Dr. Tomicah Tillemann (President of Project Liberty) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to discuss the breakdown of institutions in our society, fears that the United States won’t be a trusted global partner due to conflicts within the country, and how Project Liberty is focused on helping people regain control of their digital lives. We also dive into the root of society's dysfunction that stems from conflicts caused by social media, how Frank McCourt Jr.’s latest book, Our Biggest Fight,...

Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, recently had the opportunity to appear on the Girls Talk Healthy Aging podcast with hosts Alli Kerr and Shawna Kaminski. We enjoyed the conversation so much that we wanted to share it here!  We dove into the balance of taking care of family while making a meaningful impact across Utah and Abby's profound responsibility toward the children in Utah’s foster care system. We also discuss how the "Disagree Better" initiative aims to alleviate the polarizing nature of...

Rich and Gaye Christiansen join Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to discuss Rich's new book, BlindSighted. The book documents Rich’s journey of identity, faith, and healing and his being shaken to his core at the age of 54 after he learned that he was one of the first donor-conceived children. Then Rich opens up about meeting family members from the side of his biological father, the love story of his mother and father, who was a blind attorney, and what’s next for Rich and Gaye. Blindsighted...

Tami Olsen (Recruiting and Foundation Director for the Young Automotive Group) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to discuss Young Caring For Our Young, the charitable group of the Young Automotive Group, and how the foundation is tackling issues related to clothing, hunger, literacy, and teen homelessness. We also explore how the foundation is helping teachers obtain what they need to be successful in the classroom, the reality of teen homelessness in the state, and how teen drop-in centers...

Vicki Bourns (Director of the Utah Division of Arts and Museums) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to remember Alice Merrill Horne, an innovative Utah artist and politician who helped establish a state arts organization and a state collection of artwork in 1899, and how the Utah Division of Arts and Museums helps care for art throughout the state. Then Vicki talks about a new state-of-the-art storage space that will protect Utah’s art for years.  We are also joined by Ben Steele...

In this episode of our Educator Well-Being series, the hosts are joined by Milton Collins, principal of Lincoln Elementary in the Granite School District in the Salt Lake City region of Utah. Milton is having tremendous success in his school from students’ academic success to teacher happiness, thriving, and retention. He credits "leading from the heart" for this success, and in this episode, he shares his passion for the profession as a principal who is caring for the teachers – so the...

Ava Leavitt joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to discuss how vital dancing has been throughout her life, how she’s navigated some of the most complex challenges she’s faced in high school, and her solution to how teenagers negatively engage with social media.  Then, Ava shares how losing her identity inspired her to create Dancers Without Limits, a dance program designed for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and how the organization is helping connect everyone passionate about...

Dr. Jackie Jodl (Chief of Global Youth and Education of Global Youth and Education at Special Olympics) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about how fundamental education has been throughout her life, how her education journey has shaped her career, and the impact that Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease had on her life growing up. Then, we discuss the importance of education and sports in creating opportunities to climb the societal and economic ladder, how unified sports transform social...

Sarah Allred (Director of First Lady Initiatives) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about this year’s Teacher’s Conference, how the National Governors Association (NGA) is helping build relationships with fellow First Spouses throughout the country, and how those connections are used to share ideas and tackle issues collectively in each state. Then, we are joined by Marlon Reis (First Gentleman of Colorado) to discuss the learning curves of being a first spouse, different ways to...

Kathy Searle, LCSW (Vice President of Utah Programs at Raise the Future), joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to discuss her experiences with adoption and how they have shaped her work today in helping to find families for children in foster care. We also talk about the need to provide support to adoptive families, how adoptive families have to navigate the reality of expectations, and why community fear can have such a negative impact on foster families and their choices to adopt. Then, we...

Nubia Peña (Governor Senior Advisor & Director for the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs) and Claudia Loayza (Planning Policy and Engagement Coordinator) join Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about how their respective backgrounds influenced them to serve others, how multicultural communities have made Utah stronger, and ways that we can be even more welcoming to all cultures as Utahns. Then, we dive into how Magnify Utah connects communities and people throughout the state and...

Utah First Lady Abby Cox led a discussion with Michelle Sobel (Unify America), David McCullough (American Exchange Project), and Sarah Igo (Vanderbilt University) on how we can help students develop conversation skills. Learn more about the Disagree Better Initiative at: https://www.nga.org/disagree-better/ You can also read about the conversation at: https://www.nga.org/news/commentary/disagree-better-panelists-highlight-ways-to-help-students-have-healthier-conversations/  

Tania Hansen (Deputy Director of First Lady Initiatives) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox this week and we talk about her background, her passion for helping others, and some of Tania’s favorite events so far that she’s had while on the team.   Then Sarah Allred (Director of First Lady Initiatives) and Amanda Millerberg (Show Up Board Member) join the show to talk about this year’s Summer Service Fair on Monday, June 3, from 4 - 8 pm MDT at Electric Park in Thanksgiving Point. We also dive...

Aimee Winder Newton (Senior Advisor to Governor Cox and Director of the Office of Families) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox to talk about becoming the first director for the new Office of Families, the Office of Families’ emphasis on strengthening families so children have better outcomes, and Aimee’s efforts in protecting our youth from the harmful effects of social media. Then we dive into the positive trends that we’ve been seeing from parents when limiting social media and some tips...

Teaching is one of the noblest professions, and the well-being of teachers is a critical component of student learning and overall community advancement. During this special podcast episode recorded at SXSW EDU 2024, hosts Dr. Stacey Ludwig Johnson and Abby Cox are joined by National University President & CEO Dr. Mark Milliron, and Rady Children’s Hospital Senior Director Domonique Hensler, to continue the conversation on the importance of teacher well-being. During this episode, the...

Aubree Oliverson (Violinist) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox to share her earliest memories of growing up playing violin, some of her favorite teachers who made an impact on Aubree’s success, and moving away to Los Angeles at fifteen years old to pursue violon. Aubree also talks about being one of this year’s Governor’s Mansion Artist Award recipients, some of her fondest memories of attending the Colburn Conservatory of Music, and her decision to make Berlin, Germany her home base to...

The original version of this episode can be found at https://stand4kind.podbean.com/.  In this in-depth exchange, Utah's First Lady Abby Cox, Candy Olandt, and Maggon Osmond discuss the essence and urgency of education. Abby Cox, a pillar for educators and a special education background holder, gives riveting insights into the discernment needed at various institutional levels, building meaningful relationships, and the mastery of effective communication. The conversation focuses on the...

Meikel Reece (Emotional & Relational Intelligence Consultant & Utah Influencer), joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox to talk about how social justice was a fundamental aspect of her home growing up in Provo, UT., her desire to fit in with a predominantly white community when she was younger while being biracial, and how she learned to belong and feel at home with who she is. Then we talk about Meikel’s passion for teaching emotional intelligence, learning to understand and process the...

Vanessa Quigley (Cofounder of Chatbooks and Host of The MomForce Podcast), joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox to talk about moving back to Utah with her husband, Nate, to help build Chatbooks, how chasing her dreams of becoming an International opera singer shifted once Chatbooks started to take off, and the first viral video that helped put Chatbooks on the map. Vanessa also opens up about the impact that Chatbooks has had on strengthening her relationship with her husband, how the family...

Superintendent Mark Ernst (Tooele County School District) and Charlie Roberts (Assistant Coach for Tooele High School) join Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox to talk about many of the challenges that teachers face nowadays, how social media has impacted the classroom, and the impact that Unified Sports has had on the schools throughout Tooele County. Then Superintendent Ernst talks about the inclusion that has come with the introduction of Unified Sports, bridging the differences between regular...

In the third episode of our Educator Well-Being series, our hosts are joined by Rachael Black, a WGU graduate and award-winning teacher. Together they explore some of the unique challenges facing rural educators – from funding models and policies that can sometimes skew toward urban schools, to helping educators get access to the services they need to address mental and physical health concerns. Rachael shares some of her innovative practices that fully use available resources, including...

Mariluz Cook (Miss Utah USA, Sports Broadcaster, and Host), joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about sharing her culture with others as a Cuban-American, her decision to move to Utah from Florida to pursue sports broadcasting, and where her passion for sports originated when she was younger. Then Mariluz talks about her experience being selected to host the Rising Stars and All-Star Saturday night during NBA All-Star weekend last year, how competing in pageants helped persuade her to...

Emily Bell McCormick (Founder & President), Mary Catherine Perry (Director of Policy & Government Affairs), and Kristin Andrus (Community Champion) from The Policy Project join Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about the originations of The Policy Project, the group's efforts to raise awareness of child sexual abuse, and the legislative steps the organization is taking to ensure that all K-6 students receive sexual abuse prevention education through The Safe Child Project. We also...

Jared Quan (Award-Winning, Best-Selling Author) joins Utah's First Lady, Abby Cox, to talk about being a 2023 ​Utah Governor Spirit of Service Award Recipient, his work with non-profits throughout the state, and his passion for inspiring others who are interested in reading and writing. Jared also shares some of his favorite authors and how his time driving for Lift to pay for expenses that accrued from his son’s heart condition inspired his book, “Lifted: Adventures in Ridesharing”, and the...