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Track 5: Mental Health

Maintaining your mental health is essential for being the best parent you can be. This track offers sessions that focus on mental health and well-being, including stress management techniques, coping strategies, and resources for seeking help. Whether you’re dealing with stress, anxiety, or depression, these sessions will provide valuable insights and tools to help you prioritize your mental health.

Introduction to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) & Science of Resilience for Parents

Presented By Christopher Burks

Presented in English, interpretation available upon request in registration

Introduces the science behind ACEs and the key components of resilience. Participants will explore practical stress-busters and strategies for incorporating resilience-building and trauma-informed perspectives into their personal and professional lives. The target audience is for parents, caregivers and youth mentors.

Christopher Burks is a foster and adoptive father, youth sports coach, and dedicated advocate for strong families and communities. As a Community Health Program Manager, he works to connect families with resources that promote physical and mental well-being. Christopher also owns a mentoring and coaching program focused on helping youth and adults build resilience, leadership skills, and confidence. Through his professional and personal experiences, he is committed to strengthening families and empowering individuals to reach their full potential.

It starts with me: How my actions speak when I don’t

Presented By Joshua Liston-Zawadi

Presented in English, interpretation available upon request in registration

“It Starts With Me” explores how personal behavior and emotional presence shape environments, influence mental health, and teach others beyond words. Through reflection and real-life examples, participants learn how intentional actions create safer, healthier spaces. Designed for parents, leaders, and community members committed to growth, accountability, and emotional wellness.

Joshua Liston-Zawadi is a Milwaukee native, fatherhood advocate, and community leader dedicated to strengthening families through intentional engagement. He is the founder of Dad Doula, a program equipping non-birthing partners with tools to support pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experiences. As co-founder of Life ReDefined MKE, Joshua leads initiatives that center family connection, cultural relevance, and mental wellness. His work focuses on empowering fathers, improving maternal health outcomes, and building community-driven solutions. Blending lived experience, ministry, and public health insight, Joshua creates spaces where men are seen, supported, and equipped to lead within their families and communities.

The Father’s Identity

Presented By Mat Lien

Presented in English, interpretation available upon request in registration

Great brands are intentional about who they are, how they tell their story and how they show up. This session explores how a father’s self-understanding shapes his leadership at home. The story you tell yourself becomes the story your children inherit, impacting their identity, stability and sense of trust.

Mat Lien is a creative director, brand strategist, and leadership coach with over 20 years of experience helping organizations and individuals lead with clarity and purpose. Drawing from his work in storytelling and brand transformation, Mat equips fathers to understand themselves, lead with intention, and create stability and trust in their homes.

Lights and Shadows of Fatherhood

Presented By Richie Morales and Saul Cortes

Presented in Spanish, interpretation available upon request in registration

The goal of this workshop is to generate an honest dialogue between fathers and future fathers to share experiences of fatherhood in all its complexity. We will share our wisdom developed through experiences of fatherhood in an open and honest space.

Richie Morales studied Agronomy at USAC, Universidad de San Carlos of Guatemala and he is a self-taught artist whose work transcends borders, fusing vibrant colors, textures, and emotions to create immersive experiences. Passionate about exploring the human condition, Morales’ art invites the viewer to reflect, connect, and question the artificial boundaries between people, cultures, and nature. Morales creates dynamic compositions that combine his mastery of texture, acquired during his childhood working in trades in Guatemala, with his passion for traveling, healing, and continuously learning.

Saúl Cortés is from the outskirts of Mexico City, in Ciudad Neza. A graduate of the School of Social and Political Sciences at UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Saúl began his career as a sociologist, participating in the formation of transnational migrant community networks in North America. Saul has been part of various local and regional efforts that seek to strengthen identity and culture as an alternative to violence. Saul became a father 6 years ago. Now with 3 daughters, Saúl continues the path toward more just and sustainable ways of life.