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What does it really mean to thrive in college? It's about more than grades, choosing the right major, or preparing for a career. It's also about mental wellbeing, belonging, discovering who you are, and building a meaningful life.

In this episode of Good Is What Makes You Feel Well, I’m joined by Jay Hamilton, Stanford University’s Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, to explore how students can make the most of their college experience—academically, personally, and emotionally.

Jay is an economist, educator, and author of You Got In! Now What? 100 Insights into Finding Your Best Life in College. His work at Stanford focuses on connecting students with transformative educational experiences that foster curiosity, critical thinking, personal development, and a lifelong love of learning.

We discuss the challenges students face when transitioning to college, including social media pressure, expectations from parents and peers, mental wellbeing, and the search for belonging. Jay shares how Stanford supports students through residential communities, academic advising, contemplative spaces, arts, sports, and opportunities to build meaningful relationships.

We also explore how artificial intelligence is changing higher education—and why human connection, independent thinking, and learning through experience remain so important.

In this conversation, you'll hear about:

• How to thrive in college beyond academic achievement
• College mental health and student wellbeing
• Finding belonging, friendship, and community on campus
• Discovering your identity, values, and purpose
• Choosing a college major without feeling locked into one future
• Developing a growth mindset and learning from setbacks
• Navigating social media pressure and outside expectations
• How AI is changing learning, writing, and student behavior
• The purpose of a liberal arts education
• Why college should prepare students for a meaningful life—not just a career

Jay shares why curiosity, openness, optimism, and a willingness to challenge convention can help students discover new possibilities. We also discuss the importance of resisting the pressure to follow someone else's script and learning to define success on your own terms.

As the author of Living Your Best Life in College: How to Avoid the Freshman 15, Stay Healthy, and Thrive for Good, I especially value this conversation about the connection between wellbeing, education, and the transition to adulthood.

Because getting into college is one milestone. Learning how to live well is a lifelong journey.

If you're a college student, parent, educator, or someone who cares about young adults' mental health and wellbeing, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on what higher education can—and should—make possible.

CHECK JAY'S BOOK:

You Got In! Now What? 100 Insights into Finding Your Best Life in College

🎙️ Good Is What Makes You Feel Well explores physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and sustainable wellbeing, and what it means to live a healthier, more meaningful life.

📘 Learn more about my book, Living Your Best Life in College:
https://mammaterrahc.com/my-book-new/

Subscribe for more conversations about holistic health, college wellbeing, personal growth, conscious living, and what it means to truly feel well.

If you enjoyed this episode, please FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW & SHARE!!

Rates and reviews help the message get to more people! Thanks!

LET'S CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA: @mammaterrahc

Schedule a FREE Discovery call

Sign up for my free weekly newsletter: HERE

Take the 2-minute Wellness Quiz

Intro Music "Levitar" credits to Ricardo Ulpiano, Thiago Peixoto, Marcelo Luciano Menino, and Anderson Rodrigo de Oliveira.

Podcast art credits to Caroline Kohls

Thanks for tuning in!

Send us Fan Mail

What if the thing standing between you and your next breakthrough isn't your ability—but your comfort zone?

In this episode of Good Is What Makes You Feel Well, I'm joined by Art Turock, a performance coach, author, entrepreneur, elite athlete, and lifelong experimenter in personal growth.

Art has spent more than 50 years turning ideas about performance into lived practice. His journey has taken him from leading “Train the Trainers” programs at the University of Iowa to speaking for Fortune 500 companies, coaching executives and leaders, writing books, and—at age 55—reinventing himself as a competitive track and field athlete. And at 76, he's still putting his philosophy into practice—starting his mornings with 100 push-ups.

In our conversation, we explore what it really means to break out of your comfort zone and do what's required rather than simply what's comfortable.

Art shares his unconventional approach to goal setting, mindset, accountability, wellness, leadership, exercise, and personal development, including the 21 provocative questions he uses to help people rethink what they want and what they're willing to do to achieve it.

We also talk about:

• Exercise, confidence & mental wellbeing
• Mindset shifts and personal transformation
• Unconventional goal setting
• Breaking self-imposed limitations
• Building healthier habits
• Staying active and strong as we age
• Wellness and leadership
• Creating healthier workplace cultures
• High performance and personal accountability
• Reinventing yourself at any age
• The difference between doing what's comfortable and doing what's required

One of the ideas that stayed with me from our conversation is this:

Sometimes the breakthrough doesn't come from finding a better strategy. It comes from being willing to do something different.

Whether you're working on your health, your career, your relationships, your leadership, or simply trying to become the person you know you're capable of becoming, this conversation offers plenty to think about.

If you're interested in personal growth, healthy aging, exercise, mindset, leadership, high performance, goal setting, or breaking out of your comfort zone, this episode is for you.

🎙️ Good Is What Makes You Feel Well explores what it means to live well physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and sustainably.

Subscribe for more conversations about holistic health, personal growth, healthy habits, purpose, leadership, and what it truly means to feel well.

CONNECT TO ART:

Website: https://artturock.com/

Books: Demolish Your Comfort Zones & Getting Physical

If you enjoyed this episode, please FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW & SHARE!!

Rates and reviews help the message get to more people! Thanks!

Good is What Makes You Feel Well is Mamma Terra's Podcast
CONNECT WITH MAMMA TERRA HEALTH COACHING:
Instagram: @mammaterrahc

Schedule a FREE Discovery call

Sign up for my free weekly newsletter: HERE

Buy my book Living Your Best Life in College

Take the 2-minute Wellness Quiz

Intro Music "Levitar" credits to Ricardo Ulpiano, Thiago Peixoto, Marcelo Luciano Menino, and Anderson Rodrigo de Oliveira.

Podcast art credits to Caroline Kohls

Thanks for tuning in!

Send us Fan Mail

What if your garden could do more than simply look beautiful?

What if it could grow food, support native plants and pollinators, strengthen communities, and help us reconnect with nature?

In this episode of Good Is What Makes You Feel Well, I’m joined by Ricky Rietjens, an ecological designer, garden specialist, and environmental educator whose work brings together gardening, food systems, native plants, community wellness, and environmental stewardship.

Ricky shares his journey from studying medicinal plant chemistry to working in native edible and medicinal garden design, herbal literacy, environmental education, and community gardening in Los Angeles.

We explore:

• Sustainable gardening and native plant landscapes
• Growing edible and medicinal plants in urban environments
• Pollinators and the importance of native bees
• Food sovereignty and reconnecting with where our food comes from
• Permaculture and ecological gardening
• Transforming lawns into native habitats and food forests
• School gardens and environmental education for children
• Traditional ecological knowledge and ethnobiology
• Nature, gardening, mindfulness, and somatic healing
• Community building through food and gardening
• Gardening programs for underserved and at-risk communities
• Creating a more sustainable relationship with the natural world

Ricky also shares his experiences teaching gardening and nature-based education, working with youth, developing herbal literacy programs, and creating gardens that connect people with food, plants, and place.

One of the central ideas in our conversation is simple:

We may not need to look farther away from nature. We may simply need to start paying attention to what is already growing around us.

Whether you have a large backyard, a small garden, or simply a few pots on a balcony, this conversation invites you to think differently about what growing food can mean for our health, our communities, and the environment.

If you’re interested in sustainable gardening, native plants, permaculture, food sovereignty, environmental education, herbalism, pollinators, community gardens, or reconnecting with nature, I think you’ll find a lot to explore here.

Good Is What Makes You Feel Well explores what it means to live well physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and sustainably.

Subscribe for more conversations about holistic health, wellbeing, conscious living, nature, sustainability, and what it means to truly feel well.

CONNECT TO RICKY:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ricky.farms/

Email: rickyfarmsdesign@gmail.com

If you enjoyed this episode, please FOLLOW, RATE, REVIEW & SHARE!!

Rates and reviews help the message get to more people! Thanks!

Good is What Makes You Feel Well is Mamma Terra's Podcast
CONNECT WITH MAMMA TERRA HEALTH COACHING:
Instagram: @mammaterrahc

Schedule a FREE Discovery call

Sign up for my free weekly newsletter: HERE

Buy my book Living Your Best Life in College

Take the 2-minute Wellness Quiz

Intro Music "Levitar" credits to Ricardo Ulpiano, Thiago Peixoto, Marcelo Luciano Menino, and Anderson Rodrigo de Oliveira.

Podcast art credits to Caroline Kohls

Thanks for tuning in!