The Chopping BLOCK

Season 2, Episode 3: Dr. Drea Letamendi - Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Drea Letamendi is a clinical psychologist who is the host of the Arkham Sessions podcast, the Associate Director of Mental Health Training, Intervention, and Response for Residential Life at UCLA, and the Interim Director of the Student Resilience Center at UCLA.

Aa a professional, Dr. Letamendi discovered that she could follow her own path and embrace what she loved, by intersecting the worlds of psychological science with fictional heroism. As such, she contributes to public health education using the intersections of science and superheroes. To bring psychology to wide audiences and help others bridge the worlds of fantasy and reality, she hosts podcasts and delivers seminars, panels, and keynotes at universities, organizations, and comic conventions.  Since 2010, she's served as a psychological consultant for comic book writers and other creatives interested in portraying aspects of mental health. As a pop culture enthusiast, she's been featured in commentaries for film and television produced by SyFy, CNN, MTV,  and Warner Brothers, to name a few.

Season 2, Episode 2: Daymyen Layne - Quinnipiac University

Daymyen Layne is the Director of Multicultural Education and Training at Quinnipiac University. Housed in the Department of Cultural and Global Engagement, Daymyen is responsible for executing key initiatives and programming in alignment with the inclusive excellence pillar outlined in Quinnipiac’s strategic plan. This includes but is not limited to developing competency-based trainings and workshops surrounding topical areas related to diversity, inclusion, and social identity development, and fostering multicultural awareness and cross-cultural interaction among students, faculty and staff. Additionally, he develops goals and assesses the effectiveness of programs sponsored by the university’s Department of Cultural and Global Engagement. On this episode, "D-Layne" enters the Chopping BLOCK to talk about issues of race, family, Brotherhood, mentorship, and calming in a time of crisis.

Season 2, Episode 1: Jeannette Mare - Ben's Bells

Jeannette Mare is the Founder and Chief Kindness Officer of Ben's Bells in Tucson, Arizona. With locations spanning as far as Connecticut, Ben's Bells touches the hearts and lives of children and families all over the United States. Jeannette founded Ben's Bells after experiencing a family tragedy that would ultimately change not only her life, but her perspective on life forever. In her work, Jeannette teaches the principles of kindness as a platform for critically engaging the work of equity, inclusion, and social change. Here on the Chopping BLOCK, Jeannette talks about her journey to Founder and her plans to promote equity and inclusion through kindness.