It's time for me to take a break so this is the last episode until late summer or early spring.

As we move between meetings and other activities, we should take a few minute to reflect and prepare. Like having a bit of cracker or a sip of water to cleanse our palate between tastings of two different wines, we need to cleanse our mental palate as well.

Loleen Berdahl and Kelly S. Thompson returned to the podcast to talk about the role that writing plays in caring for their mental health. We also talked about how we choose our journals, vintage typewriters, and the community that can come from writing.

You can find Loleen at https://loleen.substack.com/ and Kelly at https://kellysthompson.com/

My good friend Jennifer Diehr returned to the podcast to talk about book festivals, meeting authors, and the reunion we have planned at Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon.

For people who have depression, just getting out of bed can be a struggle, but on top of that, there are concerns about medication, money, and how others will respond. In this episode, I talk about why depression can be so frightening for those suffering from it.

Former long-time editor of Chatelaine Magazine, writer, and mental health advocate, Rona Maynard joined me to talk about her latest book Starter Dog: My Path to Joy, Belonging and Loving This World.

You can find Rona via her website https://ronamaynard.com/

I'm working on being more mindful, which has included asking myself "What do I need right now?" while curled up in the sun with my dog Henry.

Frequent guest Loleen Berdahl is back to join me in a free-range discussion of what it means to be busy, why it's so often the answer to "How are you?", and how to set better boundaries.

Former ballerina, star of the PBS fitness series, Classical Stretch, and author Miranda Esmonde-White joined me to discuss her latest book, The Movement Miracle: The Essentrics Stretch Program to Increase Strength, Improve Mobility and Become Pain Free.

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg and I talked about her latest book On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in An Unapologetic World. We discussed how apologies without real change will continue to damage all involved, how the current U.S. justice system's punitive approach does nothing to help victims of wrong-doing, and why we need to be tenacious and hold onto hope to bring about real change in the world.

You can find Danya at https://danyaruttenberg.net/ and on social media at @TheRaDR (Twitter) and @rabbidanyaruttenberg (Instagram)