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Episode 1: Tawara Goode On What Does It Mean To ‘Thrive’?

Introducing: Thrive Dispatches Podcast

Today, we’re thrilled to announce the release of Thrive Dispatches Podcast, from Thrive Center for Children, Families, and Communities at Georgetown University. Every two weeks, we’ll release a new episode featuring a personal and illuminating conversation with experts from Thrive Center — and beyond.

Their discussions cover some of the most pressing questions affecting the mental health and well being of children, families, and communities today.  Topics include: resilience frameworks, the nuances of self-determination, how organizations can scale their impact, and why it is critical to partner with the communities we serve.  Thank you to our guests for sharing not only their professional expertise but also their personal stories and motivations that drive them to do this work.

For questions, comments or ideas for future episodes, please email us at: thrivecenter@georgetown.edu

About the episode:

In this first episode of Thrive Dispatches, Matt chats with Thrive faculty member Tawara Goode about what it means, exactly, to thrive in the context of her work with child and family mental health and well-being.

Tawara Goode is an Associate Professor and the director of Georgetown University’s National Center for Cultural Competence and the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. A primary area of focus for Professor Goode is national level efforts to advance and sustain cultural and linguistic competence within an array of settings including but not limited to institutions of higher education, health, mental health, disability, education, and other human service systems.

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Summary:

In the following excerpt, Matt and Tawara discuss the meaning and cultural context of Thriving

Matt: ****We chose the name Thrive Center for Children, Families, and Communities because we hoped to convey a core belief that shapes our work. The belief that every child, every family, every individual, every community deserves the opportunity to thrive.

And so we thought that this name was both aspirational, because we certainly aren’t there yet in our world, and also urgent, because I can’t imagine anything being more important. I’d love to hear your reflections on your reactions to the name and how you define Thrive.

Tawara: So, thank you, Matt. I have a very positive reaction to the name Thrive, as we’ve had in other discussions, because it is something that we want to see every person locally, nationally, and quite frankly, globally, to be able to have this experience in their life. And as I think about Thrive, first of all, I looked up Thrive to see how close my definition aligned with accepted definitions. And I saw some similarities and also saw some differences.

So common terms and dictionaries define Thrive as flourishing, prospering, growing, and developing well. To me this means being healthy and well, and that would be physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and have the necessary resources to live one’s life to the fullest. And that means to me that that life is self-determined. And as struggles arise, because they definitely will arise, having the strength, courage, and support to make it through to the other side. So that’s how I’m looking at “thrive” just through my lens.

Matt: When you talk about thriving, you’re sort of talking about today and you’re also talking about the future. You’re talking about what does it mean to feel well and whole today and what does it mean to have a sense of a future that is promising and worth aiming toward. Am I capturing some of your thoughts accurately?

Tawara: Yes, and I would add another temporal element to that. And I would look at the past. And I say that because people do look toward the past to see where they are now.

Matt: I agree. And it gets into thinking about purpose as well. Because knowing where we’re going and what is worth living for and who is worth living for is really grounded in what’s come before. Right?

Tawara: Yes, I absolutely agree. And one’s concept of thrive. Obviously, to me, I think that the whole concept is it has a cultural lens and a cultural depth and complexity. But how you view thrive is influenced by the environment in which you live, and many of the cultural norms and practices — and quite frankly, your experience of life.

So when we look at people across this country — locally and across the country and also globally — life experience is very significantly. And so I think that as you think about “thrive” and the true meaning of thrive and it being culturally defined, that it has significant contextual realities.

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