Free resilience workshop returning to Allamakee County September 19

What is one thing all successful people have in common? They get comfortable making mistakes - and learn from them!

Allamakee County residents are invited to attend “The Secret of Success: Learning from Mistakes”, a free community workshop co-hosted by Mental Health Today - a Matt Howe Tribute (MHT) and the nonprofit, Worldmaker.

“This session offers practical ways to set and communicate high expectations using the three elements of growth,” says Dr. Mollie Marti, Worldmaker CEO and developer of the THRIVE Resilience Model that serves as the foundation for the program. “Importantly, this includes action steps for learning how to use mistakes to improve relationships and outcomes.”

This interactive one-hour workshop is designed to benefit adults and older teens. It will be held Monday, September 19 at the Waukon Wellness Center with an option to attend in the morning or evening. The sessions will be offered from 10-11 a.m. or from 4:30-5:30 p.m. After each workshop, refreshments will be served with an opportunity to chat with friends and neighbors.

The workshops are co-hosted by Rachelle Howe (MHT) and Mollie Marti (Worldmaker), with Barb Smed serving as lead facilitator - all three individuals being natives of Allamakee County with strong roots in the community.

Howe created Mental Health Today, a brain health and suicide prevention initiative, after losing her husband, Matt, to suicide and subsequently losing two of her husband’s brothers as well. She is committed to bringing forth some good from her loss.

“It seems we have a lot being thrown at us these days, and I want people, especially our young people, to learn to ride the ups and downs of life, to become more resilient and seek help when needed. This community has had a lot of tragedy, so this is one way of us offering our experience and skills to support the community that has raised us and we call home,” Howe shared.

This is the third workshop in a six-part series in Allamakee County throughout 2022, delivering practical tools to help adults and youth cultivate trusted relationships, manage stress, build hope, cope with adversity, find meaning in hardship and grow personal resilience skills. In previous workshops, 98% of adults and 85% of youth reported the session was helpful or very helpful, with 84% of the youth reporting feeling more positive or hopeful about what their future holds after the session.

Smed, a local realtor with Keller-Williams, holds a Masters degree in social work and is getting her certification as a THRIVE trainer with Worldmaker. She explains, “The THRIVE Resilience Model is a proven framework that helps people prepare for, adapt to, and grow through adversity. This is something we all experience in different ways as we journey through life. There’s no place I would rather be doing this work than in the community where I was raised and where my husband and I raised our kids and now some of our grandkids.”

Each session is provided at no cost to participants thanks to the support of sponsors, community donations and volunteers. These sponsors include the Allamakee County Community Foundation, Waterville Community Foundation and local businesses. Remaining workshops will be held this year October 17, November 7 and December 5.

“These workshops are about creating a fun environment where we can give people tools to become more resilient,” says Howe. “We really appreciate community members attending and inviting others because this is something we all need in life. Everyone is welcome to attend!”