Kathy and Kevin discuss overcoming common blocks people face in sharing their personal stories and why every human story matters. They address common myths that our stories are boring or unimportant, fears of revisiting the past or reactions from others, and the healing power of vulnerability in finding connection and give listeners advice about why each story matters and how to start small by sharing with trusted individuals to begin integrating past and present into an evolving narrative arc. ...
Mar 19, 2024•16 min
Listen as Kevin leads you through a traditional Irish blessing to encourage you on your path of self-discovery. Kevin: May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. The rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand. May God be with you and bless you. May you see your children's children. May you be poor and misfortune, rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness from th...
Mar 12, 2024•2 min
Join us today on “Coping” where Kathy and Kevin discuss the value of exploring personal and family origin stories. Learn how understanding where we come from fosters connection, perspective and empowerment to overcome current challenges and practical ways you can discover your origin story to help you adjust the path you may be on now as an adult. Kevin Well, hi everyone. Welcome back to another episode of "Coping". We're excited to continue our conversation from our last episode. Kathy Yes, wel...
Feb 20, 2024•19 min
Listen as Kevin Deegan leads you in a blessing by Jan Richardson. May it bring you comfort and solace on your path to wellness: Kevin: You might think this blessing lives in the story that you can see, that it is curled up in a comfortable spot on the surface of the telling. But this blessing lives in the story beneath the story. It lives in the story, inside the story, in the spaces between, in the edges, the margins, the mysterious gaps, the enticing and fertile emptiness. This blessing makes ...
Feb 05, 2024•1 min
Summary In this episode of "Coping", Kevin and Kathy discuss personal stories and describe how to transform limiting self-perceptions. They analyze common story myths that reinforce feelings of inadequacy, loneliness or invisibility, and discuss remedies like sharing authentic experiences in trusted communities. While childhood stories can instill negative mindsets, reclaiming one's narrative by embracing the fullness of their story arc can foster growth and connection. Kevin Well hello everyone...
Jan 29, 2024•23 min
As we celebrate with Christmas lights, we should be intentional about shining our own lights spiritually. We are called to illuminate the world and bring light where it is needed through our faith and actions. Let Chaplain Kevin Deegan lead you in prayer asking God for help in shining His light and bringing it where needed most during this season. Kevin: During the holidays, Christmas lights decorate our homes inside and out. We wrap our Christmas trees with lights and hang lights from the roof....
Dec 24, 2023•1 min
In this episode of “Coping”, Kathy and Kevin discuss the symbolism of lights during the holiday season, highlighting familial traditions around decorative lights and the spiritual meaning of light in the Bible. Light represents hope during dark times, and as people who are called to shine their light into the world, we can think about what type of light we are, and the need to plug into spiritual sources to refill our light when it dims. The conversation covers how illness, trauma, grief, exhaus...
Dec 17, 2023•19 min
Listen as Kevin leads you through a simple, fill-in-the-blank meditation focused on gratitude and appreciation. Reflect on and write down two attributes of God you appreciate, one thing you are celebrating today, and three things you are most grateful for today before thanking God for all of the things you are grateful for. Kevin: We're going to start with me asking just a few questions that I'd like you to reflect on. If you want to write your answers down, that'd be great, but if not, you can ...
Dec 05, 2023•3 min
The first episode of the 4th season of "Coping" discusses practices for celebrating Thanksgiving and carrying gratitude through the entire year. Kathy and Kevin love Thanksgiving for the food, family gatherings, and chance to reflect on blessings because reflection can bring about new direction and understanding. Practices like daily celebration and reflection can build gratitude. Learn how you can turn your Thanksgiving into Thanks-living and join us on December 7th, 2023 for our "Review Your Y...
Nov 21, 2023•17 min
To finish out Season 3 of "Coping", Kevin leads you through a simple prayer for rest by Kate Bowler. We hope it comforts you every time you hear it. Kevin: This blessing of rest is from author Kate Bowler: Oh God, again, I lie here awake, too tired, too restless for sleep to come. How will I ever get through tomorrow? Oh God, bring peace to my mind and body, and blanket me in the heaviness of slumber. Blessed are we still awake in night's loud darkness who say, oh God, help me. You know the stat...
Nov 07, 2023•3 min
In the final episode for Season 3 of “Coping”, Kathy and Kevin have a dialogue where they discuss the seven types of rest outlined in Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith's book, “Sacred Rest”. Kathy and Kevin go into depth on each type of rest, explaining what it means and giving examples of how to practice it. They emphasize being intentional about rest, assessing your life to see where you most lack rest, starting with small rest practices, involving accountability partners, and recognizing rest as essen...
Oct 24, 2023•30 min
In this guided meditation, Kathy invites listeners to pause and reflect on a significant loss in their lives. You are encouraged to explore the emotions tied to this loss, acknowledging feelings of sadness, anger, or fear. Be at peace knowing that you are not alone in your journey. Kathy: We wanted to give you some time right now to think through your feelings as related to your grief. So would you pause with me a moment? Take a few moments to pause. And I want you to narrow in on one particular...
Oct 03, 2023•2 min
In this episode of "Coping," Kevin and Kathy delve into the concept of labeling emotions productively and destructively in the context of grief. They introduce a helpful tool, the Feelings Wheel , to aid in identifying and expressing emotions, which can help you to explore and acknowledge feelings related to grief. Kathy: Welcome back for another episode of “Coping”. Kevin: Last episode, we talked about ways we can begin to get our grief out, and we talked about the method of linking, linking ou...
Sep 19, 2023•13 min
In this journaling meditation, Kevin provides listeners with a practical exercise to explore the interconnections between their list of losses. He encourages them to visualize the relationships between different losses, using size variations and visual elements like lines or circles to represent these connections. The goal is to create a visual representation that mirrors the complexity of their grief experiences. Kevin: So those of you that participated in the listing exercise last time, if you...
Sep 12, 2023•3 min
In this episode of "Coping," Kevin and Kathy explore the concept of linking in the context of grief. They discuss how our brains are wired to remember pain and link losses, and provide a helpful exercise for listeners to visualize and understand the interconnectedness of their losses. Kevin: Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Coping. Kathy: Yes. Welcome, everyone. Last episode we talked about the ways we can begin to get the grief out. Kevin: Yeah, that's right. So we discussed the...
Aug 29, 2023•10 min
Allow Kevin Deegan to guide you in a journaling exercise that can encourage you to reflect on grief and loss experiences. Being able to externalize these often heavy experiences will give you space to process the emotions around them and offer a measure of freedom to explore your pain points from difficult interactions. He emphasizes the significance of externalizing these emotions for processing and suggests circling the most burdensome ones for further exploration. Kevin: With a piece of paper...
Aug 08, 2023•3 min
In this episode of "Coping," Kevin and Kathy discuss the practice of using lists as a tool to process grief. Learn the benefits of externalizing and focusing on grief through list-making, create lists of losses to help yourself acknowledge, connect, and find meaning in your grief experiences. Kevin: Well, hi everyone. Welcome back to another episode of "Coping". Kathy and I are happy to be with you guys today. Kathy: Yes. So last episode, we talked about the ways we process grief stuffers and sh...
Jul 25, 2023•13 min
In this episode of "Coping," Kathy and Kevin discuss two main ways people cope with grief: "Stuffers" who internalize their grief and "Sharers" who externalize it through storytelling. Learn the importance of finding a balance between these approaches and practical advice for both types to process their grief effectively. Kevin: Well, welcome back, everybody, for another episode of Coping. Kathy and are happy to be here with you guys today. Kathy: Yes. So welcome everyone. Last episode, we talke...
Jun 27, 2023•10 min
This episode of “Coping” explores the multifaceted nature of grief, affecting a person physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. It highlights the diverse ways people experience and express grief, and the importance of empathy, support systems to allow individuals to grieve in their own unique manner. Hear from Brian, a Be Well Resources community as he shares how he found solace in his faith after losing his wife unexpectedly. Kevin: Hey, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of C...
May 23, 2023•15 min
In this episode we talk about 4 common misconceptions about grief and explore the difference between grief & grieving. Listen in as we as we dive into this challenging topic. Whatever you may be coping with-- Blessings to you... Kathy: Hi, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Coping. On today's episode, we're starting with this question that I want to ask you first. Kevin, having worked on the front lines of grief and loss the last couple years, what's one misconception that you have lear...
Apr 25, 2023•12 min
This bonus episode Kathy will read an adapted version of a prayer written by Jackie Trottman. "Dear God, In the noise and busyness of life, I thank you for opportunities to slow down, tune in and become attentive. I am aware of the world around me. I am aware of the tone of my voice – how I talk to others and how I treat others. I am aware of how I talk to myself and treat myself. Thank you for your perfect love. Because of this love, I treat myself and others with loving kindness. Help me to pr...
Apr 04, 2023•2 min
In this episode we explore "Awareness" as a practice for Coping. We talk about the 3 levels of awareness and offer real-life examples for each. Listen to the end as we conclude with an awareness prayer. Many blessings to you. Kathy: Hi, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of "Coping". Today's episode we're talking about awareness. Kevin: Yeah. And awareness seems to be a really popular topic right now. I feel like all of the current spiritual practices out there that are being promoted are...
Mar 21, 2023•11 min
This guided meditation is from Spiritual Director Erika Clauson. It is a calming prayer intended to support you in your journey to wellness, especially as you experience fear and anxiety. Enjoy. Erika: I will be guiding us through a calming prayer practice that can help us connect our mind, body, heart and soul to the God of love, so that as we experience God's perfect love, the control that our fears and anxieties have over us may lessen. Erika: Imagine our prayer is when we enter our imaginati...
Mar 13, 2023•8 min
Is Fear & Anxiety the same thing? What's the difference? Listen to this episode that explores the difference between the experience of fear vs. anxiety. We'll break down the myths associated that often keep us trapped in a prison of fear & anxiety. Enjoy. Kevin: All right. Are you recording? Yeah. Before we get started, I'm just curious, what is one thing that you're feeling anxious about right now? Kathy: This conversation. Kevin: No. For all, like, in your life. Like, what are you thin...
Feb 28, 2023•19 min
This bonus episode includes a conversation with Mary Taylor who accomplished the impressive goal of reading 1,000 books in retirement. We hope you enjoy her reflection on this amazing journey and the powerful lessons she learned along the way. Enjoy! Kevin: Well, Mary, I'm so excited to speak with you today. Thank you for agreeing to come and talk with me a little bit. Mary: My pleasure. Kevin: So I'm excited to hear a little bit more about this goal that you set for yourself that I have heard y...
Jan 30, 2023•33 min
New Year's Resolutions are all the rage. But when it comes down to it, how do we actually keep the resolutions we make? Listen to this New Year's episode where we offer a remedy to ensure successful resolutions. Enjoy! Kevin: Happy New Year, everyone. Kathy: Yes. Happy New Year. Kevin: We're so excited to start this New Year 2023 and be here on this podcast with all of you listening in. It's the New Year and things are feeling fresh. We're thinking about all the things that are in store this nex...
Jan 17, 2023•15 min
Hardship is that unwanted and unexpected spiritual gift that can't be returned or refunded. Listen in to our special holiday episode as we discuss one holiday tradition that may help us cope better with hardships. Kathy: Welcome, everyone, to a special Christmas episode. And it's exciting because this is the holiday season, and as I speak, my living room is currently flooded with packages and gifts that keep arriving that I haven't had time to unwrap. And so that brings up our topic that we are ...
Dec 20, 2022•13 min
Thanksgiving gives us an opportunity to practice giving thanks especially as we prepare for the holiday season. However, Thanksgiving is only a one-day-a-year holiday. How do we develop a daily practice of giving thanks? Listen now. Kathy: Welcome, everyone. Happy Thanksgiving. We're so excited to offer this special episode edition of Coping for Thanksgiving. And I want to say that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year, not just because of the food, but because of the reason for the se...
Nov 22, 2022•27 min•Season 3Ep. 2
How do you define coping? It's time to reframe our understanding of coping. Listen in as we provide a new framework for coping and detail how "coping well" relates to a life of significance. Enjoy! Kevin: Well, welcome, everyone. I am so excited for this season three of "Coping". I'm excited to have Kathy here with me to be co hosting this season. Welcome, Kathy. Kathy: Thank you so much. Kevin: So, as we begin episode one of season three, I think it's important that we kind of start at the very...
Nov 15, 2022•18 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Listen in as Chaplain Kevin and Kathy reflect on Season 2 of Coping. You'll hear their favorite moments and lessons from the past season. Be sure to listen to the end as they offer a sneak preview of Season 3! Enjoy. Announcement: Today's episode is brought to you by Be Well Resources. Be Well is a wellness organization that provides mental and spiritual tools for whole person health. Be Well helps you develop your unique gifts and discover your calling. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram at Be ...
Oct 29, 2022•13 min•Season 2Ep. 12
