Living From Happiness

Living From Happiness - September 20, 2021 James Nave

Living From Happiness - September 13, 2021 Evelyne Boren

Living From Happiness - September 06, 2021 Aliza Einhorn

Guest Aliza Einhorn, astrologer, and author of A Mystical Practical Guide to Magic: Instructions for Seekers, Witches, & Other Spiritual Misfits discusses emotions, spirituality, and tarot.

Living From Happiness - August 30, 2021 Rebecca Pacheco

All Things Animals 08/23/21

Animals can be such wonderful contributors to our healing, happiness and well-being! Guest host Diane Tegmeyer talks all things animals with Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Human Society Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Steketee. Born and raised in Oregon, Jennifer attended vet school in Oregon and Washington states. Hers is an important voice in helping us understand the plight of sheltered animals in northern New Mexico. She shares stories of hope and healing, as well as lots of ideas for volunte...

The Wisdom of Journaling 08/16/21

We can find a tremendous amount of wisdom when we journal. Dr. Elaine Casquarelli and Dr. Karin Lubin share insights, ideas, and lots of laughter in this episode. Elaine is a psychotherapist who incorporates IFS (Internal Family Systems) into her work with clients. Karin's professional background includes having been the Global Director of The Passion Test Certification programs. She's the co-owner — along with her husband, Randy Crutches, of Quantum Leap Coaching and Consulting. And she's co-ho...

Stress & Stress Relief 08/09/21

Stress. Who isn't stressed these days? Absolutely no one. Melanie's the guest on her own show in this episode inspired by a New York Times article on smart phones and stress. Do you know that stress really does affect everything else in our lives, from how we feel when we wake up (how’d you sleep last night, by the way?) to how we interact with too fast or too slow drivers around town? Stress has a major affect on our health, wellbeing and happiness. It’s an important component of almost decisio...

IFS with Dr. Elaine Casquarelli 07/26/21

Notable New Mexico psychotherapist Dr. Elaine Casquarelli is featured in this episode. Elaine is a counselor, instructor, and an author. She's a certified EMDR therapist, as well as an IFS (Internal Family Systems)-trained practitioner. IFS " is an approach to psychotherapy that identifies and addresses multiple sub-personalities or families within each person’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of wounded parts and painful emotions such as anger and shame , and parts that try to co...

Mindfulness Helps When "Normal is Broken" 07/19/21

"Normal is broken," Melanie and guest Erin Doerwald agree. Erin's a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, mindfulness facilitator, and mindfulness program developer based in Santa Fe, NM. She was the Program Director for The Sky Center of the New Mexico Suicide Intervention Project for many years and developed the core programming of Sky’s Toolkit for Wellbeing model. Finally, she's a member of the Board of Directors of Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center . Erin's an expert when it co...

Hunger, Body Shame, & Redemption 07/12/21

David Bedrick, JD, psychotherapist specializing in process psychology, teacher, founder of the Santa Fe Institute for Shame-Based Studies, author, and all-around cool guy, is featured in this episode. He and Melanie talk about his newest book, "You Can't Judge a Body by its Cover: 17 Women's Stories of Hunger, Body Shame, and Redemption." David's insights into disordered eating, why diet programs fail, shame and self-hatred, and "the desire behind the desire, the hunger behind the hunger" are fa...

Making Choices July 05, 2021

Making choices can feel overwhelming. Diane Tegmeyer, professional travel and food writer and new resident of Santa Fe, has been through a lot of changes in the last few years. She and Melanie get personal as they talk about what it means to leave one life for another, making choices, taking risks, and choosing new beginnings. In her professional life as a travel writer, Diane was constantly faced with making choices. And in her personal life, she was living in New York City during the pandemic ...

"Big T" Trauma, "Little t" Trauma June 28,2021

"Big T trauma" and "little t trauma" are two phrases often used to describe different psychological/emotional trauma levels. Big T can result from either one specific experience or recurring sexual or physical abuse. Little t, on the other end of the trauma spectrum, can result from a series of smaller yet still challenging events. We can be traumatized by a single event like being involved in a bad accident or experiencing an act of violence such as assault or recurring abuse. That's a Big T tr...

Self-Esteem & Style June 21, 2021

The psychology of self-esteem and style is the focus of this show. Stylist Kitty Ault, photographer Gabriella Marks, and hair and make-up artist Jess Evans -- the KA Style team -- all share ideas about the importance of how we present ourselves to the world. This is a lively show with a terrific team of women who work well together. And Melanie discovered academic research on the psychology of fashion, sharing it with listeners and asking for feedback from the KA Style team. In doing research fo...

Holy Space June 14, 2021

The holy space of singing on stage is just one of the very cool things Melanie and Susanne Mentzer talk about in this episode. Susanne is a mezzo-soprano who’s performed all over the world, singing in operatic productions, as well as concerts, chamber music performances, and recitals. She's been a guest artist at the Metropolitan Opera since 1989, and made many recordings. She's a Full-time Professor of Voice at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Official Voice Teacher at the San Franci...

Post-Pandemic Burnout June 07, 2021

Dr. Michelle Schwab is a clinical psychologist based in Portland, Maine. She specializes in health psychology and working with high-achieving professionals who are struggling with burnout. And these days, who isn't feeling at least a little burned out?! Michelle shares some of the red flags for burnout, which includes cynicism and a lack of empathy. From the APA (American Psychological Association) comes this: "Burnout is more than just feeling worn out. According to psychologist Christina Masla...

Women & Power & Style May 31, 2021

Women and power and style are part of this show with Kitty Ault. Kitty's back in the studio talking about how we present ourselves to the world. 'Cause, the truth is, clothes and hair and make-up all enhance or hide our identities. It's always fascinating to dive deep into something that's often misunderstood, trivialized, and/or exploited. And Kitty's an expert. She's a stylist with a degree in Art History/ Fine Arts. She worked in New York in public relations, design, marketing, event manageme...

International Folk Art Market May 24, 2021

Stuart Ashman, CEO of the International Folk Art Market, one of the largest social entrepreneurship organizations in the world, shares insights and updates in this episode. Stuart has a long and impressive background as a cultural ambassador. He was the Executive Director & Chief Curator of CCA in Santa Fe; President and CEO of the Museum of Latin American Art; Director of the New Mexico Museum of Art; Executive Director of the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art; and was the Cabinet Secretary of...

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (2) May 17, 2021

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion was an international bestseller when it was first published 25 years ago. Dr. Robert Cialdini, social psychologist, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University, president of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, and the recipient of a number of scientific research awards, has updated and revised the book and just published a brand-new edition. Bob is a charming guest and the definitive expert on the psychology of ...

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion Pt. (1) May 10, 2021

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion has been an international hit since it was first published 25 years ago. So much so that Dr. Robert Cialdini, social psychologist, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University, president of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, and the recipient of a number of scientific research awards, had to update and revise the book and publish a brand-new edition. Bob provides a glimpse behind the scenes of our minds, helping...

How to be Happy May 3, 2021

How to be happy when the world seems to be falling apart? What's wellbeing? This episode shines a light on all things positive and good and hope-full. These days it feels as though our well-being is assaulted from every direction. And it could be easy to argue that happiness doesn’t have much of a place in the world as it is these days. There’s so much that’s breaking our hearts, both collectively, and individually … it can seem just too self-absorbed and narcissistically privileged to even brin...

Shame, Anxiety & Depression April 26, 2021

In this episode, Melanie explores the connection between shame, anxiety, and depression, as well as the difference between guilt and shame. Shame can wreak havoc with our mental health. And it's pretty sneaky, in that we often don't understand what shame feels like, and so it gets confused with guilt. But it's a powerful emotional response that can become a lifelong companion living just underneath the surface of our awareness. It's an important topic to unpack if you're feeling creatively block...

How to be Better With Money April 19, 2021

How to be better with money is something almost everyone wants to know more about. And Doug Lynam is the guy to talk to about your money, your budget, finances, your blocks about money ... like that. Doug is an industry thought leader in ethical and sustainable investing, founder of the non-profit ESG Fiduciary™ Institute, a partner at LongView Asset Management, LLC, in Santa Fe, and he's devoted his life to service. He's also the author of the popular book From Monk to Money Manager and has bee...

Mental Health During Covid-19 04/05/21

Mental health during Covid 19 is a thing. And it's going to be an issue for a while. We're all struggling with ongoing Covid-19 trauma. No matter how well we're doing, we're all feeling it. In this episode, Melanie shares research data and coping suggestions from Dr. Diane E. Meier, the longtime director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care at New York City’s Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Meier is also a 2008 recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius” fellowship. About the Covid pandemic, Dr. ...

Fear, Anxiety & How to be Happy 03/29/21

Can astrology help us ease fear and anxiety and learn how to be happy? Can Psychoastrology help us understand the subconscious patterns that hold us hostage? What is a "core wound"? These questions, and many more, are answered in this engaging conversation with Lisa Tahir, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) for over 20 years, an inventor with a US patent, EMDR Level I, and Reiki Level II practitioner, and Certified Thought Coach. Lisa's also the founder of Psychoastrology® and author of Th...

A Life on Mindfulness 03/22/21 Living From Happiness

Everything mindfulness is the topic of this episode. The beloved mindful meditation / mindful working / mindful loving / mindful living teacher, Michelle DuVal, is in the virtual studio. Michelle is the director of The Mindful Center in Albuquerque, the leading provider of mindfulness training in the Southwest. She offers ongoing training in MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction), has online courses and meditations, and facilitates retreats at Ghost Ranch, in Abiquiu, NM. In this episode, Mic...

Tara Gaia / Cynthia Jurs 03/15/21 Living From Happiness

Cynthia Jurs is a remarkable woman. She's a Buddhist teacher, trained by the beloved Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. A practitioner of Vajrayana Buddhism. A Lama, initiated in Nepal, in recognition of her many years of dharma practice and dedication to the work of global healing through the Earth Treasure Vases. She founded Alliance for the Earth and is the Executive Director of the Earth Treasure Vase Global Healing Project. Finally, Cynthia is the guiding teacher at the Gaia Mandala Sangha in Sant...

Wintering, Katherine May Pt2 03/08/21 Living From Happiness

In the stunning New York Times bestselling book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times , Katharine May writes that wintering is "the active acceptance of sadness. It is the practice of allowing ourselves to feel it as a need. It is the courage to stare down the worst parts of our experience and to commit to healing them the best we can.” In her acknowledgment of sadness and unhappiness, Katharine opens the door to the possibility of healing from those inevitable dark times w...

Wintering, Katherine May Pt1 03/01/21 Living From Happiness

We're beginning to wake up, to emerge from the darkness of the literal winter, as well as the “wintering” we’ve had to endure as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Not quite ready, though. nature needs us to be mindful and intentional about how quickly we emerge. Just this morning, I saw another reminder on Facebook about not clearing out old leaves and dead-looking plant stems from our gardens until the temperature is consistently over 50 degrees. ‘Cause, who knew? butterflies and bees and othe...

The Psychology of Crisis Survival 02/22/21 Living From Happiness

We know that grief, fear, and hardship are hitting millions of people, both at home and around the world. We know it’s not going to magically get better all of a sudden. No one has a cosmic magic wand with which to sprinkle glistening fairy dust over our crown chakras and clear the dark, heavy energy of all that’s accumulated as a species since humans have been walking upright. So then … how do we deal? How do we get through the day? Melanie takes a look at the evidence-based solutions for survi...

Natalie Goldberg - Three Simple Lines Pt 2 02/15/21 Living From Happiness

"Please don’t imagine that my decade of writing practice and Zen meditation have silenced or fully pacified the angry self-critics in my head. That’s not how things work. I’m just much better at managing those voices.” Natalie Goldbert, Three Simple Lines Beloved New Mexico author, teacher, and Zen Buddhist practitioner Natalie Goldberg is back for the second of two episodes. Natalie wrote the internationally renowned Writing Down the Bones , published in 1986, and has since published memoirs, e...