Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we’ve found a guest who is making a positive difference in the community by bringing inspiration and hope in the form of four legged therapists. When hearts and paws unite, the profound impact on mental health can truly surprise you. Amy Theisen Walz, a staunch mental health advocate, graced our podcast to recount the touching journey behind her non-profit 'You're Not Alone,' and the poignant strides therapy dogs are making in schools. Dressed in our dog-themed best, we celebrated the bond between humans and canines, delving into how these four-legged therapists are unlocking the hearts of children facing mental health challenges.
As we chewed over the transformative presence of Willow, the therapy dog, and her furry colleagues, it became clear that these compassionate creatures are more than just pets; they're healers in disguise. The 'You're Not Alone' program, which Amy spearheaded, has blossomed, touching lives in classrooms across states and teaching us all a valuable lesson: sometimes the softest touch comes from a paw. From the careful selection of breeds to the rigorous twenty-step evaluation for the Canine Good Citizen certification, training a therapy dog is no walk in the park, yet the emotional regulation and behavioral improvements they bring to schools are worth every effort.
Let's carry the torch of kindness Amy has lit, recognizing that each of us can be that beacon of hope in someone's life. As we wrapped up our chat with Amy, it was undeniable that therapy dogs like Willow aren't just aiding students; they're teaching us the essence of companionship. Whether you're a dog lover, an educator, or simply someone who believes in the power of kindness, remember that you, too, can help ensure no one feels alone. Keep spreading love, one wagging tail at a time.
You're Not Alone is looking for dogs and handlers to come into schools. Are you ready to make a pawsitive difference in the world? Start Here. Perhaps your corporation is interested in sponsoring You're Not Alone. If so, you can find out more here. Or maybe you don't have a dog or a corporation but you believe in helping children with anxiety or depression. You can donate here.
Do you dread Mondays? Does the thought of another Monday steal the joy of your weekend? Let me tell you about a product I have found and tried that can do away with the Sunday Scaries. Oddly enough, it’s from a company called Sunday Scaries. I have personally tried their products, gummies and tinctures and I can personally attest to their efficacy. If you go to their website and order any product, use the code Kindness20 to receive a 20% discount on your order.
Do you like good coffee? Are you like me and go to bed in anticipation of a great cup of coffee in the morning (and afternoon, maybe). Then let me introduce you to my newest sponsor, Coffee Bros. They have built their business on the cornerstones of sustainability, quality, consistency, and freshness. From coffee to brewing techniques to coffee and espresso machines, they should be your go-to for all things coffee. And if you order from them, use the code Kind10
Did you find this episode uplifting, inspiring or motivating? Would you like to support more content like this? Check out our Support The Show Page here.
Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we’ve found a guest who is making a positive difference in the community by bringing inspiration and hope in the form of four legged therapists. When hearts and paws unite, the profound impact on mental health can truly surprise you. Amy Theisen Walz, a staunch mental health advocate, graced our podcast to recount the touching journey behind her non-profit 'You're Not Alone,' and the poignant strides therapy dogs are making in schools. Dressed in our dog-themed best, we celebrated the bond between humans and canines, delving into how these four-legged therapists are unlocking the hearts of children facing mental health challenges.
As we chewed over the transformative presence of Willow, the therapy dog, and her furry colleagues, it became clear that these compassionate creatures are more than just pets; they're healers in disguise. The 'You're Not Alone' program, which Amy spearheaded, has blossomed, touching lives in classrooms across states and teaching us all a valuable lesson: sometimes the softest touch comes from a paw. From the careful selection of breeds to the rigorous twenty-step evaluation for the Canine Good Citizen certification, training a therapy dog is no walk in the park, yet the emotional regulation and behavioral improvements they bring to schools are worth every effort.
Let's carry the torch of kindness Amy has lit, recognizing that each of us can be that beacon of hope in someone's life. As we wrapped up our chat with Amy, it was undeniable that therapy dogs like Willow aren't just aiding students; they're teaching us the essence of companionship. Whether you're a dog lover, an educator, or simply someone who believes in the power of kindness, remember that you, too, can help ensure no one feels alone. Keep spreading love, one wagging tail at a time.
You're Not Alone is looking for dogs and handlers to come into schools. Are you ready to make a pawsitive difference in the world? Start Here. Perhaps your corporation is interested in sponsoring You're Not Alone. If so, you can find out more here. Or maybe you don't have a dog or a corporation but you believe in helping children with anxiety or depression. You can donate here.
Do you dread Mondays? Does the thought of another Monday steal the joy of your weekend? Let me tell you about a product I have found and tried that can do away with the Sunday Scaries. Oddly enough, it’s from a company called Sunday Scaries. I have personally tried their products, gummies and tinctures and I can personally attest to their efficacy. If you go to their website and order any product, use the code Kindness20 to receive a 20% discount on your order.
Do you like good coffee? Are you like me and go to bed in anticipation of a great cup of coffee in the morning (and afternoon, maybe). Then let me introduce you to my newest sponsor, Coffee Bros. They have built their business on the cornerstones of sustainability, quality, consistency, and freshness. From coffee to brewing techniques to coffee and espresso machines, they should be your go-to for all things coffee. And if you order from them, use the code Kind10
Did you find this episode uplifting, inspiring or motivating? Would you like to support more content like this? Check out our Support The Show Page here.
Intro:
This podcast is part of the deluxe edition network. To find other great shows on the network, head over to deluxe edition network dot com That's deluxe edition network dot com.
Mike:
Kindness. We see it all around us. We see it when someone pays for someone else's coffee or holds a door open for another person. We see it in the smallest of gestures like a smile or a kind word, but it's different when we turn on the news or social media. Oftentimes, what we hear about, what out lint or pushing is the opposite of kind. Welcome to the kindness matters podcast. Our goal is to give you a place to relax, to revel in stories of people who have received or given kindness, a place to inspire and motivate. Each and every one of us to practice kindness every day. Hey, hello there, and welcome to the kindness matters podcast. I am your host, Mike Rathon. We have a fantastic show for you today. If you care about kids mental health and you like dogs, this is gonna be the show for you. A couple things first. As you may have heard in the intro, I am a member of the Deluxe Edition Network, and they have two podcasts for the month of May. The first is the Barrel Aged Chicken. Are you a fan of the Barrel Agedflix podcast? Are you into movies, pop culture, comedy? Are you curious about what the chicks think? If you answered yes to any of those questions, Then you have to check out barrel aged chicks podcast. Come meet Sammy, Snow, Crystal, Harley, and yen, as they give you the chick perspective on movies and so much more. The other show for this from month of May is Barstool Film School, a conversational comedy breakdown of some of your favorite flicks, old and new. Each episode, host Dylan Corals, and Cameron Roberts, take on your favorite flicks to determine if they passed the bar, and join the ranks of truly excellent bar movies Good bar movies can be hit or miss, but you'll never know until you take your shot. Also, please make sure to check out the show notes where you will find links and discount codes for two companies that I have partnered with, Sunday Scaries, a company that makes broad spectrum CBD gummies, and coffee bros to make an amazing blend of coffees. I use both of these products and they are nothing short of amazing Now let's get into the show. Welcome to the show everybody. I am so excited because the story that I'm going to tell you that we're going to tell you is is so important and so cool My guest today is an avid dog lover. She is an advocate for the underdog
Amy Theisen Walz:
Showing off our shirts.
Mike:
Yeah. She's a vocalist and a speaker, and she brings with her heart hope and the inspiration to people and their loved ones struggling with mental health diagnosis diagnoses through her nonprofit organization. You are not alone. Welcome to the show Amy Tyson Balls. So good to have here.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Thank you for having me. And, yep, we wore our dog shirts today, didn't we?
Mike:
We did. To be fair, it's not the same dog shirt. No. But it it's dog themed and and yeah. I'm We love our dogs. Don't we?
Amy Theisen Walz:
Oh, they're family.
Mike:
They they really are. And, I mean, I see my dogs more than I see my kids nowadays. So
Amy Theisen Walz:
You and me both. That's true. Yes. Our puppies have become our children as they've moved away. And I'm like, they Yeah.
Mike:
I know. I think my wife has gotten in the last couple of years more dog themed gifts at Credit and there was a a dog mom Christmas ornament a couple years ago and dog mom, t hoodie, and yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So Talk to me about you're not alone. How did this all start? Because this is such an amazing organization.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Thank you so much. I would say that this organization was planted in my heart way back in about two thousand seven?
Mike:
Oh, wow.
Amy Theisen Walz:
But we did not do anything with it until twenty nineteen when I received a new puppy. That was part of the vision of our future or in in our nonprofit? You're not alone.
Mike:
Okay. And I I love okay. So let's let's talk about what Euronaut alone does.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Absolutely. Our mission statement with Euronaut alone is you're not alone, seeks to shatter the stigma surrounding mental illness, one therapy dog at a time.
Mike:
So and and you you have you you didn't start this way, but right now, currently, you have teams of therapy dogs and their owners. Are they all their owners?
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yep. They're owners. We call them handlers.
Mike:
Handlers. I have I apologize.
Amy Theisen Walz:
No. That's okay.
Mike:
The therapy dogs and their handlers that go into schools primarily. Right? So this is for kids.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah. So back in twenty twenty one, I started bringing my Little Golden retriever Willow into Monticello Middle School every week. Because we couldn't go into the hospital setting like I had planned to because of COVID. Sure.
Mike:
Sure.
Amy Theisen Walz:
It was a full circle moment though in our family because, really, you're not alone started. Back in two thousand seven, when I was in the midst of my mental health crisis as a mom of teenage kids, getting help. And then in two thousand seven, our eleven year old son tricker warning to the hospital side. And he was the sixth grader, and we didn't really know what was happening. He wasn't sharing. Well, with us what was going on, and it all came out in the emergency room. He had been being physically bullied in the school for months.
Mike:
Boy.
Amy Theisen Walz:
And kept it to himself, didn't share it, didn't talk about it, and drove him to mental health crisis.
Mike:
Yeah. That is so First of all, I I find myself with mixed emotions because I'm sorry that happened, but I'm happy that I mean, because if that hadn't happened, you might still not know about it.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Exactly. I had had a pet growing up, but my children had never experienced having a pet. They had a mom that was extremely perfectionistic and that was part of my mental health keeping trying to keep control of my life as my mental health was spinning out of control, keeping the house perfect, there couldn't be any, you know, dog hair. Oh, gosh. Never. We would have
Mike:
gone there.
Amy Theisen Walz:
But after our son got out of impatient care and tried to do outpatient. He just didn't want to talk about his feelings, but what eleven year old six three boy really wants to. And so they recommend we think about getting him a dog.
Mike:
Interesting. That was their recommendation.
Amy Theisen Walz:
There was, and it changed our lives, it changed our future. And who knew? That the unconditional love of a pup could come into a family of five all suffering with anxiety that had never been addressed. Had never been diagnosed.
Mike:
Right.
Amy Theisen Walz:
And give us that just fun condition eleven gave us hope. And something to build our lives around.
Mike:
Yeah. For sure. And I have there been a lot of studies on the connection between humans and dogs I In a mental health setting?
Amy Theisen Walz:
I don't think a ton, but we're working to make that a difference. That's part of our make a difference. Is The thing that's so unique about animals is that when we're around animals, we have a chemical reaction in our body.
Mike:
Yeah.
Amy Theisen Walz:
We get that happy oxytocin release in our brain. That gives us that that good feeling. And then the minute you start petting a dog, your blood pressure drops.
Mike:
Yes.
Amy Theisen Walz:
So having this chemical reaction in your body just being around an animal, you'd be amazed at how that creates this comfortable, peaceful environment for people to share.
Mike:
So
Amy Theisen Walz:
Young and old doesn't matter.
Mike:
Yeah. And I know the same feeling. I know the feeling you're talking about because when I pet my dog, I can actually feel my blood pressure go down. Mhmm. And especially, you know, if you're having a bad day or you're stressed, or you're anxious about something. And and and maybe, you know, the dog jumps up on your lap and you're you're like, I don't want But if you just take a moment
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah.
Mike:
And you let the dog just lay down and start petting it, you'll find that you feel a lot better. So and I I was thinking about kids the other day, and and I know that kids today are under so much more stress than I was when I went to school, and I'm not gonna say how long ago that was. But I mean, when I went to school, we didn't have social media for one thing.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Exactly.
Mike:
We hadn't just been through a pandemic for another And it keeps what is it about? Adolescents that those those years in middle school, when I was going to school, it was called junior high school, Yep. Why why is it so important to reach them in those those years?
Amy Theisen Walz:
I think that the well, just looking back even when we were that age. You not only have all these hormone shifts going on.
Mike:
Oh, yes.
Amy Theisen Walz:
But but the need to feel wanted and welcomed in a community and with friends to be accepted. Yeah. Pure peer pressure to be what everyone else is is so great. And when we were young, if you
Mike:
were For sure.
Amy Theisen Walz:
We could go home at the end of a school day and not have an issue. We could rest up for the next day you know, take a break from the bullying whatever and get ready for the next day of school, but these kids It's twenty four seven. It's cyberazine. It's they have no respite from it at all. And social media. Everyone is seeing everyone's what we call a real. Their wonderful vision. You know, everything's wonderful. None of the bad stuff. So then they compare themselves. And it's it's a storm waiting to really erupt.
Mike:
Oh, for sure. And again, then, I'm talking, I keep going back to it, but COVID I saw a study, and I'm not gonna be able to remember the but just the amount of anxiety and depression, the increase after COVID. Oh. Is that when you guys decided to start doing this?
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah. And I think that was why it took off so well because we come into schools at no cost to school. So that's an easy sell right there. Right. They don't want to worry about their budget, and they can just hear our message and why we are doing what we're doing. You know, a school, it's kind of a no brainer. If you have people volunteering to come in as another level of support? Absolutely. Yeah. And we bring this, you know, so we are known as a mental health nonprofit that utilizes therapy dogs in the school. So first off, we're all about good mental health. Yep. And when you have this this dog, this vessel, like our therapy friend says,
Mike:
Oh, I like that.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah. That creates that calm environment of kids that might not have ever spoken to the school counselor or the social worker, but they sit in this environment where they relax and they can hear maybe some tips or things about anxiety, or we talk about the unconditional love of our animals And what does that mean for them at home with their pets?
Mike:
Sure.
Amy Theisen Walz:
You know, just make them aware of that.
Mike:
So okay. So walk me through what you you go into a school once a week? Yes. Is it?
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yep. Same dog, same handler. So we Right. Find a team to a school. And our mission is to create a small community within the school. So we want the dog to get school pictures if they can. We get their own badge. We put their eight by ten in the office. So when people walk in, they know that they have up on staff.
Mike:
I love that.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Make that continuity so the kids know of today. It's Wednesdays with Willow Day. Each school has a little different name for how they run it.
Mike:
Sure.
Amy Theisen Walz:
And they have us up to two hours. And we create small groups with the help of the school. So we have a school, whether it's a social worker or a school counselor that's with us, and we do puppy passes, so we try to grab groups of twelve.
Mike:
Okay. So the school, they can identify those kids that they they feel might be most benefited by?
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yep. There are two ways you can do it. In Monticello, middle school where I started, we have always done the general population of kids. Whoever can get to the puppy passes first.
Mike:
There's a limited amount of puppy passes.
Amy Theisen Walz:
There are a limited amount. Yes. We last year or when we first started, we had twenty kids in a group, and that was too many.
Mike:
Oh, okay.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Twelve to fifteen is best for everyone to get hands on time if they want it.
Mike:
Hey, guys. We will be right back with my conversation with Amy Tyson and Waltz after these quick announcements from another great Deluxe Edition Network podcast.
Speaker 4:
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Speaker 5:
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Speaker 4:
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Speaker 5:
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Speaker 4:
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Speaker 5:
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Speaker 6:
This podcast is part of the Deluxe Edition Network. To find other great shows on the network, Head over to deluxe edition network dot com. That's deluxe edition network dot com.
Mike:
Okay. So it it's not like the whole school assembly is there, and that's And just so you're the are the kids opening up when when Willow was there?
Amy Theisen Walz:
Very much. So I can't even tell you right now the number of students that I've that have felt comfortable opening up to me. And the staff that's right there, they make sure that they get them to the school counselor. And it's just because of that environment. If you come in and I share my story, which wasn't the plan. I wasn't
Mike:
Or you weren't convinced?
Amy Theisen Walz:
No. I didn't think I had the right to do that, but they said, please do. And it created this environment of non judgment and just an open calm space to talk. So the number of kids that either have come forward with anxiety or depression to get help I've helped kids get over their fear of dogs. We had one student whose house he watched his house burned to the ground. Oh. And he came in, I said, how are you today? And he just I just washed my house. I just need Willow. So we do it where certain kids can come. So schools do pinpoint maybe some kids that really need it. Surely general or a mix. I love when my special ed students come. And join the group, or they can have one on one time in between sessions with Will.
Mike:
Cool.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah. So there's an And sometimes it's used as a, like let's see. What how do I wanna say, a perform achievement? Like, they they earn the privilege to come and have one on one time.
Mike:
Nice.
Amy Theisen Walz:
So there's different ways of it being used at schools and it's kind of up to school's discretion how they want to do that.
Mike:
Okay. That's so cool. I I absolutely love that idea. And as you were saying, you know, because schools are pretty budget conscious. So and and it seems like support staff is being cut a lot lately. And so something like this, you're basically, you're offering a resource. And now I know that you have big plans for you're not alone. You would love to see this Currently, you're you're in Minnesota.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Well, we've expanded a little bit outside of Minnesota. So So here's a perspective. A year ago right now, I was the only team in one school. And thanks to WCCO and two feature stories they did last year, we are now twenty eight therapy teams in twenty three schools since September.
Mike:
My goodness,
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah. So, mostly Minnesota, but we are in the Hudson School District in Wisconsin. And we have a team already out in Providence, Rhode Island.
Mike:
Yay. Yay.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yep. So we we are we didn't think national was going to happen in our first big year, but
Mike:
Holy crap.
Amy Theisen Walz:
It's yeah.
Mike:
Yeah, those are a huge I mean, it's one of those things that's always a goal, but you never really imagine it would happen. Yeah. Wow. That's so cool. So how do you find your teams?
Amy Theisen Walz:
It's a good question. I speak quite a bit. And it's interesting because there are a lot of people out there that don't realize it's not terribly hard to become a therapy dog team, but most people don't know how do you go about it. So when I speak and or I have a meeting with a staff at a school, I'll say, do you have anyone on your staff that has a great dog? That they'd like to learn how to become a therapy doc team. There's always somebody. So once a month, I'll do a Zoom call to help people talk them through how to go through the process Yeah. And what it all entails. So what's a month I do that? And then or we have teams that are already certified and they hear about us and they say, I want to go into a school in my community. So it's both.
Mike:
I'm kinda hoping we can do that with this podcast.
Amy Theisen Walz:
I am too. I would love that. I need some teams down towards Rochester, Wabashia, some broader
Mike:
Okay.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Schools for the fall that I'm looking for teams.
Mike:
Cool. What goes into training a therapy dog? I mean I mean obviously not every dog is going to make a good therapy dog. Although I I think given the opportunity, it probably would. But
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah. Obviously, a dog that loves people. And they're always our pets. So you could get trained. Let's say your your daughter has an amazing golden retriever, but your daughter works all the time, you could get trained with that dog to be a team. So it's not just the dogs that live in our house. Oh, you have a connection with somebody that has a well trained dog that you could walk through and get certified with. You can do that.
Mike:
I noticed my neighbor has a golden retriever now.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Mhmm. Yeah. Maybe your neighbor needs
Mike:
to They do make good are are are golden retrievers like they're the most relaxed, friendly, loving dogs. Aren't they?
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah. I have a feeling that they probably are the majority But we have lots of different breeds too. But out of our twenty eight teams, I bet you we have about four teen, maybe half our goal is.
Mike:
At least half.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah. That was just their loving personality.
Mike:
Yeah. It's like they were made for that kind of work.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yep. But typically, if you start from a puppy, you'll do a puppy class, you'll do a dog obedience, and then the top level of having a pet is called the canine good citizen.
Mike:
Okay.
Amy Theisen Walz:
And that's like the top level of a pet and you have to actually do an evaluation with your dog and get certified as canine good citizen. And then you can go on to a therapy dog class. And it's probably seven classes long. We, most of our organization is through pet partners, which is a national therapy dog, certified. They have about thirteen thousand teams nationwide.
Mike:
Oh, wow.
Amy Theisen Walz:
And you do about six hours of online education. So you are really getting a good education.
Mike:
In addition to the seven classes? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt.
Amy Theisen Walz:
No. No. That's okay. Yep. So you'll take your seven classes locally somewhere, you know, we we help people find places that teach therapy dog classes. Yep, you do that evaluation, and then you have to actually do a test with your dog. So it's it's not easy. I mean, it's strict. There's twenty things you have to pass in order to be a therapy dog team. And some things are as simple as sit stay, let somebody kind of rough house your dog a little bit to make sure what their reaction is. They drop a loud, you know, drop a loud pan as long as your dog reacts but doesn't shut down, it's good.
Mike:
Okay. You
Amy Theisen Walz:
have to pass by a neutral dog So Yeah.
Mike:
I think that's where my dog would fall off the list.
Amy Theisen Walz:
And that's where Willow didn't pass our first one. So we call it we didn't fail. We we lived and we learned.
Mike:
Yeah.
Amy Theisen Walz:
So it wasn't, you know, it was a learning curve for us. She she wanted to get to that other dog. And right away then, the test stopped. We couldn't even continue on.
Mike:
Oh, wow.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yep. So let's go ahead.
Mike:
Have you had a chance for a correction?
Amy Theisen Walz:
No. Nope. So you need to keep working with your dog, come back for another evaluation, and They just want to make sure that a dog you bring into a facility or a school really can handle themselves properly in its the relationship between the handler and the dog. Okay. She has to be able to trust me that I'll take her out of an environment that causes her stress. And vice versa. You know? And so we
Mike:
ask a
Amy Theisen Walz:
lot of our dogs to behave on their best behavior for two hours.
Mike:
And you know what? That could be a long time for a dog.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Can be. Yep. And some dogs, you know, at the hour point are, like, hey, I'm done. And and that's okay. We work with what what they can do. My willow will sleep through. Some of her visits because she gets right at home. So then the kids really can just pet her and work it out and, you know, those are some of our best talks because she's laying there and they can just, you know, her ears, I say, always, if you're having a stressful day, feel her ears.
Mike:
Oh, no. They're so
Amy Theisen Walz:
they're so soft. You know? And we want people to to ignore that with their dogs at home. Their dogs at home feel their emotions.
Mike:
Yeah.
Amy Theisen Walz:
If you're having a bad day like you said, if the dog keeps jumping up on you, it's because it lets you to feel better. And it's trying to get your attention to say, come on, let me sit on your lap. We need to lower your blood pressure. You need to calm down.
Mike:
On the ground.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yep. So our dogs are very smart.
Mike:
And now I'm wondering, because the tone was the same time every night after dinner.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Needs a little extra love in?
Mike:
Maybe. I don't know. Mhmm. Interesting.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah.
Mike:
So have you have you heard feedback from from any of the families that that since you've been taking the dogs in?
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yes. The school districts say that there's a whole different feel the days that we bring the dogs in. There's a whole different atmosphere.
Mike:
The whole school is a buzz.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yep. So the wave of the future, though, is to have facility dog. So at one of our elementary schools in Monticello, the social worker has trained her therapy dog who is not even too yet and he goes to work every day with her. Oh, wow. And that is the wave of the future.
Mike:
So he's there all day.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yep. He has a scheduled role. He has a schedule he has to follow so that he gets the rest he needs. But, yeah, so that so I have a couple principles that I've met in the last two weeks that are like, oh, you mean my very wealthy hip dog could come to work with me. Yes, they can. Would you like to talk about that? Yep. We do.
Mike:
Yes. We are. We're on
Amy Theisen Walz:
the journey now. And the thing that's so beautiful about that is that if a kid gets totally unregulated, like it goes off cannot calm down. Let's say it would take forty minutes for a child or an adult to regain their composure. When there is a dog present, it cuts the time in half.
Mike:
Oh, wow. So it can go from forty minutes to twenty minutes.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Twenty minutes.
Mike:
Wow.
Amy Theisen Walz:
I think that we're gonna see some real changes as far as kids maybe, you know, maybe they have that stomachache because they've gotten society and they go to the nurse's office. They could just have ten minutes with the dog. We might see kids staying in school more.
Mike:
Yeah.
Amy Theisen Walz:
I really think it's gonna make a big difference.
Mike:
That's huge. Okay. So now I have to talk about your logo because that is so cool.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Thank you.
Mike:
And I I think maybe we'll just make the logo the cover art for the for the whole episode.
Amy Theisen Walz:
I would love that. And
Mike:
because It's very obviously a dog. It's a smiling dog.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Smiling a profile of a smiling dog.
Mike:
Yes.
Amy Theisen Walz:
We want it to be named, you're not alone, semi colon. And for those that don't know what the semi colon stands for, there's a lot of our generations of us that don't know what this means, but you're gonna see it all over now in tattoos on people. And the semi colon means it's a pause. So just like when you write a sentence, you don't end. So I'll use my family for an example. My depression was so bad that it manifested as anorexia. Oh. If I would've put a period at the end of that statement, I would've accepted that I would forever be depressed. I'd always have an eating disorder. That's what a period says. When you put a semi colon, just like when you write a sentence, it's a pause. There is hope on that other side And so our logo designer on a wonderful Christian man blew me away when he showed me that the semi colon Is the puppy's eye and smile?
Mike:
That is so cool. I just that gives me goosebumps whenever I I've heard that story before, obviously, but
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah. That
Mike:
just it gives me goosebumps. But I know my my son has a tattoo like, right in here with the semicolon. Yeah. That's what it's doing. He he went to Blaine High School and and graduated like, two thousand eleven. And it was during a time when they were having a rash of suicides there. Yeah. And I I thank God every day that he survived Blaine High School. Because I know it wasn't easy for him.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah. And it you know, school is not easy for a lot of kids?
Mike:
Yeah.
Amy Theisen Walz:
You know, there's a lot of introverts in the world that struggle through those situations. And Unfortunately, those are the ones that get picked on.
Mike:
Yeah. Yeah. Those that don't quite fit in or Yeah. Or don't you know?
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yep.
Mike:
Yeah.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah. And so, you know and so what we like to tell kiddos is that even though you can be having the worst time in your life, You just gotta hang in there. In hindsight, it's it'll look like a blip of time in the big scope of your life.
Mike:
Yeah.
Amy Theisen Walz:
That there is hope, and that is why. Because when we suffered with our son, there was no one to talk to. You couldn't talk about mental health with people without looking like you were crazy.
Mike:
Yeah.
Amy Theisen Walz:
And we wanna take that completely away And this generation of kids are gonna be the most socially, emotionally intelligent kids we have.
Mike:
That's amazing.
Amy Theisen Walz:
COVID happened, and we needed to start talking about mental health.
Mike:
Yes, absolutely. A lot more than we do. And take that stigma away from it. Mhmm.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yep. Absolutely.
Mike:
And, thankfully, there are businesses non profits like your own to help us do that.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Thank you. You are very blessed with this journey. It's been, you know, to take something that was really hard and make it something good and to I think we counted. I think we're up to sixteen thousand students now. That's how many kids are in the schools where we're at.
Mike:
Wow. Sixteen thousand. That's huge. And Okay. And and you're touching them. And and and it's Yeah. You're making a positive infant difference in the world, meaning, and I absolutely appreciate you for that. And
Amy Theisen Walz:
Thank you.
Mike:
I know you're very busy. I know you have things to do, but I so appreciate the the time that he came on to spend and and talk to us about this. And and I'm just blown away.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Thank you so much. We do we do need public support if I can throw that in there because we need community partners. Or corporations that wanna partner with us to help.
Mike:
Yeah.
Amy Theisen Walz:
That is something we're working on because we can't charge the school districts.
Mike:
Yeah.
Amy Theisen Walz:
So if there's any corporations out there that love kids, dads, and good mental health, please think about us at tax time.
Mike:
And who doesn't? Right? Right. Yeah. I the links will be all over my show notes I'll have your website. They'll have where to donate. Awesome. I'll be promoting this on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram. I know you guys are huge on Instagram. We are TikTok. Are you guys on TikTok yet?
Amy Theisen Walz:
We are not yet. Yeah. Unless somebody wants a youngsters
Mike:
if they get spanned. Right?
Amy Theisen Walz:
Yeah. We'll we'll see if one of the youngsters in the generations below me wanna take that one on or not.
Mike:
There you go. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for coming on. I really do appreciate it, Amy. And you guys are doing good work.
Amy Theisen Walz:
Thank you so much, Mike, for having us. We're happy to be here.
Mike:
Wow. Amy's story is probably familiar to a lot of people listening to this podcast. I know it is to me. And not all of it, but the mental health portion. If you resonate with Amy's story. If you have a child who is suffering from depression or anxiety, a lot of us do these days, look into you're not alone dot org. If you have a dog, If you know somebody who has a dog that might be able to come into being a therapy dog and might be able to travel to schools and provide this service. Get a hold of Amy Walls and and reach out to her organization. If you would like to support her, if you have a company that would like a tax write off, get a hold of Amy Walt. It's just such a fantastic organization and I really do admire her and her team's for their work and their dedication to children's mental health, and it's fantastic. I appreciate you listening in. I hope you were all able to take something positive out of Amy's story and and bring it out and share it with the world. Please feel free to share this episode. I think it's very important and Amy's work is important, and and I'd like to get as many ears and eyes on it as possible. And that will do it for this episode. We'll be back again next week for sure with a brand new episode. But in the meantime, be that person who roots for others, who tells a stranger they look amazing and encourages others to believe in themselves and their dreams. You've been listening to the kindness matters podcast. I am your host, Mike Kraftbud, have a fantastic week.