Business Is Booming

Episode 21-Kayla Magbie.mp3
Narrator: [00:00:01] Business is booming. From the small mom and pops to the big industries, our local businesses drive our economy and provide the products, services and jobs we depend on. Our host, Jennifer McCurdy, brings us these stories as she visits with the business owners and leaders of Fort Payne and DeKalb County, Alabama. And now here's Jennifer.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:00:26] Hey guys. Welcome to Business is Booming. We have Kayla Magbie with us today. She is the mental health coordinator at Fort Payne City Schools. But I think we might start calling it the wellness director at Fort Payne City Schools. So excited to have Kayla with us today and I think you will be too. Kayla, thank you so much for joining us.

Kayla Magbie: [00:00:44] Thank you for having me. I'm super excited.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:00:46] Kayla is the mental health coordinator for the Fort Payne City School Systems and has been there for five years now.

Kayla Magbie: [00:00:54] About five years.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:00:55] So tell us a little bit about, first of all, what made you decide to go into mental health, the mental health field, I should say. And then you were a huge advocate for even bringing mental health services into the school systems. I'd love to hear more about that.

Kayla Magbie: [00:01:10] Okay, well, how I got into mental health is really by accident and, um, an honest, just mistake. So I went to University of Alabama for, you know, college, all that good stuff. And I went thinking I was going to be a nurse. And I remember taking probably one of the hardest college courses I've ever had. It was like organic chemistry or something like that. And just probably like two days in, I was like, I got to get out of this because this I'm going to fail this course. This is not for me. And so I went to my advisor, as they tell you to do, and they were like, okay, well, what do you like to do? And we're going to take a test and all this stuff. And so I took this test and one of my biggest, I guess, qualities or traits was I like to help people. And she gave me a list of things that that could be. And so the, the top, uh, kind of field to go in from the test was social work, and it didn't know anything about it, had not been introduced to it. That was the first time. And so she was like, just take a 100 level course and if you don't like it, we'll just use it as a credit or like an elective. So I took it and immediately it was like a missing puzzle piece, um, that I put together early on in my college years. And so I was very thankful for that mistake that led to what I truly believe is a calling of mine.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:02:37] Now, yes, I would say lots of people would agree with that.

Kayla Magbie: [00:02:40] Well, good. I mean, they say, you know, if you do what you love, you never have to work a day. So I feel like I work very hard, but I also love what I do.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:02:48] Yes, that's a big difference then. Yeah. So so there's different avenues in social work.

Kayla Magbie: [00:02:53] Absolutely, absolutely. And so kind of how I landed in Fort Payne, which I'm from Fort Payne, you know, Fort Payne High School, that's my alma mater. And it was back when I was working with Sid, I started the for CED.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:03:07] Those who don't know CED.

Kayla Magbie: [00:03:08] Is is our Cherokee Etowah DeKalb Mental Health Center here locally. Okay. And so I was, um, the therapist there. And so we started a pilot program with the school system. A lot of people don't know that, that I was in the school system before I was in the school system. And so I did the, um, the child and adolescent therapy in, in school. Then this was several years ago before it was even thought of to do this. And I knew that I loved coming back to the school, and I knew that I love working with children, but that wasn't at the time. It was nothing that was available or that people had thought of. And so fast forward to Mr. Cunningham at the superintendent at the time, um, wanted to provide a service in school where he didn't have to go outside of the school system to get services for students because times, you know, have changed a lot since I've been in the game, but they've changed a lot since I've been a child or been in the school system. So long story short, Mr. Cunningham, uh, basically was like, hey, if there were ever an opportunity for you to come back, would you? And I did not hesitate. And then that's kind of how it all got rolling. It was Mr. Cunningham and the school school board at the time, having a vision to be able to serve the students in school and to help them in school and not have to go outside and basically be more like of a hub of all things for students.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:04:39] I would think a lot of students may not have the capability to see counselors outside of the school system. I mean, their only exposure or opportunity to speak to someone in a counselor position would be within the school system.

Kayla Magbie: [00:04:53] I would say so, 100%. And really, I think just in general, when you think about counseling, I do I think that that is a luxury to have. And we're very fortunate that it has developed into what it is now. And so when I first started, it had never been done. And Mr. Cunningham and the school board put a lot of faith and a lot of trust in me and allowed me to come in and kind of make it my own. And so I remember the first year I was like, what am I supposed to do? Because Fort Payne is is a large school system.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:05:26] You know, how many students do you think there are?

[00:05:29] I know at high school at least a thousand. You know, we're looking at thousand kids just in on one campus, um, middle school, probably six or 700 kids. So we're a very large school system. Um, and so when I first came in for that one year, I really had no clue kind of what it was going to be like. Um, but with the support and the guidance, it was it was easy. Again, a missing puzzle piece. It just fit. Everything was super almost like oddly easy of how it all kind of came to be. And I think now looking back again, it was just what I was supposed to do. It was just a part of, um, hopefully my my calling, you know? Yeah. Uh, but from there, I think after other school systems kind of got wind of, hey, this superintendent has a social worker, I want one. And so I never forget the the time, uh, Mr. Cunningham, he asked me. It was probably a year in maybe, maybe the second year, he said he asked. Hey, I'm going to go to Montgomery. Would you like to go? There's going to be a small group. I just want you to kind of go over how we do things here. And they may have ask you some questions. You know, your superintendent asked you to go, you're going to go. So I was like, okay, no problem. So I go and we get there and we meet with, you know, Senator, not Senator, Representative Ledbetter. And he said, well, by the way, uh, I've told, you know, some of the other colleagues that you're coming, so it's going to be a little bit larger group.

Kayla Magbie: [00:07:01] And so I remember Mr. Cunningham, he's like, are you okay with that? And for whatever reason, I thank God for it. But I'm okay with speaking to crowds. And it doesn't matter to me if I have to speak to kindergarten kids, if I have to speak to, um, you know, representatives of, you know, so it's the same thing again, if it's something that you enjoy and something that you have a passion for, it doesn't matter the audience, it's still going to be the same type of delivery. And so, um, I remember we went into the room and there were several, um, you know, state representatives and the people from the, uh, mental health department, people from the police department all over. Uh, I wouldn't say to hear me talk, but I was able to speak, uh, and in front of some pretty important people. Yes. And so and that kind of led to what we have now, which is mental health coordinators throughout the entire, um, state. So now we went from just having a social worker to and that and having a social worker in the school system before, you know, the state was involved was solely just up to that school. Like if that school wanted to use the funding for that, then they could. And that's what Mr. Cunningham did. He took he took a chance and he he saw a need and he fulfilled that need. And so now there's money from the state so that every school system can have a mental health coordinator or someone in that, in that field, in their school system, because it's a need. Yes.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:08:37] And so just to emphasize the importance of. Fort Payne. Yeah. Started this. I mean, Mr. Cunningham saw this need, and you and Mr. Cunningham made such a difference in the system just by starting this, being an advocate for all over Alabama.

Kayla Magbie: [00:08:54] Yeah I think yeah. And you know, I don't I can't take credit for it. I think everything aligned how it, how it was supposed to do, like how it was supposed to lay out. But yeah, it took somebody and that somebody being Mr. Cunningham having faith in somebody and that somebody being me. Yes. Uh, and and again, if you're passionate about something and you feel like you can be, um, like a positive resource or a, like a positive, you know, person to, to help a situation, then try. Yes. And that's basically what it was. He gave me the ability to do something that I love. And he and he gave me the support to try. And it blossomed into this. And so here we are, five years in and I can only see it, uh, growing from here because it has. And let me, let me make this plug real quick. So I went from just one. And now I have a fantastic coworker. Her name is Erin Cagle. I could not do my job without her. And so five years ago was just me. I never thought that I would have a person, a partner, and she's been with us now with employed with the school system. I think this is her third year.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:10:06] Um, great.

Kayla Magbie: [00:10:07] Yeah, it'll be her upcoming third year. And so, you know, where there's one that you can do something, but now you have two. So. And we're a good fit. She is a huge asset to our school system. And so I can only see us going up from here.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:10:23] Well we've had a silent co-host this entire time that I have failed to introduce you to our podcasters. Stephen Smith is with me today, and I think many of you have probably heard are um, and if you haven't, you need to. They're pretty engaging and entertaining. Um, Stephen Smith and I do a small Business Success Series podcast, but as we were preparing for our podcast, Kayla and I, we were just sitting around talking to Stephen and we we thought, he has to be a part of this. He was having some asking some great questions and making some great points. So Steven, thank you for being with us today.

Stephen Smith: [00:10:59] Absolutely. Thanks for inviting me to crash your party today.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:11:01] Yes. I'm glad you're here.

Stephen Smith: [00:11:03] Yeah. One of the things I was thinking about, Kayla, as you were talking earlier about entering into the mental health field a few years ago, that the mental health scene, I guess you would say, or the mentality, the approach that people take, I think now toward mental health. I've seen a shift in small business arena, um, in terms of people's willingness to be more open in talking about their mental health. It seems like in the last few years, you know, since the pandemic in particular, that there's, uh, there's not as much stigma attached to talking about mental health.

Kayla Magbie: [00:11:43] Sure.

Stephen Smith: [00:11:44] And I'm wondering what what you're seeing and does that align with what you're seeing in your work in the school system?

Kayla Magbie: [00:11:50] 100%. And like Jennifer said earlier, you you were just dropping some knowledge bombs earlier. I was like, we got to get this, uh, recorded because just that fact that you brought, you know, that question up, it makes me think of just as a child. And I said this earlier, the word mental health never came across any conversation that I would have. And now we talk about mental health to kindergarten students. And so I think that's where the the culture of it. And I think that's where the idea of it has changed, um, that you start with a generation. And so that kindergarten student will then be in intermediate school and then middle school and high school, then they'll be adults. And so hopefully then they will then have those conversations with their children. And so that's where it changes. Uh, that's where I see the change, because you think about our parents, our grandparents, they were rough and tough. They had to go live through a lot of things. There wasn't time to be sitting around talking about your feelings or what you got going on. Let's go. We got to go to work. We got to provide. We got to do. And so that's that was that generation and that was they needed that. You almost you adapt to what you need. And so they didn't have the time to sit around and get, you know, spend money on.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:13:07] Even if they needed to.

Kayla Magbie: [00:13:08] Even if they needed it, they act like they didn't need it. You know, you got to buckle up and do what needs to be done. And so I think that I love that aspect of it because that is mental health. I don't think they realize, but that is mental health. It's resilience, you know, and and getting the right tools to have that resilience. And so I think that no, they may not have went to, you know, seek the help that they may have needed back then. But really, in all in all honesty, they were doing the work to still maintain. Um, so I think it's kind of twofold. Now that I see there's mental health, even if you think now there's commercials all the time about mental health, there's BetterHelp. I have kids, I have a kid in, uh, in elementary school who knew what that was. And I'm like, how do you even know that was a commercial? Yeah, I see it on TikTok or wherever. I've never seen commercials like that when I was a child. We have now more than ever, um, private practices in our area in Fort Payne, Alabama. We have multiple counseling services in Fort Payne, Alabama. Never in my day did we have that I knew of maybe one at the time, but now there's one on almost every other corner. You know, we we go out into the community, Erin and I and try to visit with, with some. And it's it's amazing to see that even little old Fort Payne, you know, we're a great city. We still have have our own problems as well. We're not immune.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:14:38] And employers are putting more emphasis on mental health because there's I mean, it's good for their employees well-being and it obviously helps them perform better at work. Their attendance is better job productivity.

Kayla Magbie: [00:14:50] Like it. It all plays into, um, your mental health. And we say mental health. It's really just health. It's overall health. It's just it's overall health. And we think about that. You got a headache. You're going to take something for your headache. Um, if you can't you can't go to work because you're sick, whatever that sick may be. Just like you said, your employer wants you to get well so you can come back and fulfill your job. Yes, the same type of mindset, but I think kids, students. Um. Are exposed to it at a lot earlier age, which comes with pros and cons.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:15:26] So are they coming? How do how does it work in the school system? Do teachers refer the students to you, or are other students coming to you and saying, I'm concerned about this student? How does that work?

Kayla Magbie: [00:15:37] I love that, okay. So it can work in multiple ways. The kind of cookie cutter, textbook way will come from a teacher because our teachers are our, you know, heroes, unsung heroes of the whole school system. Uh, our teachers do a fantastic job not only to teach, educate our children, but to care for them. And I think we kind of, like, shout out to the teachers because I couldn't do what they do, and they tell me there's no way I could do what you do. I'm like, I could not do what you do. For number one, how do you go all day without going to the restroom? Let's start there. Let's start there. Like, you know, like we think about things. I'm like, how do you go all day and you eat lunch for 20 minutes, but while you're eating, you got to watch 25 other kids.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:16:26] So what you're saying is the next step is teacher help.

Kayla Magbie: [00:16:29] Yes, 100%.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:16:31] It's a designated space for the teachers to come seek their mental health during the day.

Kayla Magbie: [00:16:36] 100%, 100%. Because we cannot help others unless we take care of ourselves. Yes, but it will come from a teacher referral. Uh, the teacher will fill out a form online, put in their. We have a little questionnaire that they fill out, and then Erin and I get that referral and we, we we basically kind of triage that. We look at it as like a hub. And so I'll look at that student and I'll say what the concerns are. And it could be something that I could address or Erin could address, or it could be something that our outside partners can address. So we do have two outside partner agencies, which is CAC, the Children's Advocacy Center. Shout out to Miranda. And then we have CID, which is Cherokee, Etowah, DeKalb Mental Health uh center here. And that's shout out to Kirby. And so those two ladies do a fantastic job with our students. And we have partnerships with them where they can come into the school system and provide service in school. So I might ask me those.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:17:33] The more extreme cases, I mean.

Kayla Magbie: [00:17:34] They could be the more extreme cases, the more the cases that may need additional support that ongoing.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:17:40] It's not just the, you know, couple times or something.

Kayla Magbie: [00:17:42] Yes, it could be more like they may need a little extensive, uh, service. Okay. So ask me, ask me why that's good that they that they come into the school system.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:17:51] Well I want to know that. And I also want to know how receptive the parents are when their child is, when you're recommending that their child needs more ongoing therapy.

Kayla Magbie: [00:18:00] Well, I've gotten some good some fantastic feedback from parents. And also, it's been hard for parents to hear that, you know, I've been I've gotten some really good like, oh my gosh, thank you so much. You know, this is great. But then I've also got some parents crying. They had no clue. Um. I try to tell parents that it's not you. As a parent, it's hard to know every aspect of your child's life. I don't care how much you are hovering or think you're involved. It's hard to know all the things. And so it doesn't mean that you failed your child. It just means that they felt comfortable telling somebody or they felt comfortable asking, or somebody else may have noticed something that you didn't notice. Be thankful. Yes. You know, just be thankful.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:18:44] Love your attitude. I love it.

Kayla Magbie: [00:18:46] Yeah. Yeah. So but that's that's kind of my, my thing on it.

[00:18:50] SO why is it important for the for Kirby and Miranda to come into the schools?

Kayla Magbie: [00:18:54] It's important because of attendance. And I think a lot of people forget hey attendance matters. We're doing a attendance campaign. I think Miss Wheat, Sally Wheat, shout out to her, she will probably appreciate that because she is, you know, all about getting her kids to school. She's the principal of Wills Valley, and they just held a attendance pep rally for the first time. Try to make kids excited about coming to school, and then also Erin and I did what we call a Community Connections Day, where we went out into the community to talk to different agencies and doctors offices about attendance and that, hey, if a kid checks out. Yes, they have a doctor's note, but they're still missing that education. And so you're going to run into one of two things you're going to run into. Are they going to be behind. And they got to play catch up. Yes. That day is excused. But if you have ten doctor's notes you can still be considered chronic absentee, you know. So a lot of people don't realize that. And that's a big push that we're trying to, again, make others aware that if you school, school is changing. Um, yes, it's about academics, but it's also about the whole child. And the whole child comes with whatever they may come with into the door. And you have to educate that child, but you have to make sure that child is okay, and that that child is going to be a productive citizen when they leave your school.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:20:19] Yes. I just listened to a podcast this morning and it was in reference to a failing school system, but the children didn't feel loved either. There was nobody telling them, I love you. I care for you, you're important. So at the end of the day, the principal would say, I love you. You're over the intercom, I love you, you're important, you know, go do great things in this world. And just by doing that small thing every day, the, um, graduation rate improved. Everything changed in that school just from that. I mean, that was the catalyst, I guess that made it. Also, I'm sure it made the other teachers. Recognize the importance of that. And they probably started saying it. It's just giving people hope. It's so important.

Kayla Magbie: [00:21:07] Absolutely. The announcements I miss list. She's the principal at Little Ridge Intermediate School. And if you ever want to hear like an uplifting announcement morning announcement I when I'm there because we have a schedule Aaron and I. But I'm there on Tuesdays. And when I tell you after we all do a moment of silence, we all do our pledge. But then after she does her morning announcements and I when she finishes up with that morning announcement, I am ready to go. I am pumped, I'm happy, I know what we're having for lunch. I know what you know what, all that. She's so excited to be there and you could just hear it and you could feel it. The kids are listening. The teachers are listening. Everybody's ready to go. We're here to learn. And she does a fantastic job with her morning announcements.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:21:55] It's hard to have a bad day when the person telling you to have a great day is in such a good mood.

Kayla Magbie: [00:21:59] When the person who's leading you.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:22:01] Yes, because.

Kayla Magbie: [00:22:02] She's she's leading, she's driving the ship. And it is. You're 100% right. It's hard to to have a bad day when hey, your leader. And that goes for students, teachers, everybody is pumped and ready to go no matter what. So you're going to have a good day. You ain't got no choice over there. You have a choice. You're going to have a good day. And you know, I just I never forget that one announcement she made. And she they were talking about the lunch food and like, a bus, uh, a shipment was late or something of the food. And she basically was like, this is what we're having for lunch. You're gonna. We'll get what you get. You're not going to pitch a fit. Be thankful we got food. And I was like, she's 100% right. And every kid in there was happy. Like, they didn't care if they got cheese sticks or fish sticks. They were just like, we're eating food. Like, it's okay, we're blessed.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:22:46] We've got some food today 100%.

Kayla Magbie: [00:22:48] So that's the type of mindset that that I think just educators have to have. Like, you got to work with what you got.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:22:56] So what's your favorite part of your job?

Kayla Magbie: [00:22:59] Um, wow. That is hard. I my favorite part. Probably two things I truly, truly enjoy working with my coworkers. Um, it's a great group of individuals that work at Fort Payne City Schools. They're fantastic people. Some of my closest friends, some of my my own, uh, you know, counselors, like, they I sit and talk to them. They, you know, tell me, help me with things. And that's what you got to you got to feel support. Like I want to be a supportive person to people, but I want to feel supported as well. And I feel that with with a lot of my coworkers. And so that I would have to say that that the atmosphere and who I work with, I enjoy going to work with them. Absolutely. Second is going to be the kids, of course. Of course it's going to be them because their characters, let me tell you right now, those kids are characters and they some of the things that they say, I'm like, who? What are you talking about? They're they're hilarious. Um, and then they're they they're loving. And then some of them are sad and some of them got some sad stories, but it's, it's.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:24:06] But to know that they've got somebody that loves them.

Kayla Magbie: [00:24:08] So I hope so. And that's what I, that's the goal. And Erin and I talk about that all the time. Is that kind of like our motto because we're a team of two. We want all of our students at Fort Payne City School to be happy, healthy and safe. Yeah, that's what we want for them now.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:24:24] So speaking we I don't think I ever got an answer on this. I'm not sure. Students, do they ever come to you and say, I'm worried about this student.

Kayla Magbie: [00:24:32] Students care about their friends. Um, they're not going to snitch on anybody. But if something's wrong, they're going to be the first ones to come up and they're going to come and tell us, hey, my friend Susie, she's sad about whatever she could be sad about. A boyfriend, could be sad about her haircut. She's they're going to come and tell because they know that that's probably the right thing to do. Um, so we do get a lot of student referrals. We get a lot of, uh, students making referrals from themselves. That happens too. Um, and parents have questions about that, and I'll clear that up. At 14 years of age, a student can get their own service so they could come and say, hey, I would like to get some services in school. Now, we're always going to include the parent and give them a courtesy call, but we will do what that student would like for us to do if they need services, if they're 14 and older.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:25:20] So at that age, are you obligated to tell the parent, the student you're seeing that student, or can the student just see you and they don't know?

Kayla Magbie: [00:25:27] It just depends on the circumstance. Most of the time, the child doesn't care. They're like, I don't care, I'm fine with it. But if there's some issues or concerns, they're like, hey, I don't want my my mom or my my, my father or whomever to know that, no, we don't. We're obligated to that child unless it's a safety issue. But we always make sure we tell that child like, hey, if there's a safety issue, I have to tell your parent guardian, like, because that's just the right thing to do. But legally we have to do that.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:25:51] Well, good. And I'm glad that students feel comfortable to come to the teachers and to you and talk about things and even support. Their fellow students versus bullying them, which, you know, and I guess we could say back in our day. Yeah, yeah. Um, back in the good old days, which really weren't the good old days, actually. Um, there wasn't any any of those services, as we talked about earlier. And so I think that a lot of people were actually bullied if they had problems or maybe they needed counseling and should have received that instead they were just made fun of, which is so sad.

Kayla Magbie: [00:26:28] It's hard to see that, you know, and think, well, what what could have been if we had this back in the day, where could we have been? And I think it's the right time for it. Yes. I think that on the flip side of that, I think it made a lot of us stronger, um, and more resilient. Um, so there's, there's pros and cons to it, but we.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:26:51] Also didn't have social media.

Kayla Magbie: [00:26:53] I was just about to get to that. And I was like.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:26:55] The games that we talked about, the gaming.

Kayla Magbie: [00:26:57] Like it's a different day and age, you know, back in our day, we...

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:27:01] Went outside and played.

Kayla Magbie: [00:27:03] You're outside, you're riding bikes, you're doing things so you don't have time to get caught up in all this on social media. So there's a lot more, uh, kids are just growing up a lot faster. There's a lot of kids.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:27:15] Seeing a lot here and a lot more earlier. Yes.

Kayla Magbie: [00:27:17] Way earlier. Like, there's kids who would see and do or say things that I didn't know anything about until I was in college, you know, at an early age. And it we had a training yesterday during that virtual day. And one of the coaches had said that I think he had read an article somewhere that they had looked at the updated, uh, numbers of students in mental health and like students who have diagnoses and things of that nature. And they had tagged it to the production of the iPhone. I believe numbers. Tripled with the the release of the iPhone. Like no shade to the iPhone because I love my iPhone like I'm an iPhone girl. But like if you go back and you look at it, it'll blow your socks off.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:28:04] Well, the social media expectations they're placed on students or children that they feel like are placed on them. It's just and it's hard.

Kayla Magbie: [00:28:12] But also too, though, it's different because if you were going to bully somebody back in the day, you had to do it to them to to their face.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:28:18] Right? Words hurt worse than now.

Kayla Magbie: [00:28:20] You could put something on Snapchat and be the biggest bully on, you know, online, but at school you wouldn't say two words to that person. So it gives. And that goes for kids and adults. You see people, even adults on social media, Facebook vigilantes. Oh yeah. And you're like, how when did people get so bold? And really in reality, they're not.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:28:39] They're not.

Kayla Magbie: [00:28:40] It's the complete opposite. Like, man, they're really bold. I'm like, no, they're not. That's a cop out. That is because you're being bold. Back in the day, there was a lot more face to face, you know, conflict versus online conflict. And in the comments. And I mean, I'll be the first one to be looking through the comments, but I'm not about to be on there going back and forth with nobody.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:29:00] Same.

Kayla Magbie: [00:29:01] You know, that's and I just sit there and I'm like, wow, what in the world, you know, have have different things come to like interaction and.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:29:10] Not the same interactions aren't the same.

Kayla Magbie: [00:29:12] No, not at all.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:29:13] We're rambling. Stephen, have you got anything you want to ask?

Stephen Smith: [00:29:16] Uh, yeah. Uh, Kayla, I'd love to bring you back to something you said earlier. Can you expound on a little bit? Some of the things you've said could almost be, and some of them look at this, unless this conversation and say, oh, all this mental health stuff is just making kids soft.

Kayla Magbie: [00:29:31] Oh, yeah.

Stephen Smith: [00:29:31] These days we were tough. We were resilient back in the day. And it did snow and we walked uphill both both ways to school. And, um.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:29:40] You're older than me, Stephen, but not by much. But you are.

Stephen Smith: [00:29:44] But it's important, I think, to note, and you touched on this, is that mental health is just one aspect of health.

Kayla Magbie: [00:29:51] Yes.

Stephen Smith: [00:29:52] And that, um, and that when we struggle with mental health, it manifests itself, um, through our physical health.

Kayla Magbie: [00:30:01] 100%.

Stephen Smith: [00:30:01] That impacts school attendance, that impacts job performance, that impacts, you know, how we run, of course. And I relate this back to small business. Um, you know, the the person that's not only trying to run a small business and maintain their family, but also care for their employees. Um, talk about how how that that relates to all these other things that that mental health doesn't exist in a vacuum.

Kayla Magbie: [00:30:29] No, I totally I think it all connects everything that you just said is full circle and it connects. And even when we think about, like, the chamber, um, because I'm fortunate to be a member, a board member of the chamber, and we always talk about like, how can we get, uh, you know, young adults to stay in Fort Payne and how can we get businesses to develop here in Fort Payne and all of that? It starts with the people. You know. You have to have sound mind and body people to, to be employed by, by small businesses or to want to start a family here or want to build a house here or want to bring a company here. And so I think it's all really connected as far as just overall health and the resilience of it. I, I love the fact that my grandmother was very resilient. I love that fact because thank goodness she was, you know, she would not have made it in, in her time. And so thank goodness she had that same resilience to teach to my mom. And so she taught her a little bit. And then my mom taught me a little bit. And hopefully I'll teach my kids a little bit, you know. And that's what you want. I think we needed that because like I said earlier, you know, I think previous generations had mental health issues, had mental health concerns. They were just tougher to handle it, you know, and I think they had to be.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:31:51] Well, they did. But I think when you say tougher to handle it, I don't think that I think it was more of about a mindset. Yeah. Not just.

Kayla Magbie: [00:31:59] Not that. If you are experiencing that now, you're not tough.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:32:02] It wasn't talked about either. They didn't really. Now we are talking about it. But back in the day, even our day, their day especially, yeah, it just wasn't at all even considered, I don't think I don't think it was even brought to the table to talk about at all. Yeah. So it wasn't an option for them and.

Stephen Smith: [00:32:18] There was a stigma attached to it.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:32:19] Yeah. And even for those who knew in their heart they needed to seek some help, they were afraid to because of the stigma. What are my what will my family think about me? What my family? They'll think I'm.

Kayla Magbie: [00:32:28] Weak. What will my employer think? Yeah.

Stephen Smith: [00:32:31] And if they did need to seek help, where? Where would they go? We just didn't have the resources. We didn't.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:32:35] We absolutely didn't. And thank goodness we do now. I mean, um, even without social media, I think it's I, it wasn't I don't think people would be talking about mental health as much without that, or maybe not even feel the need for it. But even without social media, there's an absolute need for it. Oh yeah, for sure. 100% people that don't even.

Kayla Magbie: [00:32:56] Well, I think the overall goal just in for me, I feel like would be just to be a well rounded person. And that's just when you take the take the word mental health out. You just want to be healthy. Yeah. You just want to be healthy. And healthy is not just physical health. That's that's mental health. That's spiritual. That's all of the above. You just want to be healthy and you know, the stigma of mental health. That's it was a negative thing. Like you're broken, but you're not. And that's be the same thing. If I, you know, heaven forbid I twisted my ankle, I'm gonna go put a cast on or whatever. That's the same thing with mental health. If something's going on internally, you're going to go try to fix it, put it back together. It's the exact same thing. And when you when you look at mental health, I hope people look at it as just overall health.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:33:41] So maybe, Kayla, your next step is to rebrand mental health.

[00:33:46] I got lot of next steps.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:33:47] Let's call it let's call it something else. You need to come up with.

Kayla Magbie: [00:33:49] Wellness. It's wellness. It's just your it's just your wellness.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:33:53] Overall wellness overall.

Kayla Magbie: [00:33:54] Wellness I have a lot of next steps. We we we have a parent group coming up and make this plug, um, the 22nd of February at Williams Avenue. We're having a group there. Um, that's something too, that we've never done. We've done we're starting that this year. We have group that we offer for parents to come and talk to one another. They can talk freely about things that they have concerns with. They can ask Erin and I, we have it after school from 4 to 5 this month. It'll be the 22nd at Williams Avenue in the conference room. And the topic is Effective parenting. Every month we have a different topic.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:34:26] I love that.

Kayla Magbie: [00:34:27] So that's something new. It was a need. So we were like, we're going to make it up. Let's do it.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:34:33] I love it.

Kayla Magbie: [00:34:33] Yeah. Good for you. Yeah.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:34:34] Thank you. Yeah. Okay. So I mean you and I could go on forever, but our podcasters are probably like.

Kayla Magbie: [00:34:41] You just rambling, but, hey, it's a good conversation. And again, I thank you for having me on here. Thank you so much for for your input and your questions. And anytime anybody asks me to talk about mental health or talk about what I do, I'm going to I'm going to do it.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:34:56] Because talk about.

Kayla Magbie: [00:34:57] Wellness, talk about wellness because I enjoy it. I want this to be a legacy of mine. I hope to, um, put a indent or a print on Fort Payne with, um, you know, helping nurture, you know, well-rounded children.

Jennifer McCurdy: [00:35:17] Yes. And I think you've already done that. So you just keep going with it. Thank you so much, Kayla. It's been great.

Narrator: [00:35:24] You've been listening to Business Is Booming, a podcast brought to you by Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce. The host is chamber director Jennifer McCurdy, executive producer Stephen B Smith. Our engineer is Lucas Smith of Lucky Sound Studios. Business Is Booming is a production of Rare Life Media.