Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul. Do you ever think that maybe you should focus a little more on stepping outside your comfort zone and broadening your world? I think we all have the tendency to stop doing new things… because it’s easier. But then we’re surprised when we try doing something new, or going to a new place, or meeting a new person, and we really enjoy it. Saying “yes” is something that we can ALL do, and it only takes a second to just plain decide that you will make that your new policy.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul. Today I’m going to share with you my most popular piece on Medium. If you don’t know what Medium is, it’s a place where writers can get their short pieces published, either by themselves, or in someone else’s publication. I started getting published on Medium in April, mostly on two publications which feature interesting stories and great writing. One of my most popular stories appeared in a publication called The Narrative Arc, and it’s called “You Have Permission to Remove Toxic People from Your Life” which is something I talk about pretty often because it took me so long to figure it out!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul. Do you ever feel like you’re missing out because you’re starting to resist doing new things? It’s really easy to fall into a rut and accidentally let your world become smaller.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and we’re talking about dogs a lot this month because our new book is out—What I Learned from My Dog. We spent two years collecting the stories for this book and they are really entertaining, but also pretty inspirational, because they show us how fabulous the dogs in our lives are. We learn so much from our canine best friends—like how to be forgiving and grateful and live in the moment. The stories in this book can be really funny too, what with all the stories we have about dogs being dogs… like when they get into trouble but we end up bragging up whatever bad thing they did. And they are quite the heroes too, always knowing when we need comforting or when we’re sick. And if they are rescues, they somehow figure out how to return the favor by rescuing us too.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul, and it’s Wow Wednesday. We had Wow Wednesdays on the podcast years ago and I don’t know why I stopped, because the stories are so worth telling. Today I’m sharing three of my favorite stories about family bonds that persist after death, amazing coincidences that are basically unexplainable, and the messages that a daughter got from her late mother, and that a granddaughter got from her grandfather, both as he was dying and then after his death. I know the people who wrote these stories and they really did happen.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and I’m pleased to share new stories with you from Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from My Dog. We really do learn so much from our dogs--our best friends. They truly make us better versions of ourselves, and they show us the power of gratitude and forgiveness and resilience. They know when we need comforting and they know when we need to laugh. And if they are rescue dogs, they find a way to rescue us back. Life with a dog is always an adventure, too, and that’s what today’s stories are about, the comic relief and misadventures of having a dog.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and some much needed comic relief. We have it for you in the form of our latest humor book, because if laughter is the best medicine then this is your prescription. I know some people think that Chicken Soup for the Soul is all about self-help or heartwarming stories but no, this is the eighth humor book that we’ve published since I became publisher in 2008. It’s filled with funny stories from 100 different writers, many of them making fun of themselves and sharing their most embarrassing moments. We’ve got stories about domestic disasters, wedding snafus, wardrobe malfunctions, words that came out wrong, marital mishaps, and all the other ways in which we find humor in our daily lives.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul. I’ve got more funny stories for you from Chicken Soup for the Soul: Laughter’s Always the Best Medicine. And today we’re talking about husbands and wives, and with wedding season coming this seems appropriate. Couples love to tell those slightly embarrassing hilarious stories about each other, and so do their kids. So let’s get started with a story by Sharon Pearson about a mistake that her father made that has become one of her family’s favorite memories.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul and I would imagine if you’ve been watching the news you might be looking for some comic relief. Well, if laughter is the best medicine then we have your prescription in the form of our latest humor book. I know some people think that Chicken Soup for the Soul is all about self-help or heartwarming stories but no, this is the eighth humor book that we’ve published since I became publisher in 2008. It’s filled with funny stories from 100 different writers, many of them making fun of themselves and sharing their most embarrassing moments. We’ve got stories about domestic disasters, wedding snafus, technology traumas, wardrobe malfunctions, words that came out wrong, mistaken identity, and all the other ways in which we find humor in our daily lives.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hey, it’s Amy Newmark with your Chicken Soup for the Soul. Today I’m going to share with you one of my most popular pieces on Medium. If you don’t know what Medium is, it’s a place where writers can get their short pieces published, either by themselves, or in someone else’s publication. I started getting published on Medium in April, mostly in two publications which feature interesting stories and great writing. This story appeared in a publication called Crow’s Feet, and it’s called “How I Knew My Mother Was Having a Stroke.” It’s a useful reminder of how to react if you think you might be witnessing someone having a stroke. Because, as the subtitle of my story says, Every minute counts when the brain is erasing itself.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices