The Power of Radio- A feature on Dwight Bain, LMHC, NCC

Dwight is a long-time friend and speaker for the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association He has studied professional speaking for over thirty years, carries certifications as a corporate trainer from the Fred Pryor / Career Track company, is certified as a senior trainer by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, is a certified platform speaker by Dynamic Communicators, is a CLASS Certified Speaker, a certified life coach, Author and, a Nationally Certified Counselor in practice since 1984

Dwight has spent 20 years hosting a radio and television talk show, spent 10 years training in the National Speakers Association, and 10 years as an active member of Toastmasters International (several times selected as one of the best public speakers in Florida), and 16 years resolving conflict in complex family situations as a Family Law Mediator He is a trusted media resource who has been interviewed on over 500 radio and television stations; as well as quoted on over 100 media platforms including: New York Times, Washington Post, Orlando Sentinel, Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal, Miami Herald, FoxBusiness.com, MSNBC.com, and Yahoo.com.

He is a life-long resident of Orlando where he lives with his wife Sheila, their two adult children, and a few rescue pets He is passionate about creating connections using ideas, stories, and technology to create a positive change His specialty is teaching strategic change to achieve rapid results

So what drives Dwight Bain? What challenges has he faced? What made him become a counselor and the man we see today?

"That story began long ago " he stated, "back when two high school students became parents and ran away to Orlando " Knowing that education matters, Dwight's parents took him to the library each week- an activity he continues to enjoy today

As a family, they also tuned in to a Christian radio station that had a 15 minute daily segment on parenting and life skills hosted by psychologist Clyde Narramore. It was this 15 minutes a day that gave 10 year old Dwight the answer to a huge life question, "When I grow up I want to be a Christian psychologist on the radio helping people "

Dwight went on to become a host of a radio talk show about counseling issues after finishing graduate school.

"When you look at my story, it is a story of mentors...it is their influence that helped me remain clear on what I wanted to do and who I wanted to become."

Dr Narramore actually became one of Dwight's mentors, encouraging him to stay true to the vision of sharing positive mental health messages through broadcasting Bringing messages of mental wellness into the community to build unity still drives Dwight today "Years ago, I wanted to help people find success in life... today I want to help them find quality of life." When Dwight was growing up he viewed success as having a nice car and a new home, today he explains that success is now centered on quality of life: physical health and mental wellness and how that unifies a community He later explains: "If we can help people to look into the mirror and see their emotions and then manage their emotions, we can change a whole community "

Serving the community has always been a part of Dwight's story When we asked him why he serves FMHCA in particular he answered: "I heard Aaron Norton speak and I was so mesmerized" he continued, "he later told me to ' come see ' what FMHCA was about. Impressed by Aaron's dedication, I came, saw, and never left. I found in FMHCA what was missing in many organizations- and that is its dedication to its members "

Dwight recalls starting off his counseling career with very little, "Back then, I would attend CEU events with some of my last few dollars when I saw how FMHCA was a place that offered twice as much for half the cost to help out counselors it made me wish I has know about them back them." Recalling on his own belief of serving others he stated, "there were no egos, no logos, just serving- and that makes my heart sing."

Having a career that branched from radio host, to counselor, to public speaker, to author, and more, we asked Dwight if this was his original career plan to which he responded, "I changed through evolution. I was one class away from both graduation and marrying my best friend There was only one class that fit my schedule and my credit requirements called Crisis Intervention." Dwight goes on to explain that as a man of faith, he believes everything happens for a reason. "A few years after becoming a counselor there was a mass shooting in Palm Bay. I knew someone who worked at a nearby Titusville television station and she asked if I knew anything about crisis intervention." After letting her know that he's only taken one class, she invited him to speak calm to

the traumatized community since that one class was greater knowledge than anyone else around at the time. "I drove to Palm Bay and went on TV to speak about crisis and how to stabilize a community after crisis after that, I focused on building that skill through more training events which evolved into a radio talk show television segments, speaking engagements, coaching, and writing "

"Careers evolve if you are flowing with it" Dwight explains. "I was not very good at some things but most importantly, I was not afraid to try " Trying one thing after another, Dwight recalled some 'fails' in his career but goes on to explain that "they were not failures, they were experiments!"

Dwight's whole life has been spent learning When asked what piece of knowledge he wished he knew sooner he responded, "Eat healthy, drink water because I was so busy helping 'the world' I ended up having a heart attack at just 46 years old " Dwight was 60 pounds overweight at the time and living on caffeine and just 4 hours of sleep a night "I would tell my younger self to stop and breathe. That in order to take care of the community, you need to take care of you first." After this realization and a second chance, Dwight has gone on more vacations with his wife, danced with his daughter at her wedding and has been present for both of his children's graduation ceremonies. He plans to write more books with the knowledge that "what lasts beyond me are the words that I writes down" perhaps you will find them on your next trip to the library

Thank you for sharing your story with us Dwight, we are forever grateful for you and your time.

-The FMHCA Office