In this podcast episode Tara and Mare have a Conscious Conversation with best selling author Peter J. Hughes. They discuss a card from Hughes's work "At-One-Ment: Reclaiming Our Humanity". The card “And the Oscar goes to…,” about change, discomfort, and learning by stumbling forward. Tara shares feeling overwhelmed while progressing toward hosting a foreign exchange student, and reflects on watching her daughter join a higher-level softball team, struggle, observe, and improve, prompting thoughts about fear, “baby steps,” and how parenting patterns affect two daughters differently. Peter reframes “comfort zone” as “cop-out zone,” emphasizes leveling up as a way of life, and describes facilitation as holding space without hand-holding, using an “earn your pillows” retreat story. Tara also examines her own projections and assumptions about religion, politics, and sexuality after observing team dynamics, connecting this to broader themes of projection, love vs. not-love, and “reflection pool” metaphors. Mare shares her insights throughout the discussion and invites listeners to join in a Conscious Conversation or Dream Nudge Challenge at Connection Project 360.

1.  What is a Dream Nudge?: Learn more here:https://www.connectionproject360.com/

2. Learn more about  Reclaiming Our Humanity with Author Peter J.Hughes: https://peterjhughes.com/books/

In this podcast episode Tara and Mare have a Conscious Conversation discussing a card from Peter J Hughes work At-One-Ment: Reclaiming Our Humanity. Specifically, the card was action point seven which invites them to consider that anyone they meet could be an “angel” messenger, including with uncomfortable or unwelcome news, and that recognizing messages requires presence, intuitive listening, and openness. Tara reflects on finding “angels” in a TikTok-based emotional eating/weight loss community where a member’s blunt message—“You’re not special”—helped her stop intellectualizing and making excuses, take action, and find balanced support between diet culture extremes and fat-liberation rejection of intentional weight loss. Mare shares focusing on kindness and gifts within hard messages, including cancer diagnoses, and a situation involving a surprise party and maintaining boundaries. Tara describes how World Cup visitors’ joyful social media impressions of America restored her sense of humanity amid political anger, highlighting how algorithms shape attention. They conclude that everything is a message and invite viewers to Connection Project 360’s July Dream Nudge Challenge.

1.  What is a Dream Nudge?: Learn more here:https://www.connectionproject360.com/

2. Learn more about  Reclaiming Our Humanity with Author Peter J.Hughes: https://peterjhughes.com/books/

In this podcast episode Tara and Mare have a Conscious Conversation discussing May living intentions and June plans. Tara reviews her May focus on health, wealth, and home: she increased her average steps by 1,000 per day despite a toe injury, accepted a job offer with a September 1 start date, and completed a first-phase closet purge. She also joined a direct primary care practice for more personal, unrushed healthcare, addressed low vitamin D and sleep issues, and continued emotional-eating work. Mare shares her May intention to facilitate dreamlifting and conscious connection workshops, highlighted by traveling to Colorado to support Kathryn as her first-responder nonprofit, Restoration Ranch, closed; she hosted a lunch with friends and attended a retreat that included masterminds and being videotaped dream-lifting, reinforcing her value as a conduit. Tara’s June focus is leveling up home organization and health habits as she may host a softball exchange student from Prague. Mare’s June intention emphasizes trusting what she knows; she gained five new dream-lifting clients through Do The Thing fundraising workshops, launched paid VIP office hours, and led dream-statement workshops. Dreams are realized when you share them with friends and support each other's success.

1.  Do you want support for your dreams?: Learn more here:https://www.connectionproject360.com/

2. Learn more about  Reclaiming Our Humanity with Author Peter J.Hughes: https://peterjhughes.com/books/

In this podcast episode Mare and Tara have a Conscious Conversation with Veronika, an artist and hairstylist, about manifestation, dreams, and revisiting a “living intention” dream list Mare helped her create (about 100 items across categories). Veronika describes rereading the list after it “hibernated,” noticing some dreams changed while others progressed, including improved self-love and having experiences at a local restaurant where she later held her wedding dinner. She recalls being surprised that “be a playwright” was on the list and shares recent steps in theater and film work, including a major movie hair job with Missoula’s Storyhouse. Veronika outlines two play ideas: “Post COVID,” a Post Malone jukebox musical, and a more personal musical about her husband Dalton’s polygamist family, with a long-term goal to restore a family compound. Facing fear, she is coached to contact a Storyhouse owner and sends a message during recording; they discuss accountability, expanding intentions, and aiming for a Tony. Note: Veronika did reach out and is negotiating next steps regarding her Post Covid musical. Do you want support for dreams?

1.  Do you want support for your dreams?: Learn more here:https://www.connectionproject360.com/

2. Learn more about  Reclaiming Our Humanity with Author Peter J.Hughes: https://peterjhughes.com/books/

3. Playwright Veronika: Website under construction

In this podcast episode Tara and Mare have a Conscious Conversation with international Best Selling Author Peter J. Hughes (At-One-Ment and coauthor of Discover the Gift of Joy) based on Action Point 9: “Allow yourself to be awkwardly awesome.” They discuss how exploring the unknown feels unbalanced and vulnerable, and Tara shares a story of her daughter persisting through repeated failed softball curveball attempts until it finally worked, highlighting how expectations of “already knowing” can fuel frustration. The group connects awkwardness to joy and willingness, with Mare describing finding joy while traveling amid children’s curiosity. Peter recounts a book launch where he paused mid-talk, trusted guidance, and felt the room’s energy shift, reframing awkward pauses as “divinely graceful.” They emphasize joy as a birthright and practice, releasing attachment to outcomes, and invite listeners to Connection Project 360 and to participate weekly in free “Dream Lifting Office Hours.” How good can you stand it?

1.  What is a Conscious Conversation?: Learn more here:https://www.connectionproject360.com/

2. Learn more about  Reclaiming Our Humanity with Author Peter J.Hughes: https://peterjhughes.com/books/

3. Discover the Gift of Joy: Co-authored book. Editors Shajen Joy Aziz and Kim Somers Egelsee

In this podcast episode Tara and Mare have a Conscious Conversation regarding action point five from Peter J. Hughes’ At-One-Ment card deck: “Get excited about something, anything,” emphasizing that excitement fuels engagement, motivation, curiosity, and forward focus, and that creating different results requires accountability and shifting limiting beliefs. Tara shares challenges expressing enthusiasm due to conditioning and fear of judgment, but notes growing excitement about a potential job that offers valued contributions, autonomy, and flexible options, and about small health wins from gradually increasing daily steps despite pain. They explore how inherited beliefs and negativity filters dampen enthusiasm, how gratitude can retrain attention toward what’s working, and how safe relationships help emotions emerge. Mare shares her own conditioning (Catholic school, gendered money norms) and finds joy in simple delights like dandelions and a new puppy. How much enthusiasm do you allow in your daily life?

1.  What is a Conscious Conversation?: Learn more here:https://www.connectionproject360.com/

2. Learn more about  Reclaiming Our Humanity with Author Peter J.Hughes: https://peterjhughes.com/books/

In this podcast episode Tara and Mare have a Conscious Conversation with Atira, who is a behind-the-scenes team member in Stacey’s Do The Thing community, she helped build challenges like the Dream Nudge Challenge and works on standardizing them so others can use them. Atira shares her path to hypnotherapy after talk therapies didn’t help her childhood trauma, describing hypnosis as a meditative, suggestible state that targets subconscious beliefs driving emotions and behavior, and she leads a brief “lemon” visualization to demonstrate mind-body response. Tara recounts a prior hypnotherapy session that created a calming “bench” anchor for her relationship with her daughter. The group discusses Atira’s dreams of promoting hypnotherapy as a frontline tool, balancing tech work with a small client load, building YouTube sleep/programming content, and bringing “peace and calm” to systems and community. Atira also describes her experience with Mare's team dream lifting as an amazing bonding experience with her work team. What is Dream Lifting? Learn more at Connection Project 360.
1.  What is Dream Lifting?: Learn more here:https://www.connectionproject360.com/

2. Learn more about  Reclaiming Our Humanity with Author Peter J.Hughes: https://peterjhughes.com/books/

3. Hypnotherapy with Atira: https://hypnotherapybyatira.com/

In this episode Tara and Mare have a Conscious Conversation with Jaime, a member of their Conscious Connection dream circle, about how she joined after meeting Mare on a Department of Labor grant project in 2017 and how the group shifted to monthly Zoom meetings during COVID to share dreams and support. Jaime describes starting with shallow bucket-list goals, using humor as a protective mask, and gradually becoming more vulnerable as other women showed up authentically. She recounts struggling with job security in Grant funded positions, moving through grant work into a higher-paying corporate job that left her overworked and experiencing racism and sexism, alongside a bad relationship and relocations as hard life transitions. Moving back to Colorado Jaime found an office manager role to help pay the bills until finding a fulfilling intake coordinator job serving people with developmental disabilities, a position that allows her skills to be valued, appreciated and a source of joy. Jaime Credits “bat signals” in the group text and the support of this Conscious Connection circle as a lifeline during hard times. She also shares three of her current Living Intentions, and advises newcomers to lean in as they are. Hope and support is available to those who choose to play with Connection Project 360 tools.

1.  What is a Dream Nudge Challenge?: Learn more here: https://www.connectionproject360.com/dream-nudge-challenge/

2. Learn more about  Reclaiming Our Humanity with Author Peter J.Hughes: https://peterjhughes.com/books/

In this podcast episode Tara and Mare have a Conscious Conversation reviewing their April “Living Intentions” and discussing their May focus. Tara is focused on turning 50 with health, home, and wealth. She describes home wins by breaking projects into 15-minute chunks, completing a closet cleanout, donating items, and fixing a sagging closet rod while recognizing all-or-nothing thinking and busyness patterns. For health, she joins a supportive paid community found via a TikTok creator and practices eating only when physically hungry, stopping before full, addressing clean-plate conditioning, and creating “friction” to reduce overeating. For wealth, she pays off credit card debt early, then books upcoming travel and begins negotiations for a possible full-time role with a favorite flexible women-led client. Mare’s April Living Intention is being a lifelong learner; she becomes a Do the Thing bootcamp cohort leader and does dream-lifting work. In May, Tara aims to finish the closet, decide on the job, and build a walking habit; Mare plans to facilitate workshops and host a May 5–12 Dream Nudge Challenge. Learn more about how you can participate in the Dream Nudge Challenge to move your life Living Intentions forward with the assistance of others at Connection Project 360.

1.  What is a Dream Nudge Challenge?: Learn more here: https://www.connectionproject360.com/dream-nudge-challenge/

2. Learn more about  Reclaiming Our Humanity with Author Peter J.Hughes: https://peterjhughes.com/books/

In this podcast episode Tare and Mare have a Conscious Conversation with author Peter J. Hughes (At-One-Ment: Reclaiming Our Humanity). Together they discuss Action 1 from Hughes's card deck regarding the benefits of practicing common courtesy and basic manners by implementing “please” and “thank you” as habitual expressions of appreciation. Tara shares that her stepfather died that morning, triggering regret that she didn’t express gratitude despite recognizing the stability and support he provided alongside painful memories; she connects this to a similar regret after her uncle’s death and to how withholding appreciation can become a form of punishment that ultimately harms oneself. Peter offers the perspective of how the mind filters shape gratitude. He describes an exercise of balancing “thumbs down” with “thumbs up,” and making the practice technical until it becomes automatic. Peter also announces his upcoming book Discover the Gift of Joy (Launching May 16). Finally Peter describes finding joy while grieving, plus a tool for shifting from thinking to listening to guidance to conscious choice as a path to well being amid world events. How are you navigating life's complex emotions in these current times? We invite you to have more Conscious Conversations and get your copy of Peter J Hughes's books and card deck. Please and Thank You! Details below:

1.  What is a Conscious Conversation?: Learn more here:https://www.connectionproject360.com/

2. Learn more about  Reclaiming Our Humanity with Author Peter J.Hughes: https://peterjhughes.com/books/