The Wisdom Coalition Podcast — Well Of Wisdom (WOW)

“We are joy at the core,” says Lisa McCourt, https://lisamccourt.com/ author of the new book, Free Your Joy: The 12 Keys to Sustainable Happiness. Lisa dives into the specific methods she teaches to show people how to build authentic, sustainable joy every day. Lisa tells us how to find and elevate your “joy setpoint”, so you can discover the inner peace and joy you were meant to live with.

Did you ever wish you could step out of your life and rediscover yourself again? Did you ever want to explore what’s troubling you in a place that wraps you with love? This is what happens at Tumble Tails Farm in Coopersburg Pennsylvania https://www.tumble-tails-farm.com/ with animal assisted interventions. Why animals? Because they can sense our energy and help us to tune in to ourselves. Nancy and Kim speak with farm owner Gail Hunsberger, and explore what they learned about themselves at a recent visit they took to Tumble Tails. Listen into this insightful discussion so you can learn about your life, your heart,and how to connect with yourself.

“Freedom is a skill, not a pill. Once you’ve trained your body and mind how to do it, it will begin to happen all by itself while you continue to enjoy all the other bits of your life,” says Bob Gardner, Founder of The Freedom Specialist, https://www.thefreedomspecialist.com/ a body based approach to happiness, health, and well-being. Bob says we can be free from struggles, things like anxiety, addiction, chronic pain and depression, by retraining our minds to react differently to our bodies. Bob has developed a formula that involves breath work and self-reflection that he says is the road to freedom.

Even in the worst possible time, can you be your best possible self? In this podcast, we explore Nancy’s realization that being her best self as her father passed away was an incredible gift she could give to everyone she loved. She felt a domino effect that triggered love, compassion and strength in her other family members. In this episode, Nancy and Kim of https://www.thewisdomcoalition.com/ explore the incredible power of the best possible self and explain this positive psychology term that can change and brighten your life anytime.

Are you a joy maker? Do you go around spreading joy all over the place? So many of you do and for good reason. We found a wonderful example of someone who understands the value and power of joy! “When you give joy, you get joy,” says Hannah Votta Coleman, Founder and Executive Director of Joyful Giving https://www.4joyfulgiving.org/ in Pennsylvania. You’ll just love Hannah’s passion and energy. This podcast will leave you wanting to spread joy yourself!

“Self-sabotage is self-protection in disguise,” says our guest Laura K. Connell https://laurakconnell.com/ a trauma-informed author and coach. She has a new book coming out called, It’s Not Your Fault: Unconscious Reasons We Self-Sabotage And How To Stop. Connell explains ways that we abandon ourselves, the reasons why we do, and the understandings we should have about ourselves to limit this behavior. She says many times we continue behaviors we needed to survive growing up that we don’t need today, but we don’t know how to change our lives and our reactions. Tune in to learn more!

After an earthquake, we might experience aftershocks that are sometimes just as damaging as the original event. Turns out our emotional landscape can be just like that. Dr. Geri-Lynn Utter, https://drgerilynnutter.com/ a clinical psychologist has a new book out called. Aftershock: How Past Events Shake Up Your Life Today . She explains how we can continue to be troubled by stressful events from the past with delayed mental health symptoms. But, she says, our timeline is our timeline, and that’s okay. Dr. Utter explains what you need to know about the pain that lingers, why it does, and how you can make sense of it.

What do you choose to see and what do you choose to be blind to in your life? Are you really seeing what’s right in front of you, or are you concocting a story that is only based on your thoughts and not on reality. The ladies of The Wisdom Coalition https://www.thewisdomcoalition.com/ explore engaging questions about how you can really focus the lens on your life, your relationships and your future.

Are your most intimate relationships as healthy as they can be or is there something lurking that is making you feel unsteady? Unhealthy relationships can be violent, yes, but they might also be abusive in a number of ways. We speak with Lori Sywenski, Executive Director of Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley, https://turningpointlv.org/ about exactly what an unhealthy relationship looks like and how we can avoid being in one. Mostly importantly, we talk about what to do to get out of an abusive environment. Lori mentioned https://www.thehotline.org/ if you need help.

How would you like to grow something spectacular that will help with your mental health and wellness? You can! It’s easy!! It’s called plant therapy. This is a philosophy that is exploding in popularity. Growing plants helps us to be grounded and mindful and gives us an opportunity to pause, reflect and recharge. Our guest Veronica Moore of Brown Skin Plant Mama, walks us through the very real ways we can thrive by helping plants thrive. Veronica says plants can teach us about ourselves, our lives and heal our heartache. Tune in to this fascinating discussion!

When was the last time you were awestruck? When you looked at something or felt something that filled you with a feeling of wonder. Awe experiences shift our attention away from ourselves and make us feel we are part of something greater. These moments can have a huge impact on our lives, our outlook, and our capacity for love. In this episode, Kim and Nancy of The Wisdom Coalition, https://www.thewisdomcoalition.com/, explore how you can increase your opportunities for wonder and awe and how you can harness that power to feel more joy and positivity.

We will all face a crisis at some point. How can we navigate these difficult times in the best way we can, embracing our best selves and the positive impact we can have on other people? Kim and Nancy of The Wisdom Coalition, https://www.thewisdomcoalition.com/, dig into the latest science on the subject, but also their recent personal experiences with recent hardship. Positive psychology teaches us to feel ALL or our feelings while still being open to the joy that surrounds us. Kim and Nancy create a verbal handbook you can consider and take with you to navigate the next difficulty in your life with strength, kindness, love, and resilience.

After a traumatic childhood, David Dennis is living his life “with urgency.” He wants to create his best life, but also share what he has learned about thriving, despite disaster. David is a licensed counselor and President and CEO of Eckerd Connects, a child welfare non-profit. His new book is called Gameness: Land on Your Feet, Not on Your Feelings. He tells us what “gameness” is and how you can have it too! He says we should all ask ourselves, “Am I living a life I feel good about?” David also explains the four elements of “gameness” that he has developed in the book. www.GamenessLeadership.com

Do you hate to exercise? Think of it as “joyful movement” instead. Our guest says joyful movement is like Miracle Grow for the brain. And what’s even better is if you get to move and play with other people! All of this is hugely important to our well-being. Dr. Elaine O’Brien, PhD, MAPP https://elaineobrienphd.com/ one of the most informed academics on the intersection of the science of happiness and human movement science, has co-authored a book called The Power of Play: Optimize Your Joy Potential. And, oh by the way, Elaine is one of the first people in the world to earn a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology, under Dr. Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology! She explains how and why we should play because she says, “Play provides the foundation to be resilient.” Listen to her great advice, wonderful enthusiasm and powerful words.

Do you find that you take steps to minimize yourself without even knowing it? Do you sacrifice your own needs for the needs of others? Have you stayed silent in a relationship to keep the peace? Do you distance yourself from what you really feel? In this podcast, Nancy and Kim, of The Wisdom Coalition https://www.thewisdomcoalition.com/ , explore Silencing the Self (STS) theory and how it relates to women, especially women over 40-years-old. They discuss ways to recognize when we silence ourselves, how to find our true selves and proudly be who we are without caution or trepidation.

After the tragic suicide of her husband, Lynette Eddy set out to find out how she could have helped him out of the spiral he fell in to. Her plunge and research allowed her to write her new book, The Fight Inside: Winning the Battle Between Your Ego and True Spirit, which details how people can overcome destructive thoughts. Eddy, a social worker and creator of the Open Heart Mindfulness approach to life, is also founder of Eddy House (www.eddyhouse.org), a nonprofit that focuses on helping homeless and at-risk teens in Reno, Nevada. She says everything in life comes down to our thoughts and whether we side with fear (our ego) or love (our spirit). She describes how we can understand ourselves and the intersection between our thoughts and our actions. Tune in for an informative interview!

You know how the food in your fridge sometimes expires and you just have to throw it out? Turns out our mindset is just like that, says our guest, Dr. Charryse Johnson, https://drcharryse.com/ a psychotherapist and founder of Jade Integrative Counseling and Wellness in North Carolina. We explore her new book, Expired Mindsets, Releasing Patterns That No Longer Serve You Well. She says, “I don't think we hear enough that better is possible.” Yes it is!! And she explains how YOU can move to better!

How do you handle your emotions? The difficult ones? The fantastic ones? How could your life be better if your emotional regulation was different? Experts say emotional regulation is the key to our success, our relationships, and our level of joy. We speak with Jason Sizemore, co-executive director of the Mindful Child Initiative (MCI) in Allentown Pennsylvania. https://themci.org/, a non-profit that teaches kids in schools and the adults who care for them about mindfulness. Jason says when he knows he has something difficult coming up, he “takes a pause for joy” to get ready. Jason gives us an amazing overview of what his organization teaches kids that we can all benefit from. He gives practical tools that you can use right now!

“Our lives are a summation of the choices we make,” says our guest Dr. Sherry Skyler Kelly, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Neuropsychologist at Mind and Heart Coaching https://mindandheartcoaching.com/nand . Dr. Kelly deconstructs our attitudes about choices and gives us a tangible framework to understand how to make choices that will propel us to our best life. We discuss why choices are so difficult, why we avoid choices, and how to give up the struggle to make the “right choice.” She says, when you have a choice you have a chance. Tune in to this fascinating discussion.

Did you know your brain has the ability to rewire itself? It’s an amazing ability called neuroplasticity. Our guest, Dr. Tami Berry www.drtamiberry.com, a master mindset and life coach, explains it, and how she created a simple, scientifically-proven, step-by-step process to build a life brimming with health, happiness and joyful success. Dr. Berry says we have to live in “co-partnership with our stress response,” instead of fighting against it, so we can learn to quiet our minds and bodies and think with clarity and purpose.