Hello world, welcome to WFHR's rapid support for this Thursday, October 23rd, 2025.
Show is probably brought to you by Crock Accepting.
Have your host James here and we're joined right now by our friends from UW-Madison Extension
Wood County.
We have Katsuo with us right now by Lingo Community Health Worker.
How you doing?
I'm doing good.
How are you James?
Doing good.
Appreciate the time as always and appreciate your patience with your name and me and all
that.
You're always too good to be appreciated.
I really appreciate the subject matter that you bring in.
We oftentimes, you and I get a chance to touch on a subject that we don't get to very often
in society.
A lot of gray areas you and I cover and today is no different.
We're going to get into a really interesting thing.
We cope.
Can you tell us what that is Katsuo?
Yeah, so we cope as an evidence-based program that was developed by the University of
Madison Extension and this program is specifically designed to help adults cope with the different
challenges of life, right?
And so it really taps into the power of positivity instead of looking at things from the negative
side of things as we humans, we do normally and we try to spin things and have the folks
that we talk to and the participants look at the stressors of life from a different
lens and that different lens, that positive lens really truly does make a difference
in how you see things.
It's a really interesting approach to this and it really piggybacks on something that's
been a big part of our society for years now and talking about mental health and that
we're at a stage now in the game where we're talking about it in a raised voice, we're
not hushed anymore, we're not shy about sharing these things as much, but this is where
the real work comes in now, now that we've gotten the topic out there, now bring awareness
to it, talking about it, that's great, but now we've got to start looking in the mirror
and start looking at ourselves and everything and I grew up growing up, I come from a family
that has some issues, some depression, some depression, some of those things in my family's
history.
So I was aware of this from a very young age and we've talked about mental health and
my family for decades.
It's always been a thing for us and many families out there can relate to that.
When it comes to being born this way with the brain that I got and stuff and realizing
very early on that I had a chemical imbalance.
It was something that I grew up seeing broken bones all the time, my dad was an athlete,
I could understand that, I couldn't understand the broken bone in my brain, I couldn't understand
that, he couldn't physically see it and it began something for me a journey that I'm
on still to this day.
I got a certain point in my 20s where I was tired of being me, I was tired of that mood,
I was tired of the way approach I had the life, I didn't look at the glasses half empty
or half full, I'm like, oh that's all I got to drink, how am I going to make that last,
I'm so thirsty.
It was a negative approach and I got tired of being negative, I got tired of that and
I got quite honestly, I got tired of my friends and family expecting that for me and being
that.
I didn't like being predictable, that was part of it.
I sit there like many do out there and I'm looking in the mirror and I'm looking at myself
and I'm like, well this is how I've been for 20 some years, I'm never going to change,
but I did.
You can rewire your brain, you really can do this.
I started approaching every morning trying to look at positive, what am I thankful for,
what am I even the most, even the most simple thing of waking up and it began this thing that
started to happen in my brain to where I am today, where now negative things happen and
I immediately, it's like a literal reflex in my brain, I think of, well at least this
didn't happen or at least this, I find some way to turn that positive, some way, I don't
take away the negativity, it's not like I'm walking around all day smiley or anything
like that, anybody around me who could tell you this.
But my approach is so vastly different and anybody that knew me 30 years ago to now would
not even recognize me as a person with how much I've grown in that way.
I still got work to do, I'm still working out of every day, but it is so much better,
my life is so much better, my kids enjoy me around so much more, it can happen.
Even when you have these chemical imbalances, even when it feels like it's something out
of your hands, you can do this, you can accomplish this, it begins with you but you're not
alone in it either.
Yeah, 100% James, and thank you for being vulnerable, really, like you said, you hit it
right on the spot, it doesn't happen overnight, it really, truly doesn't, it does take a
huge mind shift change and it really takes the support of those around you, right?
If those around you who are constantly, if they notice that you're trying to make this
shift, this change to be more positive, I have a better outlook on life and they're constantly
dragging you down, are they truly the people that you want to be around with, right?
And so you have to surround yourself with very, like, who want to make that positive change?
And so this is one thing with B-Cope 2, and I teach it now, but before I taught it,
I wanted to take the course itself to see how it benefited people, and I'm going to
give you a minute of my vulnerability, I am a mental health survivor, and so, and I've
been struggling with my own mental health since my early teens, really, and being where
I am today, I credit it to myself and the people around me, but also to B-Cope, it's been
a little over a year since I've taken this B-Cope class, but I still carry a lot of these
lessons with me day to day, and, you know, one of the biggest things with this class is
program that we teach is how can I, like you said, how can I take the negative and reframe
it, to make it into a positive, right?
And like you said, I'm not misunicorn and rables every single day, but at the same time, I
know that there's a reason why there was that negative, but how can I change it to be positive
so that it doesn't affect me, and, and it really truly makes a huge difference, or something
that I teach a lot, one of our sessions in this class is how can you be mindful, right?
And so when you think of mindfulness, you think of like big things, and here, I always
say, like this, for example, this summer, I had some programming, and I was like, so being
mindful, what does that make you think of, and they're thinking of like, just the big
things, meditation and this and that, and it was like huge things, which I was like, this
is great.
But have you ever thought about being mindful when you're doing your laundry?
And that was, I had the most confused looks, really.
I'm sure, yeah.
You say, being mindful doing your laundry, but it's taking your time going through the
pockets, right?
You can find money, you can find wrappers, pens, whatever it is, but really taking your
time, oh, that shirt's inside out, or that sock, and so it's just really taking the time
and looking through things, and, and not rushing, and I think as a society, we're always on
the go, and it's a rush, rush, rush world that we live in now, and the instant gratification,
we cope as one of those things that really just like stops us in our tracks and really
makes us back up and look at things, look at the world from a different view, right?
And I think that's something that as a society, we need to do, just really not just for our
mental health, but just for everything in general, take the time and really cherish the
moments, right?
And so if you start beginning to, if you start doing that, your mental health is only
going to improve day by day, and like I said earlier, it's not going to happen overnight,
it will take time, but if it becomes a habit, eventually you'll notice a difference, and
maybe you won't notice it, but those around you will notice it, because it's becoming
an everyday thing for you, so you might not notice it, but the folks around you will notice
it, and I always joke that if you are more positive, you're a more pleasant person to be
around.
There's that wonderful benefit to it too.
And speaking of good benefits to it, I appreciate you sharing that, Kazoo, and I also appreciate
what, I don't know if it was intentional or not, but another thing you brought up with
this of, you know, I, you, we do these things, and we're hoping to improve our day to day,
our mental health and a lot of this, but there's so many other benefits that come from it,
and so many side, you know, pluses.
I've always been horrible about being in the moment.
I started to do this, you know, this journey of mine, and I start part of it was, well,
I got to be in the moment, well, if I'm in the moment more, I'm appreciating right now,
and I'm not immediately thinking of the negative impact of this current event or something,
but it got me to be in the moment more, it got me to do that, got me to be around at
more events and more things, because people wanted me around more and stuff, and just
simply enjoying my life more, just, and, you know, in case nobody says it to you today,
we deserve that, we, we all deserve that, we deserve to enjoy our lives, you deserve
to be happy, it's okay, so many of us go walking around thinking we don't deserve that,
or, and maybe not, maybe it's a subconscious thing, but, you know, tell each other that,
tell yourself that you deserve to be happy, there's nobody out there listening that doesn't,
that's another thing to keep in mind, and one other thing too with this, and, and I
think a big difference between you and I's journey that I wish wasn't different, but
it is, with me, and I was doing these things, very grassroots, very looking up my own
information and trying to, you know, not self-medicate, but self-heal, and it made my process
that much longer, and I think that much more difficult, and I still got here, but it
took me a lot longer, and I could have used some resources, I could have used some help
on it, that was on me for not seeking those out, but having an organization like this,
or having a group like this, a week cope like this, that you were able to take advantage
of and everything, that's really noteworthy, it's not only great because you're not in this
journey alone, but as you and I could relate to, and many out there that are listening, you
know, it's, you could be the greatest teacher in the world, or the greatest instructor in
the world, but if you don't have any background in this, if you have an experience at yourself,
it's harder for people to engage, it just is, we get it, we understand what it can be
like to deal with these things, so individuals out there listening to us hopefully will
hear that a little bit more, and take advantage of this, and one last thing with it too,
not only being alone, but it's not kind of, you show up for an hour and you're done,
good luck with everything, there are, as I see here, seven sessions to be a part of this.
Right, so this is a six to seven week program, and it's about an hour, hour and a half
each time, and we really dive into the different topics, right, each week, and so we always follow
up, and even after the fact, after the six to seven week sessions, we fill a follow-up every
like three to four months, just to see how you, where you are, and how you're doing, right,
because to me, it's not about here, it's a class, it's done, it's about taking care of the person
that you've, like, I might not be your best friend, I might not know you outside of this,
but as a small email saying, hey, how are you doing? How is this helped you? Could you just share
some benefits, right? And it's not follow-up that I feel, and just in the world today, we have,
just in everything that we do, we do it, and then that's the end. We, there is no follow-up with
anything that we do anymore, and so it might be a wonderful program, but if you don't follow up,
how do you know if it's helping or not? How do you know if this person is still going through
the trenches of their mental health struggles, right? And so I praise the program that we have,
and the researchers, and the founders of this program that we have this follow-through,
and something that you had touched on, and then I really wanted to say, too, was that,
we have to make sure that we give ourselves that grace, right? I always talk about, if I saw
somebody going through the same struggles, what would I say to them? And if I said that to them,
why not say that to myself? Because that self-compassion and that self-care is truly important,
and how can I help others when I can't even help myself right now? And so, and what's the saying,
you can't pour from empty bucket, right? And so if you really truly want to help others,
you have to make sure that you give yourself that grace. You have to make sure that you take care
of yourself first before you can help others, and maybe it's doing it side-by-side, right? You're
doing it together, and you're filling each other's buckets. Which would be wonderful,
but if you don't take care of yourself, it's really hard to take care of those around you.
There's nothing more rewarding to me in this world than being there for my loved ones,
being for there for the people I care about, in any way at all. I was not able to do that before,
as well as I am now. I had to take care of my own backyard before I could help them with theirs,
and that's what's the big shift for me in getting me to finally really take some action in this.
Yes, I was tired of being grumpy and all that stuff, but at the end of the day,
I realized I'm not able to do that. I'm not able to help people with their stuff if I'm not
taking care of my own. So it's another thing that even if it takes twisting it that way,
whatever you got to do to start working on that mental health of yours, you deserve it,
you deserve to be happy, and you're not alone in it. And there's other things along with this too,
like we've already seen you are a success story yourself, Casua, but there's been other
stories too that people have shared with this. Oh, 100%. And if you want more details,
you can always go to UW Extension's website, and they have mental well-being success stories,
but WeCope is one of those that when we do do those follow-ups, so many people say that they
continue the skills that we teach them, right? And that it's like I have something here that says
91% said WeCope had a lasting positive effect on their well-being. And you know what? I don't
disagree with that at all, because even like I said, for me going through this by myself,
because I wanted to see what it was like. It was very eye-opening and it has had a lasting
effect. And you know, like I have told you before, I've been working in my mental health since my
teenage years, but the last I want to say two to three years, especially the last year,
especially with after going through WeCope, it's been like my mindset has completely shifted.
And I'm in as much better place. And I am there for my family, and I'm in the moment,
and I am able to help those around me so much more. And I am a true believer that everybody has
to take care of their own mental health before they can do anything else. And even if it's the
small things, right? Just that little shift in a habit or a routine that makes a huge difference.
It doesn't have to be anything huge right now. It could just be the smallest thing. And like you
had mentioned earlier, just being grateful, right? Every morning that I wake up, I could have
complained because it was cold this morning. I could have. But I was grateful that I was able to
get up. I was grateful that my kids were up and we had food and we have a house. And you know,
we just have those things. And it's the little things that we have to make sure that we're grateful for.
Those little things build up to be something pretty big at the end of the day. You keep adding to it.
Waking up is a win. They take that win. You enjoyed your breakfast. You had green lights going to
work. Whatever it is. I mean, it doesn't have to be the most gigantic thing. But you add those up
and at the end of the day, when you look back at them, you're like, oh, that was a good day.
And even if it wasn't a great day, you can still take something good from it. And you deserve that.
When it comes to these, this program, Kazoo, are there new, are there sessions coming up for people?
So we normally have a lot of online virtual options. And we hope has been one of those programs
in the local wood county area that has been on pause for about a year since our good friend Jackie
had passed away last year. But it's something that we are hoping to bring back in the community
next winter's spring. So look forward to the new year. We will definitely be putting out
flyers when there are new sessions out there, new classes. I will definitely share with James
here. You can go to the wood county UW Extension website. We have upcoming events there all the time.
And so really, we are here for the community. And we hope is one of those things that is truly
important in our society nowadays. And I think it would be very beneficial. So just be on the
look out, there are some upcoming ones in the planning process right now for certain populations.
But there will be one for the general community in the upcoming months.
And if you reach out and let them know that you're interested, not only does that help them see,
okay, a lot of people are interested in this class of this program, but also maybe they can let
you know when they, when there is information on it. And you know, as I know for, I can only
imagine for you all at extension, I know for me and Pam, it means a lot to us. Anything we can do
to keep Jackie's legacy around and keep up the great work she was doing. It's another added benefit
of this. Oh, 100%. Kasoo, we've talked about some great stuff today. If people have follow-up
questions, want to know more, how can they get in touch with you? Yeah, so you can always call
the wood county extension office at 715-421-844-0 about WeCo. And right now, we don't have any
classes for the general community, but if you want to just have like, just put it yourself,
your name and number down on an interest form or something, right? Just so that we know who's
interested. And if there's a huge enough interest, we could always start a class sooner than later.
Or you can just shoot me an email. It's at kazoua.thau at wisc.edu.
Really appreciate you. Appreciate everything you've shared today. Way to be on your journey
and everything. And certainly you shared the, and the information about this program. Say hi to
the rest of extension for us. We'll do it. Thank you, James. And thank you, everybody, for
joining us for another edition of WFHR's Rapids Report.
