moments of overwhelm. Those conversations changed something for me.

This book is no longer just my story. It’s ours.

Because behind the congratulations and milestones, there are quieter truths:

  • The questions about whether you’re doing enough
  • The tears you wipe before anyone notices
  • The smile you wear because you’re supposed to feel grateful

This is the space this book lives in.

Yes, there are practical tools – ways to get organized when life feels anything but under control.

But more than that, this is an invitation:

  • To be real.
  • To feel the hard parts without guilt.
  • To acknowledge that joy and struggle can exist at the same time—no matter your stage of parenting.

This is the kind of courage we grow into when life multiplies.

And now… we are beyond the announcement. The “why” has been shared. The anticipation has been building. So today, it feels only right to take the next step. We’ve had the reveal.

We’ve heard the heartbeat. And now, our first ultrasound. This book has a face.

This cover represents more than a milestone. It reflects growth in motion.  The becoming, the stretching, the unknown that slowly takes shape over time. It’s a visual reminder that even in the earliest, most uncertain stages… something meaningful is forming.

And if you’ve ever found yourself in a season that felt overwhelming, beautiful, disorienting, or all three at once – this book was written with you in mind.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be opening pre-orders and I invite partnership with local bookstores and libraries to bring these conversations into our community.

If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to be part of what comes next! Whether that’s following along, sharing with someone who needs it, or supporting this launch in whatever way feels right.

This book may have started as my story. But it’s becoming something much bigger. And I’m so glad you’re here for it.

Why I had to write this Book

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I remember the moment, those two lines appeared. We locked eyes realizing life just changed.

I remember the “2-week wait” which felt like forever. The kind of forever that a child feels as they await each minute until their birthday party, or the kind of wait when there’s silence in the room. The wait of not knowing what they’ll say, what it all means, what’s next.

I remember the drive to the fertility clinic that day in March which was clouded with anticipation, fear and wonder. We hadn’t planned this. There was no IVF. But we had a hint that something unordinary was around the corner given that my initial HCG was 493 and then jumped to 1333 just 4 days later.

I remember the ultrasound room. The technician’s cold hands, the even cooler jelly on my belly. I remember the feeling as they scanned the landscape as if we were explorers uncovering new treasures with each inch of the wand’s movement across my stomach.

I remember the silence before the technician spoke and the sinking feeling as she counted. I remember realizing my life would never return to singular – we were in the era of the plural. The us became a we. It was no longer yours and mine. It was ours.

I have narrated the stories and life lessons in this blog for more than a decade. It has become more than a journey from a bump to baby(ies). This story is about the journey we all take from surprise to confidence, from disorganized to-do’s to controlled chaos, from fear to surrender.

Parenting and caregiving focuses on the bundle(s) of joy but we need to create space to grow, too. We are called to transform with them through every age and stage. Bump to Baby(ies) isn’t just about pregnancy and parenting. It’s about what happens when life multiplies faster than your capacity feels ready for.

This is my why for breaking the blog out of it’s box and into a book. That’s right, I’m birthing a book!

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing pieces of this journey as the manuscript heads to final edit and then on into the hands of those who I hope and pray will blossom from its message.

Looking Back at Ellie Rose (2024-2025)

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Ellie was the first to move, the first to flip, and the first to speak her truth. From crawling across the floor to landing a full like a boss, this girl’s got agility in her body and fire in her heart.

She doesn’t sugarcoat it; her words are honest, real, and rooted in deep empathy. She feels big, loves hard, and shows up for others walking tough roads with bravery and fierce compassion. Ellie Rose makes this world better with every leap, word, and hug. Here’s to 12 years of athleticism, advocacy, and authenticity!

Looking Back at Ellie (2024-2025)

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Looking Back at Lily (2024-2025)

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With a heart full of magic and a head full of imagination, Lily has kept our world enchanted from the start. Fairies? Real. Unicorns? Obviously. Possibility? Endless.

She’s the kind of friend and sister who loves fiercely, forgives quickly, and makes you laugh when you need it most. Her joy is contagious, her loyalty unmatched and her gymnastics skills purely reflect her life’s philosophy – YOLO.

Here’s to 12 years of laughter, loyalty, and leotards sprinkled with sparkles and furry sidekicks. Life with Lily is simply… fun!

Looking Back at Lily (2024-2025)

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Looking Back at Bella (2024-2025)

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She may move at sloth speed – but don’t be fooled. Bella is not only the fastest quint, her pace of life is also her superpower. Her steady stride lets her soak in the world in ways most people miss: every butterfly that flutters by, every golden sunset, every emotion written on someone’s face.

Rooted in deep faith and fueled by passion, Bella brings beauty, grace, and grit to everything she does; whether it’s mastering a tough gymnastics routine, acing a class project, or raking the yard like a champ. Bella doesn’t just do the job – she does it with heart.

Here’s to 12 years of wonder, wisdom, and a soul that sees magic where others rush by!

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Looking Back at Theo (2024-2025)

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Quiet strength, endless curiosity, and a heart full of kindness – that’s our guy – Mr. Theo. Whether he’s dropping dimes on the gridiron, making a gold glove play at second, or casually dropping a fun fact no one asked for (but everyone enjoys), Theo always brings his A-game.

Growing up with four sisters might make some boys fold – but not this one. He’s the calm in our chaos and the MVP of being a brother, son and a friend.

Let’s celebrate the boy who’s always got a ball in one hand and lending the other to someone in need, all with a big smile on his face!

Looking Back at Theo (2024-2025)

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