Empowerment with Erin Hayden

[00:00:00] Speaker A: This podcast is brought to you by MHA of Dutchess county and produced by CMJW Entertainment. You're listening to the Vital Women of Washington Heights. [00:00:14] Speaker B: So hello, everyone. I am Iris Douglas, and joining me is my co host, Yvette o'. Sullivan. Welcome to Vital Women from Washington Heights. Living in Dutchess County. Our sponsor is Mental Health America of Dutchess county. And Andrew o', Grady, CEO, is our sponsor, Mental Health America. MHA supports comprehensive and health services and addiction programs. Their main building is located at 253 Manson street in Poughkeepsie, New York. In today's episode, our guest is Erin Hayden. Hi, Erin. [00:00:47] Speaker C: Hello. [00:00:48] Speaker A: Good morning, Erin, welcome. [00:00:50] Speaker B: Yeah, we're so excited to have you here. Aaron is the owner of the Willow Bookshop and Lounge. It's crazy because I met Erin about two and a half years ago and she just said, I want to open up a bookstore. And here we are. Well, congratulations. [00:01:06] Speaker C: Thank you. Thank you for having me on. [00:01:07] Speaker B: You're very welcome. Yes. [00:01:09] Speaker A: Congratulations, Aaron, on following up with your dream and your goal. And it's such a beautiful bookstore. I saying to you, it's like coming in and spending time with you in your living room. [00:01:21] Speaker C: I love that. That's what it was going. Thank you. [00:01:25] Speaker B: You're very welcome. [00:01:27] Speaker A: Well, I always like to start with a Bochinche, and I explained to you what a bochinche is. It's kind of like gossip in Dominican Republic, but I like to give it a twist and bring in facts. And as I was putting the show notes together, I was thinking, oh, I wonder if there any women owners that own bookstores in Dominican Republic. And I plugged the question and all this information came up. I came to find out there is a bookstore owned by Patricia Maribal, who is the granddaughter of one of the four Maribal sisters that were killed by the dictator in Dominican Republic. And in this bookstore, they promote reading and literacy, which is wonderful because a lot of the times I feel in Dominican Republic, they don't promote enough reading and literacy and education. So to find out that she is honoring her grandmother and also her aunt by educating women and empowering women, I was so excited. And there's also a female that owns a bookstore in Pennsylvania of Dominican descent that caters to Dominican authors and is also promoting reading and literacy. So I want to share that with you because that's how I see you, as an empowered woman promoting reading and literacy. So thank you for bringing your bookstore to this community. [00:02:51] Speaker C: Thank you so much. [00:02:53] Speaker B: I totally agree. I mean, I have many books and because of those Books. I've learned lots. I like school. Something you didn't like? [00:03:03] Speaker C: I did not like school. [00:03:04] Speaker B: I didn't like school. So I figured out that running but on my own was better for me. For some reason it just worked. So coming in here and just grabbing a book and like snuggling up is definitely something that I know a lot of people love to do. So good for you. Yeah, you're very welcome. Yeah. [00:03:22] Speaker A: Well, we would like to start by asking you tell us a little bit about yourself. Give us some history of who Erin Hayden is. [00:03:32] Speaker C: Okay. Well, when I was three, I asked for a cash register. I price tags all over my parents house. I would invite people into the neighborhood to shop my toys. But I always, I was always sociable. I was always chit chatting and making friends with neighbors. And then as I grew up, my first job was in retail in Weldon Books. Well, the kids. And funny enough, I got fired from that job. It was my favorite a job I know because I didn't sell enough reader cards. So that was something I knew I didn't want to have at my store. I feel like everywhere you go now everyone says, do you have a membership? Do you don't need a membership to come here. Just come enjoy. You know that. [00:04:13] Speaker B: No pressure. [00:04:14] Speaker C: No pressure. [00:04:15] Speaker B: Gotcha. [00:04:15] Speaker C: And then I worked in a coffee house. I've a waitress, a bartender. I worked in fashion as a design liaison. I have my bachelor's degree in history and associate's degree in jewelry design. So I'm kind of jack of all trades, master of none. I like to dabble in everything. I really enjoy learning. So just, I want to just keep having experiences and trying new things and meeting new people. I mean my background, my, my parents, my mom was a teacher, my dad was a UPS driver, and before that I was a Navy brat. So we moved here from Queens in 1986. I was nine. And I was devastated because I like, I lost so much of my community. I know that sounds strange because I was only nine. Yeah, but, but I had freedom. I, you know, I would walk out the door, I'd walk down the block to the bakery or we would go play handball on the, on the post office wall. You know, I mean, we had a freedom and I was able to go out and socialize more without being dependent on my parents. It was beautiful. They moved us up to. But at the same time, it was a culture shock for me because I was used to having just so many more experiences throughout the day. And I'm also terrified of the woods. So that didn't help. [00:05:37] Speaker B: So this was a slower life than living in Queens, for sure. [00:05:41] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:05:42] Speaker B: And I didn't like that the pace was not. Like your vibes was not there, right? [00:05:46] Speaker C: No, no. [00:05:47] Speaker B: And you were only nine. [00:05:48] Speaker C: I was only nine. And I already knew then that I preferred being. Having close neighbors. And I. And it's. I know a lot of people who would rather have more land and be separate, but I. Being isolated is something that's not for me. [00:06:05] Speaker B: You love community. [00:06:06] Speaker C: I do. I do. Being with people. And I think that's part of the reason that drew me to doing the bookstore, is that I like being with other people. I tried working from home. I was miserable. I was so lonely. And I like meeting. You know what? I already. I know about enough about myself that it gets boring when it's just me, you know, I want to learn about other people and hear their stories. I've made so many new friends since opening up the bookstore, and I love that regulars that come in and want to be here. So you care. [00:06:41] Speaker B: You do. [00:06:43] Speaker A: That's terrific that you are so interested in bringing community into this store. And you're so personable and you're great at it, because I remember the first day that I walked in and I hadn't completely stepped through that door, and you turned around and you were like, hi, welcome. And I felt at home. So what motivated you to open a bookstore? You mentioned that you didn't like school growing up. But what attracts you to books? [00:07:18] Speaker C: So. Books? Well, I think I briefly told you that I learned disabled and dyslexic. So as a child, my parents always read to us. Shel Silverstein poems and a lot of Emilio Bedelia were my favorites. But I didn't actually know how to read. And I would memorize the poetry and I would memorize Amelia Bedelia stories and look at the book, and I would look like I was reading. And I don't know how I made it through school for so long. I did a lot of cheating. Copying off classmates, bribing people with candy to do my homework. But then once I had. I started at Duchess, doing the bridge program. I had an amazing teacher who opened up a whole new world for me with books. And it's funny because I'd already been working at Walden, Walden Books, and I. I could read. I just. I had a difficult time absorb, absorbing information. [00:08:15] Speaker B: Can you. [00:08:17] Speaker C: Comprehending, sometimes comprehension. [00:08:21] Speaker A: How does it feel? Because it brings up this question. How does it feel when you were a kid to be dyslexic and also can you give us like a visual. You're looking at print. What does that look for you in your brain? [00:08:35] Speaker C: So in my brain a lot of times if the type font is. It has to be a certain type because if not, sometimes it looks like all the words are swimming almost or bouncing around the pages. The trippy feeling because you know, as a kid seeing that it was always. And then a lot of times I'll flip flop letters and numbers which doesn't always go hand in hand. Sometimes you can be dyslexic. And it's just the letters part of it. It's not necessarily math too. But once she taught me the tips to help me, I would take like for example, I would take another piece of paper and hold it so I'm only looking at one line. Once taught me this trick. I was glued to books. My first book I really read and enjoyed thoroughly was Lucille Ball's biography. I couldn't put it down. Yeah. And I felt so accomplished because it was the first time I read an adult book. I know that sounds terrible because I was older, I was in my, my twenties. But it made me and realize what I needed to do to absorb the information to comprehend it if I didn't understand a word. Because vocab is a big thing when you struggle with dyslexia. Would highlight it, you know, circle the words. That way you get more familiar with it. So a lot of it was practice and always say practice. You know, it's even with anybody else learning how to read. You have to be able to spend the time. But the trick is finding what you like to read. [00:10:05] Speaker B: That's what I was going to say. Like the Lucio Ball story. Because you, you were interested in reading her story because you, you know, she's my favorite actress. She was, she was fun, she was very creative. So I wanted to share that. I also struggle with reading because my both of my parents were like, you know, from the Dominican Republic. My dad spoke English, my mom did it. So it was challenging always going to school and not being able to read because I didn't understand. The thing is I could read it, but I didn't understand it. So I didn't do well with testing. So it was just me reading it. But I did not understand a word because there wasn't follow up at home with reading and stuff like that. So when I had my kids I had made sure that I comprehended was definitely a big thing for me because I did want them to comprehend what they were reading. That's important. That's Important. [00:10:57] Speaker A: And that's one of the challenges that children have. Whether you come from any foreign country and you come to the United States and you have parents that speak another language, they struggle with reading. And it makes it a little bit more difficult for them if they don't have the parents at home supporting them. But there is so much support now, I feel, between the. In school, a lot of the times, parents are shy to ask for that help because they don't know how and they have difficulty communicating themselves. But I'm glad that Iris brought that point up, because that still happens today. And I just want to say to parents out there, go to your school, go to a library and ask for help. [00:11:45] Speaker C: It wasn't readily available when I was a kid. I mean, in the 80s, I don't even know if we had special ed classes. I mean, when I was in public school in Queens, I had the. One of the best two years at the public school there. Prior to that, it was Catholic school, but Catholic school didn't have special education available, so. But even. I feel like even when we moved up here and I went to public school, there were special ed classes, but it was not necessarily geared towards learning disabilities and dyslexia. I was struggling. [00:12:17] Speaker B: No remedial? [00:12:18] Speaker C: No. [00:12:18] Speaker B: Remedial? [00:12:18] Speaker C: No. I think a lot of times people just chalked it up that I was easy, that I, you know, didn't like school. I was a bad kid. I was always in trouble, and not for doing anything bad. I would. I, you know, I would skip classes. I would go late because they purposely wanted to get sent to the isr. That's what special ed teachers were, and they would help me with my homework. So I knew what I was doing. I, you know, I was never disrespectful. And I, you know, I always. I had a lot of friends. I never. It was not for fighting. That's how I got my workout. [00:12:50] Speaker B: You navigated that? [00:12:51] Speaker C: Yes. [00:12:52] Speaker B: So you've been intuitive for a very long time. [00:12:55] Speaker C: Yes. This is. [00:12:56] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel that. That you're very intuitive with a tool that works. Yeah, absolutely. Yes. [00:13:02] Speaker C: You figured it out, like sink or swim girl. [00:13:04] Speaker B: Yeah. You gotta figure it out quick. [00:13:06] Speaker C: My parents weren't letting me drop out of school, and I don't even think that's an option when you're in junior high. Right. You have to be. I Forget what age. [00:13:14] Speaker A: 16. [00:13:14] Speaker C: 16. Yeah. So that wasn't an option, and homeschool wasn't an option. Both my parents worked, and private school is definitely not an option or like an alternative. School because we didn't have the money. [00:13:26] Speaker B: You just said something very important, that both of your parents were working so they weren't there when you came out of school to help you with your homework. That's another concern. That's another community concern. Then when the parent is not there to help the child, that's also a struggle. And maybe that's why you were like all over the place, mom and dad working. And then you had, you were like trying to read this and you don't get it. You get mad frustrating. [00:13:51] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:13:52] Speaker A: So how does it feel for you now being an adult and knowing to have learning differences and that you're dyslexic? How do you deal with that now as an adult? [00:14:01] Speaker C: Oh, man. I do struggle because I love finally being able to own my own business and be an entrepreneur. It's what I wanted my whole life. However, because I struggle with, I struggle with organization. I'm happy to organize shelves and decorate, but when it comes to day to day paperwork and emails, I really need to find a routine that works for me. I'm currently reading ADHD for Bad Ass Women and I always keep it by bedside because it's one of those books where you can sit and read cover to cover or you can just open up a page and feel validated that you know you're not alone. So many women struggle with it. And it's also something that go. Goes hand in hand with dyslexia and disabilities. [00:14:54] Speaker B: The adhd, again with the comprehension. As you know, I also had a business and that was my struggles just keeping up with the bookkeeping, keeping up with just like the, the logistics of the business. Because I too just want to decorate and just heal, heal, heal. [00:15:12] Speaker A: Do the fun part. [00:15:13] Speaker B: I just wanted to do that part. I was the only bar that. But it's important that when you own a business, you need to know what you're getting. It's so important. [00:15:23] Speaker C: I tease because I'm like, oh, if, if money wasn't an issue, I'm not in for the money. That's not. I mean, even if I wasn't getting paid to be here, like make it, you know, I know I only survive. Yeah. And everybody said, you're never gonna. You might be broke. And I said, but broke and happy is better than rich and sad. [00:15:42] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:15:43] Speaker C: And I know what it's like to struggle. I know what it's like to not have. I've always figured out a way. There's always a way to bounce back, but I do. I probably need to bring somebody in to the store with me, who can help me and guide me, even if it's just, you know, sitting like coach that can get me started and then, you know, get wings to fly when it comes to that. But. [00:16:07] Speaker B: Yeah, because organization in your business is key, trust me. Because then you follow everything that's going on. And if you're not organized and you. Everything could be in disarray. [00:16:18] Speaker C: Yes. [00:16:19] Speaker B: It's not good. Good for you and it's not good for business. [00:16:21] Speaker C: No. [00:16:22] Speaker B: So it's important that you. Yeah. Bring in someone that can help you, like with the little details. And you got this afterwards. [00:16:29] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:16:30] Speaker B: I feel like you just need a guidance. And then when you got. When you have a map out, you know what. Exactly what to do. [00:16:36] Speaker C: Yes. Because I'm a very visual learner. I. If somebody shows me I can understand if better than somebody just giving me a book of directions. [00:16:46] Speaker B: Me too. So I'm the same way. So I understand that energy. [00:16:50] Speaker A: Well, that's the beauty of education. I feel now that they have that awareness that there's different types of learners. There's an audio learner, there's a visual learners, there's. People learn by doing with their hands. And that's why sometimes not every student is made to go to college, especially those students that learn by doing. [00:17:12] Speaker C: Right. [00:17:13] Speaker A: So I'm very happy that at least there has been that discovery. [00:17:17] Speaker C: Oh, yes. [00:17:18] Speaker A: Can you tell us a little bit about. You spoke about bringing in the business and store. What do you want to go or what direction do you want to take? The store by bringing in community activities. [00:17:33] Speaker C: Oh, my goodness. That's what excites me most about being here. I want to have a place where people can come. Even if you're not a reader, you know, you can come here. We have Scrabble. We're going to have game nights and stuff, stuff like that. Poetry night, open mic nights. I really feel like sometimes I've been blessed. I. I have made friends easily my whole life, but it's also where I put myself and the way I. My personality. But everybody has that, you know, and especially at my age, I'm. I'm late 40s. I don't want to go sit in a bar, you know, a glass of wine anymore. I want to sit somewhere cozy and, you know, with, like, nice music and the ambiance. Feels like you said, like, feels like you're in somebody's home. So. And I feel like I've met a lot of people, especially after the pandemic, who were so isolated and then, you know, it's still lonely. And like chapters in your life, they change. So some people, I feel like, are retired now and their friends were their co. A lot of them were co workers and they've moved. So part of me is. Is wanting to bring other people together. And I really. I've had really a few experiences with, so far that just. I went home, I had the biggest smile on my face. My son was like, what are you so happy about? I'm like, I just. I just made two people become friends. That's great. That's amazing. [00:19:01] Speaker A: You're bringing people together. [00:19:02] Speaker C: Bringing people together. The funny thing is, like, these two women that I'm friends with, they're around similar age, maybe 10 years apart, not too far, but they are. When you first glance at them and feel their energy, they're polar opposites. But once we started chatting and, you know, we sat at the bar, we were having a cup of tea. Once we started chatting about a book, we were chatting about Sarah Moss's book. Now I haven't read it yet. I'm still delving into fantasy, but that's what connected them. They chatted for an hour and they were so happy. They exchanged phone numbers. And these are two. Two girls that are at different chapters in their lives, but they can still connect. So I don't know. I feel like people are excited to have a place to come and hang out. [00:19:48] Speaker B: Well, I'm excited. I'm always recommending. I'm always bringing people here. I saw once someone that I bought here and she came back with her daughter and I was like, yes, exactly. So that's. We have mutual feelings about that. I love community and I love seeing how people, when they don't know each other, when they get to know, like, you intuitively know that they will get along. [00:20:09] Speaker C: Yeah, you intuitively. [00:20:10] Speaker B: So with that question, would you say you're a spiritual? [00:20:13] Speaker C: I feel like, yes, very much. I was born into a Catholic family. I was baptized, made my first communion. I never understood the message that, that they were giving us. In church, I was always like this. And my dad would be giving me the shoulder, my mom would be giving me the other one. Wake up. They had to bribe me with baked goods afterwards. But I never felt a connection. But I always felt that there was something higher, bigger out there. And I've. I've always been spiritual. Ever since I was little. I've had moments where people would tease me and say, oh, you're a mag. Imagination gets the better of you. And I'm like, no, I'm pretty Sure. I just felt something behind me and I'm good at reading people's energy and, and I didn't, I didn't plan on being like that. I feel like I just came out that way, you know, it's just you. [00:21:04] Speaker B: It's just we are all intuitive. [00:21:06] Speaker C: Yeah, we are all intuitive. [00:21:07] Speaker B: So. [00:21:08] Speaker C: Yeah, we're animals if we let ourselves. [00:21:11] Speaker B: Yes. [00:21:11] Speaker C: You know, if we're open to it. I feel like we can all be more intuitive as you grow older too, you know, if you embrace it and. [00:21:22] Speaker A: When you're like, it comes natural like you said. I didn't mean to be that way. You can't help it comes natural to you. Iris has great intuition and she is very spiritual and just a free spirit, which is great. And I love to be around her and for her to have that energy. And I think when I walked in here, that's what I felt about you, you know, that warm, the energy. You are a free spirit in your own way. So that leads me to ask you, you mentioned that you lived in Oklahoma, Japan. What led you there and how did that experience change you? [00:22:00] Speaker C: Well, it's funny, that experience, although I don't really remember living there per se in the day to day, because I was little, my mom, my dad was in the Navy and he was transferred to Okinawa, but they said mom couldn't come, my sister and I, and my mom said there's no way I'm staying here by myself with two babies. I want to go experience this too. And my mom is the biggest inspiration behind us living in Okinawa. She's. She's one of those women where, where there's a will way she's going to live this life. And this is, you know, she felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity. But she didn't want to live on the base. So she sold everything that my parents had, everything and took the money and went. And she was really brave. She was only 22, 23. Yes. She went into Manhattan, got our. Went and got our passport. She went to. I forget where she had to go. One of the Japanese embassy. All on her own. And she didn't have anybody helping her. In fact, many people were trying to tell her not to go. Then I look back and she put together these beautiful photo albums of our experience and she, my sister ended up speaking fluent Japanese. We lived above a grocer's in Okinawa and my mom made friends with the locals. She loved meeting the locals and experiencing their life not being on the military base, so. And I think she traveled. I forget how long the flight is. It's. It's ridiculously long. [00:23:40] Speaker A: 22 hours. [00:23:42] Speaker C: Yes. So she traveled with two babies, I mean, young. Young toddlers, all the way to Japan by herself with luggage and strollers. And that is the part where I feel like that's the part that rubbed off on me with my mom. I'm not afraid to try something new because you don't know. It's okay if I fail. I trip over my own teachers all the time, so it's okay. I always get back up. My mom always inspired me by taking us to Japan and. And giving us that experience to explore the world beyond our own backyard, so. [00:24:20] Speaker B: Good. [00:24:21] Speaker C: She did. Yeah. [00:24:22] Speaker B: I want to ask you something that was very personal, but you have accomplished all these beautiful things, and you did suffer depression. [00:24:32] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. Yes, I battle with it. [00:24:35] Speaker B: But listen, people with. This is amazing. So what did you do to, like, rebalance yourself and align yourself to keep focus on the goals that you wanted to do and not let that depression kick in? Preventing mental illness. [00:24:52] Speaker C: Right. [00:24:53] Speaker B: How did you do that? [00:24:56] Speaker C: I am on. And it helps with multiple things. I have autoimmune diseases that cause a lot of joint pain. I have lupus, Sjogren's, Hashimoto's, and so this umbalta helps with a lot of the pain that goes with it, but it helps with my mental health, too. It's. It's a form of an antidepressant, and it's helped tremendously because I was so. I was feeling so suicidal, and I. I kept. I feel like I was always swimming, treading water, trying to find, like, that life float, you know, or the. I don't know what the right term is for the life raft. Throughout my life, I mean, I was like this ever since a little girl. We would say our prayers at night. My sister would say, then, now I lay me down to sleep. And she would say, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. I would say, please don't let me wake up. And I was little. I was like five. I. I can remember feeling that way. So it makes you wonder. My parents fought all the time. It was a very stressful home environment. They loved us to pieces, but they. [00:25:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:25:57] Speaker C: So I don't know if it was stemming from that. It could be biological struggle. You know, it runs in my family. Yeah. So then as life went on, I struggled as a teenager. I tried once, and luckily it. Luckily my bottle. Aspirin that I thought was gonna kill me didn't. It just gave me an ulcer. And, you know, I went to therapy I journaled a lot. I write a lot of poetry and journal still to this day. My grandmother gave me my first journal journal when I was a little girl. I think she sensed the sadness in me. She always, you have to get it out. You know, you can't bottle it up. So then I thought, oh, well, maybe if I get married, I'll be happier. Maybe if I have kids, I'll be happier. It's always maybe this, maybe that. But I realize now at this stage of my life, it. It's not that. It's not the. I don't know how to say it. It's not the experiences or the. The choices I've made. It's that I have to sit and recognize when I'm feeling sad. Why do I feel sad? [00:27:03] Speaker B: The awareness of it. Why? What's going on, filling your body out. But to be honest with you, you are a champion because you got married, you lived in Japan, you know, you have two beautiful kids. I mean, what can I say? You have this amazing. You look gorgeous. I mean, you have master a way to deal with everything that's going on and still balance to manifest your dreams. [00:27:27] Speaker A: Very inspirational. [00:27:28] Speaker B: Yeah, very inspirational area. [00:27:29] Speaker C: This has brought me more. I. I feel like I have a purpose now. And that's what I struggled with most of my life was feeling, why am I here? I just don't understand. I used to be, why. I don't understand why I'm here. Why did God bring me here? But now I feel that's the question. [00:27:49] Speaker A: And it's important to have a purpose, to have a direction, how you want to live life, how you want to manage life. And it's very empowering for women your age, our age, to know this is not the end. I have a purpose and I have so much to give to my children, to the community, to my customers. So thank you so much, Aaron. [00:28:12] Speaker C: Thank you, girl. [00:28:14] Speaker A: Thank you for agreeing to be on a show. Is there anything else that you would like to close with that perhaps you haven't shared? [00:28:26] Speaker C: Just that, you know, I feel like there's a lot of people I know I'm not alone and feeling depression and stuff. I think a lot of people suffer with suicidal ideation and, you know, whether it's coming from biological or life experiences. Come. This is one of the reasons why I like being here, is that you're not alone. So we are going to be having. Actually, we're going to have a group for people who want to come and either share their poetry or their. If they want. No pressure. But so that they can come. And if you are suffering from depression, I want to have one of. We're not going to do just book clubs. We're going to do other meetings, intentional. [00:29:09] Speaker B: Meetings, to kind of release and release that, because that's important. We actually did something this weekend that was amazing in. In Connecticut with. On the beach with sound. I did a little reading and stuff. But it's just a beautiful connection of women talking about, you know, everything, their challenges and their beliefs and their dreams. [00:29:33] Speaker C: So. [00:29:33] Speaker B: Yeah. And that is going to ease that mental illness. That eases because people understand they're not alone. [00:29:41] Speaker C: Right. [00:29:42] Speaker A: Having that safe place that they can come and feel at ease like Iris mentioned and feel safe. [00:29:49] Speaker C: So sometimes. Thank you. At all. It's not. Doesn't always. [00:29:52] Speaker A: It doesn't everything. Therapy doesn't work for a lot of people. So it's great to have a place where you can feel comfortable. [00:29:59] Speaker C: Community. [00:30:00] Speaker A: Thank you, Erin Hayden, for owning Willow Bookshop and Lounge. It was a pleasure to spend this time with you. [00:30:08] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:30:09] Speaker B: And I'm very grateful, very grateful for this opportunity. With that said, we are heartfelt thank you for to Mental Health America of Dutchess County. You know, we really appreciate that you're sponsoring our podcast because we can, you know, we can talk to people like Erin and help our community. So thank you, Andrew o' Grady, for this opportunity to be here. And Connor, thank you, our producer, always making the magic happen. Definitely appreciate. So I'm Iris Douglas with Yvette o'. Sullivan. We are I and I and we are the vital women from Washington Heights living in Dutchess county, just bringing in, you know, beautif women like Erin to educate our community on how to better. Thank you so much. [00:30:57] Speaker C: Thank you. Bye Bye. Thank you. [00:30:59] Speaker A: This podcast is brought to you by MHA of Dutchess county and produced by CMJW Entertainment.