[00:00] Sam introduces herself and Safe Park Connections, a community built around healing and self-love.
[01:00] Her turning point after leaving an abusive marriage in 2015.
[02:00] How Safe Park Connections grew from local dinners to a global online community.
[03:00] First steps for new members: self-love assessment and introduction posts.
[05:00] Community engagement levels—from “wallflowers” to active contributors.
[06:00] The importance of connection: testimonials from members.
[07:00] The “Overflow Effect”: giving from abundance, not depletion.
[09:00] Breaking toxic patterns of giving and learning to receive.
[11:00] Balancing Christian faith with inclusivity and love.
[12:00] Reclaiming emotions after years of shutting them down.
[13:00] Daily practices for creating a life you love.
[15:00] Moments of gratitude that reshaped her perspective.
[17:00] The “gray room” exercise and choosing to live fully.
[18:00] Host shares parallels on depression and healing.
[20:00] Sam’s Seven Minute Gratitude Blueprint—morning gratitude, daily focus, nightly wins.
[22:00] Listener offer: free access to Self-Love Now with mention of the podcast.
[24:00] Transition into AI discussion—benefits and ethical concerns.
[25:00] How they both use AI for writing, brainstorming, and business.
[27:00] Teaching AI to match your voice and avoid filler words.
[29:00] Editing strategies and using AI for support without losing authenticity.
[31:00] Plagiarism concerns in education and proper AI use cases.
[32:00] Sam’s book journey and how AI helped her organize her draft.
[36:00] Tools they use: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Canva, Leonardo AI.
[39:00] Funny AI quirks—too many fingers, odd eyes, and flawed outputs.
[41:00] Canva as a go-to tool for content creation.
[42:00] Closing reflections: intentional choices, gratitude, and responsible AI use.
[00:00] Sam introduces herself and Safe Park Connections, a community built around healing and self-love.
[01:00] Her turning point after leaving an abusive marriage in 2015.
[02:00] How Safe Park Connections grew from local dinners to a global online community.
[03:00] First steps for new members: self-love assessment and introduction posts.
[05:00] Community engagement levels—from “wallflowers” to active contributors.
[06:00] The importance of connection: testimonials from members.
[07:00] The “Overflow Effect”: giving from abundance, not depletion.
[09:00] Breaking toxic patterns of giving and learning to receive.
[11:00] Balancing Christian faith with inclusivity and love.
[12:00] Reclaiming emotions after years of shutting them down.
[13:00] Daily practices for creating a life you love.
[15:00] Moments of gratitude that reshaped her perspective.
[17:00] The “gray room” exercise and choosing to live fully.
[18:00] Host shares parallels on depression and healing.
[20:00] Sam’s Seven Minute Gratitude Blueprint—morning gratitude, daily focus, nightly wins.
[22:00] Listener offer: free access to Self-Love Now with mention of the podcast.
[24:00] Transition into AI discussion—benefits and ethical concerns.
[25:00] How they both use AI for writing, brainstorming, and business.
[27:00] Teaching AI to match your voice and avoid filler words.
[29:00] Editing strategies and using AI for support without losing authenticity.
[31:00] Plagiarism concerns in education and proper AI use cases.
[32:00] Sam’s book journey and how AI helped her organize her draft.
[36:00] Tools they use: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Canva, Leonardo AI.
[39:00] Funny AI quirks—too many fingers, odd eyes, and flawed outputs.
[41:00] Canva as a go-to tool for content creation.
[42:00] Closing reflections: intentional choices, gratitude, and responsible AI use.
[00:00:00] – Alisa introduces herself, her trauma background, and why she became a licensed therapist.
[00:01:30] – Nikki asks about Alisa’s accent; Alisa shares her immigrant experience and early trauma.
[00:02:45] – Deep discussion on the concept of “going back” to who you were before trauma.
[00:04:00] – Nikki shares her foster care story, abuse history, and frustration with society’s perception of “pillars of the community.”
[00:06:00] – Alisa explains why grieving former selves is often part of healing and evolution.
[00:07:30] – Discussing different forms of trauma and how unmet needs in childhood shape adult relationships.
[00:08:30] – The complexity of emotional neglect, even in seemingly “okay” homes.
[00:09:00] – Nikki explains her strong stance against group therapy based on personal experiences.
[00:12:00] – Alisa agrees that group therapy is not for everyone; facilitator education matters.
[00:14:30] – Importance of safe group environments and competent guidance.
[00:15:30] – Introduction of self-care tools like the Finch app; daily goals and mental health apps.
[00:17:30] – Nikki and Alisa talk about CBT, EMDR, and how tools can be adapted when certain sensations don’t work for clients.
[00:20:00] – Nikki shares a story of a therapist claiming to cure bipolar disorder in 30 days – and the damage that caused.
[00:22:00] – The difference between wanting the pain to end and actually being suicidal; discussion on suicidal ideation and therapeutic misunderstanding.
[00:24:00] – Nikki shares more about the “wall” she built between herself and suicidal action due to her mother’s past.
[00:26:00] – How building protective systems helps long-term survival.
[00:28:00] – Removing some walls while protecting others: evolution of healing over 10 years of therapy.
[00:30:00] – A miscommunication with a guest and reflections on how trauma shows up in words.
[00:32:00] – Alisa strongly advises against trauma coaching and explains ethical concerns around unlicensed trauma professionals.
[00:33:00] – How Alisa continues to educate herself and treats her work as a mission.
[00:34:00] – Humor in therapy; Nikki shares how she and her therapist use dark humor to manage heavy topics.
[00:37:00] – Nikki talks about rage toward generic therapy questions like “how did that make you feel?”
[00:39:00] – Breaking problems into small steps vs. getting overwhelmed by the big picture.
[00:41:00] – Importance of co-creating a therapy approach that fits the client’s personality.
[00:42:30] – First impressions and how clients can (and should) request a different therapist if needed.
[00:44:00] – Nikki’s preference for female therapists and early bad experiences with mismatched ones.
[00:46:00] – Therapy intake process, biosocial assessments, and navigating first sessions.
[00:48:00] – Talk therapy and trauma: when it helps, when it doesn’t.
[00:50:00] – Systemic misunderstandings about trauma healing and how therapists can do harm.
