abusive relationship – Greek University

Laurie S. Jacobson: How Can College Students Start Their Mindfulness Journey?

By admin on October 28, 2025

How can college students start their mindfulness journey? Let’s talk to Laurie S. Jacobson, an author, speaker, and Certified Health Coach. She has spent more than 25 years promoting health and wellness through education, media, and personal appearances. She’s been featured in local and national publications, and hosted Cooking for Health on WJAC-TV.

In episode 609 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out what inspired her journey to a Buddhist monastery and what those first few days were like, what advice she would you give to students who might see those same abusive or toxic signs in their own relationships, how college students can bring mindfulness into their day, what happened when she practiced silence for 22 days at the monastery, what is the role of physical health in supporting emotional and spiritual wellbeing, what misconceptions about health and wellness does she see most often, and what freedom felt like after years of control and fear. Enjoy!\

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpYJDmFwl4M

Fraternity/Sorority

Meg Grett-Pratt: Helping a Friend in an Abusive Relationship

By admin on May 26, 2025

Over seven years of Meg’s life was like being in a prison day after day, little was in her control. In the beginning she thought it’ll pass, life will get better, but year after year the punishment just got added to earlier means of torture. The physical abuse was scary and many times she didn’t think she’d survive, but the mental controlling games destroyed her from the inside out. She couldn’t escape her mind. If there was a moment of peace it was quickly replaced with some form of his evil game that never let her forget that this wasn’t a nightmare, it was her life. She would torture myself on especially hard days by playing the “if I had only” or “I wish I would have” game. Meg Grett-Pratt is a survivor of abuse – she experienced emotional, financial, sexual, physical, and stalking abuse. Meg studies digital forensics, and is an advocate for victims of domestic and sexual assaults and volunteer for victim crisis hotlines. Her goal is to help prevent and put an end to abuse and violence in relationships.

In episode 571 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out why Meg decided to go to Colorado Mesa University, early warning signs of an abusive relationship, understanding the more subtle forms of abuse — emotional, digital, and financial, what are common “green flags” or signs of healthy relationships, how students can safely set and enforce boundaries in a relationship, how to help a friend may be in an abusive or controlling relationship, how technology changed the way abuse shows up in college relationships, what Meg’s healing journey look like, and what tools helped her the most.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRZmsjF2t08

Fraternity/Sorority

Dawne Jacoby: What are the red flags of abuse?

By admin on November 7, 2024

What are the red flags of abuse? Let’s ask Dawne Jacoby, a highly sought-after Keynote Speaker driven by a passion to inspire others. She is a Certified Life & Executive Coach, Leadership & Development Trainer and the Co-Founder of Grit2Grace – an organization that helps leaders “Humanize their Workplace” bringing empathy and compassion to the forefront. Dawne is also a Co-Host of “His and Her Life Hacks Podcast” – along with her fiancé, they discuss everyday life challenges, personal stories and successes from a his-and-her perspective. Between the 2 of them, they have 10 children – ages 30 down to 13, so they have a lot of fun & interesting stories to share! Dawne’s passion for empowering young girls and women is rooted in her journey through a lifetime of adversity, beginning in childhood and following her into adulthood. At her career peak, while balancing life as a single mother to two daughters, Dawne faced a life-altering realization of what had been holding her back for 46 years. She now shares her story of resilience, strength, and the triumph of overcoming significant life challenges. Her keynotes captivate audiences, leaving them inspired and eager to learn more as she authentically connects through her personal journey woven into each message.

In episode 513 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out more about the abuse Dawne went through as a child, how she was able to overcome all of that and thrive, how we can humanize our organizations and our workplace, what are the red flags of abuse, how you can find your voice and step into power, how we can identify generational patterns, how we can rewrite the story, how to build up your confidence, and how to get back up when life knocks you down. Enjoy!

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3HtKBBlgtk

Fraternity/Sorority

Ashley Bendiksen: What are the red flags of emotionally abusive relationships?

By admin on May 2, 2024

Do you want to know the red flags of emotionally abusive relationships? Content warning: This episode contains discussions about dating violence and sexual assault.

Ashley Bendiksen is a survivor turned activist, speaker, and coach. She never could have dreamed that the dark struggles of her younger self once faced would one day lead me to her purpose. Her story and her work are her life’s mission. When Ashley says that she’s a proud survivor of abuse, assault, and complex trauma, she mean this. At one point, she truly believed she was destined to be a victim, to struggle. Ashley never knew there could be more for her. That is, until it all came crashing down forcing her to make a change. Today, she is an expert in abuse prevention, a national speaker, and Top Youth Speaker. She’s also an author, an activist, nonprofit founder, co-owner of a life coaching agency for youth, and founder of the Blue Hearts Project. Oh… and she’s a nerd, a journaler, a discreet punster, tireless adventurer, she likes to sing, she plays the piano, and she hangs at the ocean year-round (yep, in the New England snow).

In episode 454 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out more about dating violence and sexual abuse by Ashley’s first boyfriend at age 14, what made her choose UMass Lowell for her undergraduate experience, how she got into another abusive relationship at 18 which caused her to drop out of school, how college students should be approaching relationships, what are the red flags of domestic violence and emotionally abusive relationships, how to get out of a toxic relationship, how college students can support their friends/sisters/brothers, ways we can increase safety and prevention such as teaching consent or bystander intervention, and what Ashley’s new book called “The Language of Time” is all about.

Link: https://youtu.be/_fU_kDzgSm4

Fraternity/Sorority

Dr. Sheena Howard: What we can learn from Black Panther’s portrayal of culture and nationalism?

By admin on March 22, 2022

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/22532708/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/191970/” height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”custom”]Our next guest is Dr. Sheena Howard. Sheena is an award- winning author, filmmaker and scholar. In 2014 Sheena became the first Black woman to win an Eisner Award for her first book, Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation (2013). The Eisner Awards are considered the ‘Oscars of Comics’. She is also the author of several critically acclaimed books and comics books. In 2017, Sheena published the Encyclopedia of Black Comics, which is the first book of its kind, profiling over 100 Black people in the comics industry. The Encyclopedia of Black Comics was named the 2018 American Library Associations’ Outstanding Reference Source. Sheena was born and raised in Southwest Philadelphia. She now has one child, is a Professor at Rider University in the Department of Communication and Journalism. Outside of her full-time job, Sheena spends time writing and speaking to organizations and educational institutions on a variety of topics including social justice, diversity, and representation.

In episode number 225 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out why Dr. Howard chose Iona College for her undergraduate studies, tips on how independent scholars can raise their profile and gain major media coverage, what is so special about comic books as a form of media, the findings from her documentary called “Remixing Colorblind”, what is special about working as a professor at Rider University in the Department of Communication and Journalism, what we can learn from Black Panther’s portrayal of a culture virtually untouched by white supremacy, what we can learn from T’Challa’s nuanced identity and eventual shift from nationalism to globalism, how Sheena finally took control and set out on her journey of self-empowerment after being in an abusive relationship, and what she learned from her mom.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VT_oy7_blw