Session 2 begins with an urgent conversation with Heidi Baskfield of Children's Hospital Colorado about the youth mental health crisis. "We need to know when we see the signs, know when to hand it off, and know who to hand it off to"

"Pediatricians aren't trained in mental health... but they could be, and they probably should be" — Heidi Baskfield of Children's Hospital Colorado #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

"Good mental health starts in utero." Heidi Baskfield of Children's Hospital Colorado calls for strong prenatal care to help with the mental health crisis among kids. If we don't do this and more, "the lockdown generation becomes the lost generation" #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

Andrea and Amelia LeClaire together in the hospital during Amelia's cancer treatment, and Andrea and Amelia today. Amelia was part of the inspiration behind Andrea's Ph.D dissertation on parents' perception of their adolescents' mental health journeys. #tedxccw #tedwomen #whatnow

A stunner from Andrea and Amelia LeClaire: 1 in 6 American adolescents has, or at some point has had, a suicide plan #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

"In no universe should someone's mental health issues become severe enough that they have to go to the emergency room because there was nowhere else to go." Thank you, Amelia 👏

Giant brain onstage? Giant brain onstage. Comedian Mimi Hayes talks about her near-death experience and how laughter was "a gateway drug" to look past her own trauma #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

Brain bleeding almost took Mimi Hayes a few years ago, but only recently did she come to an important realization: "It's okay to not be okay, and sometimes for a long time. It's okay to get therapy. It's okay to seek community." #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

Mother and children's book writer Sushmita Kirkland says the younger we can start introducing kids to the world's diversity the better — in their first years of life, they create between 700 and 1,000 new neural connections *per second* #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

Sushmita Kirkland's advice: Explore and travel with your kids. If traveling abroad isn't an option, travel around your state and your city and expose them — and yourself — to different people, art, and culture #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

.Kelly O'Connor, MA, CSA, CDP tells us about a phenomenon too often overlooked: Many people lose their sense of purpose when they reach senior-living age. The key, this "goldenista" says, is reimagining how we approach and address people 65 and older #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

Autonomy, community, (self-)advocacy, good health: These are the keys to improving the quality of our aging. "If we want a busy later life, we need to learn how to take care of ourselves today," Kelly O'Connor, MA, CSA, CDP says #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

What many today call "the Great Resignation" was a personal journey long before that for deepa purushothaman. As a woman of color, she says many of us erase who we are in the pursuit of success #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

There are messages we need to shed and messages we need to carry, deepa purushothaman says. Shed: work harder to get half as far, we should be thankful we got there, don’t rock the boat, there’s one seat at the table & we all need to fight for it #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

Once women of color shed the negative messages, they can carry these instead, deepa purushothaman says: Remember where we come from, that we can lead in more ways than we do, and that we come from cultures that believed in community success #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

From TEDx Cherry Creek volunteer to presenter one year later: Dr. Ali Hill, managing partner of Sound Advice Consulting Services, returns to the red dot to talk about finding women's equality through entrepreneurship #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

"There was a way life was before [sexual assault,] and there was a way life was after." Michelle Gay talks about learning of her best friend's assault. It changed hers, too: She became a rape crisis advocate & teaches about personal protection #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

Michelle Gay with poignant questions for us all: "Ask yourself: Am I saying 'no' right now, and is the person respecting my 'no?' Also ask yourself: Is this person saying 'no' right now, and am I respecting that 'no?'" #tedxccw #tedxcc #tedwomen #whatnow

Our day concludes by bringing all of our speakers back onstage one more time. Thank you to our speakers, to the TEDx Cherry Creek Women team, and to you for your support. "What now?" was this year's question; YOU are the answer 💪

Our second session: 10 speakers, one brain suit, so many memories. ❤️ Thank you all for the learning, the sharing, and the inspiration!