Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show host or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: Hello, everybody. This is Tony Perez and this is the Bama Balance. Real stories about college men's mental health.
[00:00:47] Speaker C: I'm Johnny Foster.
[00:00:48] Speaker B: And I'm Nick Smith and we want to welcome you back to another episode. This is about midway through the semester and just wanted to maybe do a check in with you guys. What's going on?
[00:00:58] Speaker C: Yeah, I think everything's kind of winding down and it's sad.
[00:01:00] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah.
[00:01:02] Speaker C: To be frank.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: Yeah. Around midway.
[00:01:04] Speaker D: Yeah, I see the finish line right in front of me, but I'm trying to. Trying to stay here as long as I can.
[00:01:11] Speaker C: Slowly dwindling.
[00:01:15] Speaker B: Let me ask you this. How tough is it to have because you have some tentative plans already for grad school and stuff like that. How hard is it to have one foot or to have both feet here at Alabama?
[00:01:30] Speaker C: That's the issue is, is because you are kind of looking towards the future. Like, hey, I've already got this established or, you know, somewhat established. Why do I really need to go to this class that I don't really care about? Yeah, because at this point I'm kind of taking a lot of the most of classes in my major and kind of just trying to fill up hours with stuff. So. Yeah, I mean, I. I really don't even care about what I'm being taught. I probably shouldn't say that, but I don't know.
[00:01:56] Speaker B: You're being present.
[00:01:57] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:01:58] Speaker E: Yeah.
[00:01:59] Speaker D: I think for me, my last few classes are with professors that I've, like, either known for a long time or like, have taken a ton of seminars with. So, like, I'm still trying to produce good work. I definitely have, like, less motivation and like, right to do that. But trying to stay at least academically involved and then, you know, hanging out with their friends isn't too difficult.
[00:02:25] Speaker B: At what point do you know that, okay, I've done the work I need to do, I've secured the GPA I want to have, and now I can let myself coast.
[00:02:38] Speaker C: That's another thing that I've realized is at this point, like, the hours they're not weighted so much. Like our GPA really won't even get affected even if I. All these classes, right?
Yeah. Does faculty feel the same towards the end of a year?
[00:02:53] Speaker B: I think there's, I mean there's probably a period of time when, you know, we have students go into their group project presentations and that's when, you know, some of us can kick back and just let things go and let it all be up to students. And it's kind of nice actually to have a class turned over to students for that last bit of the semester and stuff like that.
[00:03:19] Speaker D: I think that I have a bad habit of being really forthcoming to my professors, sometimes being honest. Yeah. So my professor, one of my professors does a check in pretty much before class and be like, how's everybody doing? And I'll be like, don't really want to be here.
So if you set that expectation that, you know, I'm present, they're not really expecting too much. Anything that you do above average is.
[00:03:49] Speaker B: Pretty solid, it's pretty good.
[00:03:50] Speaker D: And I don't advise doing that with everybody, but I've had this professor like six times.
[00:03:56] Speaker B: Oh, so you've got it. So, you know, you've just got to be selective with everybody else. How has it gotten to feel nostalgic yet? Have you.
[00:04:05] Speaker C: Not yet.
[00:04:06] Speaker B: Not yet.
[00:04:06] Speaker D: Okay.
[00:04:07] Speaker C: I don't really want it to be. I don't want to be like, God, I'm going to miss all this then. I don't know, I feel like that's like a last week, maybe two weeks left kind of thing where it's, you're actually soaking it in. But yeah, you're supposed to live in it right now. At least that's what I'm trying to do. So no short answer?
[00:04:22] Speaker B: No. I think that's great.
[00:04:24] Speaker D: I think, I wish I felt like that. I think it's a mix for me.
So some days are like super busy, like Tuesdays. I feel like super here because I have a ton of things to do. But it's like the non busy days when it's like winding down a little bit where I'm just like, man, I'm not going to be here for that much longer. That kind of stance. But no, I'm going to try and adopt Johnny's perspective.
[00:04:51] Speaker B: No, I think there's something about being present so that you get an opportunity and a chance to experience all that you won't experience again, for lack of a better word. Right. So this will be. So the last few months and weeks of you guys being here Which I really don't even want to think about right now. It feels like we're getting this podcast started, and it's hard for me to even think about what will happen eventually.
But I think kind of being in the moment and enjoying the time for what it is, I think is a great thing. One of the things I know that happened for me as a senior is having those times of sort of recollection and reflection on what the four years was like for me and also having the stuff that I think about and I know some of the things that can be experienced during your undergraduate years and college years.
And with our podcast, I know we focused on issues of mental health. And, you know, one of those things certainly that that's experienced for a number of college students is our issues of body image, eating concerns.
And so for this episode, we'll kind of talk a little bit more about that. We've got special guest here today, Mr. Brendan Rosman, who's our health promotion specialist in our department of health promotion and wellness.
And he's going to share some of his thoughts and experiences with college men and body image becoming straight off of Body Appreciation Week and some of the programs that he's been involved with there. So we'll be looking forward to welcoming Brendan in our next segment. This is the Bama Balance.
[00:06:59] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa. This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling Center center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:07:43] Speaker C: Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the Bama balance. And as Dr. Perez promised, we do have a very special guest here today who is a part of our health promotion and wellness here at ua. So I'm gonna let you kind of introduce yourself. Brendan.
Brendan. Yeah. Sorry, I thought I said Brandon.
Have you guys seen. Not at the museum.
[00:08:03] Speaker E: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, goodness.
[00:08:06] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:08:06] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:08:07] Speaker C: That was in my head. Sorry. But, yeah, I'll let you kind of take the ropes.
[00:08:11] Speaker E: Perfect. Well, first off, I just want to thank you all so much for giving me that. Giving me the opportunity to be here today. I think it's very admirable that you. That you all are having this podcast in the first place. So thank you, Dr. Perez. And thank you to you two as students for giving your voices, giving your own personal stories like we mentioned. I have listened to your episodes before this to, you know, study a little bit, study the game film.
[00:08:41] Speaker B: But yeah, you may be our first fan.
[00:08:42] Speaker D: I don't know.
[00:08:44] Speaker E: But I do want to take the time to say thank you. You know, as a former student, as a former grad graduate student, and now as an employee at a higher ed institution. But yeah, my name is Brendan Rosman, born and raised in the great state of Ohio. I.
[00:09:04] Speaker B: It's the Buckeye State.
[00:09:05] Speaker E: Yes.
[00:09:05] Speaker B: Okay, just checking.
[00:09:07] Speaker E: I'm born and raised from a small town in northwest Ohio, but I went to Ohio State for undergrad and grad school. Recent national champions.
[00:09:16] Speaker B: Oh, it was going so well.
[00:09:21] Speaker C: That is Brendan's time here, guys.
[00:09:23] Speaker B: It's going so well.
[00:09:25] Speaker E: But I am very, very thankful to be working at the University of Alabama here in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It's my first professional job out of grad school. I worked full time at a restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, before I was fortunate enough to get this job. So I feel very lucky to be here in this position as a health promotion specialist in this seat today talking to you all. Awesome.
[00:09:52] Speaker D: Well, we super appreciate you coming on.
I think all of us are a little curious about, like, what the job looks like for you and how your interactions with students play out and things like that. If you want to touch on it.
[00:10:07] Speaker E: Yeah. And I'll probably also touch on my education a little bit. My undergraduate major was human development, family science and minoring in education and human nutrition. And then my master's degree was a master of Public health degree where I specialized in epidemiology. If you think about epidemiology, you think about people studying diseases and a lot of research and data, which it is. But throughout my graduate degree and throughout those two years at Ohio State, I was a graduate assistant for the student food pantry on campus. And that led me to a passion of working with students, working within the division of student life like I am here at UA and here in the department of Health Promotion and Wellness.
I feel very blessed. I get to work with students on a daily basis.
My focus areas in our department are financial wellness and general wellness. So within financial wellness, I'll go into classrooms, student orgs, and do workshops about budgeting credit, student loans. I'm also kicking off or starting up again our peer financial coaching program again. So that's been really fun to try to get that going once again. But in terms of general wellness, I'll go in the classrooms to do presentations about the importance of sleep and stress. And then I'm also an advisor for Project Health. If you've seen health HUD on campus, an advisor for Project Health as well. So I remember you all saying your hands are in a lot of different hats here at ua. I feel like that's me too. I feel like every day I'm working on something different, but it's very exciting work. And like I keep on saying I'm very fortunate and blessed to be here at UA as a male. And I am the first male to hold this position at the University of Alabama. So I feel blessed, but I also feel a certain amount of weight on my shoulders to have an example for other males with other men to come. For male students, someone can do this role and can do it well.
[00:12:24] Speaker B: How has the just overall adjustment been for you? You mentioned having your hands in a lot of different activities and a lot of different things. Has it been fairly easy? Would have been some of the joys and challenges experienced. This is your first year, right?
[00:12:41] Speaker E: Yes, first year. I moved to Teatown in August and I started in early August. I think one of the biggest adjustments for me was working full time in a restaurant, being so used to that lifestyle and those hours, you know, going at like 4pm, getting out at 10 and just working constantly versus this 8 to 5. You know, it's a longer day where you have to be more thoughtful about when you do things, when you kind of take breaks. But this is the type of role I've been looking for. And I just find joy in doing things like this, having opportunities like this, having opportunities to do programming. Like, we will talk about the Body Appreciation Week event that I have put on and just working with people like Sheena and Charlotte and Vanessa in our department and the students every day. Our graduate assistant, Melissa, she's wonderful. So I would say challenges is just adjusting to working higher ed again, but then just the joys of knowing I was looking for a job like this and I got it. So just progressing every day and making those strides.
[00:13:56] Speaker B: It's great to have you on campus here, Brendan. And it's a great addition, I think, to the department as they're really rethinking, reshaping some of their programs. And it's great to have new perspectives and new eyes on everything that we do and that can be done here at the university. I know that you. I know one area of interest has been or is the area of college men and body image issues or concerns related to college men. And how did you. I guess, how did you get interested in that and what's been your experience?
[00:14:35] Speaker E: Yeah, I think first and foremost, it comes from personal struggle.
I think it kind of amounts from a lot of different things, but it really started to come.
Come into.
I don't know how to say it, but it really started to exemplify itself when I was an undergrad student, but just from a lot of things, you know, I played high school sports. I know you mentioned you wrestled, right?
[00:15:02] Speaker D: Yep, yep.
[00:15:02] Speaker E: I was a high school football captain. Exercising and working out was always a big part of my life. But I think once I got into undergrad, I think it started to control my life and working out, you know, I would work out like two, three times a day. I'd go and lift. I would run like four or five miles. And it started taking impact on my health. And when I started working out that much and I was only eating probably like one meal a day to try to lose weight, to look better for, you know, those darties for the girls around campus, when I would have my shirt off. But I started noticing it started to take an impact on my life. I would be missing out on hanging out with friends. I'd be missing out on studying and things like that. So we can talk more about that as this segment wraps up. But I think there's a lot of different things that led to where I personally thought that I should start getting some help. And I can talk about that more, but I think it's just public perception, your own personal thoughts about yourself, and then just a lot of things like that.
[00:16:07] Speaker B: Sure, sure. I appreciate you sharing that. You know, one of the things that we know based on the literature and the research is that body image issues for college men and just examining the experiences that college men may face related to disordered eating or body image issues is not as well represented as it is for women.
And I think that as a result, there's been not as much known publicly about how college men in particular experience and address issues related to body image and its relation to other things, such as self esteem, self image and its relation also to feelings of anxiety. And as we've talked about in the past on this on our podcast, the expectations that we might have internally or that we imagine or that we perceive others to have for us. So I think the timing is great that you're here, Brendan, to be able to shed some light for us on what are some of those issues that you faced as it related to body image and also explore some ways to also provide support and encouragement to other men who may face similar issues.
[00:17:41] Speaker C: Yeah, I think it's important to also recognize that this isn't something that is just at the University of Alabama, though we at times feel this is like our own bubble and the entire world is in Tuscaloosa.
You're experiencing these issues in Ohio. In Ohio, so many students are experiencing these issues across the nation. It's really important to understand that, like you touched on earlier, Dr. Perez, though it's not really talked about, it is felt nationwide. And that's kind of what we're trying to do by having Brendan on is to expose these, I guess, situations that aren't really talked about that much and shed light on them and shed awareness and hopefully tips and tricks as maybe not tricks, but tips to maybe find resources on campus or mental ways to better yourself. So I'm excited to get into that in our second segment. This has been the Bama Balance.
[00:18:59] Speaker A: Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa. This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:19:37] Speaker B: Foreign.
[00:19:45] Speaker D: Welcome back to the Bama Balance. For this second segment, I kind of wanted to start off by sharing a little personal anecdote. Brendan mentioned that I wrestled in high school and I think I probably mentioned it on the podcast before, but a big part of the culture in wrestling, um, is like, necessitate or wrestling necessitates, like, being very diligent about paying attention to your weight, about paying attention to, like, the percentage of, like, your body composition.
And that kind of brings on, like, the idea of, like, perfecting your body to be, you know, utility in the sport and then translating over to, you know, college life. I think a lot of people want to perfect their, how their body looks and how they view themselves. But, like, Brendan pointed to those experiences can sometimes cause, like, a decline in health. So, Brendan, my question that I wanted to ask you is, like, how do you balance, you know, fitness when people are spending a lot of time in the gym or, like, how I was paying attention to my weight at every waking moment and health where, you know, you have a good balance of I'm working out, I'm eating right, but this isn't taking over my life. And then on top of that, like, the social expectations that come with, you know, looking a certain way and things like that.
[00:21:10] Speaker E: Yeah, that's a. That's a really good question. I think that can be very challenging for these men in undergrad, especially if you played sports, especially if you, you know, see these other men who are. Seem like they all kind of have it figured out. Like you all mentioned your previous podcast of, you know, they really fit, seems like they eat these really good meals, and it seems like they can still, like, go out and have fun and have really good grades. So I think that's something that I personally struggled with, was finding that right balance.
When I thought. When I thought about fitness, I thought it was like, working out and health. I thought it was working out, eating extremely healthy. But I think throughout my personal journey of mental health, nutrition, everything, I think the most important thing to me was finding that balance and learning that fitness is more than just going to the gym to get stronger and looking better. Fitness and your own health means working on your mental health, working on your emotional health, talking to your boys that, hey, I'm not really feeling up to it today. I don't know why. Like, I don't really know what's going on, but, you know, I'm not really feeling like going on that jog today. I'm not really feeling like going to that bar today for some reason, like, going for that happy hour picture deal. Like, I just, like. Like something's going on and I just need to, like, chill. So I think just from what you're saying, like, correlating from high school sports up into undergrad, I think just learning how to.
Learning what overall health is and learning what balance is at the same time.
[00:22:53] Speaker D: Yeah, I think that's awesome.
[00:22:55] Speaker C: That's a great point. I think a lot of people don't rope in mental health. With health in general, it kind of becomes a term that you can't exercise your mental health. You can't really work on it. It's how it is, and that's what you're stuck with. And I think, as you've spoken about in previous episodes, Dr. Perez, that is something that you do need to prioritize and really do. You can work on it. And I think I didn't even know that I could do that probably until we started doing this podcast and really started thinking about it, making it a priority in my day, where, hey, on Tuesdays at 2:00 I'm going to be talking about mental health and being vulnerable with myself and my struggles, and that's helped me become more secure in the way that I feel. And as a man, as someone who has insecurities and isn't afraid to combat them with a proactive way of not solving them, but making them more, I guess.
What's the word I'm looking for?
[00:23:54] Speaker D: Maybe manageable.
[00:23:55] Speaker C: Exactly. That's exactly what I was looking for. Thank you.
I think that's super important to understand that health is a wide spectrum of things, and mental health is 100% in that.
[00:24:09] Speaker B: I think that one of the things that's also important to understand is what is that experience like, and how did you cope with it? So, Brendan, for you, what was that experience like for you as you were going through facing issues related to body image and.
And where did you also find the strength to rely on friends to help you through?
[00:24:44] Speaker E: Yeah, and it's a great question. I just want to start it out with.
I think for undergraduate male students, you know, these struggles with mental health can look more than just body image, nutrition. But that's just what we're talking about today. And I'd be more than happy to come back and talk about other aspects of mental health.
[00:25:10] Speaker B: Put you down.
[00:25:12] Speaker E: I think for me personally, and started out a little bit in high school, just not really understanding how I was feeling in terms of body image and nutrition. And that's kind of when I purposely started skipping meals to, like, so I wouldn't, you know, gain weight or anything like that. So I took that with me in the undergrad, and I really didn't understand that, you know, it could be a problem. And then when I got into undergrad, I, like, never really felt comfortable with myself eating, like, three meals a day.
And I would always try to compensate if I did eat three meals a day, like, working out more, working out more, working out more. And I think that kind of got to a point when I was a junior, I was lifting, like, once or twice a day. I'd go and, like, run like, four or five miles a day. It got to the point where after I'd run that four or five miles, I would go to the bathroom. And this might be, like, too much information, but I would. I'd pee out blood. And so I was like, something like. Like something's going on. So I went to the doctor and basically, like, they talked to me, and I was. I was eating, like, one meal a day, heavy, heavy protein, doing all that exercise. And you kind of start Becoming aware how it's affecting your own health and how it can really, like, take over your mental health, too.
[00:26:38] Speaker B: Right.
[00:26:38] Speaker E: More than just, like, the physical part.
[00:26:40] Speaker B: Right.
[00:26:42] Speaker E: So it kind of got to the point where I went to an actual doctor, an actual physician, and I knew I had to start doing some type of nutritional therapy. And this was difficult because this is something I really didn't feel comfortable sharing with a lot of people because I was like a classic guy in undergrad. I had a really good group of friends, really good grades, go out and drink every weekend. I had a great girlfriend at the time. So I was a classic guy and something I really didn't feel comfortable sharing with my groups of friends, even my parents, my older brother. So I started doing this nutritional therapy on the side to help me start eating those three meals a day, start being more comfortable, and start taking steps of finding that balance. Like I mentioned earlier, I think now as I've progressed out of undergrad and grad school, I think some of those.
Not those dark times, but some of those challenging times in life, they never really leave you fully. So even now, you know, here in Tuscaloosa, I'll find myself being like, I'm still, like, striving to be the best person I want to be in terms of nutrition, in terms of body image. And sometimes they can sneak up on you and you can question things still. But I think now, as I look past that time, you know, I'm thankful for it.
Thankful for those experiences, thankful for the people who are with me by my side. And now, as I go for it, I'm thankful to be talking on a podcast like this.
[00:28:23] Speaker B: No, we appreciate you being here. You know, it's. So much of sharing your story takes an awful amount of courage and strength. Strength. And so it's pretty evident that throughout that experience, you've gained in that sort of courage and strength. I guess. Before we take a break here, one other question I have is how do you maintain your resilience?
[00:28:52] Speaker E: Yeah, I think I've always had a really great support.
Excuse me, Support system around me, those friends, my parents, my older brother, partners. But then, like I said, just thinking about the past, and even when, you know, times can get hard, just thinking about the strides you made to get here. And just, I always tell the students when I do the presentations in the classroom is always remember to celebrate yourself, even if it's a small win, a big win, a test, getting into law school. Congrats.
[00:29:32] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:29:33] Speaker E: But, yeah, just thinking about the strides you. You've had to get here to this moment.
[00:29:39] Speaker B: It's great words, great words. Thank you Brendan.
[00:29:42] Speaker D: Yeah, Brendan, that was awesome. And we super appreciate you sharing those stories with us. I hope that, you know, if any listener relates that they can, can find some motivation to, you know, better themselves through, through your personal story. So super appreciate that. We will see you back in the ending segment. This has been the BAMA Balance.
[00:30:22] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa. This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective county school crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:31:06] Speaker B: Welcome back everyone, to the BAMA Balance. And as we had the break, we were all sort of talking about the sort of the depth at which, Brendan, you were able to share your story and for which we're immensely grateful that you've allowed us to hear your story and your honesty and the strength with which you shared it.
And thinking back now, thinking back on not only your experiences as an undergraduate, but your experience now here at the university, just kind of wondering if you could go back and talk to yourself as that undergraduate. What are some of the things that you would want to say to yourself and also what are some of the things that you say to yourself now to continue to provide, to provide you that strength and resilience?
[00:32:05] Speaker E: Yeah, it's a great question. I think going back to, you know, Brendan, 2017 to, you know, 2021, when I was an undergrad, I think, I think you two mentioned this, but in previous podcasts, but just giving yourself more grace throughout those struggles. I think I was really, really hard on myself. I'm still. But I was hard on myself when I was experiencing those things because I looked around to my friends, to my peers, to my classmates, to my co workers, I didn't think they were experiencing that, especially as a man, when there's just those expectations from your peers, they feel so big.
And I think I would encourage myself then to seek out resources.
It didn't have to be, you know, counseling or therapy at certain times, but I think just like looking up resources that Ohio State offered or for students here that UA offers just to become more knowledgeable and just to understand, you know, that you're not probably the only person on campus going through that. And I think, you know, thinking about myself now, as I said, when you go through those challenges, I don't think they ever really leave you fully. I think in terms of mental health, I think that's something that in each stage of your life is going to impact you differently. So I was just telling you all during break that I moved 10 plus hours away from home. I really don't know anyone here except coworkers. And living in a college town like Tuscaloosa can be a difficult transition. So last week I was having a one on one with my supervisor, Charlotte, and she was like, what else is going on with you? And I told her I think I need to start going to therapy. Just I like need to work through some, work through some, some things. So I think that's something that would encourage every young man who listens to this podcast to you too, that working on your mental health at each stage is going to be very important. It's okay if it looks different.
And my, one of my mentors throughout at grad school at Ohio State told me that I was really, really stressed when I was completing like a final paper. And she said, Brendan, like, I understand your stress now and thinking about stress. Stress is going to follow you at each stage of your life and it's going to look in different forms and it's going to look different to you and that's okay. But you have to be willing to seek help if you think you need it. But that's something I would just encourage, especially you too, and other young men listening to this, that as you go forward throughout your life, if you have difficult roadblocks, you go into, that's okay. And going to therapy is okay, even if.
Yeah, even if you're kind of cautious to do so.
[00:35:07] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I don't know that any truer or more wise words were spoken. I think you really kind of captured, Brendan, probably the thoughts and experiences of a number of men in college that don't have an opportunity to talk about concerns and certainly issues related to body image and eating as well as you have. And so to be able to give voice to that experience is something that's been valuable for us today. And one of the things, I think that as you were talking, one of the things that stood out to me is the sense that sharing your struggles with others, you know, can be so rewarding and relieving and you don't know who else is also sharing those same struggles. And so you don't have to. You don't have to feel like you're alone in those struggles or what you're experiencing. And so you know, for me, that one of the takeaways is, you know, no one is alone.
Right. In all this.
[00:36:21] Speaker C: Yeah. And another testament is, is it's such a sign of strength to talk about your struggles. And I know we hear that as men a lot, but it genuinely is.
I mean, Brendan and all of us had never met until today. And I think it's so incredibly brave for you to tell your story to a public audience like a podcast in this setting, but it's all because you care about other people.
We all care about the people that listen to this podcast. No matter what you're going through, I can guarantee you that there's so many different men on this campus that have experienced the exact same thing or something similar that are wanting to help, just like you are today. So we really do appreciate you coming on and sharing your experiences because we know that there's someone that's going through the exact same thing or in some capacity.
So, again, just thank you.
[00:37:17] Speaker E: Of course, of course.
[00:37:19] Speaker D: Yeah, I'll echo everything that the two of them have said, but I think it's really cool, like, what you've done today, and I think that UA is really, you know, in a great spot having you on board. So thank you for, you know, being willing to do this and carrying that sentiment, like, on your sleeve that, you know, it's. It's a good thing to talk about. So, yeah, super appreciate you, Brendan.
[00:37:45] Speaker B: Yeah, so much for you and so much thankful for you and how has it been for you sort of sitting in the seat and being here with us today?
[00:37:53] Speaker E: Yeah. Well, thank you all again for inviting me and, you know, having this platform where people like me can speak. I know, like when I was talking to Sheena about talking about or talking on the podcast, and then the bi week appreciation that I told her, I was like, honestly, I'm not, not really sure how it's going to go. Just emotionally, this is my first time, like, publicly really, really talking about it, other than like close personal friends, you know, but, you know, I wanted a job like this for a reason.
I wanted to be at an institution like this for a reason.
And, you know, I feel. I feel great that I was on here getting, talking about things and however long I'm at ua, I will always, always strive to be an agent of change about, especially men's mental health. So, yeah, I feel. Feel great.
[00:38:46] Speaker B: Well, that's great, Brendan.
We're fortunate to have you here at the University. We're so thankful to have had you be with us today to share your story and experiences and I know that it'll be helpful to a number of folks on our campus. And so Brendan, thanks again for joining us today and hopefully this has been so very helpful to someone out there as it's been really helpful to us to learn more about what those experiences have been like for you.
But that brings us to an end of another episode on the Bama Balance. It's been great spending spending this time with you.
This has been the Bama Balance Real stories about college men's mental Health. I'm Dr. Tony Perez.
[00:39:35] Speaker D: I'm Nick Smith.
[00:39:36] Speaker B: I'm Johnny Foster and we'll see you all later.
[00:39:55] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa this show was not intended as a substitute for professional counseling. Further, the views, opinions and conclusions expressed by the show hosts or their guests are their own and not necessarily those of the University of Alabama, its officers or trustees. Any views, opinions or conclusions shared on the show do not create a relationship between the host or any guest and any listener, and such a relationship should never be inferred. If you view feel you're in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, please contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective county's crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
