In this episode, Claire is joined by Audrey Gilfillan and Alison West, licensed professional counselors and embedded therapists in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder. Together, they bring extensive experience in college mental health, academic and career support, and community-based counseling. Audrey and Alison are co-authors of Decompile Your Mind: An Engineer’s Guide to Thoughts and Emotions and co-founders of Applied Wellness Initiatives, where they help educators, managers, and professionals integrate mental health awareness into their work and academic communities. Their shared passion is supporting young adults as they balance personal well-being with academic and professional goals in a fast-changing world.
About Audrey: Audrey Gilfillan is a licensed professional counselor and works as an Embedded Therapist in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. With a background in academic coaching, career counseling, and college mental health, Audrey specializes supporting college students as they navigate the intersection of their academic goals and mental health.
About Alison: Alison West is a licensed professional counselor and addiction specialist who also works as an Embedded Therapist in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder. Prior to working in higher education, Alison worked in community mental health, providing direct support through ongoing therapy, crisis response, and case management. Alison is passionate about supporting young adults as they navigate the challenges of an ever-changing world.
About Applied Wellness Initiatives: At Applied Wellness Initiatives, Gilfillan and West translate emotional wellness into a language that resonates with engineers—using logic-based explanations, engineering examples, and applicable tools and processes. They offer emotional intelligence workshops, support for managers as they support their employees, engineering performance coaching, and their book - Decompile Your Mind - to help engineers and engineering teams improve performance, stay longer, and feel better.
All content for The STEM Space is the property of Vivify STEM and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
In this episode, Claire is joined by Audrey Gilfillan and Alison West, licensed professional counselors and embedded therapists in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder. Together, they bring extensive experience in college mental health, academic and career support, and community-based counseling. Audrey and Alison are co-authors of Decompile Your Mind: An Engineer’s Guide to Thoughts and Emotions and co-founders of Applied Wellness Initiatives, where they help educators, managers, and professionals integrate mental health awareness into their work and academic communities. Their shared passion is supporting young adults as they balance personal well-being with academic and professional goals in a fast-changing world.
About Audrey: Audrey Gilfillan is a licensed professional counselor and works as an Embedded Therapist in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. With a background in academic coaching, career counseling, and college mental health, Audrey specializes supporting college students as they navigate the intersection of their academic goals and mental health.
About Alison: Alison West is a licensed professional counselor and addiction specialist who also works as an Embedded Therapist in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder. Prior to working in higher education, Alison worked in community mental health, providing direct support through ongoing therapy, crisis response, and case management. Alison is passionate about supporting young adults as they navigate the challenges of an ever-changing world.
About Applied Wellness Initiatives: At Applied Wellness Initiatives, Gilfillan and West translate emotional wellness into a language that resonates with engineers—using logic-based explanations, engineering examples, and applicable tools and processes. They offer emotional intelligence workshops, support for managers as they support their employees, engineering performance coaching, and their book - Decompile Your Mind - to help engineers and engineering teams improve performance, stay longer, and feel better.
181. How to Make Science Stick ft. Dr. Erica Colón
The STEM Space
32 minutes 1 second
6 months ago
181. How to Make Science Stick ft. Dr. Erica Colón
Natasha sits down with Dr. Erica Colón, the visionary behind NGS Magnified—formerly known as Nitty Gritty Science—to explore the profound impact of science education. Erica shares her journey of sparking curiosity in students and how that passion evolved into equipping educators with the tools to deliver engaging and accessible science instruction. She emphasizes that science doesn’t have to be complex to be meaningful—simple, hands-on activities can foster a deep appreciation for the natural world and inspire lifelong discovery. Throughout the conversation, Erica offers valuable insights on making science both fun and approachable, ensuring students and educators alike feel empowered in their learning journey.
About Erica: Dr. Erica Colón is a National Board Certified Teacher with over twelve years of teaching experience in 6th-12th grade secondary science, including Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, and Marine Science. In 2008 Erica earned her Master’s in Educational Administration but quickly realized her passion was working with science teachers. Erica returned to earn her Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus in science and technology, and in 2012, she founded Nitty Gritty Science, LLC, where she continues to design and publish science curriculum which can be found in thousands of classrooms around the globe!
Dr. Colón also organizes and hosts the Champions For Science Virtual Conference Series for science educators, where extraordinary leaders, creators, and innovators in science education come together to focus on the most important matter – our students –the future CHAMPIONS FOR SCIENCE!
About NGS Magnified: NGS Magnified, formerly Nitty Gritty Science, is dedicated to making science engaging and accessible for both students and educators. With a focus on simplifying complex concepts, they provide interactive lessons, curriculum support, and professional development to empower teachers in the classroom. Their mission is to spark curiosity and deepen scientific understanding through creative teaching strategies and hands-on learning experiences.
The STEM Space
In this episode, Claire is joined by Audrey Gilfillan and Alison West, licensed professional counselors and embedded therapists in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder. Together, they bring extensive experience in college mental health, academic and career support, and community-based counseling. Audrey and Alison are co-authors of Decompile Your Mind: An Engineer’s Guide to Thoughts and Emotions and co-founders of Applied Wellness Initiatives, where they help educators, managers, and professionals integrate mental health awareness into their work and academic communities. Their shared passion is supporting young adults as they balance personal well-being with academic and professional goals in a fast-changing world.
About Audrey: Audrey Gilfillan is a licensed professional counselor and works as an Embedded Therapist in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. With a background in academic coaching, career counseling, and college mental health, Audrey specializes supporting college students as they navigate the intersection of their academic goals and mental health.
About Alison: Alison West is a licensed professional counselor and addiction specialist who also works as an Embedded Therapist in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at CU Boulder. Prior to working in higher education, Alison worked in community mental health, providing direct support through ongoing therapy, crisis response, and case management. Alison is passionate about supporting young adults as they navigate the challenges of an ever-changing world.
About Applied Wellness Initiatives: At Applied Wellness Initiatives, Gilfillan and West translate emotional wellness into a language that resonates with engineers—using logic-based explanations, engineering examples, and applicable tools and processes. They offer emotional intelligence workshops, support for managers as they support their employees, engineering performance coaching, and their book - Decompile Your Mind - to help engineers and engineering teams improve performance, stay longer, and feel better.
