Wellness Podcast

In this episode, I talk about starting with goals (get strong!) but then building those goals into habits (run on Tues/Thurs and walk M/W/F) and making those habits into a collection of daily habits (a system) which can help us to achieve our goals. I talk about my current exercise system and how it helps to think of myself as a "healthy person" when making decisions about exercise, food and even...

In this episode, I talk about finals week/the holidays/stressful times of the year and how to make time to sleep, eat and exercise during this time. I talk about cooking a big batch of something over the weekend (or whenever you aren't working), quinoa and polenta (grits), two of my favorite things to eat that are also pretty cheap and good for you, and building sleep and exercise into your schedu...

I came up with this idea of "emotion balls" to help my son out with dealing with some mean kids at school, but it is also important for adults. This episode is about when people take their emotion...balls? and throw them at you, instead of just showing them to you (ha ha balls, OK let's get over it now). I also discuss some action items for dealing with when you do this to others as well as when o...

In this episode, I talk about how everyone's Thanksgivings will look different this year- some people will be with their families as usual but others still will not be, or anything in between. Remembering our toolkit of things that help us feel better as we go into the holidays will help. Also, I talk about making the holidays either in a very small way (go for a walk or a run or drop 1 food item...

In this follow-up episode to the Zoom Out episode, I talk about how the most important things in life are just the tiny moments that lead up to a good or bad day (or life?). It is (maybe?) a paradox that the big things change our lives but the small things do just as much, and we have to remember that THIS is our real life, right now. Action item: pay attention to the all the little things in your...

In this episode, I talk about how this time, right now, is just shit. It's just hard, for everyone, for so many reasons. But, you are not alone. Whatever is happening to you is unique but also is shared, right? I also talk about comparative suffering (Brene Brown) and how it is not helpful and in fact hurst us, and also Glennon Doyle's We Can Do Hard Things podcast which is providing me with a com...

This week's episode is about getting out of the weeds (Brene Brown) and focusing on the bigger picture of your life. I talk about the will this matter in 5 seconds, minutes, hours, years test and read a poem by Mary Oliver called "The Summer Day" which has the quote "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Action item: practice zooming out this week!

This week, I talk about periodically re-assessing your ideal week as necessary. I have already redone mine twice this semester due to factors outside of my control! But also, does that thing need to take you that long? Longer? Also, remember your Caution Weeks (from Cathy Mazak) where you know that you will be very busy for work or non-work reasons, and give yourself a break those weeks. Also, som...

In this episode, I talk about what to do when you get stuck. We have (probably?) all had that feeling of oh no, what have I done, when we find that we have wasted an hour on Facebook or binge watching Netflix or whatever, when we were supposed to be working. My suggestion here is to figure out if 1) you are burned out or 2) you just feel bad about the thing you have to get done. If it is #1, then...

In this episode, I talk about slowing it down. Your thoughts, your movements, your life. I (literally) suggest stopping and smelling the flowers (or picking up fall leaves, or whatever) to ground yourself in the place that you are. A little bit hygge, a little bit mindfulness, a little bit calm and a lot of good will come of it. Action item: find a way to slow down something in your life. Also, I...

In this episode, I talk about community, connection and belonging. Finding our community (communities) is something we can do now based on our location (neighborhoods, etc.) but also through social media or podcasts or even through mom's yoga in the park (or whatever your mom's yoga in the park equivalent is).

In this episode, I talk about controlling what you can and letting go the rest. I talk about my favoritest person, Cathy Mazak and her making the word "overwhelm" into a noun, about Brene Brown's Guideposts to Wholehearted Living from The Gifts of Imperfection, and box breathing and completing the stress cycle. And caring about our students :)

This episode is adjacent to my anti-perfectionism episode, but is about how sometimes we can be great at everything (work, parenting if relevant, exercise, rest, etc.) and sometimes, we just can't, and that's OK too. It happens to everyone (I think?) and if you, like me, can predict when you will have busy weeks, or even if you can't, try to figure out in advance what you are OK with dropping. Tha...

In this episode, I talk about climate anxiety and what action we can take to both help the Earth and ourselves at the same time. 

In this episode, I talk about reflection and how it can help us to recall/remember information, rethink our failures to learn from them, change our attitudes (like how I decided that I would enjoy summer this time around, and I did!), and really, change our brains.

In this episode, I talk about our fear of failure and how actually, it is the greatest gift that we can give ourselves and others, and how it is the way that we learn. The only way we really fail is if we cannot and do not look back on the experience later and figure out what we could have done differently and what we will do differently the next time. I also talk about Brene Brown's book, Daring...

Welcome back from the break everyone and thank you for coming back! In this week's episode, I talk about the word grace and what it means. I give an example of giving myself grace when I made a silly mistake this week coming back to campus for the first time in 18 months, and my action item is- give yourself a break this week. Transitions are tough, have a great week!

In this episode, I talk about how we can ask for help when we are overwhelmed, in big and small ways, instead of just getting more and more overwhelmed. We do not have to do all the things all the time, really. I also talk about how I am going to take a break for the rest of the summer. See you in the fall!

In this episode, I talk about everything I know and can remember about anger, including that anger is a secondary emotion (so there is an underlying emotion underneath it), more anger makes you more angry, etc., and all the tricks I have learned to help with anger.

In this episode, I define fitting in and belonging using Brene Brown's definitions, give some examples of both of these situations in my own life, and give a few ideas for action items for people of different ages (including loving yourself, just as you are right now) to at least pay attention to where you feel belonging vs fitting in in your life.

In this episode, I talk about how I "hate" summer, but I really want to try to not hate it this year, and enjoy each season for what it is (not for what I wish it could be). This applies to actual seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall) of the year and also to seasons in our lives, from anything from when our kids are little to grieving the death of a loved one. Also, I reiterate the importance of...

In this episode, I talk about HOW to figure out which things actually help you to replenish your mental/emotional and physical stores of energy. Sometimes, what we think is filling our cup is actually just stuffing down our feelings instead. The key is to think about what you are feeling during and after, to determine whether the thing you are doing is actually helping you or not.

In this episode, I talk about the Default Mode Network (DMN) and how we can use it to help us rest, be more creative, and less anxious. I talk about 2 books I've read, the Burnout book by Emily and Amelia Nagoski that I've talked about before and a book called Unwinding Anxiety, by Dr. Judson Brewer, and how both mention the DMN but in different ways. Also Magic Eye (if you want to lose a few minu...

In this episode, I focus on the end of the semester and graduation, but also on how we can accept that we are feeling grief even when someone hasn't died. I talk about some of the things I feel like I am grieving right now (including changes due to the "beginning of the end?" of the pandemic at least in the US) and this video from the Holderness Family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U74wUO54Sdg....

In this week's episode, I talk about Brene Brown's book Daring Greatly, about how everyone is just doing the best we can with the resources we have, and Gretchen Rubin's quote that "perfect is the enemy of good." Action item for the week: try to change your brain (story you are telling yourself about someone/something) or try to change your actions, based on the knowledge that you will NEVER be pe...