Ends with Z

To live on autopilot is to live unconsciously through parts of our life. The human ability to switch to autopilot mode is a self-preservation, survival mechanism. We are all born with it. It enables us to filter and prioritize what bombards us as we go through our day so that we can cope, focus, and make decisions. In this podcast, we talk to Dr. John Tsilimparis, a Los Angeles-based Psychotherapist and Huffington Post contributor, to understand what it means to live on autopilot—how we do it, why we do it, and how it affects the decisions we make. He shows us how to be more mindful in order to recognize if our autopilot is on or off. He also gives us tools and tips we can use to help us be in better control of it and to live a more balanced life.

This week, we continue our discussion on why we must all vote and the responsibility that we as Americans have in order to live in this democracy. Having a government that is truly representative of its citizens requires the active engagement and participation of all Americans, from Generation Z to the Silent Generation and everyone in between. Every vote matters. We the people are the power, have the power, and our votes give the power to the elected public servants. It all starts at the local level, where the decisions we make of local leaders we elect at the ballot box impact our daily lives the most. All elections matter and the results effect all of us. Your political views and affiliation are your right, flexing your power by running for office, by voting in all elections, and by holding our elected officials accountable is what we must do in order to keep this republic. It is your duty as an American. There is no other way.

Voting is a personal act, but it is also your obligation to your family, your community and your country. It has broad, societal consequences. Your vote matters. It does make a difference and it gives the people the power to choose who we put in power over us. To believe otherwise is self-suppressing your own voice, vote, and power. As we countdown to the 2020 Presidential election which is just weeks away, it is the perfect time to talk about the importance of why you must vote. Having your voice heard and safeguarding our great American democracy will only happen with your active participation and engagement.

Though used to handling emergency situations, nurses are being tested as true front line soldiers battling the Coronavirus pandemic across the country.  We all think a nurse is a nurse is a nurse and that they are prepared to handle anything--even an unknown pandemic.  This is not the case.  Nurses are having to adapt, adjust and execute in real time to do their jobs with accuracy and empathy.  In this podcast, we talk to Mary Catherine Madden, a New York City nurse practitioner with 34 years’ experience, who shares with us lessons she has learned while dealing with the CORONA-19 crisis as it peaked in New York City and her advice for us as we go forward.  In a time when we seem to trust no one, we trust nurses, and this is why.

Our series Keep Calm and Carry On: Teachers continues this week with Part 2. In Part 1, we learned more than a thing or two from teacher Shannon Dunn who shared with us exactly how high the personal and professional cost has become for teachers during the Covid pandemic as she prepares for the upcoming school year. In Part 2, we talk to Gennevie Deloney, a kindergarten teacher at a Title 1 school in the Phoenix, AZ area that includes a large population of at-risk students. Even with 20 years’ experience, the challenges of this new reality of constantly changing policies and procedures make this Fall seem like every teacher’s first year of teaching. Balancing the challenges of virtual teaching with the emotional well-being and safety of her students is a daily battle, but never more rewarding for her as she strives to make a difference in the lives of every student to let them know they still matter.

Teachers are considered to be first responders, providing the vital service of caring for and educating our children. They are keeping calm and carrying on preparing and planning for multiple education scenarios of virtual/distance learning, in-person, or hybrid models to provide and care for their students during this uncertainty and fear caused by the pandemic. In Part 1 of our podcast highlighting teachers, we check in with Shannon Dunn, an elementary intervention teacher in Lexington, Kentucky with 26 years experience, to see how she is doing and discuss her thoughts, concerns and hopes for her students and their parents.

Happiness is not just happenstance.  Even in "normal" times, to be happy is an ongoing task requiring ones active engagement and participation in order to be achieved.  In unprecedented times like these with so much pain and uncertainty, finding ways to access ones happiness is more important now than ever.  Happiness starts with the individual but needs a supportive environment to thrive.  In this podcast, we talk about what happiness means to  us as Americans on a community level, how we compare to the other parts of the world in terms of happiness, and how you can access more happiness on an individual level from your work life to your personal life.

At its essence, courage is the ability to do something that frightens us, but we realize that it's much more than that.  In this episode, we discuss if courage is something that we are born with, why it is hard for some people to access, how we can develop it, and how we can strengthen it.  We also talk about how gratitude, which much like courage, is a muscle that we can consciously build, exercise, and flex to access the benefits that having a thankful heart provides for your well-being.

With uncertainty of the status of in-person college classes occurring in the near future, more and more students and parents are considering deferring college admission for a year until the traditional college experience hopefully will be possible. Known as a gap year, in the past for many who took a gap year, this time off was a privileged option rather than a necessary precaution. Is taking a gap year right for everyone? What should be considered making a decision? Are all gap years created equal?

Following your passion is a phrase we hear constantly, but is that possible for everyone? What does passion mean to you? Does everyone have a passion? In this podcast we engage in an animated discussion about the nature of passion, how it differs from purpose, and the importance of both passion and purpose for today’s society and future generations. We also talk about some of the things we are passionate about with our special guest and Executive Producer, Shawn Meaux.