Let the Verse Flow: Personal Growth Thru a Creative Lens

While writing this episode on caregiver burnout, my mom had a medical crisis that nearly killed her. I picked up my tired and weary bones and found the inner strength and energy I needed to be by her side. Along the way, I recalled how she and my support system helped bolster me during these challenges. Each time these crises happen, it reinforces how important it is for me to give to myself.  In...

Don’t let anyone tell you (and don’t tell yourself) that your small acts of kindness are not great! Each act of connection, charity, goodwill, mentorship, and civility adds up. In a world that can feel like everything is being torn apart, we still have a well of greatness in us that doesn’t come from how smart we are, how much money we have, how beautiful we are but from how humbly and lovingly we...

Are you holding yourself back because of fear, feelings of imposter syndrome, and self-imposed ageism? There are plenty of obstacles to achieving our goals without us adding elaborate "stories" based on "what-ifs" and fear. Let’s dispel some myths, and lean into the self-reliant power of getting older (and wiser). In this episode, I make a case for making friends with fear (wit...

When can we say that we have enough, and can we turn off our craving for more to find satisfaction with ourselves and the state of our lives right in this moment? I’m exploring these questions, sparked by a Sylvia Plath quote on "enough-ness". I’ll touch on gratitude, reducing social comparison, mindfulness, and building community as powerful allies in the fight to be content in a world...

Reducing overthinking, rumination, and worry can be a beast to tackle, but consistently reorienting our minds and bodies through some creative practices can help increase awareness as we work to replace these thoughts with more inspired ones. I’m using a Khalil Gibran quote as a jumping-off point for a discussion on how to stop “choosing sorrows” through overthinking. I’m also introducing eight st...

This guided meditation (with visualization) accompanies episode #43 on cultivating a sense of belonging (to others and yourself). To explore the ways in which you belong to others and then to yourself, I guide you through a visualization exercise where you imagine yourself talking to a partner about an object of significance to you. You’ll explore how these objects help define deeply-held beliefs,...

Self-acceptance is a prelude to belonging. It may not feel like a logical connection, but accepting yourself, flaws and all is the only way to stop the comparison and critical self-judgment that stands between you and your sense of belonging.  This week's podcast episode is about how feeling left out and like I didn't belong in certain situations pushed me to evaluate my sense of belongi...

We can get so caught up in our personal growth goals, and our plans for the future, that we lose sight of the here and now. But the journey toward our future self is made in the present moment, and change takes time. As that time unfolds, our desires may evolve, morphing current goals into new ones. I'm taking you on my journey to be open to those changes and my attempts to stay present and m...

My mom's hospitalization (and the arrival of a beautiful bouquet of flowers) call attention to the way yin and yang play out in daily life. In today’s episode, we’ll explore the forces of sadness and joy, anger and compassion, and grief and gratitude. I'll explore how the Taoist principles of Yin and Yang offer a way of seeing how complementary forces can teach us that nothing is all bad...

As my mom’s Alzheimer’s progresses, and I’m faced with the loneliness of our visits, I’m reflecting on lessons she’s taught me about acceptance, and trying to stay present with her in these transformative moments in our lives. My mom’s love and nonjudgmental acceptance have prepared me to handle this long goodbye, and while it hurts, somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I will be alright. I am...

Have you lost your fight, left your creative passions behind, and tried to journey forward without them? We can let the outside noise and the stress of our daily lives interfere with our creativity. This stress can push aside our creative impulses, reducing them to another item on our to-do list. But expressing our creative selves, through a multitude of pursuits, feeds our energy and gives us the...

This is my poetic ode to Utrecht and the Netherlands, a travelogue of sorts that offers musings, observations, and experiences from my two-week vacation. Yes, we saw the sights – the Kasteel de Haar in Utrecht, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Dom Tower, and the canals. But we also made connections with kind souls, curious passersby, and clergymen. We felt touched by this trip, and seen and h...

Start the day with this affirmation meditation and establish a positive morning routine. We start by honoring the body and feeling present with the breath. From there, we express gratitude for the people, experiences, and things in our lives. Then, we set an intention to move on with our day by affirming positive statements that help us carry this morning's stillness and balance into our day....

I’ve got a wonderful way to temp down overthinking, worry, and rumination. I use stream-of-consciousness journal writing to allow my mind to feel free to express itself; just 15 minutes of this writing, a type of creative flow, can unlock new insights and reduce anxious feelings. You leave the stress of planning and plotting and give your subconscious a chance to express itself. You find insights,...

It’s taken me a while to find a path toward the Middle Way, that Buddhist principle that rests firmly on common sense and shows us how to find moderation instead of swinging between one extreme or another. The Middle Way can offer us some peace as we find a balance between the extremes of self-indulgence, busyness, and wanting, or on the other side, toward extreme self-denial or self-discipline. T...

What do you do when you’ve lost your fight and slip back into sloppy habits that make you miserable? You pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back in the game. In this episode, I’m exploring habits, the cues and triggers that govern them, the benefits they provide, and how to replace “bad” habits with better ones. I’m discussing my long, weight loss saga, and the way I’m moving forward, as...

This episode is about how deep self-listening helps us construct better personal growth goals and the power of connecting that listening to essential self-truths that form the basis for our choices and actions. In this episode: I talk about how a recent Being Well podcast episode on manifesting sparked new thoughts on intention setting and dedicated action to achieve personal growth goals. I summa...

It's summertime in NYC! I'm exploring the changing seasons in New York, as Central Park transitions from spring to summer. My cherished cherry blossom trees, vast array of birds, and wild mushrooms keep me company. From that beautiful spaciousness, I’ve dived into spring cleaning. In this episode, I explore: The beauty, wonder, and sensory pleasures of NYC’s Central Park in Spring (throu...

Having grace and compassion for ourselves, especially as we make mistakes and take missteps along our life's journey, frees us to learn from those mistakes. It also helps us embrace one of the basic tenets of a growth mindset: recasting mistakes as opportunities for personal growth. In this episode, I share how stress and my inability to cope with my caregiving duties can sometimes make me sa...

When life feels out of control, and we are thrust into the world of adulting with a capital “A,” we can feel overwhelmed by our options, not see them clearly, or find them too chaotic to contemplate. That’s when we must simplify our world by leaning on some foundational pillars of self-care.   I call on faith, spiritual practices, and small action steps to build agency. While we don’t control life...

We’ve heard the saying “It’s the journey, not the destination,” or “I control the actions but not the results.” In this episode, I combine these two ideas to explore the role that our core beliefs play in keeping our creative spirit alive and fueling our productivity and stamina when pursuing projects. Focusing on our core beliefs is especially helpful with new endeavors that lead us into uncharte...

This city girl is deeply connected to nature. Mindful walks in nature are a core way to add richness and “right thinking” to your life. In this episode, I talk about an early, profoundly moving natural experience that shaped my deep love of the ocean. This life-changing event would connect me to the ocean for the rest of my life. From Cape May, New Jersey to Oahu, Hawaii, I share how my experience...

With over 53 million caregivers in America, we are likely to face caregiver challenges at some point in our lives. As Rosalynn Carter reminded us: “There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.”  Caregiving can be thrust upon us, or it can build up over time. We...

Have you struggled to be present in your life? Perhaps you’ve been on autopilot for so long that you haven't been experiencing your life in a meaningful way. I understand; I’ve been there too and mindfulness has helped me become more invested in my life’s purpose. It has helped me enjoy the good things that come into my world each day. But where do we begin?  In this episode, I show you where...

Hope is an active state of mind that doesn’t negate the sadness, unjustness, or challenges of the world, but seeks to help us persevere to affect the world positively. One of the most important avenues for facilitating and cultivating hope is creativity.  Our creativity connects us to hope by offering a conduit to the special talents we have to offer the world as we connect (one person to another)...