In this profound and inspiring episode of Whole Again, host Michael delves deep into the themes of leadership, suffering, and the human longing for belonging with guest Jerry Colonna. They discuss Jerry's latest book, "Reunion: Leadership and The Longing to Belong" and explore how radical self-inquiry and understanding our own stories can lead to more compassionate and inclusive communities and workspaces. This conversation is a call to action for everyone to contribute to a world of systemic be...
Jan 02, 2024•55 min•Ep. 103
Michael leads us through a short micro-meditation to help us reflect on 2023 and set our intentions for the year ahead. Join us as we explore the power of mindset and learn how it can change our relationship with stress, improve our sleep, and infuse mindfulness into our everyday moments. And remember, our invitation extends beyond this episode – our app, Pause, Breathe, Reflect, offers additional practices like the one shared today, and you can always join our live practices throughout the week...
Dec 29, 2023•10 min•Ep. 102
In this enlightening episode of Whole Again host Michael O'Brien sits down with life coach and wellness expert Erica Diamond. Together, they explore the transformative journey from burnout to living an abundant life. Erica shares her personal experiences and expertise, offering actionable advice and strategies for self-care, mindfulness, time management, and healthy living that resonate with people seeking balance and fulfillment in their rushed lives. Show Notes: Introduction to guest Erica Dia...
Dec 26, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 101
In this episode, Michael leads us through a short mindfulness practice to recognize that we've survived 100% of our dark days and prepare to welcome more light into our lives. Join us as we explore the power of mindfulness and learn how it can change our relationship with stress, improve our sleep, and infuse mindfulness into our everyday moments. And remember, our invitation extends beyond this episode – our app, Pause, Breathe, Reflect, offers additional practices like the one shared today, an...
Dec 22, 2023•9 min•Ep. 100
Join us in this engaging episode of The Kintsugi Podcast as Michael O'Brien shares his inspiring journey across America on a bicycle. From enduring harsh weather in Oregon to discovering the kindness of strangers, Michael's adventure offers profound insights into resilience, connection, and the power of asking for help. Accompanied by his wife and their furry companions, Michael's trip not only tested his physical limits but also brought to life the real meaning of community and support in chall...
Dec 19, 2023•18 min•Ep. 99
In this episode, Michael leads us through a short mindfulness practice with a loving-kindness practice that is a cornerstone of Pause Breathe Reflect. Join us as we explore the power of mindfulness and learn how it can change our relationship with stress, improve our sleep, and infuse mindfulness into our everyday moments. And remember, our invitation extends beyond this episode – our app, Pause, Breathe, Reflect, offers additional practices like the one shared today, and you can always join our...
Dec 15, 2023•9 min•Ep. 98
Welcome to Whole Again, where we explore stories of connection. In this episode, Michael is joined by Jenna Banks, a dynamic speaker and author known for her empowering insights on self-love and personal development. During the episode, we delved into: Jenna's transformative journey towards self-love and personal empowerment. She shares her experiences with attachment and love, and how she navigated through these to discover a deeper understanding of self-worth. The concept of resilience in the ...
Dec 12, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 97
In this episode, Michael leads us through a short mindfulness practice with a box breathing pattern that was the beginning of Pause Breathe Reflect. Join us as we explore the power of mindfulness and learn how it can change our relationship with stress, improve our sleep, and infuse mindfulness into our everyday moments. And remember, our invitation extends beyond this episode – our app, Pause, Breathe, Reflect, offers additional practices like the one shared today, and you can always join our l...
Dec 08, 2023•7 min•Ep. 96
Welcome to Whole Again, where we share stories of connection. This episode, hosted by Michael, features Luis Gallardo, founder of the World Happiness Summit and advocate for a new system he calls 'Happytalism.' During our conversation we talked about: His insights on consumerism, the capitalist system, and traditional benchmarks of success: fame, money, and power. The conversation shifts to the concept of resilience and how we can foster happiness and peace in a world riddled with conflict. His ...
Dec 05, 2023•57 min•Ep. 95
In this episode, Michael guides us through a short practice together, inviting us to slow down and create space amidst our never-ending to-do lists. Join us as we explore the power of mindfulness and learn how it can change our relationship with stress, improve our sleep, and infuse mindfulness into our everyday moments. And remember, our invitation extends beyond this episode – our app, Pause, Breathe, Reflect, offers additional practices like the one shared today, and you can always join our l...
Dec 01, 2023•7 min•Ep. 94
This week's story of connection welcomes friend and guest, Karrah Teruya. She shares her raw and real journey through multiple cancer diagnoses, grappling with identity, and finding joy in the everyday. Join us as we navigate the complex emotions of life's challenges and uncover the strength that lies within community support and self-compassion. During our conversation, Karrah shares Her confrontation with identity and life change The power of community and like-hearted connection The ongoing n...
Nov 27, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 93
Join Michael in this episode of the Whole Again as he shares lessons learned from his bike ride across America and provides insightful tips on how to do hard things. Discover the power of open awareness, learn the importance of setting bite-sized goals, and explore the value of having a strong support system. Don't miss out on this inspiring conversation about resilience and personal growth. Key Points: 1. Embracing Open Awareness and the beauty of life's experiences. 2. Knowing your why and fin...
Nov 24, 2023•22 min•Ep. 92
This week's story of connection welcomes friend and guest, Jon Macaskill, a former Navy SEAL turned mindfulness and meditation teacher. In this inspiring episode, Jon shares his thoughts on resilience, mindfulness, and the importance of a strong and supportive community. Learn how to effectively redefine your relationship with stress and invite resilience into your life. 1. Jon shares his unique journey from serving in the Navy SEALs to becoming a mindfulness teacher, showing how one can redirec...
Nov 21, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 91
How can you take a step toward clarity? On this episode of The Kintsugi Podcast, Michael O'Brien sits down with Megan Swan, partner, mom, daughter, yogi, chef, friend, author, and wellness coach and advisor, to discuss topics ranging from overcoming alcohol dependency and embracing a holistic approach to wellness to the importance of self-leadership and nurturing resilience in personal and professional life. Megan opens up about her “Last Bad Day” on March 18, 2018, the day after crossing bounda...
Nov 16, 2023•58 min•Ep. 90
How can you live a fully charged life? On this episode of Whole Again Michael O'Brien sits down with Meaghan B Murphy, partner, mom, daughter, sister, friend, Editor-in-Chief of Woman’s Day, author, and Chief Yay-sayer to discuss her unique take on life, her experience with overcoming adversity, and her insights on positive psychology. Meaghan opens up about her personal journey of resilience and finding joy in life, even amidst challenging circumstances. From her struggles with perfectionism an...
Nov 14, 2023•52 min•Ep. 89
Welcome to Whole Again with your host, Michael O'Brien, where we explore the beauty of resilience and connection and how we can apply the principles of kintsugi to our lives, making us stronger and more beautiful for having been broken. In this episode: Michael shares his journey of recovery from a near-fatal cycling accident and how it led to the creation of The Kintsugi Podcast. Discover how a total knee replacement and the challenges of the pandemic led Michael to take a pause and reassess hi...
Nov 09, 2023•12 min•Ep. 88
A Five Minute Follow the Leader Micro-Meditation for children If this episode sparked something within you, please download it and share it with a friend. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or lacquer, highlighting the cracks rather than hiding them. It embodies the philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and teaches that breakage and repair are part of an object’s history, making it more valuable rather than less. Metaphorically, Kint...
Oct 08, 2023•4 min•Ep. 87
A Five Minute Loving Kindness Meditation for children If this episode sparked something within you, please download it and share it with a friend. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or lacquer, highlighting the cracks rather than hiding them. It embodies the philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and teaches that breakage and repair are part of an object’s history, making it more valuable rather than less. Metaphorically, Kintsugi rem...
Oct 08, 2023•5 min•Ep. 86
Today's conversation is was recorded at the start of our coronavirus crisis in the United States. We are getting through this moment. If this episode sparked something within you, please download it and share it with a friend. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or lacquer, highlighting the cracks rather than hiding them. It embodies the philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and teaches that breakage and repair are part of an object’s...
Oct 07, 2023•9 min•Ep. 85
Today’s Conversation about Resilience is inspired by Mary Laura’s Philpott’s essay, I Miss You When You Blink. It’s about living with awareness. If this episode sparked something within you, please download it and share it with a friend. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or lacquer, highlighting the cracks rather than hiding them. It embodies the philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and teaches that breakage and repair are part of ...
Oct 07, 2023•12 min•Ep. 84
Today’s Conversation about Resilience is a five-minute Pause Breathe Reflect Meditation. If this episode sparked something within you, please download it and share it with a friend. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or lacquer, highlighting the cracks rather than hiding them. It embodies the philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and teaches that breakage and repair are part of an object’s history, making it more valuable rather than...
Oct 07, 2023•5 min•Ep. 83
A Five Minute Counting Meditation for teens If this episode sparked something within you, please download it and share it with a friend. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or lacquer, highlighting the cracks rather than hiding them. It embodies the philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and teaches that breakage and repair are part of an object’s history, making it more valuable rather than less. Metaphorically, Kintsugi reminds us th...
Oct 07, 2023•6 min•Ep. 80
Lemons. Bittersweet. Tart. Some would say a perfect sum of life’s attributes, a perfect portrayal of life’s moments. Whether we choose to see these lemons as bad moments or as new opportunities to “squeeze the zest” from life it depends solely on ourselves. The choice is ours to believe that beauty exists in everything, even in our setbacks. So, I encourage you to prevail, to accept the wonderful growth that can spark from every grieving process, to “turn lemons into lemonade” if you like, and t...
Oct 07, 2023•14 min•Ep. 81
A Five Minute Grounding Exercise for teens. If this episode sparked something within you, please download it and share it with a friend. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or lacquer, highlighting the cracks rather than hiding them. It embodies the philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and teaches that breakage and repair are part of an object’s history, making it more valuable rather than less. Metaphorically, Kintsugi reminds us th...
Oct 07, 2023•6 min•Ep. 79
Today’s Conversation about Resilience is with husband, father, friend, and difference-maker David Taylor-Klaus. If this episode sparked something within you, please download it and share it with a friend. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or lacquer, highlighting the cracks rather than hiding them. It embodies the philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and teaches that breakage and repair are part of an object’s history, making it mo...
Oct 07, 2023•38 min•Ep. 82
Today’s Conversation about Resilience is a throwback episode from the beginning of The Whole Again but the message is timeless. If this episode sparked something within you, please download it and share it with a friend. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, silver, or lacquer, highlighting the cracks rather than hiding them. It embodies the philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection and teaches that breakage and repair are part of an object’s histo...
Oct 07, 2023•7 min•Ep. 76
It’s been 20 years… 20 years since my last bad day, 20 years since my life changed for the better, despite the circumstances that generated the change. It’s been a tough but wonderful journey, and the new chapters that await are as inspiring and as important as the road I traveled so far... So I invite you all to join me on this new venture towards recovery, where we can learn together how to shift our emotional strength and align our mind, body, and soul in order to gain adaptaversagility- that...
Oct 07, 2023•20 min•Ep. 74
Today, on the Whole Again we host a remarkable human being, a rare blend of a spiritual and business mind, a man who lived the human experience in all of its forms, a storyteller with a powerful voice, intent on helping people redefine their journey through life - Daniel Bruce Levin. Listen to the story of Kintsugi, captured in his book, The Mosaic - a magical journey about finding the meaning of life, about building resilience through love, acceptance and validation, and breaking the walls erec...
Oct 07, 2023•40 min•Ep. 75
In today’s episode of the Whole Again, we start our talk about resilience and our continuous strive for creating a better life-work harmony, with a story. A story about a personal ad- the best ad of my life- the ad that prompted the happiest 29 years of my life, and proved to me, once again the importance of making my voice heard. In this day and age, it’s more vital than ever to advocate our truth- the truth of the life that we want to live. We need to reevaluate our boundaries regarding our li...
Oct 07, 2023•14 min•Ep. 77
Mama - The first word we learn in life and the person our entire childhood revolves around. The first person we think about when we want to share the happiest news about ourselves and the person whose gentle touch we cry for when in fear or sickness.The voice that remains forever in our minds, guiding us with kindness and hope. Even though, through life experiences, our perspective shifts, women remain the center of our existence. Our mothers, our wives, our daughters… Their voices are essential...
Oct 07, 2023•11 min•Ep. 78
