CleftCast

It is quite easy to feel resentful about what life has thrown your way. "Why do I have this craniofacial anomaly?" some ask. "Do I have to go through another operation?" others will ask. "This sucks and I don't like anyone" also is a response. Building up resentments toward physicians, family members and friends does not lead to healthy solutions for problems. They can ultimately hurt the person holding the resentments more than anyone else. This week's "CleftCast" focuses on resentments and host Joe Rutland shares his own experiences around them. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes and Stitcher.

Let's talk about speech therapy. It is one of the toughest parts for people in the cleft and craniofacial community to go through. Kind-hearted individuals take many of us by the hand and make sure we can pronounce our vowels and consonants. They also make sure we learn to enunciate words better. Most people don't consider this a big deal. Yet there are those of us who have dealt with speech therapy and had great results. In this "CleftCast," host Joe Rutland talks about his own experience while offering encouragement for those going through it. Subscribe to "CleftCast" at iTunes. Download the podcast at iTunes, Blog Talk Radio and Stitcher.

Josh Blanco is a 25-year-old lefthanded pitcher out of El Paso, Texas. He was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate, managed to get his way through middle school bullies by focusing on athletics, and found himself being drafted by the Los Angeles Angels' organization in 2008 after graduating from Franklin High School. Now Josh shares his own journey with host Joe Rutland in this week's "CleftCast" podcast. Subscribe and download "CleftCast" at iTunes and Blog Talk Radio. Every minute counts ... and you are loved.

Don't you think that we all could use more serenity and peace in our lives? I do. It's quite comical to watch me lose my serene state and become agitated, afraid or scared. When these feelings crop up, I guarantee you that serenity is not around. In the cleft and craniofacial community, all of us face different stress-filled moments that can leave us simply asking why life has turned out this way. We all do deserve some serenity, sanity and peace. Host Joe Rutland talks about serenity, the gifts it offers and how we all can attempt to maintain more of it in our lives. Every minute counts ... and you are loved.

Yes, understandably, people, situations and circumstances can drive us in the cleft and craniofacial community to feeling upset, angry and frustrated. When they call come out at once, there is this unstoppable force called rage that appears. It does not make anyone look good, especially to family and friends. What can be done about rage? Host Joe Rutland discusses the topic of rage ... an emotion he's quite familiar with in his own life ... and how to temper the hot-headed monster inside. He'll also offer one or two ways to consider getting rage out, done with and sent to the corner with its own "Dunce" hat on. :-) Subscribe to "CleftCast" today! Download it at iTunes, Blog Talk Radio and Stitcher. Every minute counts ... and you are loved.

Too many times, a lot of us look to outside resources for solutions to our emotional problems. This is a good thing to do should these problems be so severe or damaging. Yet many of us do have the capability of stopping and looking inside for subtle answers that can help enhance self-esteem, courage, and healthier emotional states. In this week's "CleftCast," host Joe Rutland talks about "going inward" and asking deep questions that can spark solid answers. Every minute counts ... and you are loved.

Being hard on ourselves because of what we deal with in the cleft and craniofacial community might come very easily to us. Why? Because there are some internal emotional patterns that make us believe we are not good enough, beautiful enough or just plain "enough" to live joyous, free and happy lives. This is not an isolated occurrence. Have you considered being more compassionate with yourself? It might be the greatest gift you ever give your heart and spirit. In this week's "CleftCast," host Joe Rutland discusses the timeless topic of compassion and how we all can send ourselves a little more heartfelt love each day. Download "CleftCast" at iTunes, Blog Talk Radio and Stitcher. Remember: Every minute counts ... and you are loved.

Admittedly, there will be times within the lives of people in the cleft and craniofacial community where feeling bitter about their lot in life happens. It's only natural and human. Yet staying stuck in bitterness, anger, rage and ranting about all of your problems never solves them at all. In fact, they seem to just get worse. In this week's "CleftCast," host Joe Rutland talks about bitterness, his own ups and downs around this heavy-duty emotion and offers a couple of ideas on how to stay focused on solution-based thinking rather than on your problems. Download "CleftCast" at iTunes, Blog Talk Radio, and Stitcher. Every minute counts ... and you are loved.

In stress-filled moments, where children's needs, doctor's appointments, home and work life-balance, etc., crop up, it can get a little crazy between your ears. Calm and serenity aren't anywhere to be found, and just "getting things done" is important. Maybe it would be a good time to give your mindset a reboot. When you and I can clear out the clutter from between our ears, then we're going to be more effective people ... whether young or old. Host Joe Rutland talks about mastering your mindset in this week's "CleftCast." Download it at iTunes, Blog Talk Radio and Stitcher Radio. Every minute counts ... and you are loved.

There is little doubt that the power of our thoughts does have an effect upon our lives. If thoughts of anger and resentment fill up our days, then it leads to discomfort emotionally. If thoughts of peace and love are more prevalent, then it can lead to serenity and sanity. Of course, when a parent is having to deal with multiple issues around their child's wellbeing, even the thought of thinking clearly and having better thoughts lingers in the background. Host Joe Rutland discusses how those of us in the cleft and craniofacial community can think better thoughts while taking time for some good self-care, too. Download "CleftCast" at iTunes, Blog Talk Radio and Stitcher Radio. Every minute counts ... and you are loved.