Liz and Sarah are joined by Dr. Jill Grimes, family physician and author of The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook, to talk about what chronic academic stress actually does to your body — and why so many popular "quick fixes" for focus and sleep are making things worse. If you've ever reached for an energy drink at midnight, borrowed a friend's Adderall, or popped a melatonin gummy hoping to knock out before an exam, this one's for you.

We dive into:

• Why chronic stress affects your brain, body, and immune system
• The real impact of sleep deprivation on focus, memory, and emotions
• Energy drinks, nicotine pouches, ADHD meds, and “study drugs”
• Why THC gummies and sleep aids can backfire long-term
• The anxiety/sleep cycle college students get trapped in
• Practical strategies that can actually help manage anxiety, stress, and sleep difficulties
• Why movement, nutrition, and consistent sleep matter more than students think

We also talk about the dangerous normalization of “everyone’s doing it” on college campuses — and why informed choices matter when it comes to substances, sleep, and mental health.

If you’re a college student, parent, therapist, or anyone who has ever panic-Googled how to fall asleep before an exam, this episode is for you.

• 📖 The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook — Dr. Jill Grimes
• https://jillgrimesmd.com/the-ultimate-college-student-health-handbook/
• 📱 CBT-I Coach app (free, from the VA) — evidence-based insomnia therapy
• 🎧 Sleep stories: Calm, Headspace, YouTube
• 🌐 Dr. Grimes on social media — short videos on common college health topics
• For more information on our REACH Reset Summer offerings contact Dr. Sarah Olivo @ sarah@drsaraholivo.com

If you've ever panicked staring at a blank resume, frozen at the word "networking," or wondered what your boss actually wants from you on day one of an internship — this episode is for you. We sat down with Jennifer Gershberg to get real, practical advice on everything from interview prep to building relationships that actually open doors. No fluff. Just the stuff they should have taught you in class.

In This Episode:

• Why "fake it till you make it" is bad advice — and what to do instead

• The #1 mistake interns make that instantly tanks their reputation
• How to prep for an interview when you've never had one before
• What employers actually want from a college intern (it's not expertise)
• Why networking feels awkward — and how to make it feel natural
• The Gen Z vs. employer perception gap, and how to bridge it
• How to turn any job — even a "boring" one — into resume gold
• The surprising reason building real relationships leads to real confidence

Key Takeaways

• Competence builds confidence. Real confidence doesn't come from faking it — it comes from building real skills and seeing them pay off.
• Over-promising is the fastest way to look unreliable. If you can't meet a deadline, say so early. Communication beats silence every time.
• Your "boring" jobs count. Every job teaches transferable skills — you just have to know how to name and frame them.
• Networking is just relationship-building. Your friends, classmates, and professors are already your network. You're doing it every day.
• Internships are for learning. Employers don't expect you to know everything — they expect curiosity, communication, and positive energy.
• Ask about their challenges. At networking events, asking what problems an employer is facing flips the dynamic in your favor.
• Every generation brings something valuable. Gen Z has a fresh perspective — own it.

About Jennifer Gershberg

Jennifer Gershberg is a campus speaker, parent speaker, and course creator focused on college student success. She spent eight years as a professor at the University of Maryland, where she worked with thousands of students. Today, she helps students navigate the transition to college and build the professional skills they need to succeed in the working world. Her tagline — "nurturing but tough" — was actually coined by a former student. Find her at jgtalks.org and on Instagram @jgtalksorg.

Junior year of high school is here — and the college process is officially real.

In this special episode, we try something new: a “Newlywed Game”-style conversation between a mom and her daughter about their different takes on independence, stress, communication, and what the college process actually feels like inside one household.

Ali Dorfman, former TV producer and founder of The College & Dorm Corner, joins us alongside her daughter Emme to share the parent and student perspective in real time.

From ACT prep to Life360, from FOMO to family rules, this episode captures the nuanced dance between pushing, guiding, and letting go.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• When junior year suddenly makes college feel “real”
• The independence spectrum: How much should parents step in?
• Balancing grades, sports, extracurriculars, and test prep
• The emotional climate inside a household during application season
• Communication expectations once students leave for college
• Which family rules may (or may not) retire
• The role of social media in shaping college dreams
• Why passion > résumé padding
• The tension between parent aspirations and student interests
• The “marathon, not sprint” mindset
  
  

Key Takeaways:

• Junior year often feels like “buckle up” season.
• Independence in the college process is rarely all-or-nothing.
• Students need space to develop their own internal compass.
• Parents are navigating their own letting-go journey.
• The fun stuff (sports, campus life, dorm decor) can be motivating — but academics still dominate the mental load early on.
• Family communication expectations should be discussed before move-in day.
  
  

About Our Guest

Ali Dorfman is a former TV producer (CBS News, The Today Show, ABC) and founder of The College & Dorm Corner, a one-stop platform supporting families through the college planning journey — from test prep to dorm décor. Make sure to check out this amazing resource! https://www.thecollegecorner.com/about-us

And a special thank you to the brave, insightful and all-around rock star Emme who was willing to be our *first* Two Takes guest!

Want to share your story, give us feedback or offer up an episode idea? Reach out! We'd love to hear from you.

Insta: @collegeisfinepodcast
Tik Tok: @collegeisfinepodcast
Email: collegeisfinepodcast@gmail.com

Music is Deadbeats by Rex Banner

Flat stomachs. Chiseled abs. Eating clean. Messages about what our bodies should look like come at us a mile a minute. And college is a time when your relationship to your body can be extra challenging. How many of you feared the “Freshman 15” even before you stepped foot onto campus? Well, how about we “chisel” away some of the negative assumptions we have about how our bodies should look. (See what we did there?)

It is *normal* for our body to change shape and size during these four years. And it’s normal to have trouble navigating all the various ways we think about food, health and exercise in a place where kegs are placed right outside of athletic fields. Despite this, many college students are stressing out about body image and nutrition. Campuses not only don’t have barriers to keep out societal standards of “thin ideals” and fatphobia, they are often breeding grounds for body insecurities.

In this week’s episode, we speak with a college student who struggled with body image in college and later found support through the body positivity movement. We then interview Summer Innanen, a body image coach, author and host of the Eat the Rules podcast. She shines a light on the myths and pitfalls of diet culture and discusses how body positivity can lead to a sense of self-worth (among many other things).

For a glimpse into the practical tips you’ll get in this episode, you’ll learn

*What it means to be more body positive

*Steps to take to create a shield against dangerous messages of societal “norms”

*The importance of finding a community that supports body positive messages

*How and why to make social media cleanses a habit

Most college students will struggle with body image issues at some point. We hope you leave this episode inspired to build a healthier body image to live your best college life.

RESOURCES:

Websites

The Body Positive

https://thebodypositive.org/our-work

Summer Innanen

https://summerinnanen.com/

Neolth

Stress & Mental Health Support

https://www.neolth.com/

Podcasts:

Eat the Rules Podcast hosted by Summer Innanen

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id886241220

From McLean Hospital and the Mindful Things Podcast:

The Silent Battle: Men, Body Image and Mental Health

https://www.mcleanhospital.org/podcast-silent-battle-men-body-image-and-mental-health

Want to share your story, give us feedback or offer up an episode idea? Reach out! We'd love to hear from you.

Insta: @collegeisfinepodcast
Tik Tok: @collegeisfinepodcast
Email: collegeisfinepodcast@gmail.com

Music is Deadbeats by Rex Banner

Yes! Today we’re getting to the core of our college sports series: current and former student athletes themselves. In today’s episode we talk to current athletes on what the college experience is like for them. And we’re going to guess that a lot of the things they spoke about will sound familiar to anyone who feels the multi-pronged pressure of college life. Simply switch out “sports” for “job” or “scholarship requirements” or “advocacy,” to name a few.

We’ve heard a lot of students talk about the college triangle, with sleep, studying and friends each on a separate point. And in the game of college, you can only choose two. Such is campus life these days. But for student athletes it’s more of a square: sleep, studying, friends, and practice…and competing. Ok, maybe it’s a hexagon. No wonder we’re seeing a rise in anxiety and depression among college athletes.

In this episode, we asked each student the same questions:

1. What does it feel like to put on your uniform?
2. How do you define mental toughness?
3. Do you have any limiting beliefs?
4. How do you cope with burnout?
5. What’s your relationship with perfectionism?

And you know we love to talk about dialectics. The athletes shared some of the opposing truths they try to navigate day-to-day, such as:

* how to enjoy a time of newfound independence while being told what to eat, when to wake up, and what classes to take
* I need to put myself first and I need to put my team first
* I know I’m more than a number, and my ranking/score/stats often define my success.

One thing was clear across all the answers. These students kick ass. Ok, more specifically, these students are bravely redefining what it means to kick ass. To them, mental toughness includes words like “flexibility.” They show up for their team, even when that means cheering from the bench. And they’re actively fighting back thoughts that keep them stuck.

Liz and I take these discussions and expand on:
* how to untangle perfectionism from motivation and peak performance
* key tips on how to notice burnout starting before you’re already fried to a crisp
* ways to diversify your “activity diet” so that you can keep perspective.

In next week’s episode we’ll talk to former athletes (whether by choice or not) and how they’ve found ways to shift their identity from “student athlete” to “student.”

RESOURCES:
A short video which discusses how to balance out your “activity diet” using the Healthy Mind Platter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ_m9rkIcak

Morgan’s Message™ Foundation and the Mental Matchup and Podcast:
https://www.morgansmessage.org/the-mental-matchup-podcast

Want to share your story, give us feedback or offer up an episode idea? Reach out! We'd love to hear from you.

Insta: @collegeisfinepodcast
Tik Tok: @collegeisfinepodcast
Email: collegeisfinepodcast@gmail.com

Music is Deadbeats by Rex Banner

A recent study showed that over 70% of college students are getting consistently less than 7 hours of sleep a night. That’s not a great number, especially when you consider that healthy sleep habits are linked to higher college GPAs. So if sleep is so important to doing well in college, why is it often at the bottom of the priority list?

Sleeping is underrated in college and is usually saved for the weekends after a long week of studying and a weekend of celebrating your academic efforts. To make matters worse, college students are often managing a lot of responsibilities, between school, friends, family, work, and sleep seems like the only thing they can sacrifice to get it all done. In this two part series, we talk to a college student who realized the consequences of poor sleep and got things back on track, and we talk to two sleep experts who provide all the sleep facts and tips to help make your sleep better.

In this week’s episode we sit down with Dr. Shelby Harris, a nationally renowned sleep expert who sets us straight on why we shouldn’t skimp on sleep. Make sure to follow her @sleepdocshelby for easy tips and helpful reminders.

Books:

https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Your-Mind-Get-Sleep/dp/1572246278/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3T3M9YBJUEMWC&keywords=colleen+carney&qid=1675820535&s=books&sprefix=colleen+carney%2Cstripbooks%2C94&sr=1-1

Good Night Mind for Teens

https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Mind-Teens-Thoughts-Solutions/dp/1684034388/ref=sr_1_4?crid=35MC7ZNEHVK6Q&keywords=teens+sleep+book&qid=1675820648&s=books&sprefix=teens+sleep+book%2Cstripbooks%2C94&sr=1-4

Podcasts:

Sleep Unplugged with Dr. Chris Winter

https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1631914841

Articles:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/melodywilding/2023/01/31/how-to-turn-your-brain-off-at-night-according-to-a-sleep-psychologist/?sh=52ee1aff3077

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/13/well/an-underappreciated-key-to-college-success-sleep.html

American Academy of Sleep Medicine:

https://aasm.org/college-students-getting-enough-sleep-is-vital-to-academic-success/

Want to share your story, give us feedback or offer up an episode idea? Reach out! We'd love to hear from you.

Insta: @collegeisfinepodcast
Tik Tok: @collegeisfinepodcast
Email: collegeisfinepodcast@gmail.com

Music is Deadbeats by Rex Banner

Now that you know the worry myths to look out for, the next step is to figure out whether your worry is actual or hypothetical. This is easier said than done. But knowing the difference is key. Why? Because knowing the difference leads you to the most effective way to manage it. We promise this will make sense once you listen. You will leave this episode with a worry decision tree to help you categorize what type of worry you are struggling with and then what action steps are most beneficial.

Resources:
Worry Fact Sheet
https://www.abct.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Worry.pdf

Self-help/CBT Treatment Books on Worry:
https://www.amazon.com/Treating-Generalized-Anxiety-Disorder-Evidence-Based/dp/1593850395

https://www.amazon.com/Worry-Cure-Seven-Steps-Stopping/dp/1400097665/ref=asc_df_1400097665/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312031138203&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3074624005797408493&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003430&hvtargid=pla-433828146928&psc=1

Want to share your story, give us feedback or offer up an episode idea? Reach out! We'd love to hear from you.

Insta: @collegeisfinepodcast
Tik Tok: @collegeisfinepodcast
Email: collegeisfinepodcast@gmail.com

Music is Deadbeats by Rex Banner

By the time you have gotten to college, you have probably been exposed to metaphors. Whether you are telling your friends "you are drowning in work" or you're sitting in an English 101 class, metaphors are literally everywhere. In this week's microdose episode, we discuss how metaphors can be important life shortcuts. We sit down and share some of our favorites and how they're powerful tools that can help us learn and grow.

Want to share your story, give us feedback or offer up an episode idea? Reach out! We'd love to hear from you.

Insta: @collegeisfinepodcast
Tik Tok: @collegeisfinepodcast
Email: collegeisfinepodcast@gmail.com

Music is Deadbeats by Rex Banner