Communicate Kindly The Podcast

Karen and Mary are back after a year's hiatus with the message that it's ok to take a break. Rate. Review. Share. Follow. #communicatekindly

Mary and Karen took an unplanned break from the podcast as they were both in what they call "Funkytown." In this episode, they're back to share what they learned and hope to help others to give themselves grace when they are feeling funky and to come out on the other side.

Karen and Mary talk about being liked. And not being liked. And whether or not it really matters. Not everybody’s going to like you. And that’s ok. If you think that someone doesn’t like you, try to detach from it and move on. Be kind. Even to people that you think don’t like you.  In relationships that really matter, have a conversation if you feel like someone doesn’t like you. You may come to a...

Karen and Mary discuss strategies to ensure that conversations end with a mutual understanding of what has been communicated. Here are the takeaways: Test for understanding. Recap your conversations so you know that everyone is on the same page. Put things in writing. Send recaps. They don’t have to be lengthy. It can be a quick text or email. Ask if the other person agrees with the recap. Slow do...

Karen’s searching for a new car so she and Mary discuss how the process is going as she makes the difficult decision between getting her dream car and the more practical car.  Here are the takeaways: Drive the car that makes you happy and pay no attention to people that think you look silly. Sometimes you need to treat yourself and sometimes you need to be practical. Don’t deny yourself something...

Karen & Mary discuss a Buzzfeed article entitled, "People Are Sharing The Unwritten Social Rules They Think Everyone Could Use A Refresher On, So Here Ya Go" and find out whether or not they are guilty of some of these faux pas. Struggling with a difficult relationship? Just go to communicatekindly.com where you can schedule a 30 minute zoom call with Mary to chat about ways to make those conversa...

Karen and Mary sat down with Mary's friend, Steve Mulloy, to have a conversation about a new year’s resolution that he made a few years back to communicate kindly to friends from years gone by. Here are the takeaways: It’s the new year! Why not take time to reconnect with good friends from years gone by? Social media doesn’t give you the depth of connection that an actual conversation does. Qu...

Mary and Karen discuss the differences between being nice and being kind. Here are the takeaways: Sometimes our attempts to be nice are not necessarily kind. Being nice is about being socially appropriate and polite, while being kind is more about being thoughtful and considerate from a place of authenticity and truthfulness Not hurting feelings can hurt feelings more in the long run. Being nice i...

Spotify sent a recap of the year and here's what we learned about Communicate Kindly The Podcast: 1. The podcast was streamed in 11 countries. 2. The episode that was shared the most was episode 8: The Big Game. 3. The podcast has a 5 star rating! 4. 68 listeners rate Communicate Kindly The Podcast as a top 10 podcast and 52 listeners rate it as a top 5 podcast. 5. 24 listeners rate it as thei...

Karen, Mary, and their bestie Lisa sit down and talk about the Thanksgiving dinner. Here are the takeaways: What are you bringing to the thanksgiving table. What kind of energy will you bring, what kind of memories will you bring, what expectations will you have? Will you bring comfort and no judgment? Recognize taboo topics - avoid talking about differences and stay focused on similarities. Don’t...

This episode was recorded after Karen called Mary to let her know that it was World Kindness Day, so they sat down to talk about the importance of recognizing kindness on this special day and every day. Take a listen. Here are the takeaways. There really is more kindness than unkindness in the world. Recognize whether people are doing their best. It helps you to shed animosity. What we put our att...

Karen and Mary sit down for another generation gap conversation with college students Kiki McCormick, who happens to be Karen’s daughter and Josey Thorp. You may remember Josey from episode 6 of the podcast called "The College Dating Scene." Be sure to go back to listen if you haven’t heard it. This time, we’re talking about the ex factor. What are the rules around dating the exes of fri...

Karen celebrated her niece’s bachelorette party and served as the designated driver at the end of the night — only to get pulled over. Here are the takeaways: -When you get a chance to celebrate, dance, and sing karaoke, do it! -Practice party etiquette-if there’s drinking, make sure you designate a driver before the festivities begin. -If you get pulled over while driving, try to be calm, be quie...

Karen and Mary talk to Todd Feldman of Seismic Wellness Labs (and Mary's husband) about his research into early detection of anxiety and depression. They discuss how early detection may help us to develop healthy behaviors so that we can avoid the symptoms of depression and how it could help to increase the capacity for mental health services and care so everyone can get the help that they nee...

Karen and Mary discuss the importance of the occasional 'no do' day to get out of the overwhelm. Here are the takeaways: Make time to have conversations with your friends. We’re all just trying to figure things out. If you are what you do, if you don’t you’re not. We’re all so much more than what we do. Being present in the moment helps you manage the tasks that you’re trying to accomplish...

In honor of Karen's birthday, Mary and Karen discuss birthdays and the fact that some like to acknowledge their birthdays and some really don’t. Here are the takeaways: When celebrating birthdays, try to understand if the other person wants the celebration. Don’t order the singing waiter unless you’re pretty sure the birthday person will enjoy it! Recognize in other people what they would real...

Karen and Mary talk about boundaries and the importance of not only setting them, but expressing what they are.

Karen and Mary sit down with Mary Rose Feldman, a certified Zentangle teacher and Mary's sister-in-law to talk about Zentangle - a mindfulness practice that uses the pen stroke as focus. Here are the takeaways: Zentangle is a mindfulness practice that uses the pen stroke as focus. Repetition helps our mind to reconnect to how we’re feeling body, mind and spirit. The difference between Zentagli...

Mary and Karen catch up with each other after taking a summer break and talk about how Covid can bring out the kindness in people as well as the difficulty in being kind to the unkind. #covidandkindness, #septemberistheotherjanuary, #gretchenrubin, #goodbyesummer, #hellofall, #surrender, #lookattheperson

Karen and Mary have a conversation with their dear friend, Gail who had a beef with their last episode on nicknames and sets the record straight. Here are the takeaways: If you have a beef with your friend, set the record straight. Ask if someone minds the nickname you use for them. They may really appreciate the consideration. Kindness is universal - it’s definitely not gender specific. Dudes are...

In this episode, Mary and Karen have a conversation about nicknames. Some nicknames we like, some we don’t like and some depend on who is using it. Here are the takeaways: Some nicknames are endearing, some not so much. Know your audience when you use a nickname. If it annoys someone, don’t use it. Honoring the names that people want to be called by is really kind. If you’re not sure if someone li...

Mary and Karen sit down for a chat with Jen Randazzo. Jen is the author of a children’s book called F.R.O.G. which stands for Fully Rely on God. It’s a sweet story about a Philadelphia-area nun, who is now 89 years old. She carries a little glass frog to remind her to fully rely on God. and passes this message on to the young children she teaches. Take a listen. #communicatekindly #fullyrelyongod...

Karen and Mary meet with Celine McGee, founder of The Compliment Squad! Celine's mission is to spread smiles, kindness & human connection one compliment at a time, which is very similar to the mission of Communicate Kindly--to transform the world one conversation at a time. Be sure to share this episode with friend, rate and review! #communicatekindly #complimentsquad #complimentproject #r...

Karen and Mary welcome Mary's dear friend, Joe Farrell the priest. Father Joe Farrell and Mary met when they were in high school and have been friends for over forty years. And now, Joe holds the global role of Vicar General of the Order of St. Augustine, the second highest office in the Augustinian order serving over 50 countries throughout the world. Fr. Joe joins the podcast from his reside...

In this episode, you’ll meet Mary and Karen's bestie, Lisa, and you’ll be reintroduced to Kathleen, who joined them on episode 5 of Communicate Kindly The Podcast with a conversation about The Four Agreements. If you haven’t heard it, be sure to go back and take a listen. Mary, Lisa, Kathleen spent a great girls weekend in Washington DC and had a conversation with Karen about the importance of...