Podcast 790: You Can’t Do It Alone: A Widow’s Journey Through Loss, Grief and Life After with Maria Quiban Whitesell

Coping with the loss of a loved one is an emotional rollercoaster, I know for I speak from experience having lost my mother, father, and

Podcast 661: Conversations that Matter with Leslie Peters RN

Woman’s advocate and specialists Leslie Peter’s RN has a very interesting perspective on the topic of “Adverse Childhood Experiences”.  Here experience is a direct result of being the victim from childhood abuse from her father as a child,  as well as counseling thousands of women who have been the victims of childhood abuse.

Leslie has worked with women in impoverished communities as an registered nurse in a hospital, and as she would question these women upon admission to the hospital she heard and saw first hand how much of a problem “Adverse Childhood Experiences” were affecting these women from being able to extract themselves from poverty.  The condition also has adverse effects on their mental and physical health as well as  a very challenging problem to deal with.  It is difficult at best for these women to shift their psychological mindset so that they can extract themselves from being stuck in this insidious cycle.

I took this opportunity to have a very open and frank dialogue about “Adverse Childhood Experiences” If you have been a victim of Adverse Childhood Experiences then I would recommend that you listen to my interview with one of the foremost experts in the field.  If you would like to learn more you might want to click here to be directed to as study commissioned by Kaiser and the CDC.

You can also connect with Leslie Peter’s RN by clicking here to be directed to her website, or you can click here to be directed to her Linkedin page.

I hope you enjoy this very interesting podcast with Leslie.

Podcast 645: Wake Up, A Handbook to Living in the Here and Now with Chris Barez-Brown

Do you feel like you are on autopilot? Just going through the motions-like life is just a blur of commuting to work, calendar event and obligations.  If so then listen up.  I recently interviewed Chris Bartz-Brown the author of a new book entitled ” Wake Up-A Handbook to Living in the Here and Now“.

This is not only a fantastic book, but the book design is exceptional, it really is a handbook–please feel free to take notes on the pages provided.  Chris has provided 54 playful strategies to help the readers snap out of autopilot.  We discussed several playful strategies in our interview together, example “Kill your Television”.  As Chris states, a little television is not a bad thing, but a lot of television wastes our time and our life. What would be the payoff for watching less television?  What else could you do to entertain yourself, read a book, take a walk, exercise, meditate?   All the options seem better than watching television.

How about the idea of noticing what you notice. Most of us are in such a hurry that we infrequently notice the little things in life.  How about carrying a pen or pencil with some paper and just start writing down what you notice? These things could be people, conversations, buildings, articles or a fleeting glance from someone in a passing bus. It doesn’t matter what you find interesting; it only matters that you notice it.  So what is the payoff of this new activity, becoming more sensitized to the world in which we live and as a result enjoying a heightened sense of connectedness and vitality.

Chris’s new book “Wake-Up” is a great easy read with lots of strategies for changing your habits and behavior for the better. If you want to learn more about the book and Chris please click here to be directed to Chris’s website.  

I hope you enjoy this lively interview with author Chris Bartz-Brown.

Podcast 636: Heartwork-The Path of Self-Compassion with Radhule Weininger, MD, PhD.

How often do you beat up on yourself?  What if you could learn to apply self-compassion to that part of you that gets lashed by your ego telling you that you are not good enough?

In my interview with author Radhule Weininger MD, Ph.D. we discuss her new book Heartwork The Path of Self-Compassion.  In the interview, with Radhule she reveals the 9 practices for opening our heart up so that we can heal the pain that we carry inside, and that frequently won’t go away.

Hearwork is filled with wonderful success stories and practices so that the reader can apply the techniques to their specific issues.  She also provides various meditation and mindfulness practices that cultivate heightened awareness, tranquility and inner happiness.  As Radhule writes ” As your wounded heart begins to heal with self-compassion, it may begin to fill with generosity and kindness; the boundaries of your self-preoccupation may loosen, and compassion for yourself can naturally widen to compassion for others.  His Holiness the Dalai Lama tells us, ” Although you may not be able to avoid difficult situations, you can modify the extent to which you (and others) suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation”

So if you want to learn how to respond differently with self-compassion and compassion for others, then you are going to want to listen to my interview author Radhule Weininger MD, Ph.D.  If you are interested in exploring Radhule’s website, just click here.   You will find more about her workshops, seminars and professional services.

I hope you enjoy my interview with author Radhule Weininger MD, PhD about her new book Heartwork, The Path to Self-Compassion.