XO Conversations

In this episode, we dive deep into the physical, emotional and cultural significance of hair and how it shapes our identity. Your host, Dr. Rishma Walji, and our guests share their own journeys with their hair, how it looks, how much time they spend on it, what it means for their self-perception and how they are perceived by others. Through this conversation, you'll gain a better understanding of...

In this short, 'quick tip' podcast episode, we explore the importance of curating your friendships and surrounding yourself with people who uplift and support you.  We delve into the difference between collaborative friendships (where both parties support and encourage each other) versus competitive friendships (where there is a constant need to one-up each other). We also discuss how to identify...

Have you ever felt alone? Even as you may be surrounded by other people, or interact with others on a regular basis? Being physically alone is distinct from feeling alone, and the difference is a lack of connection and belonging. As humans we possess a need to belong . In this week's episode, your host Dr Rishma Walji has a conversation about finding friendships with Jillian Richardson , author of...

If you're trying to manage your social media, or teach your kids how to manage their usage, this is a must listen. It's an interview with guest expert Dr Don Grant on healthy device management.   To live your own XO (extraordinary) life: livingxo.com Take the FREE Decision Quiz Get your copy of the Connected Parenting Journal HERE Engage & Connect: Want more insights, tips, and personal storie...

Do you ever feel like deleting your social media? Or taking a break from it and doing a social media 'detox'? In this episode we look at social media and the love/hate relationship many of us have. How do we navigate a deep, thoughtful life in the presence of social media?  For more information about living your own XO (extraordinary) life: http://livingxo.com/ To find out your decision style: Tak...

In this quick tip episode we talk about how to turn learning into changing. We have so much access to information and many of us seek information to grow and change. But how can we actually use the knowledge we acquire to make our lives better? This is a technique that has worked well for me, and others, and I hope will help you too.   Discover Your Decision-Making Style: Are You a Spinner, Drifte...

On this episode of the XO Conversations Podcast, I had a conversation with Dr. Aimie Apigian. Dr. Aimie is a Board Certified Preventative Medicine Physician with a Masters in Biochemistry and Public Health. She is also an author, speaker, and founder of Trauma Healing Accelerated, LLC.  We talk about trauma, and the complex factors that contribute to it.  We cover what trauma actually is and how i...

Today's episode is with special guest: Karen Darke. Karen could be described as a modern-day ‘Alchemist’: an adventurer, athlete, speaker and author, Karen’s purpose is about inspiring and impacting, about turning challenge into opportunity: finding ‘inner gold’. Karen started out as a geologist researching gold in the Bolivian Andes, but a life-changing accident that left her paralysed led her aw...

We often think that can 'do that later', 'call tomorrow'. We think we have more time.  In this episode, your host Dr. Rishma Walji is talking to Dr Jacqueline Hui, a palliative care physician, about her experiences working with patients at the end of life. What she's learned from them, and how we can apply those lessons to our lives today.  Resources to live your own XO Life: livingxo.com Take the...

This is a Quick Tip Episode on how to move towards your goals faster. A new way to think about not only your goals but the outcome. What are you really trying to achieve? Take the Intentionality Quiz : Uncover Your Path to Success More resources livingxo.com   Engage & Connect: Want more insights, tips, and personal stories? Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive content and updates on upco...

An inspiring interview with Canadian author and pianist Coco Ma.  She wrote her first novel, Shadow Frost, at the age of 15, and since she began playing the piano at the age of five and a half, she has also performed on some of the world's greatest concert stages and graduated with a pre-college diploma in piano performance from The Juilliard School in New York City. Currently, she studies at Yale...

This is an interview with the lovely, 13 year old author, Kaiya. Her book, The Shifters, is a fantasy fiction novel. She also happens to be my daughter :) We talked about the book, her process writing the book and and she's learned.  More resources to help you live your own XO Life: livingxo.com Clarity Journal:  https://livingxo.com/clarity-journal Kaiya's book:  Amazon Canada ; Amazon USA   FREE...

What does success  really  mean to you?  Have you ever tried to reach a goal, and then achieved it, and realized that you don’t want it anymore? Or maybe you’ve questioned your goals and dreams themselves. Why do you want to accomplish that goal? Is it aligned with your values in life and your vision of yourself? In this episode I share personal story about 'failure' and what happened to change my...

A VERY SPECIAL behind the scenes episode all about how we made the podcast, what's coming up for season 2 and much more.    Connect with Dr. Rishma Walji at livingxo.com/contact  or on IG   @_ livingxo _ Connect with Avery Moore Kloss @averymoorekloss XO Living Journals and Workshops Available Here: livingxo.com/shop Sign up to stay up to date on upcoming work, inspiration and events: livingxo.com...

If you want to be more positive and optimistic in life, join your host, Dr. Rishma Walji as she explores strategies on how you can take a more optimistic attitude on life. She discusses negative and positive thought patterns, and actionable strategies that can help you feel more hope for the future, and more control over your circumstances.  Find out more at livingxo.com Join the newsletter: livin...

If you've ever had a hard time with positive affirmations, and wonder if they actually work, then this episode is for you. Of course it would be nice to have positive, encouraging thoughts that can turn into beliefs and hopefully change our lives but is that too much to ask of a few sentences?  We dive in the science around affirmations and a few ways to make them resonate more deeply and more aut...

Are you a perfectionist?  Do you wonder to how to stop being a perfectionist without compromising your work or personality characteristics?  In this episode we explore the concept of Good Enough (a concept from parenting) and extrapolate to ask the question, is good enough sometimes good enough?  And if not, what can we do to strive to be our best, without feeling the guilt and crippling self-crit...

This was the full interview with Jessie. There are some short clips of the conversation in a previous episode, The Connected Parent, but the interview was so good and so interested that it's been included here as a bonus for you. We talked about: emotional safety parenting strategies how to talk to your child(ren) and so much more   Find out more at XO Living: livingxo.com Get your own copy of The...

In this episode we talk about how to connect with your kid(s) in a unique way. A strategy that can help you feel calmer, more present, feel more empathy and at the same time can help your kids develop more confidence and emotional security.  How can you do all that? Well that's what our host, Dr. Rishma Walji was on the search for. A way to feel connected, to help manage stress, to help bond with...

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. Many people have experienced some type of burnout symptoms over the years, and look forward to taking time off, or going on vacation to get a break from things and recover. But what if there was more to it than that? What if burnout wasn’t just about being busy, loaded with responsibilities...

Special bonus episode with Para-athlete Candice Combdon! ⁠  If you've been listening to the XO Conversations podcast, you know that the format is very different. ⁠ This is not the typical episode style because we wanted to share the entire conversation. ⁠  Candice talks to your host, Rishma Walji, about being born with spina bifida, her childhood and decision to amputate as an adult, how she start...

In this episode you'll learn practical ways to create meaningful memories that will last a lifetime.  Join host Dr. Rishma Walji with her guest Rishma Govani as they discuss love, family and making meaningful memories.  Summary: When we think about living a full life, it's about the things we experience. The people we connect with the memories we make. After all, it's the memories of our lives tha...

If you have trouble with meditation, feel like you're always getting distracted or can't sit still and clear your mind, but want to, this episode is for you. Join Dr. Rishma Walji as she explores meditation and her own journey towards reaching a meditative state. She talks about the brain and how things work (in an understandable way) and how she has extrapolated the science to make it apply to re...

This podcast episode examines the key factors and science around creating new habits. We explore the missing piece, without which, we're more likely to fall off of our new habits and resolutions. Follow along with your host: Rishma Walji, ND, PhD as she looks at habits a new way and explores why it sometimes takes longer to create a habit than we expect, and what we can actually do about making ha...

I don't want life to be ordinary. I want it to be extraordinary. The difference is just a little extra. How do you define living a little extra?  In this episode we explore how live a life that we love. Finding joy, connecting deeply with my family, feeling energetic, following my dreams, making an difference and having fun.  It comes down to lots of little choices, moments and insights related to...