Building Resilience

"Joy" is a word we all know, but maybe don't think about the meaning too much. It has a similar feel to "happy"—but it means oh so much more. On today's episode, I talk about the true meaning of joy. What is it? How can we start to feel it (and create it) in our lives? And how can we avoid the common pitfalls that can eat away at the daily joy we're all capable of feeling? Visit me on Facebook or...

Everybody knows that "getting some air" is a great way to center yourself—but what if I told you that it's been scientifically proven that nature has tried-and-true methods to help improve your mental health? On today's episode, I share some of those benefits with you, some of my own favorite ways to experience nature, and some of the theories on why being around trees, grass, plants and even dirt...

I love coming up with analogies. I love hearing them. If you're still a fan of this podcast, you probably are too! So picture this and let's see if it works for you: We are all in a car driving along to our destination: life. The question is who is driving your car? Now sometimes we allow our survival brain (or the monkey as I often call it) to be driving. Fea, and other emotions (which make up ou...

Just like sailing an ocean, life can throw you some unexpected waves. As I thought back on some of the lessons I've learned recently I realized that all the important emotions for me seem to start with the letter C and it's kind of true—the letter C is everywhere along the path to confidence and resilience. So I wanted to share that path with you today—as well as an easy to remember them (I'm sure...

When you hear the word "pain" you probably instantly think it's a negative. And while pain is never going to feel "positive", there are different types of pain. Today, we're going to talk about two different types of pain—clean pain and dirty pain. Which one is healthy, can help you heal, learn, and move forward, and which one hurts, can postpone our recovery, and that we can actually choose. Visi...

When you have to be the bearer of bad news, it would be smart to go into the situation with a few tools in your tool belt. Understanding how the other person might react can really help you convey your message in the best possible way. Today I'll give you those tools as well as a few tips you can use for those around you going forward. Tranform potential arguments into productive conversations! **...

If you work with people in any capacity, you know that some people seem to really communicate well—and some really don't. But what if I told you that you may just not be very compatible with their particular communication style? It's not a horoscope, but many people fall within a few basic styles of communication—and the big secret? Learning what to expect from each type (and which type you are) c...

I'm doing a series of episodes in May about communication. After last week's episode about connection—I wanted to talk about what happens when that connection fails. And I've got just the person to help us explore that: Sheila MacDonald. Sheila MacDonald is a speech-language pathologist who is passionate about communication and rebuilding competence in those who have experienced communication disa...

In a first of a series I'm making this month about communication—today we're talking about connection. Every interaction we have with another person requires some level of connection; buying something at the store, calling your bank, helping a friend, or giving someone a hand. Today I'm going to talk about why connection is necessary—and why we're wired for it as humans, how we literally rely on i...

What's the podcast equivalent of a clip show? Because this might be pretty close! I recently turned 50, and as many people do when they hit a milestone, I got pretty reflective about my life—the lessons I've learned, the ways I've grown, and most importantly, the things I wish I had known earlier. I could go on all day, but on today's episode, I give you 25 of the truths I live by every day—mantra...

Death. It's one of those things that will affect every single person on earth at some point. Whether it's your first beloved pet or a dear friend or relative, we will all have to experience it second-hand. Like it or not, it's going to happen to us too. And I have a bit of a morbid solution to help you cope: writing your own eulogy. The concept can be scary, sure, but in this episode of Building R...

As a life coach myself, I feel like it's important to get back to basics with some of my clients. And " Maslow's heirarchy of needs" is a great way to do it (with a twist by Tony Robbins). Basically, every human has levels of needs that need to be met first—like someone without a home needs shelter and food before they need wifi. It's a good way to check in and see what needs to happen next in you...

One of my favorite guilty pleasures (alright maybe not so guilty!) is the show The Amazing Race . It has made me think a lot about how the competition is a great analogy for life. We watch The Amazing Race not just for the end destination, but for the journey. If you focus on doing your best on each leg of the race, focus on working through each challenge, and work as a team to get stronger,...

It's still Brain Injury Awareness Month in the United States, so I thought we'd share some additional information about concussions. To help me do this, I've invited along my colleague, Danielle Hyde. Danielle Hyde is a Speech Language Pathologist and the owner of Neuro Connections, a private practice that provides communication, cognitive and swallowing services mainly for adults after concussion...

In a bit of an unexpected episode today, I'm going to talk about concussions. Stick with me—it's going to be interesting! In my time as a speech language pathologist, I have seen many concussions—not just that, I've seen them in my own family as well. I'm no doctor, but since I've seen this many times, I'm going to go through some myths and misconceptions about ways to treat concussions, the typic...

So many of us spend a lot of time and energy on talking down on ourselves. Fortunately, a lot of us are in the healing process—but we can't just not talk bad about ourselves. On today's episode of Building Resilience, we're going to talk about the opposite of thinking badly about ourselves—going out of our way to celebrate ourselves! We'll talk about comparing ourselves to others (and why we shoul...

Imagine you got asked to do a new project at work, and imagine it causes you a lot of stress thinking about it—while another member of your team might be super excited! It's the same project, so what's the difference, you ask? Perspective. If you believe that it's the environment that causes you stress, you're helpless until the environment or the circumstance change, which we know is hard to do....

We've all heard the famous quote "whether you think you can or can't, you're right". While that's a little over used and maybe a little over simplified, the fundamental truth it teaches is actually correct. In our day to day lives, we have worn paths into our brain that our thoughts will follow—beliefs about things we assume are true because, well, we've never questioned them. Some of these belief...

For us parents, being a parent takes up so much of our physical energy and time, but also our mental energy! We want to be the best parents we can and raise these darling little ones (or not-so-little ones, in my case) to be the best they can be. However, along the way, we'll inevitably come across thoughts like "Am I good enough?", "Am I ruining my kids?" or even "Should I even be a parent?". On...

What is the difference between a life coach and a therapist? Are coaches trained as much as therapists? What about certifications and practices and degrees? Believe me, I've heard it all, but the one I hear most is "Is life coaching just a watered-down version of therapy?" While therapy certainly has its uses, life coaching is also a vital process I recommend anybody go through. But how do you kno...

A manual sounds like a pretty handy thing to have—to help you troubleshoot your washing machine or fix your phone. But when we make imaginary manuals about the people in our lives, it can be anything but helpful. On today's episode we discuss not just a manual, but THE Manual! It's not a physical book—it's a frame of mind that can seriously give the relationships in our lives a hard time. Spouses,...

We are all confronted with thoughts that we don't like. But what if I told you that there was a way around that? Your brain is a house, and you can choose your guests! I know, this sounds difficult to believe, but it's as easy as trying on clothes—YOU are the one who gets to choose which thoughts you wear and YOU alone. Join me on this episode of Building Resilience where I talk about thought ladd...

When some people think of the phrase "Self Care", they have images pop in their head of bubble baths, manicures, or a massage. While self care can definitely include those things, it means so much more. Many of you don't have a natural instinct for self care, and while you may think that's selfless, it's probably doing more damage than you think. Join me on this episode of Building Resilience as w...

You may not know this about me, but I love to travel. That might even be an understatement—it's part of who I am as a person! As part of my series on memory resilience, I'm talking about travel as a a clever way to capture memories with your family (or even by yourself!).  I'll give you some tips for before, during, and after your trip to not just travel, but have a treasure trove of lifelong...

Relationships are part of everybody's life, and we all have them. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, some of them don't end up being great for us. Aimee Gianni is the perfect guest to talk about this—she's a coach, a marriage and family therapist, and just a fantastic human being. Since healthy relationships are made of two separate, healthy individuals, we talk about how to achieve that for...