You’ve heard of IQ & maybe even EQ, or the emotional intelligence quotient. But have you heard of BQ?
That’s your body’s intelligence system. And it’s more than likely wiser than you think.
Today’s guest, Christianne Zurowski, is a certified embodiment coach. She tells us just what that is, as well as:
- What she calls The 4 Phases to BQ—tuning in with intention, building “body vocabulary,” tracking & taking action
- How to find your “somatic superpowers,” or 21 ways to say no respectfully
- Why her past life as a schoolteacher trained her to teach grownups to both talk to & listen to their bodies
- Plus: the 3 brains of the body—your brain, heart & gut—& just what each can teach you
If you’re burned out from pushing through or just tired from the mental gymnastics of continuously shifting your mindset, you might be ready to learn how to listen to what your body has to tell you.
|| More ways to connect with Christianne: visit NextChapterCoach.com or follow her on Instagram. Connect with her directly at either of these sources & let her know that you heard her here for your own FREE COPY of the 21 Ways to Say No PDF. Join any of Christianne’s programs or see how she can work with your group today!
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook. Support our WVLP, the grassroots local community radio station that hosts our show.
Even after they’ve passed to the beyond, Spiritual Life Coach & Intuitive Medium Kim Lawler tell us, “We really can talk to our people still.”
She doesn’t just mean visiting their tombstones to fill them in on your day (though, of course, that counts, too). After 30 years as a nurse in traditional healthcare settings, Kim determined to stop ignoring the other-worldly wisdom that was all around her & start tuning into her own soul’s wisdom—& the guidance she felt from outside, or what she terms the universe.
Listen to our conversation & hear these pearls of wisdom, among others:
- Add yourself to The Golden Rule!
- There are lots of ways to feel loss: death, retirement, kids leaving home, divorce & more.
- You can talk to your own soul to find soothing. (Jump to 23:00 to learn more.0
- “There is still a whole life you have. … Finish it out strong. Now is the time.”
|| More ways to connect with Kim: Her website, HeartToSoulConnection.com; her book, As We Sage: A Woman’s Guide to Reclaiming Spirit, Wisdom, Joy & Magic Beyond Mid-Life in Turbulent Times; her Garden of Knowledge oracle deck; or book her for a reading!
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
The heart as the seat of our soul: That’s the perspective cardiac Advanced Practice Nurse Teresa Palmer now has, after over two decades working in holistic cardiology.
On a medical mission trip to Romania, her perspective changed.
Teresa tells all about this experience, plus:
* How what you believe is what you become
* Heart disease is the leading cause of deaths in the U.S.—but 90% can be prevented with education & action, or self-care
* Why she sees our hearts as our bodies’ GPS—in charge of meditation, breathing, how stress affects the body & developing intuition (what she calls, “inner knowing”)
* The “big toolbox” she uses of traditional western + eastern & metaphysical medicine as a complement to standard “traditional care”
* Our heart has a brain … with neuro-receptors
* Our “inner landscape” is the real, authentic us
* Connecting to your heartbeat is key, because “everything starts from within”—& your heartbeat is unique to you
Hear also about host Kealah Parkinson’s own experience with “broken heart syndrome.”
Perhaps Teresa’s best-earned wisdom can be summed up in this statement she makes in our talk:
Self-healing is no mystery. It’s simply a body in balance.
|| Interact with Teresa & learn more about her at her website, WellbeingGal.com. Buy her book, Heal Your Heart from Within. You can also find data supporting Teresa’s claims & knowledge via the HeartMath Institute.
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
Fellowship: It’s both a noun & a verb.
Rotarians like today’s guest Andre Adams are used to giving. As he shares in today’s conversation, it’s baked into the Rotary Club philosophy. A Chicago-area financial services pro, Andre has also been a member of his local Rotary for 4 years … where he has recently helped to develop a new type of fellowship (what Rotarians call their subset club groups): a networking-based group called Rotary Means Business.
In this episode, Andre tell us:
- The history of Rotary Club, which is now international
- The legacy services the local club groups have created in communities globe-wide
- And most importantly, the conference that will take place July 18–20 to “help the people who help people”
Jump to 14:00 to hear Andre’s description of how a candle doesn’t lose its flame by lighting another candle—& how that’s the perfect metaphor for Rotary Means Business.
|| Learn more about the Rotary Means Business conference & register to attend at RMBChicagoland.com or at his LinkedIN video post.
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
“It started with some pain.”
That’s what our guest, Candice Erickson-Perham—a healer, coach & podcast host in her own right—says of her journey. “It” is a journey she never realized she would take, & one she continues to be on now, all the more consciously.
In our conversation, we learn more about that journey: How it started with her desire to avoid getting cortisone shots & moved into exploring novel modalities— Internal Family Systems, QHHT, past-life regression & Human Design; how it ended with her very own certification in Dr. Bradley Nelson’s Emotion Code, a concept that traces the roots of disease to where our bodies store emotions. Candice gets raw & real (so listener be warned) as we discuss:
- Why she believes her emotions were “stuck in her feet” (& what that meant for the rest of her body)
- How she (& so many others have) used busy-ness as a form of self-denial—& why that both works & doesn’t work
- What “reality-testing” is & how you can use it to find your own safe resources
- How old Candice was before she started her journey (44!) & why it’s never too late.
We learn more, too, about her experiences—& all the metaphysical modalities that she personally chose over Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & EMDR, primarily because of their correlation to ACES. (And if any of these terms aren’t in your own vocabulary, tune in to learn more!)
|| Listen to Healers with Humor, Candice’s podcast co-hosted with our past guest Shelly Fox, where you’ll particularly enjoy their interview with HeatherAsh Amara, Toltec wisdom trainer & book series author, alongside Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. Explore more of Candice’s story there in audio form or visit her website, IndiglowSoul.com.
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
Are you ready to kick off your own summer of health?
For Northwest Indiana residents, the Summer of Health is about to kick-off on June 13 in downtown Valparaiso with the Porter County Health Fair. Tune In speaks in this episode to the Poco Health Department’s Communications Manager, Demetrious Lewis, on:
- The Health Fair kick-off events & features, like dental & vision screenings, haircuts, face-painting & more (jump to 13:40 for a vendor list)
- Services that are available in-office, year-round (vaccinations, well check-ups, resources)
- How his personal background as a sports broadcaster & telecommunications producer have aided his roles at Poco Health & as the Emergence Management Association’s Public Information Officer
- The special heart health endorsement the department just received—& what fight-or-flight had to do with the training for that (jump to 35:00)
Be healthy your whole summer long!
|| Listen to The PoCo Wellness Hour, hosted by Demetrious Lewis on WVLP 103.1fm in Valpo, or view it on YouTube. Follow them on Facebook for more info & updates.
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
Is there such a thing as spiritual curriculum?
Dr. Katja Rusanen, DSS (Doctor of Spiritual Science), believes there is. She believes it so completely that she recently wrote the book on it.
Her own spiritual curriculum has taken a lifetime of learning, so far: After a deep loss early in life, she found her way to her own spiritual teachers, became a devout & dedicated student, took her training into doctoral level academics … & has become dedicated to helping others heal in a ripple effect around the world.
Hear why she thinks:
- There are 5 steps you can take to make peace with your past
- The first two are release & forgiveness (& it gets easier from there)
- Starting small can make even big practices a reality
- “Life didn’t happen to me; it happened for me.”
Jump to the juicy wisdom: Go to 25:00 to hear her say, “I know the power of the dark night of the soul & the power of the light, too,” as she shares a very cool metaphor about doors.
|| Visit Dr. Katja Rusanen’s website to learn more about her—& also buy her book. Hear her interview on the Mirasee podcast, “Success Didn’t Heal Me—This Did.”
|| You may also enjoy our other episodes in the Intuition Series.
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
“Be more skeptical, not less.”
So says psychic medium Jeanette Wilson—who is no stranger to skepticism.
As the star of New Zealand’s TV series, “Dare to Believe,” plus the subject of many news stories & interviews across New Zealand, England & the U.S., Jeanette has made a decades-long career out of making believers of skeptics. She understands their perspective, she says, because she was once fully a skeptic, herself.
In fact, she sometimes calls herself “The Skeptical Medium.” Once a banking professional with a career in that industry that spanned three decades, she found a form of enlightenment at a banking conference, of all places. Today, she makes her living as a medium & medical intuitive.
In our conversation, we discuss:
- The moment she first felt otherworldly impressions, or when she says, “the message
came through” (at that banking conference)
- The tools & techniques you can use to de-program yourself to be a more advanced
medium, yourself (in Jeannette’s terms)
- Why she sees both skepticism & meditation as the dual parts of tuning in to intuition
- How to access the free daily meditation on gratitude she shares on Facebook
|| Visit Jeanette Wilson’s website to learn more about her, her services & her many books. Join her Sangha Online Spiritual Community on Facebook for the free daily gratitude meditations & more.
|| You may also enjoy our other episodes in the Intuition Series.
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
The first time Shelly Fox was asked to tune into what her Third Eye was telling her, her answer was … “a donut.”
Not exactly universal wisdom.
Dabbling in yoga as a newbie, Shelly—who still uses her biology degree to develop laboratory products as her daytime career path—became more & more curious about the new words she was hearing in class, like “Third Eye,” “energy,” & “intuition.” What could these words be referencing if it wasn’t something measurable in a lab?
Shelly began reality testing. (Jump to 05:50 to hear her story—& to 10:25 for my favorite quote from Shelly about finding yourself to love yourself!)
In our talk, we cover:
- The tools she used to open up to her own intuitive energy
- How loving yourself is tied to our ability to listen to the wisdom of our intuition
- Why shame & comparison both dampen this ability
- The services she now offers as a certified medical intuitive
- Exactly what 6 paths Shelly recognizes as avenues to increasing your relationship
with your own intuition, as outlined in her book.
|| Visit Shelly Fox’s website to learn more about her. Hear her story in ongoing, episodical conversation with fellow intuitive healer Candice Erickson-Perham on their podcast, Healers with Humor. Join her Facebook fans online.
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
What is intuition? How do we know? How do we trust it ...?
Our series on this subject starts NOW. Tune in!
“Life is your oracle.”
So says intuitive guide Schamet Horsfield. And she should know:
As someone who has been called an oracle, herself—& as the creator of the forthcoming, visually stunning Wounds to Wisdom oracle deck & guidebook, as well as the Wounds to Wisdom Oracle School, teaching people how to tap into their own intuitive gifts to transform old wounds into earned wisdom (& then into superpowers)—Schamet is the perfect guide for all of us to begin a deeper understanding of individual intuition.
This interview starts off a series of conversations on the broad topic of intuition. We’ll learn from many self-proclaimed & even certified intuitives … & more scientists-&-bankers-turned-intuitive-healers than you may realize exist.
In our talk with Schamet, we cover:
- Her 30 years of experience as a healer, serving people around the globe
- How & why she created her oracle deck & its beautiful drawings
- What she calls the “3 parts of intuition” (gut instinct, the heart’s intuition of feelings, & your third eye, or “eagle vision”) & the differences between them
- The FREE QUIZ you can take at her website to learn more about your own intuition.
As a bonus, you can register & attend Schamet’s international virtual summit, Awaken the New Feminine Paradigm, using the registration link below.
|| Visit Schamet Horsfield’s website where you can also take her free quiz.
|| Register for the Awaken the New Feminine Paradigm leadership summit.
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
What is the definition of a superhero?
That’s a question our conversation with returning guest J.D. Murgalo, host of multiple podcasts over a series of common interests, returns to again & again. The answers may surprise you.
We also talk about some other interesting definitions, like:
- Keeping content user-friendly
- The importance of the “pause to process”
- How his being an “active listener with natural curiosity” poised him exactly right for this
career path as Audio Storyteller & Career Listener (his self-dubbed titles)
Continue your listening after this with episodes of his shows, linked below.
|| Follow J.D.’s parent brand, Not Today Media. Listen to J.D.’s other work:
• What’s Your Story? - storytelling podcast “connecting people to those
who share their lived experiences to learn & heal”
• Dads Cry Too - “a sustainable & practical parenting conversation from
the lens of a Montessori father”
• Come Back to Earth - conversations with “artists of all genres” on “the
impact their music has had on their mental health”
• Keepsake Chronicles - J.D.’s newest endeavor, “personal stories about
keepsakes as containers of memories”
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
|| LISTEN NEXT: Hear our past conversation with J.D. Murgalo. Catch more about the art of storytelling as healing in our interviews with authors Sarah Elizabeth Mangiarelli & Jillian Abby.
“Storytelling gives significance.”
That’s why Sarah Elizabeth Mangiarelli took the brave step of putting her life story (so far) into a teaching memoir book, When the White Picket Fence is No Longer Enough.
Her book is full of funny, surprising, heart-breaking & inspiring stories. And there are even synchronicities that some would call miracles. You can hear some of them in our interview. And you’ll learn the one simple journal prompt that kicked off her whole journey.
Jump to 10:00 to hear more about Sarah’s coping strategies for surrendering control with a feeling of safety … & to 36:00 for what’s coming next.
Like she says, “I don’t think the lesson is ever over.”
|| Connect with author Sarah Elizabeth Mangiarelli at her blog or website.
|| And specially for Tune In listeners:
• First 25 listeners can get a FREE e-book version of Sarah’s
book by writing, “Tune In,” at her contact page.
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
|| LISTEN NEXT: Hear more about writing as healing in our conversation with author Jillian Abbey. … Stay tuned for even more on the therapeutic power of storytelling with our upcoming guest J.D. Murgalo—& find our first conversation with him now.
From “peri-to-meno-to-post,” says our guest—Healthy Living Coach Denise Stegall—there’s a lot of life in menopause. Did you know …?
- Women start losing progesterone around age 37.
- Sleep hygiene & food quality are important throughout life—& even more so in this timeframe.
- Body image is not just for teenagers.
- AND: Men go through menopause, too.
After years working as a pharmaceutical rep (who happened to be experiencing early perimenopause without knowing it), Denise was introduced to Women to Women, the groundbreaking women’s wellness clinic started & served by Dr. Christiane Northrup. Today, through her lived experiences & educated wisdom, Denise helps people to eat & live their healthiest.
And now, for women in mid-life, she’s created multiple offerings. Find links to her monthly wellness series, Hormones to Harmony on LinkedIN, plus take her menopause quiz at her website. Get it all at our show notes today.
|| Connect with Denise at her website, DeniseStegall.com, or follow her Hormones to Harmony Wellness Series at LinkedIN + as a live virtual event this April. 3, 2025
|| You can also take her quiz or buy her book, Healthy Living, Happy Life, to learn more. (See the book where Denise & Kealah collaborated with other authors, too!)
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
|| LISTEN NEXT: Find similar topics in our conversation with Coach Wendy, Sandwich Gen.
Coach Wendy T. - Sandwich Gen
“There are many women in the ‘Sandwich Generation’ who don’t believe they have the right to put their own masks on first.”
Do you know what these words mean?
Coach Wendy does … & she’s explaining it all in our conversation (that’s now available on-demand).
Here’s what:
1. “Sandwich Generation” traditionally refers to that era in life when people are taking care of both their children & their own parents. It’s more common than you may realize.
2. Just like we’re asked on airplanes to put our own oxygen masks on first if we are responsible for another person, this reality makes a great metaphor for meeting some of our personal & self-care needs when others’ depend on us daily.
3. The idea may make sense … but putting it into action can feel impossible in the moment.
4. Coach Wendy can help. (Jump to 41:00 to hear her best strategies for success!)
My favorite takeaway are these words of wisdom: “You are the expert in your own life.”
|| Connect with this episode’s guest at Coach-Wendy.com & hear her Smiling Souls podcast episodes, as well.
|| Other resources we mentioned today include: 30 Days Journal Prompts.
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
|| LISTEN NEXT: Women Who Lead with DeNeen K. Attard
CPR for the amygdala: That's what our guest Hilary Russo calls Havening.
It's a technique with a capital H that works on both "BIG T & Little t" trauma.
In host Kealah Parkinson's discussion with Hilary—who is, herself, a media personality, holistic mental health practitioner & Havening ambassador—we learn:
- Just what Havening is + one on-air exercise that listeners can do right along with us
- Definitions & symptoms of secondary traumatic stress- Hilary's own experience of this as an on-air journalist covering the 9/11 attacks live
- Why she has evolved her career from on-air journalism to one with "using my voice to help others & share the kind of news I want to share"
- Other tools we can all use in what she calls our "Brain Candy Jar"
- How YOU can win a giveaway for Tune In listeners ...
Jump to: 30:00 for giveaway details + 40:00 for her inspiring quote of Shawn Achor on bringing the science of happiness to life.
|| Connect with this episode’s guest in all these ways:
FREEBIES
HUG it Out 5 Day Challenge Download
https://www.hilaryrusso.com/5daychallenge
REGISTER FOR THE MONTHLY FREE HAVENING HAPPY HOUR
https://www.hilaryrusso.com/events
SOCIAL AND WAYS TO CONNECT
https://www.instagram.com/hilaryrusso
https://www.hilaryrusso.com/podcast
https://www.youtube.com/hilaryrusso
https://www.facebook.com/HIListicallySpeaking/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilaryrusso/
https://www.hilaryrusso.com/havening
https://www.hilaryrusso.com/training
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
Meet our next guest, Jill:
Jillian Abby is an award-winning author, storyteller, and advocate.
Her memoir, *Perfectly Queer: Facing Big Fears, Living Hard Truths, and Loving Myself Fully Out of the Closet*, was selected by *Good Morning America* as one of their recommended reads, earning praise for its authenticity and courage.
In addition to her own writing, Jillian is a collaborative ghostwriter for leaders at Fortune 100 companies and individuals with inspiring stories, helping them share their voices with the world.
Her engaging insights can be found on Substack at *Reframe with Jillian Abby* and across social media @JillianAbbyAuthor.
In our conversation on Tune In, we got to hear about Jill's journey:
- her formative years as a self-strict perfectionist
- why she says "climbing to the top of Supposed-to Mountain" left her "still so unsatisfied"
- how she turned from CPA to massage therapist (in what she calls her Goldilocks era)
- the breakthrough that came—in 2 parts—while receiving cranio-sacral therapy
- her thoughts on "writing as a mindfulness practice" (& why she also calls it "cheap therapy")
- exactly why she feels like she is finally fully living
Something you should also know about Jill: Whether writing or championing inclusivity, she is dedicated to helping others embrace their truth and live authentically.
|| Connect with this episode’s guest at:
• Substack (check out her Queer Abby Q&A section of her Reframe newsletter)
• Instagram (with weekly body doubling for writers!)
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
So, what exactly is PDA?
One answer we discovered in conversation with guest Amy Lakeberg is: It depends on who you ask (& maybe a little on who's asking)!
Known in variants as "pervasive demand avoidance" or "persistent drive for autonomy," the even older version is "oppositional defiance disorder." ... But is this state of being a apathologized 'disorder' or simply another way to be?
Amy continues who quest to pursue her own inner world (& help others along the way) as she explores this concept. She's also recently created & continuing to develop a support group that welcomes both people who experience PDA & parents of kiddos who experience it.
Hear now:
- The emotions that often correlate to PDA
- Why "demand" feels unsafe- How less forcing can bring about a better world, with or without PDA (& how you can practice this by forcing yourself less)
- The link to PDA & meditation
- Two books Amy recommends to anyone exploring the concept
|| Connect with Amy Lakeberg:
- Pastconversation
|| Other resources we mentioned today include:
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
"Plan BIG, but start small."
These are the words of wisdom that plant-based foods educator & conscious conversations podcast host Sarah Hlavacek-Metzger shares in our interview with her on the concept of Transitions.
If the only constant in life is change, how do you handle it?
Sarah shares with vulnerability & authenticity from the actual point of transition at the top of 2025 — not just moving into the New Year, but also moving into the unknown (or a number of unknowns) as she seeks new growth for her business & life.
Here are just a handful of her intriguing points:
- Some clues you may be looking for a transition are experiencing moods of overwhelm, analysis paralysis, shame or guilt
- Saying yes to something you want to say no to is another clue; what does that feel like to you?
- To begin your transition journey with intention, you can ask yourself, "What do you daydream about? What gets you excited?"
- The main arc to manifesting lasting, positive change post-transition = minimize your limiting beliefs; identify what you want; keep working on your mindset throughout
- 'Wintering' can happen in any season
- Bonus tip: "Movement provides clarity."
Sarah also shares her new guide, the Art of Manifestation journal, available at her stan store.
Oh, by the way, jump to 26:00 to hear her share this insight: "It doesn't have to be a full (life) overhaul to manifest your dreams. ... Just don't get stuck in the excuses or distractions."
|| Connect with Sarah directly or follow her Instagram.
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
Learn more about these amazing guests using these links ... & share the special secrets with your friends!
Sarah Metzger / Plant-Based Foods / Transitions
Amy Lakeberg / What is PDA?
Jillian Abby / Perfectly Queer Book
Hilary Russo / Havening / Holistic Mental Health
... plus we'll speak again soon with Lisa Wagner on how her life of science & research led to Karmic Astrology!
|| SUPPORT OUR SHOW while supporting yourself: Visit our affiliate sites Big Life Journal & Generation Mindful to find products like journals, Calm Down Corner kits, lesson plans & posters & even parenting communities to help you #feelandheal with #moodtools … or visit our affiliate SensaCalm for weighted blankets & plushies—& lots of other sensory tools—for kids & grownups alike.
|| Meet our show SPONSORS: Coach Kiki & My Moody Daybook.
