In this timely and heartfelt episode of Into the Fold, co-hosts Vicky Coffee and Ike Evans sit down with Shawn Kent, therapist and director at the Amala Foundation, to explore the mental health challenges—and sources of resilience—facing youth in today’s rapidly shifting world. Together, they unpack the pressures of social media, family stress, school systems, and the profound need for belonging and connection. Shawn offers insights drawn from his work with youth, especially young men, and shares how programs like peer mentorship, creative expression, and third spaces can foster healing and growth.

This conversation is a call to rethink how we design environments—at home, in school, and across society—to better support youth and families. Whether you're a parent, educator, or community member, you’ll come away with ideas and inspiration for helping the next generation thrive.

Related Links:

• Amala Foundation
• Into the Fold: Digital Well-being for Youth

Today’s conversation is about the promises—and the pitfalls—of technology. Specifically, we’re exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping mental health care and what it means for equity, access, and privacy. While AI has the potential to increase access to mental health tools and improve outcomes, it also raises urgent ethical questions: Who is being left out? Who has control over their data? And how do we ensure that innovation doesn’t deepen existing disparities?

To help us make sense of it all, we're joined by Kenneth Fleischmann, professor at the UT Austin School of Information, where he studies the ethical and societal implications of emerging technologies.

Related Links:

• Ethical AI
• Good Systems
• University of Texas at Austin Undergraduate Informatics Program
• University of Texas at Austin Master of Science in A.I.
• Into the Fold: Digital Well-being for Youth

In this episode, we’re diving into a topic that’s both essential and often behind the scenes—funding. Who funds mental health work? How do organizations access support for the critical services they provide? And what does innovation in mental health funding look like?

This conversation takes us into the heart of collaboration, innovation, and opportunity—through the lens of the Hogg Foundation’s reunion with the Texas Grants Resource Center. We explore how partnerships like these can unlock new possibilities for community-driven mental health work in Texas. Joining the show are Amy Loar, assistant director of programs at the Hogg Foundation and program administrator of the Texas Grants Resource Center; Giannina Cardenas, grants and contracts strategist at Caritas of Austin; where they take a whole-person approach to ending homelessness; and Lori Najvar, director of PolkaWorks, an Austin nonprofit focused on elevating the untold stories of Texas communities through multimedia storytelling.

Related Content:

• Episode 58: Better Together: Collaborating for Social Impact