Online Fear, Introverted Teachers, The Depression Miracle

Adrienne Beard, writer in residence at Delta State University where she teaches journalism. Nowhere is information circulated more than on the internet, and nothing spreads faster than fear. Online, it’s as if fear brings people together. Tweets are circulated, articles are shared, and news coverage multiplies because stress and fear are contagious. From health crisis like Ebola, ISIS threats, and worries about the economy, and most recently the bombing in Brussels, our media is driven by fear. Why are we so easily influenced by fear? And what are the consequences of such a fear motivated media? Adrienne Beard's recent article, Nothing Snowballs Online Like Fear: How online fear feeds political smear campaigns, stock market rumors, and ISIS propaganda, discusses the media’s role in spreading the fear and how our reactions create more contagion.

Jessica Honard is a writer, educator and speaker. In 2015 she created The Adaptive Introvert—and online community for introverted educators. Jessi co-owns Owl Eyes Creative. Let’s imagine that you are an introvert. You tend to recharge better alone, and large groups can be draining—not that you don’t like people, you just need to be left alone sometimes. Now let’s also pretend that you are a teacher. You interact with kids, parents and teachers all day long. You are always “on”, always performing and expending energy. And when you are done with the kids for the day, there are more meetings with parents and teachers. Jessica Honard discusses how to prevent burnout and encourage success for introverts in the classroom.

Greg Thredgold has become an expert in daily survival over the last 40 years dealing with severe depression, panic attacks, and anxiety through daily personal experiences including the death of his son Connor in 2014 while serving an LDS Mission in Taiwan. In spite of his long battle, Greg has become an International award-winning photographer, sought after speaker, business owner, and life coach. Greg has completely overcome his depression and anxiety and has become the International Best Selling Author of the book,  “The Depression Miracle.”