Inspiring Wholeness - Hope, healing and helping others: A Central Florida family’s commitment to mental health — with AdventHealth for Children’s Dr. Tina Gurnani

Hope, healing and helping others: A Central Florida family’s commitment to mental health — with AdventHealth for Children’s Dr. Tina Gurnani

03/27/25 • 26 min

Allison Walsh, founder of She Believed She CouldTM Foundation, is a long-time advocate for mental health. She knows that studies show 1 in 4 kids struggle with mental health. She always thought she’d recognize the signs in her own kids, but she didn’t realize how easy they can be to miss. In the winter of 2023, her young daughter Maddie asked for help because her “mental health was decreasing.”

With Allison’s background, she knew how important it was to act swiftly and Dr. Tina Gurnani — a board-certified pediatric psychiatrist with AdventHealth for Children — was one of the first calls she made.

In this episode of the Inspiring Wholeness podcast, presented by AdventHealth in partnership with the OBJ, Allison, Maddie and Gurnani share this inspiring journey about hope, healing and helping others recognize and address mental health issues in children, adolescents and teens.

Listen to this episode to learn about:

Maddie’s story, including finding the courage to ask for help, overcoming her challenges and choosing to be a mental health ambassador
The red flags that suggest a child may be struggling and in need of intervention
Technology’s impact on mental health
How to support the mental well-being of your loved ones
The importance of making mental health part of regular conversations
What AdventHealth for Children is doing to destigmatize mental health

It’s never been more important to talk to your kids about mental health. Learn more about the resources and support available to help children — and their parents by visiting BeAMindLeader.com.

AdventHealth has provided whole-person care for 115 years. Today, our services, including cancer, cardiac, neurosurgery, orthopedics and a dedicated women’s and children’s hospital are rated among the nation’s best. Learn more at feelhealthyfeelwhole.com.
Disclaimer
AdventHealth and the Orlando Business Journal are providing this podcast as a public benefit. This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for any professional advice or medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of AdventHealth or the Orlando Business Journal policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by AdventHealth or the Orlando Business Journal. The views expressed by our guests are their own. Their participation in the podcast does not imply an endorsement by them or any entity they represent. AdventHealth and the Orlando Business Journal hereby disclaim any and all liability to any party for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequence of damages, arising directly or indirectly from any use of the content in this podcast, which is provided, as is, and without warranties.

Listen to this episode to learn about:

Maddie’s story, including finding the courage to ask for help, overcoming her challenges and choosing to be a mental health ambassador
The red flags that suggest a child may be struggling and in need of intervention
Technology’s impact on mental health
How to support the mental well-being of your loved ones
The importance of making mental health part of regular conversations
What AdventHealth for Children is doing to destigmatize mental health

Previous Episode

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and AdventHealth’s Dr. Alric Simmonds on bridging the health gap in Central Florida

Orange County has long worked to level the playing field for those who need access to health care services, said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.

In this episode of the Inspiring Wholeness podcast, presented by AdventHealth in partnership with the OBJ, Demings discusses bridging the health gap in Central Florida with Dr. Alric Simmonds, chief health equity officer and vice president and chief medical officer of AdventHealth's Celebration campus.
Demings is the first African American to serve as the mayor of Orange County. He’s always been a trailblazer, making history as Orlando's first African American police chief, and Orange County’s first African American sheriff.
This episode is a powerful reminder of the collaborative work needed to give everyone access to health care. Tune in to hear about:

What Orange County is doing to bridge the health gap and the biggest progress so far (1:08)
What it means to be the inaugural chief health equity officer at AdventHealth (2:34)
How local governments and health care providers can collaborate more effectively to bridge the health gap in Central Florida (4:57)
Innovative approaches for providing access to health care services in underserved communities (11:16)
Measuring the success of health care initiatives (12:42)
How AdventHealth supports and advances the careers of African American health care professionals and how these efforts contribute to bridging the health gap (22:26)

“What we have to do is get to a point where we’ve giving equitable care — giving care by meeting patients where they are in their struggle,” Simmonds said.

Next Episode

The record need for organ donations and transplants — With AdventHealth’s Dr. Bobby Nibhanupudy and OurLegacy’s Ginny McBride

More than 100,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant in the United States, according to Dr. Bobby Nibhanupudy, medical director of Abdominal Transplant at AdventHealth Transplant Institute and medical director at organ procurement organization OurLegacy.

“In 2024, there were more than 48,000 organ transplants performed. Despite that record, the wait list continues to grow,” Nibhanupudy says.

In this episode of the Inspiring Wholeness podcast, presented by AdventHealth in partnership with the Orlando Business Journal, Nibhanupudy and Ginny McBride, executive director of OurLegacy, talk about the importance of organ donation and transplants.

“Our role with each of these hospitals is to ensure that when there is a potential donor hero at the time of their death, we are there to work with the hospital team and support the family to help them walk through the donation journey in whatever way is appropriate,” McBride says.

Tune in to this episode to hear about: