Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 56
https://www.kristitchin.com/shop
This episode features Tunde Wey! He is a Nigerian social practice artist using food, finance, and investment capital to address economic disparities across geographies and demographies. I met Tunde at the Hearth Summit at Omega Institute where he addressed social and global disparities and opportunities for change; I gave him Happy Thoughts and now here he is on the podcast! Tunde is an extremely curious person with an ability to confront disparities confidently and delicately; he got a lot of info out of me and he's gone some amazing places!
Tunde's work engages systems that create material disparity, focusing particularly on how economics and finance impact working class Black people globally. He uses performance and installation, film, food, writing and finance to confront disparities in material conditions and attempt interventions to address these socially constructed inequalities.
His work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR, GQ, The Washington Post, VOGUE, Black Enterprise, Food and Wine, and my writing has appeared in the Oxford American, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Roads & Kingdom and a couple cookbooks/ anthologies. my docuseries is a 2024 CANNESERIES Official Selection. He is a recipient of the Monroe Fellowship from Tulane University (2023) and the Ford Foundation Just Films Grant (2022). He is currently working on a book of essays to be published with MCD (a division of Farrar, Straus & Giroux).
Find Tunde!
https://www.fromlagos.com/
IG: @from_lagos
"In a gentle way, you can change the world." -Gandhi
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 56 is out now!!
💚 Spotify
💜 Apple
🩵 Amazon
💗 iheartradio
❤️ YouTube
Happy Thoughts can be found at:
❤️ thehappythoughtproject.com
💚 faire.com/kristitchin
🩵 amazon/happythoughtsbykristin
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
#thehappythoughtproject #happythoughtspodcast #happythoughts #happythoughtsbykristin #thehappythoughtproject #happythoughtscarddeck #vanlife #affirmationdeck #affirmationcards #dailyaffirmations #positiveaffirmations #selflove #selfcare #mentalhealth #goodvibes #giftideas #spreadpositivity #inspirationalquotes
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 55
"Take time to do what makes your soul happy." -Jeremy McGilvrey
This episode features Alejandra Garza, senior manager at The Wellbeing Project! I met Alejandra when Omega Insitute hosted The Hearth Summit- an event created with The Wellbeing Project and The Harlem Wellness Center to bring people together to express/find common ground for social change with the arts. It felt very Happy Thoughty the whole time and I'm so honored to have Alejandra on the podcast! This episode gives a wonderful overview of what The Wellbeing Project is doing all over the globe. We could learn a lot from how they function! More about Alejandra below 🙂
Ale is from a mountain filled city called Monterrey, in the North of Mexico. She started her career in strategic process consulting and project management. She studied Mechanical Engineering, and then worked 5 years in process consulting (mostly supply chain cost-efficiencies and logistics). In 2017 she launched a web platform for connecting volunteers with social causes in their city. This project came to life after launching a pro-bono consulting initiative in the consulting company she was working at, and this was what pivoted her consulting career into the social sector.
To this day, her work and projects have provided the opportunity for her to experience how things work and how people operate in the social sector (in Mexico specifically). She firmly believes that great things happen through collaboration and loves brainstorming ideas to get things done. Ale actively searches for new ways to improve and learn about herself and has taken 2 certifications on logotherapy by Centro OCCRE in Monterrey, Mexico. She is proud to call herself a Viktor Frankl advocate. She sees wellbeing as balance and unity, starting with herself so that that can lead to spreading the experience of wellbeing for all. She enjoys spending time with her family in nature, reading novels and admires horses for the deep empathy they share with people.
From The Wellbeing Project website:
What does inner wellbeing mean to you?
Ale: I see wellbeing as balance, unity, and living with ease. Wellbeing means being responsible for myself, for what I am, think and do. Starting with myself, so that that can lead to spreading the experience of wellbeing for all.
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 55 is out now!!
💚 Spotify
💜 Apple
🩵 Amazon
💗 iheartradio
❤️ YouTube
Happy Thoughts can be found at:
❤️ thehappythoughtproject.com
💚 faire.com/kristitchin
🩵 amazon/happythoughtsbykristin
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
#thehappythoughtproject
#happythoughtspodcast
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 54
This episode features Atlas Flynn, another co-worker at Omega Institute! Today's episode is a wonderful conversation with Atlas talking about the different twists and turns our lives have taken, how we've found moments to define them, and how we're leaning into the extreme not knowing this life brings. Learn more about Atlas below!
Daniel "Atlas" Flynn is a dedicated life coach, hypnotherapist, and educator based in Old Greenwich, CT. With a diverse educational background and a passion for helping others, Atlas guides individuals on transformative journeys through his work at "This Thing Called Life, LLC." He offers personalized coaching sessions and group workshops aimed at overcoming personal barriers, reducing stress, and fostering positive change through mindfulness and hypnotherapy.
Atlas pursued a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health at Johns Hopkins University, where he also served as the President of the Lambda Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, an international and professional academic honor society for counseling students and professionals. He holds a Master’s degree in Epidemiology and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Additionally, he is a certified Hypnotherapist through the National Guild of Hypnosis.
In addition to his work with adults, Atlas is passionate about teaching Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and mindfulness to children and adolescents. He is committed to fostering emotional intelligence and resilience in young people, equipping them with the tools they need for personal growth and well-being.
Atlas is also deeply grateful to be in recovery from drugs and alcohol, and he actively supports the recovery community whenever possible. His lived experience allows him to connect with others on their own journeys of healing and transformation, offering guidance and encouragement with compassion and authenticity.
Throughout his career, Atlas has held significant roles in mental health and counseling at esteemed institutions such as Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, where he was honored as Counselor of the Year in 2022.
"You get to define the terms of your life." -Cheryl Strayed
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 54 is out now!!
💚 Spotify
💜 Apple
🩵 Amazon
💗 iheartradio
❤️ YouTube
Happy Thoughts can be found at:
❤️ thehappythoughtproject.com
💚 faire.com/kristitchin
🩵 amazon/happythoughtsbykristin
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
#thehappythoughtproject
#happythoughtspodcast
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 53
This episode features Shawn Mott and Donicia Cook, two of my co-workers at Omega Institute! Today's episode is so wonderfully chaotic where we talk about our experience at Omega, the different challenges we face with taking care of ourselves, and the ways we're attempting kindness to ourselves along the way. Shawn goes through a hilarious journey accepting this thought, Donicia brought us all together to make this chat happen, and I'm always just trying. I'm so grateful for this experience getting to chat Happy Thoughts with people I've met along the way- this is why the podcast started two years ago!! I think we actually recorded this the day I started it all back in 2023. What a wild ride it’s been!
"Take care of yourself like you're the most awesome person you've ever met." -Jen Sincero
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 53 is out now!!
💚 Spotify
💜 Apple
🩵 Amazon
💗 iheartradio
❤️ YouTube
Happy Thoughts can be found at:
❤️ thehappythoughtproject.com
💚 faire.com/kristitchin
🩵 amazon/happythoughtsbykristin
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
#thehappythoughtproject
#happythoughtspodcast
Life Update! Today we talk about basic needs and relentless participation in our blessings 🙂 It's been a wild year and I've landed for a few months in New York. Life can be relentless in it's challenges, but it's up to us to find our blessings and create our lives.
"You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestation of your own blessings." -Elizabeth Gilbert
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 52 is out now!!
💚 Spotify
💜 Apple
🩵 Amazon
💗 iheartradio
❤️ YouTube
Happy Thoughts can be found at:
❤️ thehappythoughtproject.com
💚 faire.com/kristitchin
🩵 amazon/happythoughtsbykristin
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
#thehappythoughtproject
#happythoughtspodcast
I got to talk with the women of Emerge Surf Therapy and Wilder Wellness, Kristin Mathes and Kristen Ales, about so many different aspects and perspectives on perfectionism!
Perfectionism is something we have all experienced as human beings on this planet. On this episode, Kristin, Kristen, and I (three Kristi/ens!) discuss the different ways perfectionism has shown up in our lives and how we've battled, challenged, and found acceptance for it.
Perfectionism is just fear in fancy shoes and a mink coat." -Elizabeth Gilbert
Kristin Mathes, LCSW is a licensed therapist working with women recovering from trauma, ptsd, anxiety, and panic through somatic healing, brainspotting, and surf therapy. She owns Emerge Surf and Somatic Therapy where she offers surf therapy retreats and programs for beginner and new surfers to reclaim power and self love through surfing and Mother Ocean.
More on Paddling with Perfectionism Retreat here:
www.emergewithfreedom.com
Instagram: @emerge_surftherapy
Kristen Ales, LPC is a licensed therapist, specializing in body image and eating disorders. Her business Wilder Wellness has offered wilderness therapy, adventure retreats, courses, and workshops for the past 10 years helping women heal their relationship to food and their body while finding confidence on and off the trail. www.wilderwellness.co
Happy Thoughts Podcast:
💚 Spotify
💜 Apple
🩵 Amazon
💗 iheartradio
❤️ YouTube
Happy Thoughts can be found at:
❤️ thehappythoughtproject.com
💚 faire.com/kristitchin
🩵 amazon/happythoughtsbykristin
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
#thehappythoughtproject
#happythoughtspodcast
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 50
I met Elizabeth Gilbert! I gave her Happy Thoughts and my heart is so so full. Also, I have no idea what I'm doing now and have been planting seeds like the most dedicated farmer you ever did see.
One of those seeds is this next episode! We're tackling the three things I've noticed while sharing Happy Thoughts over the years- we want to be loved, we want to matter, and we want to connect. Today's podcast is all about how we want to connect! None of us want to be alone and we're all deeply connected. We feel the same feelings, making us so much the same, and we have vastly different experiences, making us unique little butterflies!
The methods I've used to find more connection with Happy Thoughts, (apart from sharing them like they're candy on Halloween), are Friendly Compliments and Happy Hangs. The science of giving and receiving more compliments is the cutest thing ever and gathering in a group to be our human selves with the support of Happy Thoughts has been the sweetest reminder that we're truly all going through this human experience together.
"Set your life on fire, seek those who fan your flame." -Rumi
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 49 is out now!!
💚 Spotify
💜 Apple
🩵 Amazon
💗 iheartradio
❤️ YouTube
#thehappythoughtproject
#happythoughtspodcast
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 49I'm back on the road! We're tackling the three things I've noticed while sharing Happy Thoughts over the years- today's podcast is all about how we want to matter! Every single one of us just wants to have a seat at the table, we want to be heard when we speak, and we want to be allowed to take up space in the way that we take up space.
The methods I've been using for years to grow more self-worth are play and creativity! Having fun literally changes our brains. Playing for the pure sake of playing is a huge reason my life has led me where it's led. Play helps us let go of rules we CLING TO, in a very low stakes way! Playing more grows more creativity and I stand firm in the belief that, ultimately, it is our duty to create our lives.
"What is it that you love doing so much that the words failure and success essentially become irrelevant?" -Elizabth Gilbert
#thehappythoughtproject
Come listen in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon music, iHeartradio, and YouTube to find a little boost in your day! You're awesome, keep shining 🙂
Find more Happy Thoughts!
thehappythoughtproject.com- subscribe for updates!
Amazon- search Happy Thoughts by Kristin!
Spotify, apple podcasts,
amazon music,
iheartradio- subscribe and listen!
Instagram: @happythoughtsbykristin- follow along!
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode 48
One of the things I've seen over and over when sharing Happy Thoughts is how we just want to be loved. Service and kindness are the ways I've seen it show up over and over; we can create more love for ourselves and others by finding the thing our unique selves can share!
Sharing Happy Thoughts became my thing almost 4 years ago and it's been the most surprising and effective method of service I've ever encountered. Serving or sharing from a space of love and kindness only grows more love and kindness, it really does all come back pretty literally! If we're looking for more love, if we're feeling depleted or disconnected, finding our little way of contributing to this world can bring more love than we can imagine.
It is one of the beautiful compensations of this life that one cannot sincerely try to help another without also helping himself. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
#thehappythoughtproject
Come listen in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon music, iHeartradio, and YouTube to find a little boost in your day! You're awesome, keep shining 🙂
Find more Happy Thoughts!
thehappythoughtproject.com- subscribe for updates!
Amazon- search Happy Thoughts by Kristin!
Spotify, apple podcasts, amazon music, iheartradio- subscribe and listen!
Instagram: @happythoughtsbykristin- follow along!
I've been working on something!
Happy Thoughts have brought so much life into my life and I've been working on how to share the lessons I've learned!
When we do things scared, we give license for others to do things scared. This life is pretty terrifying sometimes, not necessarily in the challenging times. We have an easier time feeling stress than joy and I find that pretty fascinating. Gratitude is my favorite hack to joy! I love Brene Brown's take on how to combat the vulnerablity of joy with gratitude. Changing our brain patterns is always possible! It's that easy and that challenging.
Courage is contagious. -Brene Brown
#thehappythoughtproject
Come listen in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon music, iHeartradio, and YouTube to find a little boost in your day! You're awesome, keep shining 🙂
Find more Happy Thoughts!
thehappythoughtproject.com- subscribe for updates!
Amazon- search Happy Thoughts by Kristin!
Spotify, Apple podcasts, Amazon music, iheartradio- subscribe and listen!
Instagram: @happythoughtsbykristin
This episode is a mashup of episodes #44 and #45 on the drive from California to Michigan. Life took some turns and we’ll get into the aftermath in our next episode! For now, stay tuned and listen in for some van adventures and Kristin talking herself through some hard moments with Happy Thoughts.
❤️ Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode #44
The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be. - Oprah
We only get one shot at this life ✨
My dream for us all is to be the ones who make us most proud. We’re important! We matter! Any day is the perfect day to keep evolving.
❤️ Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode #45
Confidence comes, not from always being right, but from not fearing to be wrong. -Peter T. McIntyre
Confidence comes when we know we don’t know 🙃
When we allow ourselves to not know, there’s so much more knowing to be had!
#thehappythoughtproject
Come listen in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon music, iHeartradio, and YouTube to find a little boost in your day! You’re awesome, keep shining 🙂
Happy Thoughts Podcast: Episode #43
At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are, and you know what you want. - Lao Tzu
You already know! ✨
So often we are trying to convince ourselves that we don't know what we already know 🙃 The more we know and like ourselves, the more we give that little nudge value and listen!
#thehappythoughtproject
Happy Thoughts Podcast # 42- now on YouTube and all the podcast platforms!
Day 1 of driving across the country, I’m gonna try to post every day while driving, it’s a lofty goal but here comes some trying!
Never worry about numbers, help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you. -Mother Theresa
You matter! ✨ Just start and try.
Being present and finding gratitude are the greatest hacks I’ve ever found to get through the hard stuff when things are heavy, and enjoy the good stuff when things are light.
#thehappythoughtproject
Lighthouses don’t go running all over looking for boats to save, they just stand there shining. - @annelamott
Shine bright! ✨ I think the best way to foster love in this world is just to feel loved. It’s the bees knees when it comes from others, but it can ALWAYS come from us!
When we’re focusing on saving everybody else, we’re essentially creating a blueprint for others to abandon themselves too. You’re important, taking care of you helps others do the same!
#thehappythoughtproject
Happy Thoughts Podcast S2; E18 focuses on finding softness by being present and allowing ourselves to be surprised when things are challenging rather than getting down on ourselves and working harder. Giving ourselves hugs really works magic!
When trying harder doesn’t work, try softer. -Lily Tomlin
Find out more about Happy Thoughts at: www.thehappythoughtproject.com
IG: @happythoughtsbykristin
TikTok: thehappythoughtproject
Spotify: Happy Thoughts Podcast
Happy Thoughts are also available on Amazon, Etsy, and Faire for wholesale!
Happy Thoughts Podcast Season 2 episode 17 features Anne Randerson! I met Anne at the farmers market while she was visiting California from Belgium!
“You only have to bloom” Cheryl Strayed
Anne Randerson, Ph.D., is a transitions coach, teacher of contemplative practices and creative expression, author, editor, creative writing coach, spiritual director, and mindfulness teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French from the University of California at Davis, and Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Human Life Studies from Koriyama Women’s University in Northern Japan.
For over 25 years, Anne worked as a university researcher and lecturer, intercultural business and DEI consultant, translator, and interpreter in various countries around the world (USA, Belgium, France, Spain, Japan, with short stints in Italy and Mexico). She has guest lectured in Vietnam, Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Japan, and the USA. She speaks six languages and has published two books of fiction under a pseudonym. Her third novel is ready for publication (as soon as she finds the right literary agent and global publisher).
She currently lives in Brussels, Belgium with her partner. You can find out more about Anne at https://crossculturalhorizons.com. She regularly teaches online creative writing workshops. Her next workshop will be on Friday, December 6th, 2024, from 10am to noon (Pacific Time): https://writeyourstorynow.org/classes-workshops/2024-12-06-prompt-your-passion-with-anne-randerson-phd/
Happy Thoughts Podcast Season 2, episode 16 features a wonderful conversation with Cortney McDermott! Kristin met Cortney while selling at the farmers market!
CORTNEY MCDERMOTT is a bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and human potential enthusiast, with a Master of Science from the London School of Economics.
Her work in the field of self-development and business strategy has been featured in Inc., Women’s Health, SUCCESS, The Huffington Post, FOX News, and many other mainstream business and lifestyle media.Cortney's career highlights include her time as an executive at Vanity Fair Corporation, Vice President at Sustainability Partners Inc., and then running her own businesses, with clients and audiences at Universal Music Group, Google, Nike, and Virgin Unite.Cortney speaks four languages and lives between Italy and the US.
You can find out more about Cortney at cortneymcdermott.com or cortinc.com and find her books, Give Yourself Permission and Change Starts Within You, on Amazon! They are being released now as audiobooks!
Find out more about Happy Thoughts at:www.thehappythoughtproject.comIG: @happythoughtsbykristinTikTok: thehappythoughtprojectSpotify: Happy Thoughts PodcastHappy Thoughts are also available on Amazon, Etsy, and Faire for wholesale!
You can’t move mountains by whispering at them. -P!nk
Season 2, episode 15 Happy Chat with Erin Pier!
Erin is one of the Executive Directors of the Transformative Justice Project (TJP) in Denver, Colorado. TJP (formerly Colorado Juvenile Defenders Center) is on a mission to abolish the school-to-prison pipeline by dismantling systemic racism embedded in the existing institutions of education, mental health, and criminal injustice, while helping young people to develop the tools to define their own story. Erin leads the fundraising efforts, marketing strategies, public relations, grant writing and management. She also supports court advocacy for young people navigating the legal system.
For more information:
https://tjpcolorado.org/
IG @tjpcolorado
Happy Thoughts Podcast Season 2, episode 14 is all about how we don’t have to become a different person before treating ourselves like we matter! You’re already amazing, as you are.
Take care of yourself like you’re the most awesome person youve ever met. -Jen Sincero
Find out more about Happy Thoughts at:www.thehappythoughtproject.comIG: @happythoughtsbykristinTikTok: thehappythoughtprojectSpotify: Happy Thoughts PodcastHappy Thoughts are also available on Amazon, Etsy, and Faire for wholesale!