UNBOUND: Saybrook Insights with the President

Matthew Nehmer, Ph.D., joins Saybrook University President Nathan Long, Ed.D., on UNBOUND to discuss the unique law degree programs offered by The Colleges of Law, the benefits of a community approach to building collaboration among colleges and universities, and how institutions can stay abreast of the many changes affecting students, faculty, and higher education.

Dr. Matthew Nehmer is president of The Colleges of Law, a nonprofit law school with campuses online and in Ventura and Santa Barbara, California.

Saybrook University and The Colleges of Law are part of the TCS Education System, a nonprofit system of colleges and universities advancing student success and community impact. Fueled by radical cooperation, TCS fosters strategic partnerships that emphasize economies of scale, academic innovation, risk mitigation, and resourceful business solutions, to maximize the educational experience of all of their students.

Catch up on past episodes of UNBOUND: Saybrook Insights on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you download your favorite shows. Visit https://linktr.ee/saybrookinsights to learn more. Visit the TCS Education System at https://www.tcsedsystem.edu/. Visit The Colleges of Law at https://www.collegesoflaw.edu/. Visit Saybrook University at https://www.saybrook.edu/.

#lawschool #mal #highereducation #educationsystem

Hey everyone, Nathan here, President of Saybrook University. Welcome to another episode of Saybrook Insights. A recent article in the Biz Journals called out the fact that more and more businesses are turning to apps, coaches, and engagement to support employee health, well-being, and loyalty - in essence, creating a set of differentiators for job seekers looking for the whole shebang when it comes to work-life balance. As per the article:

"Some may think the current struggles employers face with finding qualified talent was a consequence of the pandemic. But consider the end of 2019, when unemployment was at a near-historic low of 3.6%. Finding top talent was a real struggle. By the next quarter, the pandemic sent millions home to work - or forced layoffs as business performance slid. Whether the great resignation, great retirement, or the unforeseen consequences of billions of dollars in stimulus money sent to idled workers, companies struggled to retain existing employees or find new ones. Underlying this transformation was an already growing desire among employees to work at “employers of choice” - organizations with a reputation for paying well, nurturing a culture employees could embrace, and providing benefits that drove health, wellness and peace of mind. The best in the marketplace found success in creating healthy and engaging corporate cultures."
The big takeaways from the article stressed several areas, including paying larger portions of health benefits for employees to mental health apps and tapping into a wellness coaching model one city uses that support employees in their wellness goals, future planning, and the like. This last piece is of particular interest to me here in that having a coach - someone to encourage, to hold us accountable - makes such a difference in reaching our goals. At a very basic level, in my health journey, a close friend of mine teamed up for three years to lose weight in a different, mindful, and healthful way. Because of this mutual support, we were able to achieve our goals, hold each other accountable, and share in our successes and failures. Now that's an oversimplification of the wellness coaching concept, but in short, it demonstrates the point that such an approach can have a powerful impact. But what about more formal wellness coaching? How does it work? Is there training involved? What is the research that backs it up?

Enter Dr. Julie Cerrato, a faculty member in our College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences and specialization director for our Wellness Coaching specialization. She's known across our university as deeply dedicated to the work of wellness coaching and its integration into various programs. What's also pretty outstanding is the success she's seen over the years and the students that have benefitted as a result. I'm hoping to learn much more about the whole coaching phenomenon...All right - let's get to it with Dr. Julie Cerrato.

Today’s episode is part of a new feature entitled “The Saybrook Experience” in which I connect with students, faculty, staff, and alumni about what it’s like to be part of our unique, powerful institution. I met several students and alumni each of whom brought unique insights from their time at Saybrook. I think you’ll find each of their stories extremely inspiring, highlighting the power of a Saybrook educational experience.
Students and Alumni Participating in this Episode

• Merraf Abel ([email protected])
• Jannelle Means (www.jannellemeans.com)
• Richard Oelberger (www.richardlistens.com)
• Heather Pate ([email protected])
• Tracy Sisk (www.relationalpath.com & [email protected])

Season 2, Episode 15: In this practice Dr Cliff Smyth leads you though an image of breath drawing on the powers of the earth and sky to find a sense of spaciousness in the body – a sense of space that may allow you to hold difficulties, and find greater balance and peace.

Podcast Reboot: Season 1, Episode 1
(To learn more about our university, visit us at www.saybrook.edu. )
Today’s episode is also our inaugural episode for our podcast reboot and was recorded one year ago during the height of our 50th-anniversary proceedings. We feature alumnus Dr. Frederick or Rick Gilbert (1977). Rick and I had the pleasure of meeting early in my presidency, becoming fast friends. He has led a rich and amazing life, much of it informed by his Ph.D. work at Saybrook University. Carmen and I dig into his history, the secret of his many successes, and his overall joi de vivre. This colorful interview in which I am joined by Carmen Bowen is a must-listen: Rick’s inspiring and beautiful articulation of his life’s work was truly a joy to witness.

A little bit more about Rick: He is the founder of PowerSpeaking, Inc., a speech communication training company in Redwood City. With its highly skilled trainers and facilitators, PSI delivers over 300 programs a year nationally and around the world.

Before starting his own company, Rick held quality improvement and communications management positions with Hewlett Packard and Amdahl corporations in Silicon Valley.

Rick's coaching of over 200 senior-level executives led to the creation of the award-winning training program: Speaking Up: Presenting to Executives. His best-selling book, “Speaking Up: Surviving Executive Presentations” was published by Berrett-Koehler and can be found on Amazon. We’ve also included a link in the episode notes along with his newest audiobook Sharing Our Stories: Tales of Resilience and Renewal.

Rick holds a PhD in humanistic psychology from Saybrook University.
Read More About Rick Below

• Order his Book on Executive Presentations: Speaking Up: Surviving Executive Presentations
• Order his Audio Book: Sharing Our Stories: Tales of Resilience and Renewal
• Rick's Website