“Wellness Rising: Coming Together to Prevent and Manage Diabetes” is a one-hour radio program produced by Ampers and made possible by a grant from the Medtronic Foundation…committed to improving health outcomes across the globe. 

Here in Minnesota, more than 75-hundred Native Americans in Minnesota are estimated to have diabetes.  And the Minnesota Health Department estimates that about 14 thousand Native people in the state are pre-diabetic -- and most of them don’t know it.

“Wellness Rising: Coming Together to Prevent and Manage Diabetes” is a magazine style show, featuring vital perspectives from health providers, community members, and people with diabetes, all sharing their insights and wisdom on how to prevent and manage diabetes.

Minnesota Native News contributors Melissa Townsend, Leah Lemm, Cole Premo, Roy Taylor and Laurie Stern share stories about how various communities around Minnesota are coming together to heal.

Children of immigrants must navigate multiple cultures. The culture they know predominantly from their parents and the culture in which they live. Finding a sense of belonging and identity can be especially challenging for Asian Americans, who tend to be the group that is the least likely to talk about their feelings and seek out mental health services. 

To explore a path for healing cultural identity hurdles, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two licensed therapists, authors, and co-founders of the Yellow Chair Collective, Soo Jin Lee, and Linda Yoon. 

Soo Jin and Linda explain the mission of the Yellow Chair Collective and the premise of Where I Belong: Healing Trauma and Embracing Asian-American Identity, their book based on members’ stories and cultural experiences.

Soo Jin Lee & Linda Yoon — Healing & Belonging: 

●       The book, Where I Belong, is a product of the Yellow Chair Collective support network. {3:21} 

●       Asian Americans are the least likely to seek out mental health services. {8:09} 

●       Many Asian Americans have experience with intergenerational trauma yet living in constant survival mode keeps them from voicing it. {11:49} 

●       Yellow Chair Collective is a cultural support network for those who struggle with intersectional identity issues. {16:01} 

●       Immigrants can find it difficult to navigate living in two different cultures. {22:54}

 ●       The mission and goal of the Yellow Chair Collective. {27:32}

About Lisa’s guest:

SOO JIN LEE, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist,

executive director of Yellow Chair Collective, and cofounder of

Entwine Community.

LINDA YOON, LCSW, is a licensed therapist and social worker who

has dedicated her career to helping people along their healing

journey to find a sense of belonging.