What if the loneliness you feel isn't a personal problem but a public health emergency nobody is talking about loudly enough?

In this episode, Dr. Julie Radlauer, founder of Collectively, TEDx speaker, and bestselling author of CONNECT: 100 Ways to Create Happiness in Your Life, shares how 25 years working at the intersection of behavioral health and public health led her to one unavoidable conclusion: mental health is deeply shaped by social health.

What changed everything wasn't a textbook or a theory. It was 50 families from across the country who looked Julie in the eye and said: we're sick of talking about the problem. Fix it. Those conversations didn't just change her research. They changed her entire mission.

[00:04:00] What She Does and Who She Serves

Founder and CEO of Collectively, focused on improving the mental health narrative
Works with nonprofits, governments, and academia at every level
Facilitates a leadership academy for emerging nonprofit leaders

[00:05:30] How She Got Here

Started as a licensed mental health counselor working with low-income children and families
Climbed into administration as director of children's services at a large community mental health center
Started a consulting business for flexibility; ended up working even more hours as an entrepreneur

[00:07:00] What Inspires Her: Prevention Over Intervention

Sees a global mental health crisis and a loneliness epidemic playing out at the same time
Focuses on the social aspects of life that people can actually control
Wants to give leaders practical tools to prevent mental health struggles before they start

[00:08:00] Client Impact: Giving Communities a Framework to Change

Conducts comprehensive assessments of organizations, communities, and systems
Uses data, surveys, and conversations to identify what is not working
Delivers strategic reports showing exactly what needs to change and how

[00:10:00] The Research That Changed Everything: 50 Families

Got frustrated watching families stabilize and then cycle back into crisis months later
Earned a doctorate in public health to understand prevention at the population level
Conducted a national study interviewing 50 families of children in public behavioral health systems
Families said: we don't want clinical support; we want family, faith, friends, and community

[00:12:30] What the Families Taught Her

Families challenged her directly: what are you going to do with this information?
A group of parents collaborated to co-create curriculum based on what they said was needed
Some of those parents now travel the country training behavioral health professionals
The families didn't just change her research; they became her mission

[00:16:00] The Vision Going Forward

Her main client groups are nonprofits, governments, and academia; all are under serious pressure
The professionals she works with are exhausted and navigating constant change
Focuses on giving leaders tools to support themselves, their teams, and the people they serve

[00:17:30] Resources and Final Word

Visit collectivelyus.org to learn about the organization and its work
Specializes in translating research into practical, accessible tools anyone can use
One in three people is currently struggling with mental health; the need has never been greater

KEY QUOTES

"What we need is support with our family, our faith, our friends, our community. We need to figure out how to help communities support each other." - The families, as shared by Dr. Julie Radlauer

"The people I interviewed in that study changed my life. They were in the most challenging situations, and they said: fix the problem." - Dr. Julie Radlauer

"I focus on the social influences of mental health: the social aspects of your life that we actually have some ability to control." - Dr. Julie Radlauer

CONNECT WITH DR. JULIE RADLAUER

Organization: https://www.collectivelyus.org

Personal: https://www.julieradlauer.com

Book: https://www.amazon.com/CONNECT-Ways-Create-Happiness-Your/dp/B0CGM51W8Q

TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v9nJlVvKFs

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-radlauer-doerfler-drph-lmhc

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