MCEC Podcast

"It is a community to be seen and to be heard."

Military-connected children make up a community of friends, advocates, caregivers, and leaders, and today we sit down with Seylah Stephens to hear what that looks like in her own life. Her honest, encouraging words are a reminder that no one has to go it alone, and that being recognized as you are may be one of the greatest gifts there is. Seylah shares her story of finding her place, first within her family, and then alongside other young people who understood her experience, and how that sense of belonging became the foundation for her own leadership.

SHOW NOTES

 

Biography for Seylah Stephens: 

Seylah tells us: "I am currently studying clinical psychology at University of California, San Diego. In my free time, I really enjoy being out in nature and practicing self care! Connecting with others is a huge part of my life, and hanging with my loved ones such as my family and friends keeps me grounded and motivated."

 

Resources:

Military Child Education Coalition Website

 

David Nguyễn, Mr. International Student Self-Efficacy of Leadership: A Within-Group Analysis. 2015.

Dugan, J. P., Garland, J. L., Jacoby, B., & Gasiorski, A. (2008). Understanding Commuter Student Self-Efficacy for Leadership: A Within-Group Analysis. NASPA Journal, 45(2), 282–310. https://doi.org/10.2202/1949-6605.1951

Oberle E. Social-emotional competence and early adolescents' peer acceptance in school: Examining the role of afternoon cortisol. PLoS One. 2018 Feb 20;13(2):e0192639. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192639. PMID: 29462163; PMCID: PMC5819800. 

Parkhill, C.L. Deans, L.A. Chapin. Pre-leadership processes in leadership training for adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review, Volume 88, 2018, Pages 375-379.

Shah EN, Szwedo DE and Allen JP (2024) Adolescent close friendships, self-perceived social acceptance, and peer-rated likeability as predictors of wellbeing in young adulthood. Front. Dev. Psychol. 2:1435727. doi: 10.3389/fdpys.2024.1435727

 

 

This episode is provided by generous funding from the USAA Foundation.

 

Mixed and mastered by Concentus, Media, Inc., Temple, Texas, USA.

 

Related MCEC Podcast Episodes:

• The Other Kind of Service - Caregiving Youth published 9.2.26

• Military Kids as Caregivers published 4.29.25

• S2S: Students Supporting Students published 5.25.25

 

 

 

Before school. After school. In the middle of the night when something goes wrong. Liz, Kasen, and Audrey have all learned to carry weight most of their peers never have to think about. They show up and care for a family member who needs them, again and again, in ways that rarely get noticed and even more rarely get thanked. They're not alone: an estimated 3.4-5.4 million youth provide essential caregiving in the U.S., and yet there's no national system in place at schools, hospitals, or doctor's offices to even recognize a child as a caregiver. In this episode, these three incredible young people open up about what that invisible work actually looks like day to day: the responsibility that arrives too early, the exhaustion that goes unspoken, and just how rare it was to feel truly understood — until they found other kids living the same reality. They talk about what changed when they found each other at MCEC, and what it means to finally feel seen and heard by people who simply get it. Julie Coffey, who helps lead the Caregiving Youth Student Leadership Program, joins the conversation to share how the program gives these young caregivers something they didn't know they were missing — a peer community built around the kind of service no one sees, but everyone needs.

 

SHOW NOTES

Guests: 

Liz. Kasen. Audrey.

Julie Coffey: our beloved Student Well-Being Manager at MCEC. Julie manages the Caregiving Youth Student Leadership Program, as well as many of our other student initiatives, like Student-2-Student (s2s) and the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Program. As a former educator, counselor, and a military-connected Caregiving Youth herself, Julie dedicates herself to helping military-connected students recognize their place of belonging in this world.

Resources:

https://militarychild.org

 

Information about the Caregiving Youth Student Leadership Program:

https://militarychild.org/programs-and-initiatives/caregiving-youth-student-leadership-program/

 

Citations:

Armstrong-Carter E, Siskowski C, Cornish NR, Olson E. Adolescents' caregiving for family: Associations with mental health and academic performance. J Res Adolesc. 2025 Sep;35(3):e70045. doi: 10.1111/jora.70045. PMID: 40586181; PMCID: PMC12221208.

 

Miller KEM, Hart JL, Useche Rosania M, Coe NB. Youth Caregivers of Adults in the United States: Prevalence and the Association Between Caregiving and Education. Demography. 2024 Jun 1;61(3):829-847. doi: 10.1215/00703370-11383976. PMID: 38785364; PMCID: PMC11539003.

 

Mixed and mastered by Concentus Media, Inc., Temple, Texas, USA.

 

This episode is made possible by generous funding from the USAA Foundation.

 

Related MCEC Podcast Episodes:

• Military Kids as Caregivers published 4.29.25
• S2S: Students Supporting Students published 5.25.25
• S2S: Helping Students Succeed published 8.20.24

 

Every child faces some level of stress, and for many, that includes Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, which can increase the risk of mental health struggles down the road. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Whitney Raglin Bignall, Associate Clinical Director at The Kids Mental Health Foundation, about how protective factors like strong relationships, a sense of belonging, and yes, JOY, can help buffer kids against that risk. We explore what protective factors actually are, how they work alongside joy to build real resilience, and simple ways caregivers, educators, and communities can strengthen them in a child's everyday life. It's a grounded, hopeful conversation about turning joy into more than just a nice moment, but a genuine source of protection for kids facing hard things.

 

Show Notes:

Mixed and mastered by Concentus Media, Temple, Texas, USA.

This show is provided by generous funding by the USAA Foundation.

Biography for Dr. Whitney Raglin Bignall: 

Dr. Raglin Bignall is the Associate Clinical Director of The Kids Mental Health Foundation and the Director of Community Impact and Evaluation, where she utilizes her expertise in mental health disparities, cultural factors, and community partnerships to drive the foundation's mission to give expert-created resources to all U.S. communities so everyone can understand and promote children's mental health. Her vision is to build a world where mental health is a part of the upbringing of every single child. She enjoys having the opportunity to build relationships that break stigma and provide care that includes the whole child, family and community. She strives to become part of a family's village and network of care because she knows how essential and influential each member of that network can be.

 

Resources:

https://www.kidsmentalhealthfoundation.org/

 

https://militarychild.org

 

https://www.cdc.gov/aces/about/index.html

 

Broaden & Build Theory:

Fredrickson BL. What Good Are Positive Emotions? Rev Gen Psychol. 1998 Sep;2(3):300-319. doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.300. PMID: 21850154; PMCID: PMC3156001.

Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226.

 

Related MCEC Podcasts for Deeper Listening:

• The Power of Positive Childhood Experiences, published 7.30.2024
• Mental Health Care and Military Families, published 9.10.2024
• Mental Health Education in Schools, published 9.19.2023

 

Here, at Brooklyn Youth Sports Club, values are built in young people each moment as they enter into a study-to-play contract, minute for minute. Commitment, integrity, service, and dedication are just a few of the life-skills that BKYSC teaches alongside basketball, business, and trust. The students at BKYSC face many challenges, as do military-connected students: transitory lifestyles, instability and the stress-factors associated with it, and all of the typical struggles of adolescence. How do we, as caregivers to young people, best help? Stay present, whether physically or mentally. How do you create a community? Build it. How do you invest in the future? Speak it into existence, and then show up every day, day-after-day, and expect great things from your kids. They will rise.

 

Show Notes:

 

This show is made possible through generous funding from USAA.

 

Mixing and mastering from Concentus Media, Inc., Temple, Texas, USA.

 

 

Resources:

 

Brooklyn Youth Sports Club

https://www.brooklynyouthsportsclub.org/

 

Military Child Education Coalition:

https://militarychild.org

 

 

Pygmalion Effect:

Eden, D., & Shani, A. B. (1982). Pygmalion goes to boot camp: Expectancy, leadership, and trainee performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 67(2), 194–199.

 

Confirmation Bias:

Wason, P. C. (1960). On the failure to eliminate hypotheses in a conceptual task. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 12, 129–140.

 

Biography for Guest Host, Damon Lawrence:

Damon Lawrence is formally know as the Director of Programs and Family Engagement for Brooklyn Youth Sports Club. Also know as, "Coach Dame", or "Dad", Damon can ball with the best of them or suit up for corporate work. These days, he focuses on instilling the values that young people will carry with themselves throughout their lives, values that Damon's own community helped pour into him at a young age. With a large family and an even larger community, they helped give him the jumping off point to become the man he is. For the kids at BKYSC, despite the many setbacks they may face due to life circumstance, he has helped them create an vision of growth, expansion, and excellence.

 

 

Imagine moving every year (or more)! Finding a new dentist, a new doctor, a new playground, the best spot for coffee, a haircut, a new school, a new friend! Now, visualize having all of these tasks and a child with special needs who needs supportive services right away.

We sat down with the legal analyst and the director of research from Partners in PROMISE to talk about what the data really says about military-connected special needs families, and why every number in that research represents a family figuring out how to make it work, again and again. Behind every policy gap and every statistic is a parent who's become an expert in something they never signed up for.

Come for the research. Stay to witness the incredible lengths these families go to, providing emotional stability and educational continuity for their children.

Show Notes:

This podcast is made possible through generous funding by the USAA Foundation.

 

This show is mixed by Concentus Media in Temple, Texas, USA.

 

Resources:

 

Partners in PROMISE

https://thepromiseact.org/

 

Partners in PROMISE Data & Reports

https://thepromiseact.org/our-data/

 

Military Child Education Coalition

https://militarychild.org

 

Our Guests:

Crystal DeVoss Mahany, MA, MPS

Crystal has worked as a paralegal, advocate, policy researcher, and legal analyst in Special Education Law, and has taught courses on Special Education as a Civil Right and Disability as a Tenet of Diversity. A founding member of Partners in PROMISE, she serves as Adjunct Faculty at George Washington University. As a military spouse and mother to two military-connected sons with special needs, Crystal is a fierce advocate with a focus on Civil Rights, Disability Rights, and Special Education Law.

 

Dr. Jenna Kremkow

Jenna is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Elmhurst University, where her research focuses on the experiences of military families with children with autism and the use of technology to improve communication outcomes for these families. She holds an MS and PhD from Penn State with an emphasis in autism and augmentative and alternative communication, and has worked clinically as a speech-language pathologist in schools, clinics, and early intervention settings. Her goal is to use data-driven research to support policy changes that improve special education services for military families.

 

 

Picture this: the cool kids, the right clothes, the music that impresses, covering that acne, wiping those sweaty palms, and most importantly, getting the kids to include you, even though you’ve moved three times in these four years of high school. High school can be rough, especially if you’re moving every year or more often. With an Orion Scholarship, though, a homebase for your high school years is possible, and affordable. So maybe, you can at least face the challenges of high school with the same familiar faces by your side, because everyone deserves to be known.

Join us to learn more about the Orion Military Scholars Program and how you can become a part of it today.

 

Show Notes:

Audio mixing by Concentus Media, Inc., Temple, Texas, USA.

This podcast is made possible by generous funding from the USAA Foundation.

 

Resources: 

 

The Orion Military Scholars

https://orionmilitary.org

 

Military Child Education Coalition

https://militarychild.org

 

Biography for guest host Lisa Smith Molinari:

 

Co-founder of national nonprofit Orion Military Scholars, award-winning author, attorney, military spouse, and mom, our guest Lisa Molinari's talents are far-reaching and have a wide and deep impact. Her focus on helping families stems from her lived experience, and her approach to life is full of humor, practical strategies, compassion, and the wisdom that only comes from weathering storms.

The Orion Military Scholars Program provides financial resources to military-connected students so they can have a consistent high school experience, without moves, at boarding schools across the country that provide excellent educational and social opportunities. Lisa is there to walk families through every step of the way as they navigate the application and process to become Orion Military Scholars.

 

As a staple of our childhoods and a safe space for our children, we all know and love Sesame Street. Perhaps we were unaware of the resources available specific to military families. Join us and long-time expert and representative of Sesame Street, Rocio Galarza, as we explore the exciting website for families, educators, and community members who support military-connected children on Sesame Street for Military Families! Wellness, everyday challenges, deployments, grief, healing, military life, routines, and building bonds are just a few of the topics that you can find outstanding resources and activities made for you and your child. In this episode, we highlight the recent updates to the website that make it even more user friendly for educators and families.

 

Show Notes:

Audio mixing by Concentus Media, Inc., Temple, Texas. 

 

This podcast is made possible by generous funding from the USAA Foundation.

 

 

Resources:

Sesame Street for Military Families

https://sesamestreetformilitaryfamilies.org/

 

Military Child Education Coalition

https://militarychild.org/

 

Military OneSource

https://militaryonesource.mil

 

 

Biography for guest host Rocio Galarza:

Rocio is the Vice President for Sesame Street's U.S. Educational Programs, targeting social impact and how to connect families with necessary resources. She has been with Sesame Street for over twenty years and has consistently focused on Social Emotional well-being for children and families, as well as how to strategize on a larger national scale to secure resources for programs providing this safety at scale. We are honored to explore the recent updates to the website Sesame Street for Military Families with Rocio!

Stability in Motion 

Description: Listen as Mary Bier, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC), discusses what military-connected children need most to thrive amid constant change. Drawing on both professional leadership and lived experience as a military parent, she reflects on the importance of stability, belonging, and prepared adults. This conversation offers parents and educators thoughtful insight into how consistent support helps military kids learn, lead, and feel grounded wherever they go. 

This podcast is made possible by generous funding from the USAA Foundation.    

Audio mixing by Concentus Media, Inc., Temple, Texas.  

Bio:  Mary Bier, President & Chief Executive Officer of MCEC

 Mary Bier, MBA, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC). A seasoned leader with more than 20 years of experience in business strategy, organizational leadership, and community engagement, she brings a dynamic vision to MCEC’s mission of ensuring every military-connected child has access to quality educational opportunities.  

As a military spouse and parent, Bier has firsthand insight into the unique challenges and strengths of military families. This lived experience fuels her passion for advocating for military-connected students, ensuring they receive the educational support and opportunities they deserve.  

Bier’s professional background spans both the corporate and nonprofit sectors, where she has successfully led high-impact initiatives, built collaborative partnerships, and served as a subject matter expert on veteran and military family issues. She has been invited to the White House to share insights on military-connected programs, testified before the New York City Department of Veteran Affairs, and facilitated expert panels on military family well-being.  

Prior to joining MCEC, Bier held leadership roles in business strategy, customer success, and military initiatives, where she was instrumental in scaling operations, optimizing talent development, and fostering inclusive organizational cultures. Her ability to translate strategic goals into actionable outcomes has driven mission impact across multiple organizations.  

At MCEC, Bier is committed to expanding the organization’s reach, deepening partnerships, and championing the needs of military-connected children. Under her leadership, MCEC will continue to be a trusted resource for families, educators, and policymakers dedicated to supporting military students on their educational journey.  

Bier holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on Management and Organizational Behavior and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from California Lutheran University.  

She resides with her family in Madison, Wisconsin.  

 

  

  

  

 

Baileigh Levée is a military spouse, mom, and personal blogger. She discusses how her military family has navigated holiday celebrations and traditions over the years, while living all over the world. She shares tips and resources for creating new holiday traditions and making it fun for the whole family.

 

This podcast is made possible by generous funding from the Air and Space Forces Spouses’ Club of Washington, D.C. To learn more, visit https://www.afoscdc.com/.

 

Audio mixing by Concentus Media, Inc., Temple, Texas.

 

Show Notes:

 

Bio:

Baileigh Levée

Growing up in small town Louisiana, though we proudly boasted a local Air Force Base, I had little to no knowledge of military service or the military lifestyle.  My experience was likely the same as most Americans: It was a story my dad told, an old image of my grandfather in a uniform, it was comforting and the source of pride.  But yet, it was distant and irrelevant to me as a kid.

 

In life, expect the unexpected.

 

I met my now Marine as a freshman in college, and together we have been married 15 years with three children. Therefore, the military lifestyle is ALL they know. While their birth certificates are part of their origin story, if you ask them where they are from, they will quickly answer, “everywhere.”  East coast to west coast and now with two duty stations in foreign countries, our family motto is “home is where we are together.” 

 

Becoming a wife and mother in a lifestyle that was unchartered territory for me has been both thrilling and humbling. There are many days when I cannot believe that this is my life, as it is such a departure from the small town where I grew up. The challenges I’ve faced have challenged everything I know. Through the highs and lows, from every address, my experience as a military spouse and mother has been my greatest adventure and accomplishment. I have found personal joy and a creative outlet in sharing our story and experiences in the hopes that it stands as a way for us to relate to others, as well as an opportunity to virtually take our family and friends along with us. No matter where we go, we have found these principals to be universal:

• Home is people, not places.
• Value those things that have no price tag.
• No grit, no pearl.

www.LeveesinLondon.com

 

Resources:

Activity Advent Calendar Template

https://www.leveesinlondon.com/_files/ugd/71da9b_53714a40cd8d48beafa747d95777399d.pdf

BigFuture’s mission is to ensure every student has free resources to plan for life after high school.  Listen as Greg Rafal, Director of BigFuture Program Implementation at College Board, shares how they are focused on supporting all students plan for their future.  He also discusses the importance of consistent college and career guidance for our military-connected students, and how BigFuture is helping do just that.

 

This podcast is made possible by generous funding from the Naval Officers’ Spouses’ Club Washington, D.C. To learn more, visit  https://www.noscdc.org/.

 

Audio mixing by Concentus Media, Inc., Temple, Texas.

 

Show Notes:

 

Resources:

 

The College Board

https://www.collegeboard.org/

 

BigFuture

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/

 

Student Search Service

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/student-search-service

 

Bio:

Greg Rafal is the Director of BigFuture Program Implementation at College Board. In this role, his focus is to increase K-12 and caring adult awareness of BigFuture and to lead the BigFuture Live virtual community event strategy. Prior to his role at College Board, he worked in higher education. Most recently he was at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business where he oversaw global programs for undergraduate and MBA students.  He also worked in international student admissions and student affairs at several other institutions.  He received his MA in International Education and Training from American University and BA in Spanish/Political Science from Christopher Newport University. Greg is originally from northern Virginia and is based in Washington, DC.