Filimon Meaza started his own podcast, The Brief Dive, during his sophomore year. The Brief Dive offers teens and their parents short, informative episodes that focus on topics related to the mental health of teens. According to Filimon, “Students aren't able to perform their best in class if they aren’t taking care of themselves mentally. Once students are at peace with themselves, it will be easier to be at peace with those around them in school.”
The Brief Dive is a mix of topics from mental health to philosophy, focusing on topics that are relevant to today’s teens. Recent episodes included discussions of anxiety, goal setting, and how everything in the world is connected. This year Filimon discussed loneliness and steps teens can take to work through this feeling. In another episode, he described the power of vision boards (a visual representation of goals). The Brief Dive also hosted episodes about the importance of sleep to mental health and strategies for balancing social media use in the life of a teenager.
Filimon says his goal in producing the podcast is to provide a place where teens can learn more about the issues they may be dealing with and to know they’re not alone. He points out that “It's not like there's a book that gives a walkthrough on being a teen. Being a student myself, I understand the struggles and challenges many teens can go through, and I hope to give them comfort in the words I share.” Filimon draws upon his own experiences to engage listeners and to provide them with suggestions on how to deal with the various issues they may be facing. In an issue of the school newspaper, the A-Blast, Filimon shared his motivation. “Mental health is not an easy subject to shed light on. I would like to make it easier for teenagers to open up to others and to seek help.” When asked about how his classmates have responded, he says, “The feedback I’ve gotten was that it helped people with their journey of self-love and ultimately becoming a better version of themselves. The idea of a teen stepping up and helping others motivated other teens to step up and help their communities as well.”
College and Career Specialist Brian Yeagley also pointed out that “Not only does Filimon attract teen listeners, but parents also find a reprieve in listening to his podcasts, which helps them to know that their child isn’t the only one dealing with certain issues.”