Want your teen to swap scrolling for soul-filling creativity? Curious how “mind-watching” (kids’ word for mindfulness) can calm thought-storms and build resilience?
In this episode, Colleen talks with artist and youth-mental-health advocate Rafael McMaster, founder of Indivisible Arts. Rafael shares how a 30-minute “Fundamental Life Tools” practice—taught in kid language and paired with an hour of hands-on art—helps teens regulate emotions, focus, and reconnect with purpose. You’ll hear how peer mentorship supercharges buy-in, why phones naturally disappear when real-life creativity is compelling, and how gratitude “G-flips,” intention setting, and compassion turn chaos into clarity—at home, in school, and even for foster youth.
About the guestRafael McMaster is a creative director, photographer, and founder/CEO of Indivisible Arts, a nonprofit in LA County dedicated to cultivating one million conscious youth through art, mentorship, and practical mindfulness. His forthcoming book, Fundamental Life Tools, distills seven everyday practices—awareness (“mind-watching”), acceptance, intention, gratitude (“G-flip”), compassion, forgiveness/resentment work, and connection—developed with teens and used in after-school labs and high-school classrooms (including Da Vinci Rise). He also pilots Stream of Consciousness • Life, a teen-taught micro-lesson platform.
Teach the tool, then do the art. A short, concrete practice (“mind-watching”) before creative time helps kids notice thoughts instead of obeying them—lowering anxiety and boosting self-control.
Make IRL more interesting than the phone. When spaces are playful, social, and soulful (music studio, fashion lab, spray-paint alley), teens forget their screens—no rules required.
Prioritize the soul over performance. Reframe art as “the language of the soul.” When kids reconnect with joy, presence, and gratitude, grades, sports, and auditions become more tolerable—and often improve—without fear-based pressure.
Learn more at: https://www.indivisiblearts.org/
Follow Rafael at https://www.instagram.com/mcmaster.peace/
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