Seniors Host Mental Health Podcast

University School of Milwaukee students Lizzy Thurow ’25 and Autumn Heffernan ’25 were looking for a volunteer opportunity. The seniors needed at least 20 hours to fulfill the requirement for the Service Leadership transcript distinction offered through the Upper School. When their classmate, Hannah Liberman ’25, told them about a podcast hosting opportunity through Friendship Circle Wisconsin, they jumped at the chance.

The podcast, called Wish You Knew, was entering its second year and Levi Stein, executive director of Friendship Circle of Wisconsin, needed a new host. After interviewing both Thurow and Heffernan for the role, he thought they could co-host together. Although neither had interviewing or podcasting experience, they jumped at the chance. “We interviewed each other for the first episode,” explained Thurow. “We wanted to make sure the audience could understand the voices that they were hearing in every episode, and we felt that it was fair to share our own stories, to kind of kick off the conversations. That way there's a little bit more of a connection between the audience and the hosts.” 

Episodes are published every other week, and they give teens an outlet to share their own mental health journeys so that listeners can gain insight into what they may be experiencing. Each one is reviewed by an oversight committee of mental health professionals prior to publishing, and teens’ identities remain anonymous. 

Not only did Thurow and Heffernan teach themselves how to use the recording and editing software, they also learned how to delicately handle sensitive topics, avoid stigmatizing language, and create a safe space for interviewees to share sometimes difficult information. The end result is a podcast that’s relatable and de-stigmatizing. “In almost every story, you can find something that you relate to, and it creates a little community that we keep on expanding with every episode,” said Heffernan. “People have reached out to us saying, ‘Hey, I love listening to the show, I felt like I could relate to some of these things,’ which really touched me.”

“Lizzy and Autumn are doing incredible work with the Wish You Knew podcast,” said Stein. “They are giving teens a platform to have open, honest conversations about mental health. Their courage in addressing these important topics is breaking the stigma and empowering others to seek help and feel less alone. This podcast is making a real difference, and I couldn’t be prouder of the impact they’re creating.”

Thurow and Heffernan were happy to be able to share their mental health journeys. “The whole project has really pushed us,” said Thurow. “We have identifiers out there, we say our first and last names, we get tagged on Instagram, so it’s going to stay with us forever, which I think is pretty special to realize that you are stronger than the stigma. And having your story shared can not only help you, but also the bigger community that we’ve built, it’s really powerful."