A Quest for Well-Being

— "The understanding of what really is, abolishes all that seems to be."

As we grow in spiritual wisdom, we become naturally astute in our conversations. We do not provoke other people's anger and ridicule by saying truths that ignorant minds are incapable of understanding and may react aggressively towards to protect their untruthful life force. We develop an intuitive sense of what to say and when. Wise individuals often say very little but what they say tends to hit the mark. Such remarks can remain in the recipient's mind for a long time, possibly, a lifetime. Wisdom carries power.

While we are learning to recognize spiritual reality, we are also learning to understand the complexities of regular human interaction. We are learning about the meaning and purpose of our interactional problems. Interactional problems are our lessons." – Writes Donna

Valeria interviews Donna Goddard — the author of "Love and Devotion Book Series and The Creative Spirit Book Series."

Donna Goddard is an author and shares her love for the Divine and the world with a large international audience. She lives in Melbourne, Australia.

To learn more about Donna Goddard and her work, please visit: donnagoddard.com/ and linktr.ee/donnagoddard

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— Treating yourself with kindness can be life-changing—and journaling can help you get there. Learn to let go of negativity and improve your self-image. Build the skills you need for managing self-criticism and practicing self-compassion so you can increase happiness and let go of anxiety.

Clarity helps us find focus and direction so we can take steps toward what we want for our lives. Alison's work is designed to empower you to get clarity on where you are and where you'd like to be. Growing in self-compassion starts with seeing things as they are. Before making the changes important for healing, it's essential we get real about what's holding us back and no longer working. When you unload the weight you've been carrying, you make room for compassion. It's freeing to create a future beyond the places we've been limiting ourselves. What we can imagine—what could be—is where new possibilities open and we come alive. Our dreams, visions, goals, and commitments give us direction and purpose. They inspire us into action and guide us back on our path when we inevitably get off track along the way. — Alison

Valeria Teles interviews Alison McKleroy — the author of "The Self-Compassion Journal: Prompts and Practices to Inspire Kindness in Your Thoughts, Emotions, and Actions."

Alison is also a speaker, cognitive-behavioral therapist, artist, teacher. She is the founder of Center for Spark, a personal growth company committed to radiant well-being. Alison is passionate about empowering and inspiring people to come alive, live their brightest visions, and light up the world with love and joy.

Drawing from more than 15 years of clinical experience and training, Alison is wild about sharing wisdom and tools. She has helped thousands of people transform their lives through her books, courses, workshops, and retreats. Alison's work has been featured in major media outlets, including VeryWellMind, PyschCentral, and Medical News Today.

To learn more about Alison McKleroy and her work, please visit: alisonmckleroy.com and centerforspark.com

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— "Things are going to change, that change is going to come when we least expect it, and that change will happen for a rea-son, a reason that's there to serve our spiritual resilience." - Writes Adam

Valeria interviews Adam Markel — the author of " Change Proof: Leveraging the Power of Uncertainty to Build Long-Term Resilience."

Bestselling author, keynote speaker, workplace expert and resilience researcher Adam Markel inspires leaders to master the challenges of massive disruption in his new book, Change Proof.

Adam is author of the #1 Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, and Publisher's Weekly bestseller, "Pivot: The Art & Science of Reinventing Your Career and Life." A leading international keynote speaker, he has reached tens of thousands worldwide with his message of resilience as the competitive edge in today's complex markets. An attorney, entrepreneur, and transformational trainer, Adam is a sought-after business culture catalyst who inspires, empowers, and guides organizations and individuals to create sustainable, high-performance strategies.

Adam is also the CEO of More Love Media and host of The Change Proof podcast, where he shares his insights on pivoting and resilience in today's fast-paced market and interviews experts, innovators, and influencers in the areas of business and life.

Adam credits much of his success to the principles he learned during his 8 years as a Jones Beach lifeguard in New York. As a first responder in a life-and-death environment, he learned the importance of cultivating a high-performance capacity and impeccable teamwork. He's found that the principles of this type of culture and leadership equally apply to any business that wants to build a competitive advantage to win.

After building a multi-million-dollar law firm, Adam pivoted his own career path to become CEO of one of the largest business and personal growth training companies in the world. Here he learned that motivation and inspiration alone are not enough to effectively utilize change; it's about providing leaders, teams, and audiences with effective takeaways to sustain them over time.

To learn more about Adam Markel and his work, please visit: adammarkel.com

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— Many of us have heard of "flow" states - where effortlessness and ease move through us and we enter, as many athletes call it, "the zone". Living in the Flow is allowing more of the Divine to move through you and as you, as Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith says. It is as much about receiving as it is about doing and giving, just as the tides of the ocean come in and out.

Living in this Divine Flow is powerful, deeply moving, and joyful, even if it isn't always our expectation of perfection. You can align with this Divine Flow through several simple principles. Simple isn't always easy, but it is clear and doable.

Valeria interviews Rev. Connie L. Habash — She is the author of "Awakening from Anxiety: A Spiritual Guide to Living a More Calm, Confident, and Courageous Life."

Rev. Connie, MA, LMFT, is also a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, yoga & meditation teacher, ecotherapist, and spiritual mentor.

Over the last 29 years, she has helped thousands of students and clients overcome stress, anxiety, depression, and spiritually awaken. Rev. Connie is passionate about deepening spirituality through nature. She creates a safe, heart-centered, nurturing space to awaken, grow, and serve the planet in her online community, Awakening Women of the Earth (AWE), as well as her other online programs, in-person retreats, workshops, and ecotherapy sessions in the San Francisco Bay Area. Additionally, she has served on the faculty of 3 yoga teacher trainings.

To learn more about Rev. Connie L. Habash and her work, please visit: awakeningself.com

Join a FREE workshop with Rev. Connie L. Habash at awakeningself.com/what-you-didnt-know-about-your-emotions/

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— "Change is movement, and in order to create change there has to be both internal and external movement in the body. As our bodies carry us through life, becoming curious about our relationship to ourselves, sensations and feelings that arise within us moment to moment, can help us become more aware of the information we hold internally. Dance was something that always resonated with Rebecca. Moving and being creative helped her process much of her life. Throughout the last year there has been collective trauma that has greatly impacted our everyday life, our ability to express and specifically our movement. Routines, normalcy, and connection have been altered in such a way that Rebecca feels there is a need for reconnection, starting with ourselves."

Valeria interviews Rebecca Love — LCAT, BC-DMT, RYT. She received her Master of Science from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. She is board certified with the American Dance/Movement Therapy Association and a licensed creative arts therapist, as well as a certified yoga teacher.

She received her B.A. in dance and psychology from Hunter College in New York City. She recently completed her 1-year Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Certificate at The National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis, where she was continuing her studies. Her experience includes work with a wide range of clientele including clients suffering from trauma, racial trauma among the BIPOC community, anxiety, depression and other mood disorders, addiction, children with special needs, the geriatric population and LGBTQ+ elders After working in more traditional mental health settings. Rebecca opened her own practice, Holistically Whole Creative Arts Psychotherapy in early 2021 as she felt the need to provide safe healing spaces for the BIPOC community. She currently offers individual and group therapy sessions remotely. In addition to her clinical work, Rebecca was an on-site internship supervisor for Pratt Institute students, studying creative arts therapy, for several years and now is a visiting professor in the creative arts program.

To learn more about Rebecca Love and her work, please visit: holisticallywholecreativeartspsychotherapy.com

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— With expertise in perhaps the most newsworthy subject pervading our lives both personally and culturally, Dr. Tracey Marks is ready to address, advise and help heal our nation's anxiety epidemic. She broadcasts to over a million followers weekly on her YouTube channel and is a general and forensic psychiatrist of over 20 years. Dr. Marks' mission is to increase mental health awareness and understanding by educating people on psychiatric disorders, mental well-being, and self-improvement. She believes that insight creates change, both on a micro-level (personal growth) and a macro-level (reduction in fear and social judgment). Dr. Marks produces educational videos on her YouTube channel, DrTraceyMarks. As a forensic psychiatrist, she has formulated over 1,000 opinions through independent medical evaluations, criminal assessments, or civil litigation consultations. She has been qualified as an expert in multiple federal and state courts and military court-martialed. She also maintains a general psychiatry clinical practice focusing on mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and burnout. Dr. Marks has been sought after by CNN and HLN for forensic and general psychiatric commentary.

Valeria interviews Dr. Tracey Marks — the author of "Why Am I So Anxious?: Powerful Tools for Recognizing Anxiety and Restoring Your Peace."

Dr. Marks is a general and forensic psychiatrist of over 20 years with over 1 million YouTube followers whose mission is to increase mental health awareness and understanding by educating people on psychiatric disorders, mental well-being, and self-improvement. As a forensic psychiatrist, she has formulated over 1000 opinions through Independent Medical Evaluations, criminal assessments, or civil litigation consultations. She has been qualified as an expert in multiple federal and state courts and military court-martial. She also maintains a general psychiatry clinical practice focusing on mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and burnout. Dr. Marks has been sought after by CNN and HLN for forensic and general psychiatric commentary.

To learn more about Dr. Tracey Marks and her work, please visit: markspsychiatry.com

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— "My purpose is to wake up as many people as possible as quickly as possible to help heal our world crises. Any nondual purist might be quick to point out, "Wait a minute, isn't that also a kind of sandcastle? A constructed goal? An egoic mission?" Yes, it is, and this is where I also want to remind you of my intention to deconstruct any scaffolding I've created. One scaffolding was a neuroscientific story of enlightenment, and I can dismantle that by noting (as I mentioned before) that not only can we never know for certain whether biological brains even exist outside of consciousness, but also no matter how many EEG and fMRI brain scans we use to determine the neurological correlates of enlightenment, all that data will never capture the experience of This, just like a list of all the organic flavor compounds in an apple will never capture the taste. And yes, my other scaffolding has been a soteriological or liberatory mission to enlighten. Ultimately, this must be surrendered as well. And this doesn't mean giving up on our world crises, because that would be attachment to doing nothing. There is an attachment to doing something and an attachment to doing nothing.

What's it like each moment to let go of all ideas of what should be done and abide as the spontaneous awareness that composes everything? When we get attached to the view of "I've gotta do something about these crises," we may go to a protest, rabble-rouser in our organizations, volunteer for a nonprofit, or deliver a talk at a nonduality conference (!). Not that we shouldn't do any of these things. I have gone to anti-racist & anti-fascist protests, and I am often vocal about the need to foster more equity and diversity within nondual communities. I also have volunteered for social justice nonprofits, and here I am giving this talk. But if ego is driving the boat, then you'll see toxic dynamics emerge in the work because it's ultimately about fear, control, self-aggrandizement, and rigid ideas about what's capital Right. When the pendulum swings the other way, when we get attached to "There's nothing to do. We live in a 4D block universe and have no free will. It's all complete, so I'll just sit on my couch watching Netflix while the world burns," we are also stuck in an egocentric view because we think we know what's going on and what we should do, in this case nothing. It's eternalism vs. nihilism all over again. What's destroying the planet is ultimately the ego's fear-driven tendency to want to Know and Control, so both of these seemingly opposite crisis-response orientations lie squarely within the bounds of the same toxic operating system. What's it like to shift operating systems--perhaps with the help of nondual psychedelic integration--to one of Not-Knowing and Surrender, dancing each moment in and as the mystery of neither doing something nor doing nothing?" – Says Mira

Valeria interviews Mira Funk — She is a psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker based in Corvallis, Oregon.

She studied comparative literature at Harvard, psychodynamic psychotherapy at Smith College School for Social Work, Zen Buddhism with Kwan Um Zen Master Bon Soeng, and psychedelic integration coaching with Shiri Malcolm Godasi.

Mira is the founder of Nondual Psychedelic Integration, a private psychotherapy and transformational coaching practice committed to holistically optimizing psychedelic growth with a personalized blend of somatic, mindfulness-based, nondual, and neuroscience-informed approaches. In late 2023, per Oregon's groundbreaking Measure 109 legislation, she will begin offering guided psychedelic journeys as a fully licensed psilocybin mushroom facilitator.

To learn more about Mira Funk and her work, please visit: nondualpsychedelicintegration.com

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— T.ruth & Muse Creative Consulting was born in response to Tina's extreme burnout and exhaustion with the "business as usual" narrative. Although no stranger to hard work, the COVID-19 pandemic sent her into overdrive; as a psychotherapist, she felt the heaviness of her own lived experience and those of her clients. With a pandemic, the constant breaking news cycle of political and social unrest and a string of devastating loss within Tina's family and village, she was ready for a change!

On March 1, 2022, she decided to walk away from her "safe" 9-5 job, to rest, grieve and reset her focus and energy into creating therapyWerks, LLC., a solo therapy practice and t.ruth & muse LLC.

T.ruth & muse promotes community wellness and advocacy through culturally informed and creative consulting practices, coaching, and content creation. Through Tina J. Rutherford's consulting and coaching work, she supports individuals, groups, and organizations to meet their goals in a two-step process; t.ruth: assessment, inventory, and muse: innovation and creative solutions.

Tina's therapeutic training, keen eye for detail, and problem-solving skills gives a unique lens into the coaching and consulting world highlighting the importance of both process and outcomes.

Valeria interviews Tina J. Rutherford — she is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Change Agent with a passion for mental health and community outreach.

In her therapy practice, she provides culturally responsive care to adults ages 18 to 99+. Tina's therapeutic approach includes person-centered, psychodynamic, strengths-based and trauma-informed methods. She recognizes the importance of the therapeutic relationship, inviting full "humanness" in her work; and the freedom to speak the unspeakable without judgment. She invites curiosity as a lens to journey through life's most joyful and painful parts. Tina also acknowledges the socio-cultural and political impacts on one's overall mental, emotional, and physical well-being and incorporates the close examination of micro, mezzo and macro-level factors.

Tina grew up in the DMV, obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from Bowie State University in 2005, and her Master's Degree in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis in 2007. Tina has received post-graduate training at the Washington School of Psychiatry (WSP) and is an active committee member with the school's Center for the Study of Race Ethnicity and Culture (CSREC). Her clinical experience has allowed her to work in a variety of settings, including intensive outpatient (IOP), non-profit/community-based organizations with children and families, the public school system, therapeutic group homes for adolescents, as well as six years with a group therapy practice in Capitol Hill, Washington, DC working with a diverse client base.

Following the 2020 pandemic, Tina expanded her work to include her solo teletherapy practice therapyWerks LLC. and t.ruth & muse LLC., a creative consulting company focused on wellness, content creation and capacity building. Tina believes in creating healing spaces both within and beyond the therapy session. She also believes that individual healing becomes collective healing.

To learn more about Tina J. Rutherford and her work, please visit: linktr.ee/tina_j_rutherford

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is an extensively researched psychotherapy method that can be performed via telehealth or in person. EMDR is used to accelerate the resolution of trauma in fewer sessions than traditional psychotherapy. EMDR does not require talking about details but rather, mental processing of events. This can be especially helpful for issues that bring up guilt, shame or general feelings of discomfort we cannot pinpoint.

Valeria interviews Mary Moore — she is a licensed professional counselor associate and the Clinical Director of Lake Austin Psychotherapy based in Austin, Texas.

Mary is an EMDR-trained clinician specializing in PTSD, trauma, anxiety, depression, infertility and pregnancy loss and was trained by the Center for Prolonged Grief at Columbia in Prolonged Grief Disorder Therapy. Moore is a member of the professional task force for the American Counseling Association and an associate member of EMDRIA, (the EMDR International Association) the organization for clinicians and researchers that upholds the highest standard of clinical use for EMDR. She lectures nationally and has written on a variety of mental health topics for outlets including The New York Times, Glamour, Marie Claire and The Huffington Post.

To learn more about Mary Moore and her work, please visit: lakeaustinpsychotherapy.com

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.

— Wellness comes from knowing your core values and aligning your actions accordingly in a flexible yet intentional way that honors both the present moment and the bigger picture. It could mean noticing you are tired after a demanding week and need rest rather than a run. It could mean saying yes to a social engagement instead of more screen time. It could mean saying no to someone you care about because your own needs are not yet met.​ Wellness is broad and covers all areas of your life, including movement, nutrition, physical environment, relationships, spirituality, personal & professional growth, stress management, and more. Wellness is filtered through your thoughts, feelings, sensations, images, and perceptions to create your unique wellness story that may or may not be serving you. Jill can help you create clarity and ease in your wellness story to improve your health.

Valeria interviews Jill Yeiter — she is a Wellness Coach with a Bachelor's in Lifestyle Management, and nearly two decades of experience helping others improve their health and feel better in their bodies by being both intentional and flexible.

She lives in Wellington, NZ with her husband, son, and cat and enjoys nature, creating, and connecting. Recently she has been featured in VERVE Magazine and has been spending time nurturing her business, Heal With Jill, specifically her current offering NOURISH which is a soul-nourishing program designed to help you heal your relationship with food and your body.

To learn more about Jill Yeiter and her work, please visit: healwithjill.com

— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.