Today, we turn the tables a bit! Usually, I invite guests to have conversations about their areas of expertise, but today’s podcast is a conversation with my long-time friend Gayle Koger in which I share my experiences of Letting Go.

Gayle grew up in Oklahoma. After attending a tiny rural school, Gayle moved into the “big city” when she enrolled in Sand Springs Public Schools, where she and I met in ninth grade. She studied at Oklahoma State University, then married immediately after graduating with a BS in horticulture and moved to Alaska, where she lived for most of her adult life. She went back to school in Alaska to earn associate degrees in nursing and process technology, which allowed her to work in the Alaskan oil fields.

Last September, Gayle returned to Oklahoma to be nearer her parents and her roots. If her voice sounds familiar, you’ll recognize the similarity in her voice to that of her sister Karen Schism, who was my podcast guest in Episode 15.

More important to Gayle than any degree is caring for people. Currently serving as a nurse in a long term care facility, Gayle also runs a VRBO in Soldotna, Alaska, and is mother to two grown daughters.

A temporary guest in my garage apartment, Gayle often joins me in the mornings for coffee and heart-to-hearts; the conversation you’re about to hear is one such chat that we “just happened” to record.

For articles, links to podcasts, merchandise, and more, check out our website at www.DoYouMind.life!

Don't miss any of the inspiring DoYouMind.life content! To receive the weekly DoYouMind.life Saturday Summary email, click here.

If you’ve enjoyed listening to this podcast, we invite you to subscribe and write a review on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Better yet, pop over to Patreon to become a financial supporter of the doyoumind.life project. Patrons receive the weekly Saturday Summary, special insider access, and DoYouMind.life swag to connect and inspire them. For about the price of a latte, $5 per month, you can become a patron at the not-a-latte tier. At $15 per month, you can join the Coffee Klatch and receive a DoYouMind coffee mug just like the ones given to our podcast guests, a podcast dedicated to you or a loved one, and other gifts. At $40 per month, you’re Serving from the Saucer, and in addition to these gifts, you get a membership box mailed to your home each month filled with goodies to connect and inspire you, plus a shout-out for your favorite charity on a future podcast episode. Please visit www.patreon.com/doyoumind to learn more.

My guest for this Leap Day podcast episode is Karen Scism. To listen to Karen’s story, you might well think of Job more than you think of Joy. She has survived breast cancer, endometrial cancer, a near-fatal infection, and a severe auto accident. Her husband is on disability due to a back injury, and they have been displaced from their home by flooding that happened nine months ago.

Yet through all this, Karen maintains a joyful energy that radiates so that even total strangers approach her and comment on her joyful spirit. Karen says that her faith is what sustains her—she finds her joy on her knees, looking up.

In this episode, she shares her very personal journey with cancer and illness, but it is a story filled with hope, butterflies, and, yes, joy.

Karen’s motto is “attitude is everything and everything is attitude.”

I am pleased to welcome Karen Scism to the DoYouMind.life podcast.

Karen's sister Gayle, left, shaved her head in solidarity with her sister as Karen endured her chemo treatments.

Karen’s Links:

Article about Karen and her sister Gayle: https://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/soul-sisters/article_72e13d58-66b3-56f5-9394-6e3b153eca4b.html

Information about custom breast forms: https://contourmed.com/

Pink cowboy hats: https://shortyshattery.com/rein-in-cancer/

For articles, links to podcasts, merchandise, and more, check out our website at www.DoYouMind.life!

Don't miss any of the inspiring DoYouMind.life content! To receive the weekly DoYouMind.life Saturday Summary email, click here.

If you’ve enjoyed listening to this podcast, we invite you to subscribe and write a review on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Better yet, pop over to Patreon to become a financial supporter of the doyoumind.life project. Patrons receive the weekly Saturday Summary, special insider access, and DoYouMind.life swag to connect and inspire them. For about the price of a latte, $5 per month, you can become a patron at the not-a-latte tier. At $15 per month, you can join the Coffee Klatch and receive a DoYouMind coffee mug just like the ones given to our podcast guests, a podcast dedicated to you or a loved one, and other gifts. At $40 per month, you’re Serving from the Saucer, and in addition to these gifts, you get a membership box mailed to your home each month filled with goodies to connect and inspire you, plus a shout-out for your favorite charity on a future podcast episode. Please visit www.patreon.com/doyoumind to learn more.

My guest in this episode of the DoYouMind.life Podcast is writer, photographer, and traveler Zaakirah Demba. In our conversation, Zaakirah shares her incredible story of being diagnosed with cancer as an infant and then not only surviving but thriving with several disabilities. Her outlook on life is utterly joyful!

Zaakirah Muhammad Demba is a Brand Cultivating Strategist, professional photographer and digital marketer. She helps small businesses to make your social media pages look good and advise you on the best social media tactics for growing and being consistent with your brand on social media.

At 6 months old, a camera saved her life. At 9 months old, she was taken into surgery to have her right eye removed due to a rare childhood eye cancer tumor that had been detected by a photo her mother took. Her hearing slowly began to decline as she got older, but her other three senses kicked in and are functioning well.

When she was five, her mom gifted her with her first camera. She received her first digital camera in middle school. By the time she attended technical high school, she was well into her life-long pursuit of photography. She studied commercial photography and never strayed far from her purpose in life. Later, she moved to Washington D.C. to expand her education in professional photography and videography. She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband.

She has traveled to 10 countries so far. She took her professional camera on most of her out-of-country travels. She loves capturing the essence of humanity, but Ghana, West Africa was the first time that others viewed her work and felt as if they were on the trip. She beautifully captures sceneries and personalities. As a people person and an empath, she wants her legacy to include the fact that she was able to see the good in you, inspire you to step outside of your comfort zone, and help you live your best life.

For articles, links to podcasts, merchandise, and more, check out our website at www.DoYouMind.life!

Don't miss any of the inspiring DoYouMind.life content! To receive the weekly DoYouMind.life Saturday Summary email, click here.

If you’ve enjoyed listening to this podcast, we invite you to subscribe and write a review on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Better yet, pop over to Patreon to become a financial supporter of the doyoumind.life project. Patrons receive the weekly Saturday Summary, special insider access, and DoYouMind.life swag to connect and inspire them. For about the price of a latte, $5 per month, you can become a patron at the not-a-latte tier. At $15 per month, you can join the Coffee Klatch and receive a DoYouMind coffee mug just like the ones given to our podcast guests, a podcast dedicated to you or a loved one, and other gifts. At $40 per month, you’re Serving from the Saucer, and in addition to these gifts, you get a membership box mailed to your home each month filled with goodies to connect and inspire you, plus a shout-out for your favorite charity on a future podcast episode. Please visit www.patreon.com/doyoumind to learn more.

Zaakirah's website: https://zaakirahnayyar.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/illuminousone/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/illuminousone

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illuminousone/

Podcast: http://livinglegacypodcast.libsyn.com/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081MR9TKP?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

On the show:

 

 

In this week’s podcast, I talk with Debra McCall about healing through body, mind, spirit work. Because of her extensive background in therapeutic practices, I invited Debra to talk with me about the wisdom of the body.

Debra McCall is a healing arts therapist who treats the whole person including the physical, mental and psycho-emotional bodies. A licensed massage therapist, she’s studied with teachers whose work with the body integrates Jungian physiology. Work with Marion Woodman intensives, Brugh Joy foundationals, Soul Motion and Gestalt with ZuzZu Engler, Soul Acupressure with Aminah Rheem and eleven years with Integral Transformative Practice provide Debra with an extensive tool kit to support healing of the whole being.

Debra’s website, www.bodymindspirittransformation and her book, Poetry the Body Knows, offer additional information. A lifetime swimmer and 20 year yogini who also practices therapeutic cheffing, her counsel includes user friendly practices that increase awareness and well-being of one’s body, mind and heart.

Debra's book on Amazon is currently out of print, but copies are available by emailing [email protected].

For articles, links to podcasts, merchandise, and more, check out our website at www.DoYouMind.life!

Don't miss any of the inspiring DoYouMind.life content! To receive the weekly DoYouMind.life Saturday Summary email, click here.

If you’ve enjoyed listening to this podcast, we invite you to subscribe and write a review on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Better yet, pop over to Patreon to become a financial supporter of the doyoumind.life project. Patrons receive the weekly Saturday Summary, special insider access, and DoYouMind.life swag to connect and inspire them. For about the price of a latte, $5 per month, you can become a patron at the not-a-latte tier. At $15 per month, you can join the Coffee Klatch and receive a DoYouMind coffee mug just like the ones given to our podcast guests, a podcast dedicated to you or a loved one, and other gifts. At $40 per month, you’re Serving from the Saucer, and in addition to these gifts, you get a membership box mailed to your home each month filled with goodies to connect and inspire you, plus a shout-out for your favorite charity on a future podcast episode. Please visit www.patreon.com/doyoumind to learn more.

On the show:

0:53     Introduction to Debra McCall

2:11    Massage, body work, and body-mind-spirit work clarified, muddied, then re-clarified

4:07    The Connections with body, mind, and spirit

4:19    The documentary All the Rage

5:23     “Armoring” and Welhelm Reich

7:36    The body doesn’t lie

8:35    The body’s a great messenger

9:42    Eastern sciences have long acknowledge the whole person

10:30  “I honor where each client is with their process”

11:44  It’s really sacred work

12:26  Creating a safe, sacred space

13:45  Therapy time is different from real time

14:06  The role of sound in releasing stored energy; the body’s intelligence

16:05  “A trauma trapped in the body has a resonance”

17:15  In our society, we’re encouraged to hold things in

19:22  Resistance in the body is disease

21:46  The body becomes less tolerant, as we get older, of being ignored

24:10 “All vibrations flow through me, without resistance, as unconditional love.”

25:00  What would you tell people who have never experienced body-mind-spirit work?

26:11  “My greatest opportunity is to meet somebody exactly where they need to be met.”

27:37  The invitation

30:05  The body is a storehouse of wisdom

I was delighted to spend some time talking with Tamara Greenberg about Intuitive Eating, a lifestyle choice that allows us to develop healthy relationships with our bodies, the movement we do, and the foods we eat.

Tamara Greenberg is a certified professional life coach, intuitive eating counselor, speaker, author and corporate trainer. Her book, Hunger Satisfied – My Intuitive Eating Journey, shares her personal journey of dieting and beyond. In the book she explains why dieting does not work. Tamara started her intuitive eating journey in her 20's, but only really shifted into being an Intuitive Eater in her early 40's. Her book outlines a strategy to building a lifestyle based on healthy habits. The focus is to change the way people think about eating, exercise and their body image. She embraces Body Positivity and HAES (Health At Every Size) while staying committed to a healthy lifestyle.

Tamara is originally from South Africa and feels blessed to wake up in Atlanta, GA with her husband and 2 teenage children.--and an adorable bishon-poodle.

Resources mentioned in the podcast:

Bacon, L. 2010. Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth about Your Weight. Dallas, TX: BenBella Books.

Koenig, K. R. 2007. The Food and Feelings Workbook: A Full Course Meal on Emotional Health. Carlsbad, CA: Gurze Books.

Lavie, C. J. 2014. The Obesity Paradox: When Thinner Means Sicker and Heavier Means Healthier. New York: Avery.

Segar, M. 2015. No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness. Saranac Lake, NY: AMACOM.

Spinardi, J. 2014. Thin Side Out: How to Have Your Cake and Your Skinny Jeans Too. Northridge, CA: Twirl Media.

Tribole, E., and E. Resch. 2012. Intuitive Eating. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin.

Wansink, B. 2006. Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. New York: Bantam.

Tamara's book, Hunger Satisfied – My Intuitive Eating Journey: https://amzn.to/2G4tHLH

Tamara's website: http://www.coachinginatlanta.com

Find Tamara on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Intuitive-Eating-with-Neuroscience-920941511279651/

Intuitive Eating Bracelets: https://etsy.me/2sAd7jK

For articles, links to podcasts, merchandise, and more, check out our website at www.DoYouMind.life!

Don't miss any of the inspiring DoYouMind.life content! To receive the weekly DoYouMind.life Saturday Summary email, click here.

If you’ve enjoyed listening to this podcast, we invite you to subscribe and write a review on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Better yet, pop over to Patreon to become a financial supporter of the doyoumind.life project. Patrons receive the weekly Saturday Summary, special insider access, and DoYouMind.life swag to connect and inspire them. For about the price of a latte, $5 per month, you can become a patron at the not-a-latte tier. At $15 per month, you can join the Coffee Klatch and receive a DoYouMind coffee mug just like the ones given to our podcast guests, a podcast dedicated to you or a loved one, and other gifts. At $40 per month, you’re Serving from the Saucer, and in addition to these gifts, you get a membership box mailed to your home each month filled with goodies to connect and inspire you, plus a shout-out for your favorite charity on a future podcast episode. Please visit www.patreon.com/doyoumind to learn more.

I’m loving that my DoYouMind.life podcasts are helping me to reconnect with old friends! In this podcast episode, I speak with my college friend Gwenda Sharp about celebrating the body through joyful movement, and specifically, about her long-term involvement in Jazzercise.

Gwenda Sharp is an occupational therapist, college professor, exercise physiologist and Jazzercise fitness Instructor. She earned a BS in Occupational Therapy from University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and a Master of Science from University of Central Oklahoma. She taught content in kinesiology, biomechanics and physical evaluation and intervention for both the occupational and physical therapy programs at OUHSC.

Gwenda is currently an adjunct instructor at UCO and practices occupational therapy, caring for the rehabilitation of patients for Select Rehab.  She serves as a consultant to Jazzercise, Inc. for information on the exercise physiology and safety aspects of the program’s choreography, training materials and information for customers. She teaches Jazzercise fitness classes every day at Jazzercise Edmond Fitness Center in Oklahoma. Learn more about Jazzercise at www.Jazzercise.com.

Gwenda takes joy in wearing all these hats on her life’s journey with her spouse, Brett, who is a political science professor at UCO and her two daughters, Valerie and Maureen who are living in New York.

She explained that she wanted to be on the podcast because, “I'm excited to share my thoughts on how women can have a positive view of their bodies, their health and themselves as they live life to the fullest and lift others up. Particularly the effects that their attitudes have not only on themselves but their daughters and other women in their lives.”

As a result of my conversation with Gwenda about celebrating all that our bodies can do for us, I decided to start the #celebrateyourbodyproject. I encourage you to post on social media something you’ve done today to celebrate YOUR body! Did you take a walk with a friend? Enjoy dancing or other movement? Hug yourself? Eat something nutritious and delicious? Post it on social media, use #celebrateyourbodyproject, and tag doyoumind.life!

Don't miss any of the inspiring DoYouMind.life content! To receive the weekly DoYouMind.life Saturday Summary email, click here.

If you’ve enjoyed listening to this podcast, we invite you to subscribe and write a review on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Better yet, pop over to Patreon to become a financial supporter of the doyoumind.life project. Patrons receive the weekly Saturday Summary, special insider access, and DoYouMind.life swag to connect and inspire them. For about the price of a latte, $5 per month, you can become a patron at the not-a-latte tier. At $15 per month, you can join the Coffee Klatch and receive a DoYouMind coffee mug just like the ones given to our podcast guests, a podcast dedicated to you or a loved one, and other gifts. At $40 per month, you’re Serving from the Saucer, and in addition to these gifts, you get a membership box mailed to your home each month filled with goodies to connect and inspire you, plus a shout-out for your favorite charity on a future podcast episode. Please visit www.patreon.com/doyoumind to learn more.

For articles, links to podcasts, merchandise, and more, check out our website at www.DoYouMind.life!

Don't miss any of the inspiring DoYouMind.life content! To receive the weekly DoYouMind.life Saturday Summary email, click here.

If you’ve enjoyed listening to this podcast, we invite you to subscribe and write a review on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Better yet, pop over to Patreon to become a financial supporter of the doyoumind.life project. Patrons receive the weekly Saturday Summary, special insider access,

My guest in this episode is Comfort Keidel, a foster parent and foster care recruiter with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. We talk about her reasons for becoming a foster parent, the process and challenges of becoming a foster parent, and the needs for children in foster care.

Comfort Kiedel began her life in Kerrville, Texas. After receiving a BA in Radio/Television/Film, a yearning for something more took her as far as New York City with the intention of having a career in the film industry. Being exposed to a large homeless population shocked her to her core, and something in her soul changed after working as a temp at the Food Bank for New York City. After that brief stint in New York, she moved to Ardmore, Oklahoma to be near family as she figured out what direction to take next. Although she only intended to live in Ardmore briefly, she found surprising opportunities. One of those was becoming a teacher, something she had never thought was in her life plan.

During this time, she began on her path toward fostering.  Initially rejected as a foster parent due to being a member of the LGBT community, Comfort persevered, and she has been fostering since 2010. She and her partner also have two adopted children, and Comfort currently works for the Department of Human Services in foster care recruitment. It is easy to see through her personal and professional life that fostering is a true passion for Comfort.

If you are considering becoming a foster parent, please visit www.okfosters.org.

To learn more about Christmas gifts for children in foster care, please go to www.okdhs.org/library/news/mk/Pages/HolidayHope.aspx.

Don't miss any of the inspiring DoYouMind.life content! To receive the weekly DoYouMind.life Saturday Summary email, click here.

If you’ve enjoyed listening to this podcast, we invite you to subscribe and write a review on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Better yet, pop over to Patreon to become a financial supporter of the doyoumind.life project. Patrons receive the weekly Saturday Summary, special insider access, and DoYouMind.life swag to connect and inspire them. For about the price of a latte, $5 per month, you can become a patron at the not-a-latte tier. At $15 per month, you can join the Coffee Klatch and receive a DoYouMind coffee mug just like the ones given to our podcast guests, a podcast dedicated to you or a loved one, and other gifts. At $40 per month, you’re Serving from the Saucer, and in addition to these gifts, you get a membership box mailed to your home each month filled with goodies to connect and inspire you, plus a shout-out for your favorite charity on a future podcast episode. Please visit www.patreon.com/doyoumind to learn more.

Heather Vickery wrote the book—two books, in fact—on Gratitude, so I was honored to have a conversation with her about November’s DoYouMind.life theme of Gratitude.

Heather is an award-winning entrepreneur, business owner, and success coach. But Heather isn’t just a savvy businesswoman. She’s an inspiration.

After a major life transformation and divorce, her world was turned upside down. Suddenly the mother of four had the freedom to be her most authentic self, which empowered her with the confidence she needed to repair, rebuild, and relearn who she was. Today, Heather leverages her entrepreneurial skills and expertise to coach individuals towards greater personal and professional fulfillment through Vickery and Co., her transformational coaching practice. A celebrated public speaker, Heather inspires audiences and empowers attendees with the tools they need to live bold and meaningful lives through her story of personal bravery, perseverance, and resilience. Heather’s approach helps clients leverage fear and turn it into intentional bravery!

Heather is the author of Gratitude Journal: Shift Your Focus and her second book on Gratitude, Grow Grateful: A Gratitude Journal for Kids and Families will be available on December 3rd. She’s also the executive producer and host of The Brave Files Podcast. A strong believer in strengthening her community, Heather is active in many charitable organizations. She is obsessed with Musial Theater and loves to travel.

To order her newest book on December 3, Grow Grateful, A Gratitude Journal for Kids and Families, just click on the link. You can also check out Heather’s Gratitude and Mindset Facebook Group and her professional group Intentionally Brave Entrepreneurs. Her podcast—The Brave Files—is wonderful! On it, she shares stories from ordinary people who have demonstrated extraordinary bravery. To learn more about Heather’s books, podcasts, and coaching, visit https://www.vickeryandco.com.

Don't miss any of the inspiring DoYouMind.life content! To receive the weekly DoYouMind.life Saturday Summary email, click here.

If you’ve enjoyed listening to this podcast, we invite you to subscribe and write a review on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Better yet, pop over to Patreon to become a financial supporter of the doyoumind.life project. Patrons receive the weekly Saturday Summary, special insider access, and DoYouMind.life swag to connect and inspire them. For about the price of a latte, $5 per month, you can become a patron at the not-a-latte tier. At $15 per month, you can join the Coffee Klatch and receive a DoYouMind coffee mug just like the ones given to our podcast guests, a podcast dedicated to you or a loved one, and other gifts. At $40 per month, you’re Serving from the Saucer, and in addition to these gifts, you get a membership box mailed to your home each month filled with goodies to connect and inspire you, plus a shout-out for your favorite charity on a future podcast episode. Please visit www.patreon.com/doyoumind to learn more.

It was a delight to share chocolate, tea, and conversation with Yadenee Hailu as we chatted about Enoughness.

Yadenee describes herself as an Ethiopian American cisgender black woman. A writer, speaker, and facilitator, she holds a Masters in Divinity and is a Unitarian Universalist minister, currently serving All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa as Assistant Minister.

Her passion lies in supporting individuals and groups in sacred transitions and facilitating discovery of how to live into their particular truth through pilgrimages and her podcast Be Love Ed.

In addition to hearing her recently-launched podcast Be Love Ed, you can see her on YouTube.

I was delighted to share a conversation with Yadenee over tea; we chatted about the idea of Enoughness, her experience of being a "border walker," the wisdom of the body, and so much more! Please join us for our conversation.

For articles, links to podcasts, merchandise, and more, check out our website at www.DoYouMind.life!

Don't miss any of the inspiring DoYouMind.life content! To receive the weekly DoYouMind.life Saturday Summary email, click here.

If you’ve enjoyed listening to this podcast, we invite you to subscribe and write a review on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Better yet, pop over to Patreon to become a financial supporter of the doyoumind.life project. Patrons receive the weekly Saturday Summary, special insider access, and DoYouMind.life swag to connect and inspire them. For about the price of a latte, $5 per month, you can become a patron at the not-a-latte tier. At $15 per month, you can join the Coffee Klatch and receive a DoYouMind coffee mug just like the ones given to our podcast guests, a podcast dedicated to you or a loved one, and other gifts. At $40 per month, you’re Serving from the Saucer, and in addition to these gifts, you get a membership box mailed to your home each month filled with goodies to connect and inspire you, plus a shout-out for your favorite charity on a future podcast episode. Please visit www.patreon.com/doyoumind to learn more.

My guest for the theme of “Quiet” is Anna Veronesi.

Anna has been a healing arts practitioner for over 20 years and is an acupuncturist, massage, cranial sacral, and biomagnetic pair therapist.

As a mother of two, she is a single mom who is a founding member of Tulsa Shambhala Meditation Group and currently serves as Director of the Tulsa Shambhala Meditation Center, which opened in December 2018.

Anna has been involved with the Shambhala meditation path for 13 years. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our conversation. I’m pleased to welcome her to talk with me about quieting the mind.

Get your DoYouMind coffee mug ready and join us for conversation and a cup of tea!

Find more information at Tulsa.Shambhala.org.

Don't miss any of the inspiring DoYouMind.life content! To receive the weekly DoYouMind.life Saturday Summary email, click here.

If you’ve enjoyed listening to this podcast, we invite you to subscribe and write a review on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Better yet, pop over to Patreon to become a financial supporter of the doyoumind.life project. Patrons receive the weekly Saturday Summary, special insider access, and DoYouMind.life swag to connect and inspire them. For about the price of a latte, $5 per month, you can become a patron at the not-a-latte tier. At $15 per month, you can join the Coffee Klatch and receive a DoYouMind coffee mug just like the ones given to our podcast guests, a podcast dedicated to you or a loved one, and other gifts. At $40 per month, you’re Serving from the Saucer, and in addition to these gifts, you get a membership box mailed to your home each month filled with goodies to connect and inspire you, plus a shout-out for your favorite charity on a future podcast episode. Please visit www.patreon.com/doyoumind to learn more.