Episode 1: What Does Being in the Green Mean?

Are You in the Green? podcast host Capt. J.R. Hall (JBU) chats with ALPA Air Safety Organization Pilot Peer Support chair F/O Carrie Braun (JBU) and vice chair F/O Marion “Sonny” Ruff (UAL) about ALPA’s Are You in the Green? campaign. The title references the colors of the Mental Health Continuum, which helps pilots gauge the state of their mental health and fitness to fly, based on their attitudes, behaviors, and adherence to certain social norms. This evaluation is an important tool because a pilot’s mental state can impact their performance level. 

Episode 2: Strategies for Staying Mentally Fit for Duty

Are You in the Green? podcast host Capt. J.R. Hall (JBU), ALPA Air Safety Organization Pilot Peer Support chair F/O Carrie Braun (JBU), and vice chair F/O Marion “Sonny” Ruff (UAL) discuss practices for staying mentally fit to fly, as well as the development of an emergency mental health care plan for occasions when your mental wellbeing is less than optimal.

Episode 3: Pilot Peer Support in Action

Are You in the Green? podcast host Capt. J.R. Hall (JBU), ALPA Air Safety Organization Pilot Peer Support chair F/O Carrie Braun (JBU), and vice chair F/O Marion “Sonny” Ruff (UAL) review the various programs available to all members through the Association’s Air Safety Organization Pilot Assistance Group. Special attention is given to Pilot Peer Support, a network of pilot volunteers who help fellow ALPA members deal with stress from any source, including financial problems, family or relationship concerns, and any other work or personal issues.

Episode 4: The FAA’s Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances ARC

Are You in the Green? podcast host Capt. J.R. Hall (JBU) talks with ALPA Air Safety Organization (ASO) Pilot Assistance chair Capt. Travis Ludwig (UAL) and ASO Pilot Peer Support chair F/O Carrie Braun (JBU) about the FAA’s Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances ARC. Chartered by the FAA on December 4, 2023, the ARC provided a forum for the U.S. aviation community to discuss the barriers preventing pilots from reporting and seeking care for mental health issues and to make recommendations to address these barriers to mitigate potential aviation safety risks. Ludwig served as co-chair of this effort. 

Episode 5: New Approaches to Mental Health Advocacy

Are You in the Green? podcast host Capt. J.R. Hall (JBU) meets with ALPA Air Safety Organization Pilot Peer Support (PPS) chair F/O Carrie Braun (JBU) and Capt. Richard Nestor (ALA), his pilot group’s PPS chair, in a discussion about the U.S. military’s holistic health and fitness approach and what airline professionals can learn from it. Based on his professional work and research, Nestor has helped develop a company-sponsored mental fitness and performance enhancement resource program for pilots. 

Episode 6: ALPA Canada’s Pilot Mental Health Support Network

Are You in the Green? podcast host Capt. J.R. Hall (JBU), ALPA ASO Canadian Pilot Assistance chair Capt. Jacques Gendron (TSC), and Canadian Pilot Peer Support coordinator Capt. Dana Chepil (CMA) review the pilot mental health support structure and the many resources available to the Association’s Canadian members. 

Episode 7: Meet the Mental Health Professionals

Are You in the Green? podcast host Capt. J.R. Hall (JBU) sits down with mental health counselor Jessica Auslander, licensed employee assistance program professional Mark Berg, and workplace consultant and psychologist Doug McGibbon, three of ALPA’s contract mental health providers. The four examine the changes in medical certification policy as they relate to current mental health issues, the kind of work the contractors perform for the Association, and the trends they are witnessing. 

Episode 8: The Mental Health Continuum

Are You in the Green? podcast host Capt. J.R. Hall (JBU) talks with ALPA Air Safety Organization Pilot Peer Support chair F/O Carrie Braun (JBU) and vice chair Capt. Elijah Nicolas (JBU), who also serve as the campaign’s respective chair and vice chair. The two go into depth about the mental health continuum, a model representing mental health as a dynamic spectrum, which pilots use to gauge their fitness to fly.

Episode 9: Mental Health Aviation Updates

Are You in the Green? podcast host Capt. J.R. Hall (JBU) chats with ALPA Air Safety Organization Pilot Peer Support chair F/O Carrie Braun (JBU) and vice chair Capt. Elijah Nicolas (JBU), who also serve as the campaign’s respective chair and vice chair. The three examine how regulators and policymakers are actively taking a renewed interest in evaluating and addressing mental health concerns.