Special guest interview with Lebanese citizen Mohamed Fakih - a student I taught 24 years ago in Taif, Arabia. Mohamad and I go on a trip down memory lane (first 30 min or so), remembering our earlier life together as teacher and expatriates in Saudi. Then we concentrate heavily on the events and issues emerging from Lebanon in the last 90 minutes of the interview. Listen to find out Mohamad's experiences, analysis, and predictions for Lebanon and his views of the political situation.

Go along for the ride as DJLJ drives into the Mackie D’s for a ‘final’ binge at McDonald’s (for awhile) and then shares the rather wild musings and a few readings as she works out what’s going on...in her busy life and head. Listen between the lines for how her busy lifestyle trips up all dietary plans but not her ultimate intention to eat well and reach her final goal of losing enough weight to remain Type 2 Diabetes Reversed forever. Readings from the Tibetan Buddhists Thich Nhat Hanh and Chogyam Trungpa. Messy as ever. This podcast is life and wisdom in action, evolving! You’ve never heard eggs like this. Sense and savor, then go boil some of your own.

Randomness in the form of meditations, plus conversations with a Sudanese man and a Saudi man. On being Sudanese. What about FGM? On being a non-native speaker of English and the craving to improve one’s language skills. On lying and laughing while remaining vulnerable and open. The human condition exemplified.

The background behind my philosophy and goals as a compassionate creative with a few insights and tips to help you know more about me and the ways I think and work. :)

How to deal with difficult people, especially ‘mean’ mothers and parents...and the legacy that well-intentioned but critical voices can leave you with. Learn the core practices of Mindful Self-Compassion that can help soothe the pain of disappointment or outrage. Learn how laughter plays a role in maintaining perspective. Fierce compassion, a term coined by Dr. Kristin Neff, teaches how to hold your boundaries in hard moments.

A brief introduction to the Compassionate Mess podcast...what the phrase means and what we’ll be talking about in coming episodes. Come say hi...if you can relate...if you, too, are a Compassionate Mess!