Calm it Down

Sticks and stones may break my bones but.....can you do it in-love? Today, we talk about a different kind of love. No, not tiger-mom, helicopter-parent love but Confrontational Love. Love when it doesn't necessarily 'feel' like love but it is. Would you rather someone cushion the words and not be honest or would you rather know the person you give yourself emotionally to is a bit 'too honest' but...

A question we rarely stop to think about. We wake up, brush our teeth, maybe have breakfast and before we know it we're on the treadmill of the day until we turn out the light at night. Do we ever stop to think about "where" does our happiness, our joy, those little perks in the day come from? Take a moment to listen in and pause. It's well worth taking the interest in as we find out where the wel...

If you can't explain it to a child, then how can you explain it even to yourself? Today, we embrace the reality of 'struggle' through the eyes and wisdom of The Velveteen Rabbit. Along with a sincere nod to Thich Nhat Hanh, let's understand how when you are truly present in every moment of life, you're truly in the midst of that; life.

Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift had a hit a few years ago called Shake it Off. In full transparency all I can remember of the song is the tag-line "shake it off" so I honestly have no idea WHAT the song is about BUT I reckon it to this episode about how, regardless we feel about it, life goes on. The show doesn't stop mid act and wait for us to recover/lick our wounds or even reflect. As you'll see...

I can't help but to hear McCartney's voice with the opening lyrics of Let it Be but hearing anything from the Beatles is never a bad thing. But life, obviously, has its storms and while McCartney's voice is top-shelf, sometimes we need a little more to carry us through life's ups and downs. Today, we find out w-h-a-t that thing or things may be to help us In Times of Struggle. Listen in.

It’s a world of noise, of ups and downs, of shiny things in one direction and something flashy in another. How in the world are you supposed to ‘calm the mind’ with everything around you set to 11!? 

 You’ve heard the word meditation, you’ve heard there’s this secret way of de-stressing and finding a state of peace but you haven’t a clue where to begin. Well, here is your chance. Today, we crack...

Who would've thought we would learn so much from Pink Floyd's 1979 album, The Wall. As life happens, we get the various bumps, setbacks and punches below the belt. All of these and more lead to us "protecting ourselves" but what if it's that 'protection' that's hindering us from being our full potential? This wall, this shield we build around ourselves may not be what we think it is. Listen in as...

I had SUCH an overwhelming response to the first episode of 2022 "Resolve to Love Yourself". Thank you. So, we pick up from our 'ditching New Years Resolutions' as I check in to see how you're doing AND I offer a few thoughts in continuing the conversation of Loving Ourselves; which even that can be a bit stressful in the process. Listen in as we continue this journey of looking deeper into oursel...

This episode comes from a listeners request and I LOVE the honesty in their asking. "What do you do when you HAVE to be around someone you just don't want to be around?" Great question. Let's face it, sometimes it's just difficult to get along with everyone! BUT, there are some things we can consider and possibly help in this "everyone be friends" landscape. Listen in as we learn a perspective we...

We’re tired. We’re all exhausted. With everything we’ve been handed the last 2 years and the ‘who knows what’s around the corner’, personally, I’m spent. As you probably are as well. Emotionally, physically, spiritually, just tired. So the idea of adding another thing to our plate this year is one that I'm going to pass on this year. Instead, I'm slowing the role and doing this one thing and this...

We pick up from last week's episode Understanding You - Currency, Part 1 as we turn our focus now to someone else; Understanding Someone Else - Currency Part 2. After hearing this episode, I hope you are inspired with a new perspective in being able to connect with someone besides yourself. Be it your spouse, your sibling, even a stranger. Listen in as I share a few key secrets in building relatio...

I'm reminded, oddly, of the scene in The Notebook where Noah keeps asking "what do you want!?" to Allie as she keeps replying "it's not that simple!" But how many times have you stopped and asked YOURSELF the same question. What do you want? What do you need just for yourself? How can you expect others to understand you if you have yet to learn it out yourself? Listen in as we explore some incredi...

I can say with a pretty good amount of certainty that the person you are today has a lot to do with the people around you. From toddler to teenager we absorb our surroundings, those we've followed since knee high, our influences. Some good, some could be better but in the end, your own uniqueness is that of your own pursuance of personal identity. Dive in as I share some thoughts on being uniquely...

Grief. Even the word bears a heaviness like no other. We've all had a loss in some way or form. But perhaps there's a different way of looking at the word 'grief'. Because in order to grieve, you actually need something first. And that something may not be what you thought it would be.

What is your favorite picture? The one at your desk or hanging on a wall that always seems turn any day of rain into sun. While that picture is your emotional go to, what if I told you there's more pictures waiting to be made. But sometimes it's easier to live in yesteryear than in the moment at hand. Listen in to this episode of Calm it Down podcast where I share some thoughts about what really m...

Imagine one day you’re going through your grandmother’s attic. Shifting through the boxes passed down for generations, you come upon a hand written letter by Albert Einstein. “My dear”, it states, “had I only known earlier the secret to thinking with such clarity and vigor, I would have seen e+mc2 much sooner!” Your heart races as you read further and further “where is it!?”, you ask yourself. “Wh...

Wanna be creative? Want to be the smartest person in the room? Want to know how so many people have the best ideas? Well, I'm going to share one of the most effective tools used by some of the most creative minds to have ever walked this earth. And, it only takes 10 minutes. Stepping away from the screen and moving outside not only circulates your blood flow but is like an open fountain for your b...

Everyone should know the warning signs when our bodies are telling us we're under too much stress but what to do about it is rarely taught. Which means it’s usually swept under the rug and never mentioned. Why is that? We know how to cook 3-4 meals, make 2-3 cocktails even but when it comes to stress or anxiety we panic, completely shut down and just hope it never comes back....but it always does....

Great. Everything is….great, supposedly. The pressure to look great, to feel great, to post something great but what if I just don't feel great. What if at my core I’m just sad. A study from 2017 stated an estimated 17.3 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode. That was 2017. WAY before we pulled out the KN95s. This episode I’m going to share three reasons why...

Aaahhhh, Summer. The sun, the surf, the sandcastles. It’s finally here. Blanket? Check. Shades? Check. Sunscreen? Don’t forget the sunscreen! Can’t forget the sunscreen. A day of bliss can turn into a week of burns! Before running for the waves take a sec to ready yourself; both physically and emotionally. Just as you take the time to apply the SPF 9 million this summer, remind yourself the import...

Today's episode is bitter sweet. Bitter in the sense that it's the final episode of Season One but sweet in looking back to see all that we've come through. And don't worry, Season Two will return in September. But before you apply the SPF6700 to your nose and snorkle up, I have one tiny favor to ask before you embark the golden days of Summer. Listen in as you and I make a pact agreement with eac...

What next? Restrictions lifted almost daily as guidances continue to lend a hand towards the world reopening. It’s the hour we’ve all been waiting for. “Getting back to normal” we’ve been saying since March of last year. But suddenly we’re asking ourselves…am I ready? I just settled in. What if I don’t want to go outside, be social, shake hands or even just hug……

 As we were a year ago, we find o...

Continuing the month of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, we break down the two types of anxiety and how to work through them. Join me as we bring this conversation to the greater public, acknowledging the importance of sharing our stories as we each come to know "we're not alone".

"Sssshhhh!!! Don't talk about it. Nobody wants to hear it.", they say. "But, who's they? And why can't I talk about it?", you ask.  May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States so over the next 4 weeks Calm it Down Podcast will be bringing the conversations from the hushed hallways to the dinner tables. It's time we talk about Mental Health as the illness that it is AND how it can be...

I can probably sum up one of your worst experiences in 2 words; summer camp. There's no skirting the teenage years without at least one encounter of sweat, blistering heat and obstacle courses. And while the memories will forever live in my head, it wasn't until recently I learned a lesson from one and it came from the most unsuspected place. Listen in as we learn a different approach to what forg...