Welcome to Season 6 of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast

Hosted by Ebony Underwood

Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities

EPISODE 7 of 7: Isolation & Loneliness

In our final episode of this season, Ebony and Dr. Ron-Li Liaw explore the lasting impact of isolation and loneliness on children impacted by parental incarceration. They discuss how separation, stigma, and silence can create chronic stress that affects a child’s emotional and physical well-being over time.

Loneliness is not just a feeling. It is a public health issue linked to serious long-term risks, including mental health challenges, cardiovascular disease, and mortality.

For children carrying the weight of parental incarceration, this conversation is a call to recognize loneliness early, build meaningful connection, and ensure no child has to navigate this experience alone.

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Our annual WE GOT US NOW Podcast takes a thematic twist this year with the launch of our SPECIAL EDITION: Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities. This season, Ebony is joined by Dr. Ron-Li Liaw, Children’s Hospital Colorado’s inaugural Mental Health-In-Chief, Chair of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute, and a nationally recognized child and adolescent psychiatrist whose work advances mental health integration, family engagement, clinician well-being, design innovation, and systems-level transformation in youth mental health.

POWERED by: Chicago Beyond ,rwjf

To learn more, go to: WEGOTUSNOW.org

#WellnessTools #HealingCentered #TraumaInformed #DrRonLiLiaw #7UnspokenRealities #EbonyUnderwood #WeGotUsNowPodcast #CYAIPI #WEGOTUSNOW

Welcome to Season 6 of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast

Hosted by Ebony Underwood

Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities

EPISODE 6 of 7: Cost of Connection

This week, Ebony and Dr. Ron-Li Liaw discuss the toll of the cost of connection on children impacted by parental incarceration. For many children, staying connected to an incarcerated parent depends on what their family can afford.

A phone call. A video visit. Transportation to a facility.

These costs are not just financial. They can deepen isolation, strain attachment, and make separation even harder for children who are already carrying so much.

The episode also explores the policy landscape, what exploitative communication systems cost children emotionally, and how WE GOT US NOW is working to help change it.

Connection should not be a privilege. It is part of a child’s emotional well-being.

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Our annual WE GOT US NOW Podcast takes a thematic twist this year with the launch of our SPECIAL EDITION: Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities. This season, Ebony is joined by Dr. Ron-Li Liaw, Children’s Hospital Colorado’s inaugural Mental Health-In-Chief, Chair of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute, and a nationally recognized child and adolescent psychiatrist whose work advances mental health integration, family engagement, clinician well-being, design innovation, and systems-level transformation in youth mental health.

POWERED by: NBA Foundation, Sony Music

To learn more, go to: WEGOTUSNOW.org

⁠#CostOfConnection⁠ #7UnspokenRealities ⁠#WellBeing #FamilyConnection⁠ #DrRonLiLiaw #EbonyUnderwood #WeGotUsNowPodcast #CYAIPI #WEGOTUSNOW

Welcome to Season 6 of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast

Hosted by Ebony Underwood

Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities

EPISODE 5 of 7: Caring Adults

In this episode, Ebony and Dr. Ron-Li Liaw explore the powerful role caring adults can play in the lives of children impacted by parental incarceration. They discuss the importance of attuned, trusted adults who can recognize a child’s pain, nurture their potential, and help them imagine a future beyond what they are carrying.

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Our annual WE GOT US NOW Podcast takes a thematic twist this year with the launch of our SPECIAL EDITION: Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities. This season, Ebony is joined by Dr. Ron-Li Liaw, Children’s Hospital Colorado’s inaugural Mental Health-In-Chief, Chair of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute, and a nationally recognized child and adolescent psychiatrist whose work advances mental health integration, family engagement, clinician well-being, design innovation, and systems-level transformation in youth mental health.

POWERED by: Chicago Beyond ,rwjf

To learn more, go to: WEGOTUSNOW.org

#WellnessTools #HealingCentered #TraumaInformed #DrRonLiLiaw #7UnspokenRealities #EbonyUnderwood #WeGotUsNowPodcast #CYAIPI #WEGOTUSNOW

Welcome to Season 6 of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast

Hosted by Ebony Underwood

Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities

EPISODE 4 of 7: Wellness & Healing Tools

In this episode, Ebony and Dr. Ron-Li Liaw explore journaling as a powerful wellness tool for children impacted by parental incarceration. They discuss how writing can help children give language to feelings they may not yet know how to say out loud, and how creative expression can open a safe path toward healing. Not every child has the words in the moment. Journaling gives them space to name their pain, process grief, ask questions, and begin making sense of what they are carrying. When introduced early and without shame, it can become more than a coping tool. It can become a quiet practice of self-connection, resilience, and emotional safety.

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Our annual WE GOT US NOW Podcast takes a thematic twist this year with the launch of our SPECIAL EDITION: Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities. This season, Ebony is joined by Dr. Ron-Li Liaw, Children’s Hospital Colorado’s inaugural Mental Health-In-Chief, Chair of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute, and a nationally recognized child and adolescent psychiatrist whose work advances mental health integration, family engagement, clinician well-being, design innovation, and systems-level transformation in youth mental health.

POWERED by: NBA Foundation, Sony Music

To learn more, go to: WEGOTUSNOW.org

#WellnessTools #HealingCentered #TraumaInformed #DrRonLiLiaw #7UnspokenRealities #EbonyUnderwood #WeGotUsNowPodcast #CYAIPI #WEGOTUSNOW

Welcome to Season 6 of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast

Hosted by Ebony Underwood

Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities

EPISODE 3 of 7: Child Parentification

In this episode, Ebony and Dr. Ron-Li Liaw explore what happens developmentally when children are pushed into adult roles long before they’re ready. They discuss the profound loss that occurs when childhood is replaced by survival, and the quiet, often invisible weight these children carry.No child should have to grow up that fast. Many lose the safety, play, and emotional space they need to simply be kids. The impact can ripple through their sense of self, relationships, and well-being for years to come.

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Our annual WE GOT US NOW Podcast takes a thematic twist this year with the launch of our SPECIAL EDITION: Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities. This season, Ebony is joined by Dr. Ron-Li Liaw, Children’s Hospital Colorado’s inaugural Mental Health-In-Chief, Chair of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute, and a nationally recognized child and adolescent psychiatrist whose work advances mental health integration, family engagement, clinician well-being, design innovation, and systems-level transformation in youth mental health.

POWERED by: Chicago Beyond, RWJF

To learn more, go to: WEGOTUSNOW.org

#BreakTheStigma #MentalHealthStigma #ChildMentalHealth #TraumaInformed #DrRonLiLiaw #EbonyUnderwood #WeGotUsNowPodcast #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #CYAIPI #WEGOTUSNOW

Welcome to Season 6 of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast.

Hosted by Ebony Underwood.

Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities

EPISODE 2 of 7: Impact of Stigma:

In this episode, Dr. Ron-Li Liaw & Ebony explore the fear of judgment and stigma that stops children from seeking help, and what it actually means to normalize mental health support for young people.

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Our annual WE GOT US NOW Podcast takes a thematic twist this year with the launch of our SPECIAL EDITION: Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities

This season, Ebony is joined by Dr. Ron-Li Liaw, Children’s Hospital Colorado’s inaugural Mental Health-In-Chief, Chair of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute, and a nationally recognized child and adolescent psychiatrist whose work advances mental health integration, family engagement, clinician well-being, design innovation, and systems-level transformation in youth mental health.

POWERED by: NBA Foundation, Sony Music

To learn more, go to: WEGOTUSNOW.org

#BreakTheStigma #MentalHealthStigma #ChildMentalHealth #TraumaInformed #DrRonLiLiaw #EbonyUnderwood #WeGotUsNowPodcast #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #CYAIPI #WEGOTUSNOW

Welcome to Season 6 of the WE GOT US NOW Podcast.

Hosted by Ebony Underwood.

Our annual WE GOT US NOW Podcast takes a thematic twist this year with the launch of our SPECIAL EDITION:

Mental Health Awareness Series: 7 Unspoken Realities

This season, Ebony is joined by Dr. Ron-Li Liaw, Children’s Hospital Colorado’s inaugural Mental Health-In-Chief, Chair of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute, and a nationally recognized child and adolescent psychiatrist whose work advances mental health integration, family engagement, clinician well-being, design innovation, and systems-level transformation in youth mental health.

Together, Ebony and Dr. Liaw engage in a weekly conversation exploring important realities that shape the lives of children separated from a parent by incarceration — from the trauma of witnessing a parent’s arrest to the impact of separation on the body, nervous system, and developing mind.

Over the next seven weeks, Ebony guides a powerful conversation rooted in lived experience, leadership, and a deep commitment to centering children and young adults impacted by parental incarceration, with Dr. Liaw bringing clinical expertise and systems-level insight to help illuminate each reality.

This series invites us to listen more deeply, understand more fully, and respond more compassionately to one of America’s most invisible populations.

Season 6 begins now. Episode One is live.

POWERED by: Chicago Beyond, RWJF

To learn more, go to: WEGOTUSNOW.org

#ChildMentalHealth #TraumaInformed #DrRonLiLiaw #ParentalIncarceration #EbonyUnderwood #WeGotUsNowPodcast #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #CYAIPI #WEGOTUSNOW

WELCOME to Season 5 of the ⁠⁠WE GOT US NOW Podcast⁠⁠ series POWERED by NBA Foundation

⁠HOSTED by ⁠⁠Ebony Underwood⁠⁠

For our 7th annual #KeepFamiliesConnected multimedia campaign series that runs from Mother's Day through Father's Day, WE spotlight voices from our community, and uplift our allies working across the field to create a just and equitable society that seeks to keep justice-impacted families connected.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

S5 | EP6: JOEL AUSTIN ~ Educating & Equipping the World with Tools for Engaged, Informed and Empowered Fatherhood

Joel Austin is the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of DADDY UNIVERSITY, INC.® and Vice President of nonprofit, School of Parent Education (SPE) . At these organizations, Mr. Austin has uplifted fathers, transformed families, and rewritten what parent education can and should look like.

As a father of four, his passion for this work is both personal and professional. He serves as a strong, force pushing male parenting and positive fatherhood to the forefront of family and community conversations, and is deeply committed to educating—and re-educating—the world about the importance of engaged, informed and empowered fatherhood. For the past 21 years, his leadership has grown Daddy University Inc. into a nationally recognized authority on fatherhood education, training, and support.

In this episode, Joel breaks down the science, research & data on fatherhood and gives insights & expertise from his 21 years of experience training Dads inside and outside of prison. He believes, "Every father deserves the tools to succeed, and every family deserves the benefit of his success."

So many educational gems & lessons in this episode!

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO: ⁠⁠⁠

WEGOTUSNOW.org⁠⁠ ⁠|⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠⁠⁠

LISTEN to the WE GOT US NOW Podcast on ⁠ ApplePodcasts⁠ , ⁠Spotify⁠ and all podcasts platforms.

#WEGOTUSNOW #FathersDay #DaddyUniversity #JoelAustin #Dad #Daddy #Father #Family #Children #Daughter #Son #Boy #Girl #Fatherhood #GirlDad #ParentEducation #PaternalHealth #MaternalHealth #MensMentalHealth #FamilyEducation #KeepFamiliesConnected #WeGotUsNowCommunity