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About Janine Monico

Janine Monico is a digital marketing consultant who has managed the Healthy Minds Philly initiative website since 2015.

The Power of Social Tango Dancing: Community, Growth, and Calm

During summer, Philadelphia comes alive with festivals and public events, giving residents many chances to try new activities. These celebrations help people discover things that can enhance their well-being and bring global cultures into the city through music, food, art, and community gatherings. These occasions are a great time to embrace social dancing. A fun way to enhance overall well-being, social dancing offers physical, mental, and social benefits—such as increased confidence, reduced stress, and new friendships. To help Philadelphians discover how social dancing can improve health and happiness, HealthyMindsPhilly visited [...]

2025-07-21T09:26:22-04:00May 6th, 2025|Depression, Lived Experience, Mental Health, Music and Mental Health, Self-Help|
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Runner’s High in Recovery: A Natural High That Heals

For those in recovery, the word high can carry heavy weight. But there’s a different kind of high called runner’s high, and for some people in recovery, it can be a source of peace and clarity. What is a High? A "high" is a brain event that happens when the "reward circuit" overacts. This overaction is experienced as relaxation, or heightened sensory perception, or euphoria. A high is a normal brain response to life experiences, such as seeing a loved-one, having fun with friends, or enjoying physical activity. Highs can [...]

2025-04-08T11:16:52-04:00April 14th, 2025|Addiction & Recovery|
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Program Spotlight: The East Falls Community Fridge

“To be hungry and not have food, that’s just such a hurtful feeling,” Dené shared. She remembers being a child searching for food in an empty cabinet and breaking into tears. This personal history drives her commitment to ensuring others don’t face the same hardship. Dené volunteers at the East Falls Community Fridge. While she is busy managing a pediatric medical practice, she found time during the pandemic to start volunteering checking the fridge temperature twice a day. Her commitment to increasing access to food is rooted in her own [...]

2025-05-20T15:33:16-04:00April 11th, 2025|Awareness, Community, Eating Disorder, Lived Experience|
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ROMEOS Know How to Stay Connected in Retirement

HealthyMindsPhilly met with local Philadelphia retirees Paul J. (76), William M. (74), Joseph B. (74), Ed Z. (76), Robert B. (76), and Bud Y. (68) to discuss how retired men can connect beyond work and retirement. There's a group of ROMEOs (Retired Old Men Eating Out) who gather at Reading Terminal Market every Friday for their weekly catch-up. "It's very important to get together and catch up,” one ROMEO explained. “Actually, every Friday, we solve most of the problems in the world." The light-hearted ease with which the men converse [...]

2025-05-20T15:33:27-04:00April 4th, 2025|Lived Experience, Men's Health, Older Adults|
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Healthy Minds Philly is an initiative of the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, City of Philadelphia

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