4:12 Connections

Pastor Larry Grawey and I continue our conversation about understanding the importance of connecting with others and building relationships. At the core of these is the importance of communication. In this episode is we focused on understanding non-verbal communication and recognizing that we don’t always get it right, which is ok as long we also learn to acknowledge it. For more information about...

This episode is a continuation of the conversation we started on October 6 about understanding the importance of connection and building relationships.  Today Pastor Larry and I discuss the importance of building trust and understanding boundaries in relationships, especially when dealing with a crisis situation. As always, our goal is to encourage others to have an open conversation abo...

This episode is a continuation of the last. Today I was joined by Pastor Larry Grawey to continue our conversation on the importance of communication and our focus is more on prejudice and unconscious bias. And as always, we want to encourage people to have an open conversation about mental health recovery. For more information about the Green Phoenix or if you'd like to join me as a guest on...

The format of this episode is a little different but the goal is still the same, to encourage people to have an open conversation about mental health recovery.  Today I was joined by Pastor Larry Grawey who asked me to share part of own story and we will be continuing the conversation in the next episode. For more information about the Green Phoenix or if you'd like to join me as a guest on a...

There are times when communicating your needs can be more difficult than others, especially during difficult times.  Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to find someone who was able to help me create an easier way to communicate my needs when I struggle to find the right words. And for more information about the Green Phoenix or if you'd like to join me as a guest on an episode please do...

Joined by Pastor Jennifer Grawey we discuss building connections and the 2 photo essays she helped me edit.  The first one, "Words Are Hard" was published in January 22, 2021 and the second one, "Friendship: Making Connections" was published on September 1, 2021.  For those who are interested in checking them out they can both be found on Amazon: Words Are Hard and Friendship: Making Con...

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Bree Jackson, the executive director and founder of Puzzle Pieces of Love which is a local and virtual Support and Advocacy Group for families with children on the Autism Spectrum.  We discussed the various challenges of supporting those who live on the spectrum, including the limited resources available for adults.  For more information ab...

I lost my father on November 5, 2020, and have had a rough time finding a way to grieve and process the loss so I decided to do the most logical thing I could think... take a cross country road trip to visit my Uncle Colin (dad's youngest brother) who I hadn't seen since I was a little kid.  Growing up I spent a good number of summers driving cross country with my mom and siblings, usually be...

I recently got the opportunity to sit down and talk with Kristin Joy Dillon about how art has helped in her own recovery journey.  She is an expressive mixed media artist in recovery. She uses painting and drawing for wellness-focusing on mindfulness, processing emotions and spirituality. She also teaches creative wellness workshops and hosts splatter paint parties.  For more i...

I've learned a lot about life through running and wanted to share some of the insights I had after my last 5k on June 5, as I prepared for my cross country road trip to meet my uncle for the first time in close to 40 years. For more information or if you'd like to be join me on an episode please don't hesitate to shoot me an email. Contact Us

I got the opportunity to meet with Carol Coussons de Reyes, the founder and president of Mission Zer0 which provides resiliency skills to parents and guardians of youth, and youth themselves.  In this episode we covered a variety of topics related to youth suicide including their Survivor Camp which offers youth social emotional skill building opportunities.  For more information about M...

We all have our own Breaking Point.  That place where life becomes overwhelming and may have trouble coping.  For some, myself included, it leads to suicidal thoughts and/or attempts.  It's far past the time we start talking about it and with the episode my goal is to create an environment where people feel comfortable talking about it. For more information or if you'd like to be jo...

The terms mental health and mental illness are often used interchangeably but they actually two separate things. While everyone has mental health and we all need to take care of it, not everyone who struggles with their mental health has a mental illness.  Understanding the difference can help fight the stigma associated with both. For more information or if you'd like to be join me on an epi...

Understanding recovery can be challenging at times.  In this episode we will discuss the "5 Stages of Recovery" model and I will use examples from my recovery journey to help explain what recovery means to me. For more information or if you'd like to be join me on an episode please don't hesitate to shoot me an email. Contact Us

Growing up we were taught that words couldn't hurt us.  But the reality is words have far more power than most people realize. For more information or if you'd like to be join me on an episode please don't hesitate to shoot me an email. Contact Us