Podcast 289: Notes for the Heart with Ed McShane

Ed-McShaneWe all need an uplift from time to time, and author Ed McShane in his book “Notes For The Heart” certainly provides that positive vibe.  In his book which is a series of true stories and short essays, Ed conveys the message of hope, love and encouragement.  In these challenging times a book like Ed’s is a great resource and inspiration.  Ed confided in me that as a professional therapists his vocation is challenging, and that writing “Notes For The Heart” allowed him to tell uplifting and inspiring stories to heal the heart and soul.

In my interview with Ed we speak about many true stories taken from his life.  One story that touched my heart was about an elderly gentleman that as Ed explains was in his mid to late 80’s.  Ed would drive to work and everyday he would see this man on the street corner in his white shirt waving to the passing traffic.  Ed was amazed that not only did he attract the attention of the passersby but almost everyone would wave back including Ed.

The elderly gentleman was on the corner for a length period of time, and always brought a smile to faces of the people who he waved to.  Then one day this elderly gentleman was not present  as he usually was waving to the passerby’s.   Ed wondered what has happened.  Had he fallen ill, or had he died.  This went on for sometime, but Ed never did find what had happened to the elderly gentleman.  He to this day regrets that he did not take the time to check on him.

Knowing that the passerby’s on this corner were use to the elderly greeter, Ed being courageous and having lots of moxie Ed decided to dress up in a white shirt and play the greeter role of the elderly gentleman.  He admitted  it was scary and uncomfortable for him standing on the corner in his white shirt waving, but the response to his waving was responded to just as if the elderly gentleman had never left, he received smiles and encouraging waves back.

I don’t know about you, but I have experienced many times when a person has waved to me from the side of the street.  Most of the time I think they are crazy and should be institutionalized or need help.  If I were to shift my perspective and not judge, just maybe I could experience the moment for really what it is–a beautiful soul attempting to bring a moment of happiness into my life.
Ed’s book “Notes For The Heart” is filed with great inspiring stories just like this.  If you are down, and need to lift yourself back up–then pick up Ed’s book and read some of the inspiring stories.  For more information about Ed McShane please click here to be directed to his Facebook page.  Enjoy this great interview with author Ed McShane.

Podcast 287: Fight the Good Fight with Ben Newman

Ben NewmanIf you have a sympathetic bone in your body, then you will appreciate my interview with author Ben Newman about his new book entitled “Fight The Good Fight-A Mothers Legacy Lives On“.  His book is a tribute to his mother who died eleven days prior to Ben’s eighth birthday.   It is also about the lessons and wisdom that a mother imparts upon her sons during some very challenging years that lead up to her death as she fought a rare disease called primary amyloidosis.

Ben’s mother Janet Fisher Newman kept a journal of her personal journey  and suffering knowing she only had a short time left with her sons.  Though the journal was a personal record kept during his mother’s medical ordeal and not a memoir written to be read by Ben or his brother, it was surprisingly full of wisdom . In my interview with Ben we discuss his mothers journal and the passages that had such a significant impact on his life, and now on the lives of so many who have read “Fight the Good Fight“.

Ben starts each chapter of “Fight the Good Fight” with a paragraph out of his mothers journal then proceeds to discuss his personal life journey, insights and wisdom learned from this experience.  As Ben states ” I believe that everything we take on in life, both personally and professionally, is influenced by an unconscious internal timing.  Though we many not be aware of doing so, we instinctively scan issues that come into our realm according to our readiness to take them on. We unconsciously sense whether we have the discipline to deal with a proposed challenge, or the emotional depth to face the intense feelings it may arouse.  We might intuitively know there is a huge opportunity before us, but we may not yet have the wisdom to understand it and take it on. ”

Fight the Good Fight is a book that will not only take you on a journey, but it will encourage you to observe what  personally needs more in-depth consideration, contemplation and potentially change for the better.  Ben has very thought provoking questions at the end of each chapter designed to garner the attention of the reader.  If one would take the time to review, ponder and answer these questions I believe their life would be altered positively.
If you would like to learn more about “The Ben Newman Companies” and the workshops and seminars that Ben facilitates around the country please visit Ben’s website by clicking here.  I hope you enjoy my interview with author Ben Newman.

Podcast 286: My Joy in the Morning: Rising from the Ashes with Terrence White

Terrence WhiteI first meet Terrence White while he was working in a branch of the Chase Bank in Vista, CA where I do my business banking.  What I found exceptional about Terrence was his obvious outgoing and helpful attitude.  He sincerely wanted to help the customers solve their problems, and for many of us we know how hard it is to find this kind of service today.

Once I started speaking with Terrence I found out that he had a passion to helping people at a level of spiritual counseling and he was in the middle of writing his first book.  He asked me if I would interview him  which lead to this podcast  many months later for he had not completed “My Joy In the Morning: Rising From the Ashes“.

You will certainly experience the passion that Terrence experienced for helping people spiritually when you listen to our podcast together.  Terrence states ” Life presents the greatest benefits as a result of our struggles, pain, tears and fears.  That’s what it is all about.  In his book “My Joy In the Morning: Rising From the Ashes“Terrence quotes verses from the Bible then tells true stories that are compelling and  provide the reader with incredible insight and wisdom about how they can transmute their fears, worries, doubts and concerns.

My Joy In the Morning  started as a result of the daily messages that Terrence was sending to his students via email and text to inspire and get them thinking about and being grateful for all the good in their lives. He compiled the daily messages and story he accumulate  into this book for everyone to experience and learn from.

Terrence has thousands of faithful supporters across the country that receive his morning messages.  If you have interest in receiving his daily morning messages please click here and sign up for his emails.  Our you can learn more about Terrence by clicking here to be directed to his Facebook Page.
I hope you enjoy this podcast with a wonderful young man.

Podcast 285: Sharp: Simple Strategies to Boost Your Brainpower with Heidi Hanna

 

Heidi HannaI personally have been working with author and coach Heidi Hanna PhD over the last three months.  Her new book entitled “SHARP: Simple Strategies to Boost Your Brainpower” is a must read for all my listeners.  If you have ever wondered what are some of the things that you could be doing to assist you in having more energy, improve your focus and mental clarity then Heidi new book is the place to start.

We are all leading very busy lives, with more stimulation coming at us from every direction..cell phones, emails, instant “ON” almost all the time.  Do you ever wonder what all of this is doing to our brains?  Are you beginning to forget or you memory doesn’t seem as  SHARP.  Heidi speaks about these problems and provides practical advice on dealing with these issues.

In her book “SHARP: Simple Strategies to Boost Your Brainpower” readers will: 1) Understand how the demands on your time and energy impact your mental capacity, and learn critical components of brain health that provide a foundation for improved cognitive functioning. 2) How to utilize the power of brain training to stimulate mental energy with exercises that improve learning in areas that have the most impact on performance. 3) How to create an actionable plan for implementing a sustainable brain health training program that can be applied to your everyday life.

Our constant state of busyness has created a chronic level of stress on our brain–so toxic, in fact that experts believe more than 75% of medical visits are stress related. Heidi states that honestly most of us are too busy to notice, and will not realize the devastating impact of stress on our lives until it takes a serious toll on our health, happiness and performance.   Stress is literally making us sicker.

In Heidi’s new book “SHARP: Simple Strategies to Boost Your Brainpower” you will be guided and coached on the proper steps to take to reduce stress, eat healthier and techniques to improve your brains function.  I don’t know about you but my brain is of utmost importance to the proper functioning of my job, and I believe that this is the case with almost all workers in society today.  But just how often do you think about the fitness of your brain—you take it for granted don’t you?  If you listen to, and read what Heidi has been teaching and coaching top executives for years you will really alter many of your current habits that are effecting the functioning of your brain.
If you would like more information about author Heidi Hanna and her new book please click here to be directed to her website.  If you would like to watch a short introduction video, just click here to be directed to her book’s promotional video.  Enjoy this wonderful interview with Heidi Hanna PhD author of “SHARP: Simple Strategies to Boost Your Brainpower“.

Podcast 284: Get Out of Your Mind & Into Your Life with Steven C. Hayes

Steven C. HayesI was recently introduced to the concept of “Third Wave Psychology” by my good friend and author Will Marre.  As a result of my inquisitiveness I was directed to author/professor Steven C. Hayes who wrote the book ” Get Out of Your Mind & Into Your Life“.   His book highlights the process entitled “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” and was  profiled in an article published in Time Magazine in 2006.

If you are like me and had never heard of the “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” them I encourage you to listen to this very interesting interview with Steven C. Hayes.  What you will learn is that this new process has been very successful in treating depression, transforming emotional pain, freeing yourself from negative thinking and self-judgement and a myriad of other psychological challenges.

The practice of “ACT” Therapy is about moving from suffering to full engagement with life.   People suffer.  It’s not just that they have pain–suffering is much more that that.  Human beings struggle with the forms of psychological pain the have: their difficult emotions and thoughts, their unpleasant memories, and their unwanted urges and sensations. They think about them, worry about them, resent them, anticipate and dread them.

At the same time, human beings demonstrate enormous courage, deep compassion, and remarkable ability to move ahead even with the most difficult personal histories.  Knowing they can be hurt, humans sill love other. Knowing they will die, humans still care about the future.  Facing the draw of meaninglessness, humans still embrace ideals.  At times, humans are fully alive, present and committed.

I really appreciate the analogy that Steven uses in our interview and in the book about quicksand.  Our own lives can be like quicksand, struggling to get out emotional worries, fears, traumatic and painful stories. The more we attempt to remove ourselves through the struggle the deeper we become engaged.  Exactly when will the quicksand of traumatic memory completely vanish? At what moment will the painful quicksand of the past criticism from parents or peers disappear?

If
you want to learn more about this wonderful therapy and how you can release yourself from your emotional bonds, then listen to my interview with Steven C. Hayes and click here to be directed to the website to learn more about the “Acceptance and Commitment” therapy.

Podcast 283: The 9 Intense Experiences with Brian Vaszily

Brian VaszilyI had a wonderful interview with author Brian Vaszily about his new book entitled ” The 9 Intense Experiences“.   Brian has a very interesting personal story of struggle and adversity, and this story allows him to convey the meaning behind the “The 9 Intense Experiences” so authentically.

Brian asks the question-” If you could abandon your fears, stresses and frustrations and finally achieve the happiness and success you know you are meant to, would you take the next steps to do so.?” This is a very powerful question, and one that deserves some deep consideration and thought, for many the next steps are what we find so challenging to determine.

The 9 Intense Experiences guides the reader into doing what Brian refers to as some very unorthodox exercises, such as host a dinner party where no utensils are allowed and serve spaghetti, talk to dead people, hug a tree and tell it a secret. These exercises are designed to get you to grow and transform, while they may seem uncomfortable at first it will get you out of old patterns so that you can receive the transformative power of the experiences.

Brian believes that the biggest issue facing the world today is a growing sense of individual insignificance and disconnect from self-awareness, true purpose, empathy, joy and wonder.  Despite endless opportunities for “Intense Experiences”, people are instead settling for success-sabotaging, health depleting, and happiness numbing pattern of mediocre to toxic experiences.  The 9 Intense Experiences is uniquely rich in providing highly transformative actions that you can take right now, using what’s around you every single day , to change your life rapidly.
I hope that you enjoy this great podcast with author Brian Vaszily.  If you would like more information about Brian and his coaching programs please visit his website by clicking here.

Podcast 282: Get Happy Today with Evelyn Brooks

Evelyn BrooksCan one really have complete happiness and bliss in their life almost all of the time.?  Well according to author Evelyn Brook it is possible.  I interview Evelyn about her new book entitled “Get Happy Today“.  In our interview together we discuss the characteristics of what makes a person happy.

Happiness is not a matter of chance but rather a deliberate decision combined with the right action taken every day.  It is truly an inside job, and something that can be cultivated-I love this quote from Evelyn’s book by Abraham Lincoln “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” Isn’t that the truth!!

One truly great bit of advice that is so important, is letting go of desired results.  When you already have your mind set on a specific outcome, you are living in the future.  And if you are dissatisfied with the present, you probably spend a lot of energy telling yourself things such as, “I can’t bear this! I cannot stand another minute of this!”

If you want paradise on Earth, then decide to have an attitude of happiness-it’s an inside job.

Clarify your purposes in life and avoid feeling discouraged by seeming failures.  These are lessons for you to learn.

Deal with your stress overload so it doesn’t bog you down.

Let go of your desired outcomes and the results you are hoping for.  Eliminate wishful thinking. Concentrate on doing the necessary work in front of you to the best of your ability.

Focus on today and this moment in time. Leave the past alone, and stop worrying about the future.  You’ll be able to handle your life much more easily when you are mentally grounded in the present.

If you are seeking happiness, and would like to clarify your intentions about having a life filled with bliss and happiness then choose happiness over worry, doubt, fear and frustration.
I hope you enjoy this great interview with author Evelyn Brooks, and please visit her Facebook page by clicking here.

Podcast 280: The Art of Making Things Happen In Your Life with Dean Drawbaugh

Dean DrawbaughI recently had the privileged of interviewing author Dean Drawbaugh.  Dean has a great new easy to read book entitled “The Art of Making Things Happen In Your Life“.   The essence of this book is to provide the reader with self-assessment and reflections on ways to manifest their desired outcomes and goals.   At the end of each chapter Dean provides thought provoking questions and short assessment as a tool to assist the reader in determining where they are now,  and what they can do to change the current situation for a more positive outcome .

I love the story that Dean tells in the book and in our interview about the two wolves that live inside of us.   One evening a warrior in a remote village began to prepare his son to face life as an adult with the inevitable afflictions and adversities he would face.  The warrior told his son that all challenges ultimately are fought first between the two wolves inside him.  One is the wolf of fear which takes control of emotions and masquerades as lies, regret, feelings of inferiority, self-pity, envy and anger.  The other wolf is faith, consisting of trust, hope, joy, peace, humility, power and love.  The son thought about the scenario for a few minutes–of the two wolves battling against each other in his mind.  He asked, “Which one wins, Dad?” The wise father simply said, “The one you feed.”
How true this story is, and what a great way to illustrate a point.  We are what we think about, and if we can change our thinking we can change what we become.  Dean’s book “The Art of Making Things Happen In Your Life” is truly about observing what is happening now, and with some shifts in our thinking and our actions creating a better life.

I highly recommend this great little book, packed with practical advice on how to make things happen in your life.  If you would like to learn more about Dean Drawbaugh you can click here to be directed to his website.

I hope you enjoy this interview with author Dean Drawbaugh.

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