Changing Lives Podcast

Links to resources mentioned: Tapping app I use: https://cf.thetappingsolution.com/app-download-sp-aff?fpr=wendi20 (affiliate link) Nature + Nurture ebook: https://wendigordon.gumroad.com/l/mdryi (updated edition will be available as a paperback on Amazon starting Sept. 1) It may seem naïve or even cruel to talk about freedom when so many people are losing theirs or afraid they will soon. But as N...

Link mentioned: https://onbeing.org Bill and I have both not only experienced the transcendent power of music in our lives but also witnessed its healing effects on others. You’ve probably experienced music’s power, too. Maybe you’ve heard a song that evokes a memory of another time. You feel the joy or sorrow associated with that memory, even decades later. For example, Bruce Springsteen’s “Danci...

Tapping App Free 14-Day Trial and 50% off affiliate link: https://cf.thetappingsolution.com/app-download-sp-aff?fpr=wendi20 If you use this link, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. My Substack blog: https://wendigordon.substack.com Get full access to Changing Lives at wendigordon.substack.com/subscribe

Links to resources mentioned: My Self-Love Workbook (PDF download) Veronica's courses and guidebooks Most of us (at least those of us in capitalist societies like the U.S.) grow up learning to conform, do what we’re told, and stay silent when something upsets us. We learn that it’s not wise or safe to express our thoughts or emotions. But masking our true feelings and pretending to be fine when we...

This conversation about how journaling can improve mental and spiritual health includes me reading a letter to my inner child. I also describe my morning and evening journaling routines in detail to give examples of possible topics to write about. For more writing prompts, excerpts from my journal, and other practices to help you be more compassionate to yourself, see my Self-Love Workbook . P.S....

Links - Katie’s “The Joy Reset” book club: onegirlstanding.com/events Wendi’s self love workbook: bit.ly/mylovebook A powerful conversation between a former pastor (me) and an atheist (Katie) about rejecting patriarchal religious and cultural beliefs and embracing beliefs and practices that honor both divine feminine and divine masculine energies. Interested in a six-week small group on Zoom devot...

Showing up for our local No Kings Day protests won't stop the horrible things happening now. But it will connect us, encourage us to persevere, and bring us joy as we admire the creative signs and costumes. Other ways to help create a loving and just world: 1. Donate to organizations helping immigrants or others harmed by the cruel and reckless actions of this administration. 2. Vote for candidate...

Kelly shares parts of her recovery journey, including leaving a high-control religious environment and unpacking the conditioning that shaped her early life. I share my recovery from a severe depression and the religious beliefs I’ve rejected. Thankfully, we both got professional help, embraced Divine Love, and created better lives that include helping other people deconstruct toxic religious and...

Our brains have been conditioned by childhood experiences, fairy tales, ads, and cultural norms to view love in unhealthy ways. Lillian is an anthropologist who has studied how this happens and what we can do to change our “love GPS.” We discussed why self-love is so important and what my husband Steve and I learned to do differently than our parents did (both sets divorced after long, unhappy mar...

I have no affiliation with Valarie Kaur’s Revolutionary Love Project, but I share its goal: to “reclaim love as a force for justice, healing, and transformation.” I agree that “the root of the social, political, and economic crises of our time is disconnection–from the earth, from each other, and from ourselves.” I’m committed to creating safe spaces for us to reconnect to ourselves and each other...

Nell and I had a great conversation about what we had to subtract from our lives to begin creating new lives that are healthier and happier. Perhaps the most important subtraction was our utter devotion to careers that involved helping others at all costs - including the cost of our own wellbeing. Another was the idea that success means outperforming others to get achievement awards, promotions, o...

3 Life Lessons From the Grinch, including the power of communities to help us do what we can't on our own. Join my community: https://wendigordon.substack.com/subscribe Get full access to Changing Lives at wendigordon.substack.com/subscribe

Jane’s husband died. My former career ended abruptly and painfully. We share our journeys from wanting to die to creating new lives and how we help others navigate difficult transitions and age with confidence and clarity. Join Sunday’s Zoom gathering and my “Changing Lives” community here . Get Jane’s “Gifted By Grief” book and more info about her work here . Get full access to Changing Lives at...

It’s so liberating to have honest conversations like the one Julie and I had! The first monthly “Changing Lives” Zoom gathering is on Sunday, January 11 at 1 PM Central. We’ll be discussing beginnings of all kinds. Subscribe now and help create a safe, mutually supportive community! Get full access to Changing Lives at wendigordon.substack.com/subscribe

Thanks to those who joined me live; here’s the “Hope for the Holidays” PDF I mentioned. Please share the link with anyone you know who would appreciate this free 20 page PDF of prompts, quotes, and practices I created to add light to what is a dark time for many. I also created an easier to remember link - https://bit.ly/iwanthope - and a QR code: Get full access to Changing Lives at wendigordon.s...

Halloween isn’t the only time we wear masks. We learn at a young age to mask our emotions because it’s not safe to express them. We’re told to “stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about” and to say we’re sorry when we’re not. We learn to hide any aspects of ourselves that other people deem unacceptable. We do what others expect us to and get attention, approval, or something else we desp...

Nathalie’s I Am Alive book includes art that she created from her hospital bed while undergoing painful round-the-clock radiation treatment. She could only move her arms and feet. Oil pastels enabled her to paint emotions as layers of different colors; she then used a bamboo pencil to scratch words into them. As she struggled to recover from that ordeal, she also struggled with depression. She wan...

At 56, I’m happily childfree. Liz is decades younger and dealing with infertility. We discuss how personal, religious, and cultural expectations about motherhood affect our mental health and our favorite places to go when we need to calm our anxious minds and nourish our spirits. I’d love to hear about your experiences. Have you dealt with infertility? How did it affect your mental health? What ch...

It sounds crazy, because it is. Allegra and I both thought that our families would be better off without us. Death by suicide seemed like the only way to escape our misery and free our loved ones from the burden of supporting us. Thankfully, we both got professional help and chose not to end our lives. The right medication, therapy, supportive friends and family, and practices like journaling and...

Swimming next to sea turtles is a spiritual experience. Making eye contact with the humpback whale that just sprayed you with its breath is memorable. And saving an animal’s life is the ultimate “feel good” experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to do all of the above. Robin has done much more. Her wildlife conservation and rehabilitation experience is extensive and impressive, as is her advocacy...

Some people see their religious beliefs as absolute truths. My husband Steve saw a bumper sticker today that said, “Jesus is Lord whether you believe it or not.” Other people, including Brad and me, change our spiritual beliefs. We can’t reconcile some “truths” we used to cling to with what we’ve learned and experienced. Our spiritual journeys take unexpected turns. At first, we fear those turns a...

Thanks to all who joined me live! Among other things, I talked about: * The supportive community I’m creating, starting with Sunday’s Zoom gathering * Melinda Blau’s awesome Wisdom Whisperers book * Why I attend this church even though I no longer consider myself a Christian * What I’d say to Bruce Springsteen (the second most important man in my life) Share your thoughts in the comments, and I ho...

I don’t claim to have all the answers or trust anyone who does. Nor do I think this Sunday’s Zoom conversation will change the world. But an honest, respectful discussion is a step in the right direction! bit.ly/changingliveszoom Get full access to Changing Lives at wendigordon.substack.com/subscribe

No one has a perfect life or the right answers for everyone. But talking about how we each handle life’s challenges helps us all find new ways to cope and to be the change we want to see. September 7 Zoom conversation sign-up: bit.ly/changingliveszoom As Laury wrote (and I read aloud during our conversation): Our world, personally and globally, has been touched by danger, abuse, greed, cruelty, an...

Join the conversation at my September 7 Zoom gathering and connect with other people who would rather be real than perfect. Key points from today’s conversation: * Do what you really want to do now, because you may not be able to later * There’s more to life than being productive or successful by society’s standards * Do what you know is right for you regardless of what others think * Being comfor...