Ends with Z

Today, we are experiencing a stagnant, “low hire, low fire” job market that’s making both employers and employees very nervous.  An emerging new trend tells us many people are not happy in their job and yet they are holding on to them because the fear and challenge of not having one is so much greater.  People are simply becoming less hopeful.  We address some of the factors causing it like the in...

We know that an extrovert is someone who gains energy from people while an introvert typically avoids people all together, but what is an otrovert?  Coined by Dr. Rami Kaminski in 2023, an otrovert is an empathetic, free thinker who feels more comfortable being alone-“an outsider”-rather than feeling a sense of belonging to a group, despite their likeability and well-adjusted social skills.  They...

Our “why” for creating the Ends With Z podcast was to share life stories and lessons and from them, provide tools and advice that our listeners can take to make sense of things, and hopefully, have a better life of their own.  As we approach the end of another year, and we reflect on all that's happened in 2025 and prepare for a stronger year ahead, it's the perfect time to share and discuss some...

Many of us have a love/hate relationship with social media, but when we came across Durb Morrison’s thought-provoking Instagram post, “By The Age of 50 You Should Be Wise Enough To Let Go of These 20 Things”, it demanded a podcast.  In this episode, Cecile, Juan, and Shawn get personal reflecting on each of the 20 life lessons and discuss where they still struggle with each.  Is it a lesson learne...

Regardless of your sexual orientation, age group, or where you live, dating in 2025 is more of a don’t than a do.  We are swiping left, swiping less, or not at all; many are simply tapping out.  Face-to-face human connection has become so 2000.  It is especially hard for straight women who long for romantic connection, but wind up empty-handed and left asking, “Are men worth the lipstick applicati...

Created from conversations among friends during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are proud to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of our Ends With Z podcast! In this milestone episode, Cecile, Juan, and Shawn reflect on their podcast journey, the evolution and impact of the show, the community it's built, and guests we've hosted and introduced.  As the journey proceeds, we will continue to...

We had to keep this conversation going and go deeper, because your response was so overwhelming!  Cecile, Juan, and Shawn continue the discussion on toxic positivity, opening up into their own personal and professional experiences, to find the nuanced nature and at times, hard to find places, it lives in personal relationships, corporate culture, American society, and family dynamics.  The reality...

Nobody wants to be, or be around, a “Negative Nancy” or “Davy Downer.”  The benefits of having an optimistic outlook improve our overall well-being as they boost longevity, help us bounce back from stress, and help regulate emotions.  We are often instructed by society to be optimistic and stay positive, especially in American culture.  But there’s a fine line between having positive attitude and...

If you feel like you have been holding and hiding out just to get through the long winter days, it’s time to get up, get out, and start to let go.  Spring is here!  We jump start this new season of Ends With Z by setting and resetting intentions to embrace nature’s power of rebirth and awakening new energy within us.  Spring invites us to be in flow with this season’s transformational power.  The...

Why does this Fall feel harder for so many of us?  We know the end of the year is always challenging with the upcoming holidays and family obligations, but this year the elections added to our stressor – no matter who you are.  We either view change as a threat, where we either go in to fight-or-flight mode or we accept change as a part of life and learn to adapt to survive and build resilience. ...

Social connection is a basic human need that is essential to our overall health and wellbeing.  But as the world evolves from technological advances and person-to-person contact becomes more limited, those feel-good hormones that we get from simply being together are being replaced by shorter attention spans, irritability, more isolation, and a greater sense of loneliness.  It is up to each of us...

We all need healthy alone time or “me” time for self-care and quiet, down time.  It’s a good thing, right?  The fact is that too much time alone can lead to loneliness, isolation, and experiencing a lack of connection with others.  The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, in 2018 declared loneliness a global health threat and it has only worsened because of the isolation mandated by the pandemi...

With less than 95 days until the election and all that has happened recently, the race for the presidency has shifted into high gear, already full of monumental, historic events and eliciting heightened negative emotions.  Regardless of your political affiliation, all of it is making us unhappy on top of everything that we are dealing with in our everyday lives.  According to Arthur Brooks, Profes...

For many of us, the holidays are all about spending time with family. Whether merry, or just plain scary, the emotions and feelings we experience during the holiday season linger far after the decorations are down and resolutions are made. In this episode, Juan shares the almost “life changing moment” he had in how he handles the stress of going back home, his identity, and relationship with his f...

The doctor is in!  But what if the doctor isn't human?  Our favorite psychotherapist, John Tsilimparis, joins the podcast as we discuss the growing impact of AI, and specifically AE (artificial empathy), in the medical field and in the most important aspects of our daily life.  What is Chatbot Therapy?  Can AE make us better humans or is it merely manipulating us?  This technology can be a game ch...

With a worldwide box office of $1B, there is no denying the massive appeal and success of Barbie, the movie that has become a movement.  In this episode, Cecile, Juan, and Shawn breakdown Barbie, give their thoughts on the movie and the inter-generational, cross-cultural, and overall appeal of the iconic Mattel brand. They discuss how Director/Writer Greta Gerwig does a brilliant job introducing s...

You are as old as you think you are. Studies have shown that we typically perceive ourselves to be from 7 years to 20% younger than our actual chronological age.  This gap is called our subjective age, but are we just living in denial or is there a benefit to this kind of thinking?  Preconceived notions that we each hold on aging may also be a predictor of our eventual, future reality. People who...

You can’t have the life you want if you don’t know what you want from life.  As children, we dream of the lives that we want, imagining our grown-up selves, careers, soulmates/families, and possessions.  It all begins with your thoughts - believing that what you want is possible and attainable.  But that will only get you so far.  To manifest the life of your dreams takes work.  It doesn’t just ma...

You’re not imagining it.  Stress is making us anxious and it is effecting our thoughts, feelings, and physical bodies.  Psychotherapist, John Tsilimparis, is back to explain the importance of identifying/managing stress and understanding how anxiety effects each of us differently.  And, gives us a simple stress test ( a great tool – really) that we can take anytime to tell us the truth about our s...

Stress affects us in different ways.  For some, everyday stress makes it hard to sleep keeping us awake at night.  It makes others eat too much or not at all.  But did you know that stress can cause you to lose your hair?  We breakdown the truth behind stressed-out hair and what we can do to save it.  We welcome Trichologist and Celebrity Hair Care Specialist/Stylist, Shann Christen, to the studio...

To be human means you will experience stress at points in your life throughout the course of your life.  It is part of the human condition that, if left unmanaged, leaves us gassed.  Whether it’s because of work, family, weather, finances, loss, illness, or even the news and social media, we all experience stress and, it seems like today, we are more stressed out than ever.  Lucky for us, April is...

This week we have the one and only John Tsilimparis, relationship therapist, in the house to sound off on our last 2 dating episodes with Indie and Jai.  We dive into recognizing dating red flags in ourselves and with others, the importance of self-love and awareness, why it’s good to be both velvet and steel, and why doing exactly what you want this Valentine's Day is the healthiest thing you can...

The conversation continues with our 2 guests, Independence "Indie" Hall and Jai Pellerin, as we discuss how other generations are seeing dating, singledom, sex, and love. We’re getting deep and talking the real talk. Brace yourself and get ready to take a jump into dating pool!

What do catfishers and your mom have in common? They’re both probably on dating apps. This week, we have 2 guests, Independence "Indie" Hall and Jai Pellerin, who say YES! They’re here to talk to us about how other generations are seeing dating, singledom, sex and love. We’re getting deep and talking the real talk in part 1 of a 2 part episode. Brace yourself and get ready to take a jump into dati...

This week, Juan and Cecile sit down for a “friend chat” to discuss their “attractitude,” aka their attitudes and philosophies on attraction, dating, and relationships. They’re diving into their dating history and examining what they’ve learned, what they’re looking for now, and what younger generations have to teach them. Grab a coffee, take a seat, things are about to get a little saucy.