Episode 185: SPARKING Resilience and Restoring Hope
Your hosts, Brooke and Ashley, work with youth in rehabilitation centers, jails, trafficking survivor safe houses, and other alternative settings with one objective – to teach an understanding of how the mind works so they can tap into their potential and thrive. This episode will explore how a simple understanding of how the mind works leads to young people becoming more resilient and less reactive – even amid the most trigger-worthy circumstances.
#SHARETHESPARK
Marketing & Public Relations Coordinator
Makayla Wheeldon is the Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator at The SPARK Initiative, where she works to expand the organization’s reach through creative content, strategic outreach, and community engagement. She holds a degree in Communications and Psychology from the University of Central Florida and spent three years teaching Kindergarten and 1st Grade for Hillsborough County Public Schools — an experience that deepened her understanding of students’ diverse needs and inspired her to pursue broader impact beyond the classroom. Makayla is passionate about empowering youth to regulate their emotions through the understanding that feelings are not permanent. In her role at Spark, she leads efforts to strengthen brand visibility, build meaningful partnerships, and represent the organization across the mental health and education sectors — ensuring the message of innate resilience resonates with as many people as possible.