Brick by Brick

This episode talks about the differences in navigating the darkness with a community versus not and how to be a better neighbor to those around you. If you have kiddos, check out this book: https://a.co/d/b9n7y3T

Failure is painful. It can be hard to process and even create feelings of doubt, depression, and loss. I have personally been feeling a strong sense of failure due to the recent loss of my job and processing how this happened and what to do next. Join me in a quick guide on how to shift your perception regarding failure to help you get on the other side of that failure to find your next success.

Is your internal monologue friendly, calm, and encouraging, or critical and bullying? The critical inner voice is a well-integrated pattern of destructive thoughts toward ourselves and others. Where does this voice come from? What do we do to change it? Join me for today's episode to find out a few simple things to do just that! Also, check out this video The Critical Inner Voice - Whiteboard...

Change is one of the most constant things that happen to us in life. Some changes are by choice, but many happen to us that we do not expect or maybe cannot even control. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross was a Swiss American psychiatrist and pioneer of studies on dying people. One of the models she is most known for is “The 5 Stages.” She identified these stages as defense mechanisms or coping mechanisms to...

We all have experienced or encountered darkness in some form in our lives. Some are created by ourselves and others happen as a matter of life's circumstances. The question becomes are we aware of the darkness? Have we been in the darkness so long that our eyes have adjusted? When we become aware, do we stay out of comfort or fear or, do we take steps to come back into the light? References: -http...

Hi friends! It has been a while. Partially, because I have been struggling to figure out what type of ideas or content to explore next. In the midst of it all, I found myself falling into the comparison trap, wanting to mimic the highlights of what success looks like for others, and battling the realities of imposture syndrome. It was then I realized that I had something to discuss with you the en...

Hi Friends! I wanted to commit to one final episode for Season 3: Connections to close the loop on all of what we discussed. The one area I have been pondering the most is how we continue to foster human connections in the ever-growing and changing digital world. Technology has benefits and challenges, and we as people are responsible for how we utilize these tools for our gain. In this episode, I...

I wanted to share the theme of connection from the overflow of my prayer and study time around John 15:5. In my life, a relationship with Jesus has been one of the most significant connections I have ever made. Understanding God as my source and everything he has blessed me to be a resource is a lesson and process that I have been engaging in for the past several years. I want to invite you into t...

Coming off of our last discussion regarding mental health and the power of check-in, I thought adding an additional tool for supporting family, friends, colleagues, etc. through a crisis or challenging situations would be great. We all want to be helpful and supportive to the circles of people around us, but we do not always know how to navigate difficult conversations. The Ring Theory designed by...

Mental health is essential. And often, we can suffer in silence or interact with a family member, friend, or colleague who is going through something in life and we do not even know it unless they share. As we continue to think about building connections and creating deeper relationships, I found value in a few discussions I had with friends that I thought would be great for you all to think throu...

I had the privilege of facilitating a discussion with the men's fellowship group I am a part of which one of the primary purposes of the group is to help us stay aligned with the mission of loving God and loving people. I am deeply passionate about discipleship and believe that Jesus is the most outstanding leader of all time and the way he teaches is practical and applicable. Mike Breen and his t...

How do we develop and maintain relationships that go the distance? What makes relationships last versus those that quickly fizzle out? The answer to these questions can be found in today's exploration of understanding relational resilience. In a culture where people quickly and hastily cancel relationships rather than cultivate them, discover how to keep showing up for one another despite challeng...

Conflict is a normal part of all relationships. Regardless of the type of relationship you have whether personal or professional, it is important that we understand not only how to manage conflict, but how to resolve it. There is research that provides context to the implications of unresolved conflict which can include everything from bitterness, and resentment, to loss of trust. In today's episo...

One phase of connection that many of us desire to reach is to go beyond surface-level engagements to develop deep relationship bonds that last a lifetime. Bonding early in our lives starting from the moment we are born and continue to throughout our life if we are lucky. The older we become it can become hard to form bonds, but not impossible. Join me in today’s episode to understand a little more...

Trust: You cannot have a healthy relationship without it. Building trust isn’t easy work. There will be times when it feels uncomfortable or intimidating. However, a foundation of trust is necessary for healthy, lasting relationships. The American Psychological Association (APA) says trust is the “reliance on or confidence in the dependability of someone or something.” Having trust means believing...

The first stop of our 2023 journey to explore connections is to discuss the elements and essentials of building rapport. Sometimes we feel that communion happens, we vibe with some people and others we don't - which to an extent is true. However, there is some sound research on building rapport and several simple steps to make building rapport more habitual. Take a journey with me during today's e...

The season we will explore human connections. BetterUp defines human connection as a deep bond that’s formed between people when they feel seen and valued. During an authentic human connection, people exchange positive energy with one another and build trust. Human connection makes you feel heard and understood and gives you a sense of belonging. Human beings are social species, wired to connect....

To end Season 2, I thought it would be great to talk about self-awareness. Self-awareness was first defined by Shelly Duval and Robert Wicklund (1972). The researchers proposed that people can focus their attention on themselves or the external environment around them at any given moment.  We dive deeper into what that means in this episodes and I provide a few "bricks" to help you bulid a better...

This is Part 2 of the Patterns of Thought episode. Today we talk about Intrusive Thoughts which are unwanted thoughts that can pop into our heads without warning, at any time. I share a few bricks from Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) which uses four primary skill sets, Distress tolerance, Emotional regulation, Interpersonal effectiveness, Mindfulness, to enable individuals to manage their dai...

This is Part 1 of the Patterns of Thought episode. Today we talk about Cognitive Distortions which are internal mental filters or biases that increase our misery, fuel our anxiety, and make us feel bad about ourselves. Our brains are continually processing lots of information. To deal with this, our brains seek shortcuts to cut down our mental burdens. Sometimes these shortcuts are helpful, yet in...

As we continue our journey exploring perception, I thought it would be nice to continue to turn inward to examine self-esteem.  Self-esteem is your overall opinion of yourself — how you feel about your abilities and limitations. When you have healthy self-esteem, you feel good about yourself and see yourself as deserving of the respect of others. Other terms often used interchangeably with self-es...

There is a correlation between fear and the amount of power people seek. I gained some interesting insights from Robert Evans Wilson Jr. check out this article from Psychology Today to learn more!  Questions to ponder as you leave this episode: What are your motivators? What is your relationship with fear and power? With this new awareness, how will you readjust to become a better human being...

Constructive criticism? Is there such a thing? This episode explores understanding our perspectives around criticism and the implications those impressions have on us from day to day. In the end, I share a simple model to help us better navigate providing feedback that is direct, honest, and actionable. Enjoy!  References:  There’s No Such Thing as Constructive Criticism   Maternal criticism and c...

I am currently going through this study/training by the BibleProject that is breaking down the biblical pattern of exile. It discusses how exile is a part of the entire biblical storyline of how God provides a way back for humanity out of exile. This spoke to me as we are navigating through this session around the topic of perception and raises the question of how do we as Christians better live a...

Continuing our journey through the concepts of perspective and perception, I wanted to stop to talk about how we can challenge our assumptions. In today's episode, I pose the questions of what are assumptions and where they come from to better help us get the ultimate space of actually challenging them through the lens of curiosity. Enjoy! References:  The Way Things Are: How Our Assumptions...