Today, we’re talking about how to orient our lives onto a happy, healthy path, no matter what kind of circumstances we begin with.

Our guest is Melanie Santiago, of Denver, who shares how she encountered Buddhism at the young age of 13 when she was going through a tumultuous time and how learning to apply Buddhist philosophy to her life helped her shift her life state from one of suffering and victimhood to one of agency and happiness.

Trigger Warning: This episode mentions attempted suicide.

CHEAT SHEET

5:30 Why Melanie started practicing Buddhism 

22:30 How Melanie shifted the relationship with her mom 

24:50 Caring for others help us to care for ourselves 

28:27 Having the courage to establish a relationship with her dad 

35:16 Meeting her dad

41:40 Where we start from doesn’t determine how far we can go

Reference:

What can I do to improve my complicated relationship with my parentsWhat can I do to improve my complicated relationship with my parents?