Athena Wellness Podcast - Reclaiming Our Warrior Spirit

#077  Well before autumn begins, we can sense the seasonal shift, feeling the summer wind down in spite of the warm weather.  We may begin to crave rest, balance and a slower pace.  To prepare for the months ahead, we may gather, harvest and store for the winter season.  We may also settle into more of a routine at school or work.

How do we ground ourselves in what the season offers?  What can we learn from these natural cycles?

You may find the deeper you go to connect with the energy of the season each day, the easier and more enjoyable the seasonal transition becomes.

And that’s what we’ll be exploring today.  We’ll cover:

• The two main energetic shifts of the year (spring and autumn)
• What the autumn seasonal shift can bring
• Autumn practices to work with this energy

No matter where you are in the world, may you find this season meaningful – filled with bountiful harvests, enriching celebrations and deep connections. 

Link:

Seasonal Food Guide

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#076  Today is Wednesday, time for a little wellness boost - a shortened episode to keep your Warrior Vibe high.

Today, I’m joined, once again, by coach and lifestyle medicine practitioner, Angel Shannon, who shares her thoughts on the importance of writing practice and how to ritualize journaling as a wellness practice.

Links:

Seva Health Group – Angel’s website

Get Fit and Functional For Life – Angel’s community website

Angel’s LinkedIn page

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For episode materials, show notes or to submit a question for a future episode, visit: https://athenawellness.com/podcast

#075  Today’s show feels like loving medicine.  Our guest today, Angel Shannon, is a lifestyle medicine practitioner, board certified nurse and the founder of Seva Health Group.  Her experience includes over two decades of clinical practice and a lifetime of integrative health and mind-body medicine. 

As a speaker and educator, Angel teaches people how to intentionally create a foundation of practices that will help them achieve better health and continuous personal improvement in every area of their lives.  She also has a membership group called Get Fit & Functional for Life and is looking to expand her offerings to bring mindfulness and compassion practices to the corporate environment.

Angel practices what she preaches – running, yoga, tai-chi, meditation, journaling are all favorite practices.  They allow her, in her words, to “leave it all on the mat “and be effective at work and in life.

Angel knows her stuff on such a broad array of topics; we could have chatted for hours.  But beyond the knowledge, you’ll enjoy her warm style and deep wisdom.  She also shared the best answer I ever heard on why it’s so difficult to implement healthy change.

Here’s what we cover:

• The difference between alternative, integrative and lifestyle medicine;
• Balancing conventional and alternative health modalities;
• How to remain resilient in changing times; and
• How the age well and with vibrancy.

We end this episode with our Dose of Inspiration segment, where Angel shares some of the things that are lighting her up these days.

Links:

Seva Health Group – Angel’s website

Get Fit and Functional For Life – Angel’s community website

Angel’s LinkedIn page

Strozzi Institute – Richard Strozzi website

Altered Traits by Daniel Goldman – book

Inner MBA Program – Sounds True

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For episode materials, show notes or to submit a question for a future episode, visit: https://athenawellness.com/podcast

#074  Today is Wednesday, time for a little wellness boost - a shortened episode to keep your Warrior Vibe high.

In this episode, Kathy shares a story that Chris Heeter, founder of The Wild Institute, has relayed to corporate audiences throughout the years.  Chris has been a wilderness guide for more than 30 years and leads groups into the deep wilderness on both dog sled and canoe.  She has said that everything she’s learned about humanity comes from dogs and rivers.

Kathy conveys one of Chris’ stories that has impacted her along with a technique she’s worked with quite a bit over the past year.  It’s a story about living with an open heart to draw outcomes to you, in this case, a soulmate of a dog named Tuuweh.

It’s been said that when you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you.  You may find that by implementing this practice in your own life.

Link:

The Wild Institute – Chris Heeter

Finding TuuWeh (video clip)

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For episode materials, show notes or to submit a question for a future episode, visit: https://athenawellness.com/podcast

#073  We’ve all heard the sentiments:  timing is everything; right place, right time; if it’s meant to happen… and so on.

But aren’t there times when you want something to happen so badly – and it doesn’t.  When you’re poised to make a move, but in your gut, you know it’s not time.  Then there are times when the very thing you’ve been dreaming of happens without effort.

Bring to mind some of the biggest decisions you’ve made in your life.  What you wanted to do for a living; who to spend your life with; whether or not to start a family – those are all forks in the road, long lasting and impactful decision points.  And aren’t there times when you just know you’re making the right choice, in spite of the data or popular opinion?

And that’s what we’ll be exploring today – we’ll cover:

• The concept of right timing;
• The Law of Timing according to author John Maxwell; and
• How to work with and encourage right timing.

By the end of the episode, you’ll have a number of techniques to invite right timing into your life.

Links:

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – book

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For episode materials, show notes or to submit a question for a future episode, visit: https://athenawellness.com/podcast

#072  Today is Wednesday, time for a little wellness boost - a shortened episode to keep your Warrior Vibe high.

Today, I’m joined, once again, by Rachel Astarte, transpersonal psychotherapist, life coach and author, who share her thoughts on transcendence, which means beyond the ordinary range of perspective, and how related practices can enhance our self-care.

Link:

Rachel’s website

Rachel’s podcast

Rachel’s books

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For episode materials, show notes or to submit a question for a future episode, visit: https://athenawellness.com/podcast

#071  Today’s show feels like a deep exhale.  It revolves around this idea that self-development does not have to come from feeling that something is wrong with us.  Rather, it can be born from a remembrance of who we are.

Our guest today, Rachel Astarte, is a transpersonal psychotherapist and life coach.  Rachel is the author of Celebrating Solitude: How to Develop and Honor Your Highest Self.  She is also the host of the podcast “Self-Talk with Rachel Astarte.”

We cover a range of topics including:

• Transpersonal psychotherapy as a holistic approach to treat the mind, body and spirit
• The importance and benefits of having a solitude practice
• How the pandemic shifted our relationship with ourselves and others
• How the natural world can help connect and ground us

We end this episode with our Dose of Inspiration segment, where Rachel shares some of the things that are lighting her up these days. 

Links:

Braiding Sweetgrass – book

Rachel’s website

Rachel’s podcast

Rachel’s books

If you'd like to join our circle and never miss a weekly episode, please hit subscribe.  While you're there, you can rate the podcast by highlighting the stars that match your experience.  Much appreciated!

For episode materials, show notes or to submit a question for a future episode, visit: https://athenawellness.com/podcast

#70.5

Link for this shortened impromptu episode:

Memory Box: Echoes of 9/11 - trailer

#070  Today is Wednesday, time for a little wellness boost - a shortened episode to keep your Warrior Vibe high. 

In this episode, Kathy shares a memorable example of what can happen when elements like a meal, conversation and the outdoors come together like poetry.

She likens the experience of a dinner hosted by Outstanding in the Field to a nature-inspired, culinary creation.  The long table arrangements become living art, set on farms, orchards, gardens, docks, meadows, vineyards, seashores, rooftops and mountaintops.  A one-of-a-kind composition with an element of surprise, a reveal.  Add the magical element of light with a perfectly placed sunset and moonrise.

There’s something special about enjoying an experience knowing that it’s impermanent.  That as the diners head home, the very setting that was co-created between nature and human, is being packed up and a brand new experience is in the making for the next gathering in a new town.

Link:

Outstanding in the Field – website

If you'd like to join our circle and never miss a weekly episode, please hit subscribe.  While you're there, you can rate the podcast by highlighting the stars that match your experience.  Much appreciated!

For episode materials, show notes or to submit a question for a future episode, visit: https://athenawellness.com/podcast

#069  One of the inroads to accessing our inner wisdom is the act of simplifying by slowing down.  We experienced this on a global level as we entered different phases of lockdown over the last 18 months.  Now that we’re beginning to re-engage with the world, we have choices to make – will we resume the level of activity we once had or will we be making some changes.

More importantly, what’s the intention behind the decisions we make?  Is it the Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO?  And if we decide to make different choices, how do we make them joyfully and maybe even experience JOMO – the Joy of Missing Out?  That’s what we’ll be exploring today. 

We’ll cover:

• What is the Fear of Missing Out and its antidote, the Joy of Missing Out?
• How can simple living help you slow down and increase joy? and
• How you can experiment with simple, slow living? 

How might living at the right pace with a focus on how to best spend your time change your life?  In the words of Warren Buffet, “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” 

Links:

Time Spent on Social Media – study

If you'd like to join our circle and never miss a weekly episode, please hit subscribe.  While you're there, you can rate the podcast by highlighting the stars that match your experience.  Much appreciated!

For episode materials, show notes or to submit a question for a future episode, visit: https://athenawellness.com/podcast