The Assassination of President McKinley seems like it should be an event that every American child is taught about, and that McKinley should be someone who is memorialized and maybe even deified in American culture. So why isn’t he? What could possibly b…
Episode 8: Epic Fails
Gaming can teach us a lot about failure, and it’s a lot more than just learning that you can’t win all the time. Games can also show us that sometimes the system is rigged against us and that we’re going to fail no matter how hard we try. And that’s OK! …
Episode 7: Thanos Snapped
What is it that makes some people rise up in the moment? This week, we talk about how superhero stories are modern American mythologies and what these characters represent to us in the 21st century. Spoilers: it’s more than just a throwaway popcorn movie…
Episode 6: Making Choices
It’s really common for people to feel constrained by the choices they’ve made and limited in the choices they can make in the future. In reality, we have a lot more options than we tend to realize we do. This is especially important for people who are su…
Episode 5: Stress, School, and Stanford White
It’s ok to admit you’re stressed and under a lot of pressure, and so this week we’re going to talk about the power of taking inventory of your work and why it matters. Talking about our mental health publicly before the pressure gets too great can be hel…
Episode 4: Fight Forever
It’s been a rough week because of the unrelenting weather and baffling and horrible violence around the world. Just like it’s important to be mindful of your emotions and ask why you’re responding to things the way you are, it’s also important to think a…
Episode 3: Sadness and Hope
In light of the sentencing of Paul Manafort and the public reaction to that, this week’s episode discusses how important it is to understand our anger when we hear about criminal justice issues and to question why it is we’re reacting the way we are – be…
Episode 2: Scott’s Story and the Opiod Crisis
The opioid epidemic has claimed so many lives, but we don’t get to hear the stories of people who’ve been lost nearly enough. This week, Andy talks about a personal loss and tries to understand the loss of a dear friend, and talks about how the opioid ep…
Episode 1: People vs Bodies
The official launch of Strength Check! How much do we care about people? Are we concerned about people, or just their bodies? The cases of Elizabeth Short (the Black Dahlia) and Marty Bergen are discussed with this question in mind. What can we do better…
Episode 0: Play for Progress Update
The unofficial introduction to Strength Check and a discussion of how Dungeons & Dragons might be used to help young people recovering from violence or living with mental health problems and a recap of introducing D&D to the Play for Progress volunteers …