This is the final episode for this season! Endings can bring up mixed emotions: sadness, excitement, grief, anticipation, and gratefulness to name a few. Some endings happen intentionally and some are without choice. Whether that’s leaving a job, ending a relationship, selling a home, or even moving, we can end well by intentionally thinking how we would like to exit. Ending well makes room for new beginnings. In episode 40, we speak with Debbie Laaser on ending well and starting new beginnings....
Mar 14, 2021•56 min•Ep. 40
Over the past few years, there has been growing popularity around the practices of mindfulness, meditation, and yoga. Curious about the life changing effects these practices had on so many, researchers began to question if there really was scientific evidence to support these practices. Dr. Sara Lazar was one of these individuals who wanted solid evidence that these practices produced changes in the brain. In Episode 39, we discuss with Dr. Sara Lazar about her research in the effects of mindful...
Mar 07, 2021•41 min•Ep. 39
When emotions arise, oftentimes we try to figure out how to fix them, rather than asking what they are trying to tell us. However, our emotions are not separate from or intelligence or logic. In fact, emotions are messengers telling us about what we may need or events to pay attention to. In Episode 38, we speak with Karla McLaren on the purpose of emotions. She explains the importance of connecting with them and how it benefits our well-being. Karla dives into the specific messages that anger, ...
Feb 28, 2021•50 min•Ep. 38
This week’s episode is the second part of The Enneagram mini-series. This tool is useful for understanding ourselves, our roles, how we relate to one another, and how we find our place in the world. In Episode 37, we explore with Leslie Root how the enneagram affects our relationships. We will learn about the positives and pitfalls of each enneagram type, and how we can deepen our relational understanding with each particular personality type, growing greater compassion towards those around us. ...
Feb 21, 2021•47 min•Ep. 37
From the moment a child is born, they are shaped by the world outside themselves. However, if you look at a young child, it is evident that they have their own unique personality. Because of this, various personality typing tools have evolved to help a person understand one’s self and others better. The Enneagram has its roots in ancient tradition, and has become a modern way to synthesize various personality types. The Enneagram outlines only nine personality types; however, this seemingly simp...
Feb 14, 2021•58 min•Ep. 36
Oftentimes, when we think of being creative, we associate it with a form of art or creating a product. But being a creative person is more about how we think than what we produce. And living a creative life can affect every aspect from relationships, to problem solving, or self expression. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Terri Goslin-Jones about creativity and how it impacts our emotional well-being. She helps define what everyday creativity is and how it can change the way we view life. Creat...
Feb 07, 2021•42 min•Ep. 35
We often think of emotions as experiences of the mind, but our body has visceral sensations -- a body feeling -- for every emotion. When you are anxious, your stomach may feel in a knot. You may feel a flutter with a romantic touch of your hand. Or when you’re angry your chest gets tight. Our experiences may be different, but we all have visceral sensations for each emotion. In Episode 34, we speak with Danielle Braun-Kauffman who is a marriage and family therapist and is trained in Satir System...
Jan 31, 2021•44 min•Ep. 34
Societies over time have held different beliefs about how to look at the self and how to approach health and healing. In our westernized society, we frequently isolate the body and our physical nature when we look at health. However, in doing so, we ignore the interrelated nature of our mental, emotional, and spiritual parts and their combined impact on our health. In this episode, we talk with Shannon Myers, an integrated medicine provider. She explains that our whole being is interconnected, a...
Jan 24, 2021•50 min•Ep. 33
Have you ever wondered what is one of the greatest influences on your ability to trust yourself and others? In episode 32, we talk to Jim Farm about different attachment styles that form when we are young, and how they continue to influence every relationship that we have in our adulthood. Jim describes the four attachment styles: avoidant, anxious, disorganized, and secure. These styles continue throughout our life, unless we intentionally change them. Jim explains how an insecure attachment ca...
Jan 17, 2021•58 min•Ep. 32
Body image is the picture we create in our mind about ourselves. It can be positive or negative, constant or ever-changing. Our parents, culture, friends, and even our thoughts contribute to how we form our body image. Are there things you would like to change about the way you look? And if those things changed, how would that impact your life? These are some of the questions we talk about in this episode with Dr. Katherine Iscoe, a leading expert in cultivating positive body image. In this epis...
Jan 10, 2021•53 min
See ya later 2020! Happy New Year! And a new year means New Year’s resolutions and goals. It can be easy to dream up the things we would like to change. Do you have goals related to your career, relationship, lifestyle, or hobbies? But to make the changes we desire, we need to consider what will really make us happy and what are the things we do to get in the way - the ways we self-sabotage. In this episode we talk with Dr. Judy Ho, an expert on overcoming self-sabotage. She shares with us how s...
Jan 03, 2021•44 min•Ep. 30
This year has brought many unexpected turns, yet just around the corner is a new year… a fresh slate. Our approach to forgiveness affects our emotional, relational, and physical health. Harboring resentment, anger and unforgiveness creates roadblocks in our personal lives. Through the process of forgiveness, we are able to clear the road to fresh beginnings. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Everett Worthington who is an expert on the subject of forgiveness. Through his research on the process ...
Dec 27, 2020•55 min•Ep. 29
This week we speak with Beth Miller on the topic of spirituality. This episode is not about one particular religion, but rather about how spirituality is one important aspect of emotional well-being. Some of the important aspects of spirituality are faith, love, surrendering, and forgiveness. Beth shares about her new book, and how loss and anger can actually be healthy aspects of emotional well-being. Beth shares how being spiritually alive also means living in the present moment, and how there...
Dec 20, 2020•53 min•Ep. 28
What is it like to work on the front lines in this unprecedented pandemic? Are you a front line worker and have your own story to tell? In this very special episode, we will speak with Dr. Audrey Shafer who is the founder and director of the Medicine and the Muse Program at Stanford University and hear from front line workers about their experiences working during these difficult times. We will learn that medicine is an art, and that there is a great amount of ambivalence and decision fatigue th...
Dec 13, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 27
We know this year has been tough. Many of us have experienced an increase in stress and anxiety. Dr. Rosean Bishop is a licensed psychologist at the Mayo Clinic Health Care System and an expert resource on the topic of anxiety. In this episode we talk about what causes our anxiety and what symptoms are associated with the various types of anxiety. Dr. Bishop also shares how we can manage our anxiety better. She shares when it’s appropriate to introduce a medication to help manage our symptoms, a...
Dec 06, 2020•53 min•Ep. 26
Family dynamics are always tricky to navigate, especially around the holiday season. Dr. Jessica Lougheed focuses her research on family dynamics, and specifically on conflict resolution. In this episode she shares two important scales family can use to measure a healthy family dynamic: 1) family cohesion: the balance between separateness and connectedness 2) family flexibility: the balance between stability and change. Family conflict is a natural part of human life and can be healthy if it’s r...
Nov 29, 2020•49 min•Ep. 25
Some say it’s the most wonderful time of the year—the holidays are just around the corner! We all have expectations about how the holidays will go, whether it’s family traditions or what we’ve learned from Hallmark movies. Some love the holidays, but for others it may bring up loss or disappointment. While the holidays are often tricky to navigate, the pandemic complicates things even more. We chat with Debbie Laaser again as she sheds some light on difficult holiday situations. In this episode ...
Nov 22, 2020•55 min•Ep. 24
Has the phrase ‘I’m not good enough’ ever crossed your mind? It could be, I’m not good enough for this job, for this partner, to be on the team, or to make the cut. This is a common phrase that occurs in people’s minds, and it reveals a level of self-doubt that we believe about ourselves. This is part two of the Satir Model discussion. In this episode, Linda Lucas will share a little more about the Satir method, specifically how it related to our view of ourselves. We will discuss the difference...
Nov 15, 2020•50 min•Ep. 23
In this episode, we learn about the Satir method of psychology, created by Virginia Satir. A pioneer in the the field, Satir took a different approach to family dynamics and became known known as the “Mother of Family Therapy.” Jennifer Nagel is an amazing psychologist who has had a leading role in the Satir Institute of the Pacific and other Satir networks. In this episode, Jennifer discusses how we develop our belief system and how this impacts our everyday experiences. She talks about ways to...
Nov 08, 2020•51 min•Ep. 22
How we are raised and who raises us is one of the greatest influences on our lives. Some of us easily find faults in our parents or wish they had shown up in different ways. For others of us, we hold our parents in high esteem and believe they did a great job. But none of us had perfect parents. It can be hard to admit that our parents may have fallen short at times and it can be even harder to examine how this may have impacted us. It all left an imprint on our lives. In this episode, we talk w...
Nov 01, 2020•57 min•Ep. 21
This year hasn't been easy. And we're still in a pandemic, folks. Fortunately, there are researchers who are trying to learn how we can become more resilient while dealing with COVID-19 related stresses for frontline workers and families. In this episode, researcher Talya Feldman shares about the challenges we're still facing during the pandemic and how we can learn and grow from them. Sleep and support are just two of the essential ingredients to maintaining our resilience—tune in to learn more...
Oct 25, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 20
Problems and communication occur with every single romantic relationship. The good news is that you’re not alone. The Gottman Institute even deems poor communication in relationships a “standard perpetual problem.” Dr. John Crossen, a certified masters Gottman therapist, has been involved in this research at the institute for years. In this episode, we discuss the standard perpetual problems that every couple faces. Dr. Crossen also shares the things we do in our relationships that lead to divor...
Oct 18, 2020•43 min•Ep. 19
Communication is important in all aspects of our lives, but why is it at work that our communication style can look incredibly different from when we are away from our job? Brandon Smith is a psychologist who specializes in communication in the working environment. In this episode we will discuss what are healthy and dysfunctional workplace dynamics. In this episode, Brandon shares that we can have boundaries while on the job. We talk about the energy that is created in the workplace environment...
Oct 11, 2020•49 min•Ep. 18
In episode 2 of our communication series we learn about what is said when no one is speaking. This is non-verbal communication. Dr. David Matsumoto is the leading expert in the field of non-verbal communication—he and his team at Humintell have focused their research on body language and facial expression. Dr. Matsumoto talks about the common emotions in every culture and how facial expressions help us recognize them. As much as we would like to think we can hide how we feel, Dr. Matsumoto share...
Oct 04, 2020•56 min
Communication is an important aspect in any human relationship. So how can something so important lead to mixed messages? Bento Leal, a relationship skills trainer and author, focuses on helping individuals improve their communication skills and the importance of empathy—an essential ingredient in communication. In this episode, Bento shares some of the obstacles that often prevent effective communication. He also shares how we can use empathy to become active listeners and speakers in our commu...
Sep 27, 2020•48 min•Ep. 16
To achieve emotional and mental well-being, our brain needs to be healthy. Dr. Shane Creado is a board certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor. This episode is all about how to get a healthy brain. Brain health includes multiple factors, including sleep, nutrition, toxins, exercise, and your environment. Dr. Creado talks us through these factors and takes a deep dive on the importance of sleep! This episode is full of practical tips to help you improve your brain health. A healthy brain...
Sep 20, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 15
The death of George Floyd during the pandemic forever changed the world. His brutal death demonstrates that racism is still an issue in our modern world today. This issue is too important not to talk about, so it is imperative we look at the psychology and history behind racism. For over 20 years, Dr. Richard Lee has been researching racial, ethnic, and migration experiences of immigrant and minoritized youth and families and how these experiences impact their development and mental health. As a...
Sep 13, 2020•59 min•Ep. 14
Grief is a common emotion. It can be big or small. Big in the event of losing a loved one or experiencing a break up. And small in the everyday changes living through a pandemic has created. While it’s a common human experience, it’s often difficult to share it or understand how to work through it. Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor is a top researcher in the field of psychology and grief. In this episode we discuss what causes grief, how it manifests in our body and mind, and how to work through it. She...
Sep 06, 2020•53 min•Ep. 13
Liquor sales have soared through the roof with the onset of the global pandemic. You’re not alone if your alcohol consumption has increased this year. Do you ever wonder how much is okay? Have you asked yourself if you should cut back? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Jorja Jamison from Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies. She talks about substance abuse disorders, ways to reflect on our own alcohol use, and how to recognize when we or someone we know has a problem with an ...
Aug 30, 2020•45 min•Ep. 12
Caution! We are in the middle of a world pandemic, if you didn’t already know. There are warning signs everywhere about what we need to do to protect ourselves and others. But did you know that being warned of danger over and over again can lead to a phenomenon called “Caution Fatigue”? We can also experience another challenge called “Compassion Fatigue” especially those who care for others such as parents, teachers, and frontline workers. In this episode we talk with Heather Erickson, the Direc...
Aug 23, 2020•44 min•Ep. 11
