Well-Bean

11/27/2025

This day carries history, memory, and emotion in equal measure.

It asks us to honor the truth of the land and the people who came before us, to hold compassion for the pain still present, and to extend tenderness to all who find today difficult.

And within that truth, many will also gather in gratitude, for family, for tradition, for connection, for breath.

Grief and gratitude are not opposites. There is room for both.

11/21/2025

We’re super excited to share that we’ll be offering our Little Sprouts Kids Yoga + Mindfulness classes this winter, beginning in January. We’ll be running three winter sessions (January–March) for youth ages 7–11.

These classes will be facilitated by Lisa Gernand, LMSW, one of our mental health therapists at Well-Bean. Lisa will be leading the Little Sprouts curriculum, bringing her clinical background and warm, grounded presence into each class!

Little Sprouts is a lively, fun-filled 45-minute class where children practice skills that build awareness and resilience through movement, breath, and mindful play. Each class includes breathing practices for regulation, playful movement, and cooperative games that nurture relational awareness and collective care. We end each class with a relaxation and loving-kindness practice. Class sizes are limited to 8 children.

Registration is now open and required: https://www.wellbean.us/little-sprouts.html

DATES + TIME
Saturdays @ 11:00-11:45 a.m.
January 24th
February 21st
March 21st

Please help us spread the word by sharing with other families who may be interested.

Thanks for your support and for being part of our Well-Bean community!

11/20/2025

The invitation to speak to professionals and peers is always exciting and, if I’m honest, a little anxiety-provoking. My nervous system doesn’t naturally love being in front of a room, and for a long time that felt like a barrier.

But through my own work with nervous system awareness, regulation, and learning to understand (and befriend) the ways my body communicates, I’ve found enough steadiness to share this work beyond the spaces that feel most natural to me.

Working with kids will always be my jam - that’s where I come alive. So when I’m asked to speak with other professionals, it stretches me in good ways.

Today I had the chance to travel back to my hometown and spend time presenting with the Youth Impact Partnership, and also learn more about the incredible work they’re doing here in Midland County.

It’s always meaningful to reconnect with familiar faces, meet new ones, and share in the collaborative work of caring for and nurturing our youth.

11/05/2025

Helping kids and teens pause to consider what an emotion might be telling them builds emotional discernment, the space to understand what’s needed before jumping into action. This step turns emotional reactions into emotional wisdom. Visit our latest blog to learn more ▶️

Every emotion carries information, a signal from your body about what matters, what feels safe or unsafe, and what might need care or attention. When an emotion shows up, especially a big or...

11/04/2025

FREE PRESENTATION "Su***de Awareness and Prevention for Caregivers & Communities" presented by Roddia Hill, PsyD with the University of Michigan TRAILS program.

We all play a role in su***de prevention! Please plan to attend the free presentation on Wednesday, November 19, from 6:00-7:30pm ET.

Discussion will take place via Zoom. Registration is required.
Please copy the link into your browser: https://bit.ly/T3-Comm-11-19-25

This presentation will provide participants with an overview of su***de and suicidal behavior in children and adolescents, including risk and protective factors. Participants will learn warning signs (behaviors and characteristics) that may indicate elevated risk for suicidal behavior, and how to intervene.

This presentation is geared toward community members and caregivers.

Participants will receive the following:
- Introduction to TRAILS and core beliefs about su***de prevention
- Recommended language to use when talking about su***de
- Recommendations for safety planning in the home
- Guidance on identifying su***de risks and warning signs and practical steps to address them

10/30/2025

What impacts one impacts us all. With the upcoming loss of SNAP benefits for kids and families, we know the power of community care in uplifting others.

What could that look like?

*Non-perishable food donations to local food banks, organizations, or other charities

*Financial donations to local food banks, organizations, or other charities

*Finding creative ways to support those in your community (sharing skills, food, meals, etc with those in your neighborhood or larger community)

*Utilize online threads or in-person communication to be a 'grocery buddy' to support a family for however long you're able for the month of November

“Nothing exists by itself alone. We all belong to each other; we cannot cut reality into pieces.” -- Thich Nhat Hanh

10/26/2025

Pausing to Observe Change

Change is inevitable, but we rarely pause to notice how we respond to it or we spend a lot of time and energy resisting it. Learning to see and be curious about change in our lives helps us gain insight into our thoughts, feelings, and actions so that we can choose to move through transitions and adapt to change more consciously.

*Find a comfortable posture sitting or standing, either outside or looking through an open window. Take time to tune into the environment around you. Slow down and notice some of the signs that nature is in transition. The days are getting shorter, the temperature is cooler. Notice the trees, leaves, plants, flowers, even the smell of the air.

*Then shift your attention inward. Spend some time paying attention to your breath. Notice how the length and pace of each inhale and exhale may change, even slightly. Name how you feel in this moment. Then, consider how emotions are fleeting, changing from moment to moment. Observe how your attention may shift to different thoughts and images in just a matter of seconds. You might spend time reflecting on changes happening in your life, with no urgency to do anything about it. Just sitting and observing what the texture of change feels like in your body and mind.

When we can be still for just a few minutes we see that there is change constantly happening within and around us. Make it a practice to pause from time to time to observe with curiosity and to reflect on how change is a natural part of life.

10/23/2025

Rest is a coming back to self, stepping out of our to-do lists and the myriad of ways we are kept busy. It is a chance to listen in stillness and give our body what it is asking of us.

As we enter the this season and whatever lies ahead in keeping us busy, may you hold on to the reminders of how very necessary it is for us to rest, how rest doesn't need to be earned, and how you are welcome, simply as you are.

10/22/2025

As the winds of change and changing leaves carry us through autumn, may you hold to this loving kindness meditation in this beautiful season. 🍂

10/17/2025

Nature has not abandoned you
By Karen Kirsch, Wild Grief Co-founder and current Board Member

Do not despair,

this weight that pulls you down,

this sink hole of pain, of grief, is not all that is.

Nature has not abandoned you.

Your cells are carrying on as only they know how.

The grass, dry and brown has roots that live. Unseen.

Small drops of dew roll down those hard dry stalks and sink into the earth.

A limb of the alder has gone from yellow to golden and shrivels, while the rest of the tree remains in mid summer green.

It has volunteered. “I will not take any more nutrients, so the whole of us will survive”

Roots speaking in chemical language, through a series of ever branching hairs, tell others: “we are vulnerable, take care, choose wisely.”

And this heaviness you are feeling is a reminder, keep grounded. Keep in touch with the communication, the pulse, the plans to live, to breathe, to radiate beauty in all its complexity; through ways and means that our glorious but small pre-frontal cortex can’t even begin to imagine.

It is enough to keep our feet on the earth and feel. Go ahead, take off your shoes and feel.

A beautiful poem shared by a member of a beautiful organization (Wild Grief)

10/13/2025

Considering the lived experiences of others is essential to deepening our shared humanity. Stories help us do that — they open our eyes and our hearts.

As we listen and learn from Native peoples, may our awareness be held with compassion for the trauma and loss carried across generations, and with reverence for the strength, resilience, and joy that continue to thrive.

These children’s books share true stories and perspectives of Native peoples in America. Let’s commit to nurturing a more truthful, connected, and compassionate world, beginning in our own homes, classrooms, and communities. The stories we choose to share, honor, and pass down matter.

Consider these recommendations as a starting point for integrating Indigenous-centered literature into your family’s library and reading