Happy When Curious

What is the most useful metaphor for politics: war or marriage?

Buddhism, mindfulness, addiction and recovery, turning a raw ass life story into something useful and good.  Joe has lessons to share and he learned them the hard way. Please enjoy this discussion with this inspiring human Joe Conniff.

Joe Conniff is a person living in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder and public speaker, sharing his experiences in addiction, spirituality, and recovery. His first book, Causes and Conditions, details the events of his life starting with his childhood in an overprescribed, middle-class, suburban household in Massachusetts; followed by post 9/11 military life and his downward spiral into heroin addiction on the streets of Seattle. Joe currently serves as co-director of a peer navigation team serving his unhoused neighbors in the Seattle area. Aside from time spent with his spouse and daughter exploring Washington State, he is a recovery advocate, mindfulness teacher and billiards enthusiast. He lives in Tacoma, Washington.

His Amazing Book "Causes and Conditions: A life Experience in Addiction and Recovery" can be found here.

Dr.  Stan Meiburg served as Acting Deputy Administrator for the EPA from 2014 to 2017, capping a 39-year career with the agency. He is known for leading efforts to protect the nation’s air and water, clean up hazardous and toxic waste sites, build collaborative relationships with state and tribal environmental programs, and promote sound management in EPA.

Currently Dr. Meiburg is the Director of the The Master of Arts in Sustainability Program and associated dual degree and certificate programs at Wake Forest University. 

Join us as we discuss all things EPA and Environmentalism!

Everyone is entitled to their opinion...or are we?

Please enjoy this wonderful conversation I had with Shann Weston,  an amazing woman, author, former naturalist and teacher here on San Juan Island, as well as being an out spoken speaker on her long battle with leukemia.  She is a very inspiring person and I was so lucky to get to connect with her.

Her Website: https://shannweston.com/

Her Blog: https://doityourselflife.org/author/salishseasanjuanislands/

Have you ever thought about why toddlers want to be picked up when they have a bonk?

I have a little bit and I think there is a deep lesson there. 

Mike Vouri is an author and historian and and chief of interpretation and historian for the San Juan Island National Historical park for years before he retired. He has written 3 books about the Pig War and co-written two books about San Juan Island. The new edition of his book “The Pig War: Standoff at Griffin Bay” was released by WSU in April.

I invited Mike on because not only is he just an interesting guy with an interesting story, he probably knows more about the history of the San Juan Islands than anyone else on earth, and specifically the story of the almost war between Great Britain and the United States over the boundary line between their two countries in the 1860's  and what lessons that moment has for us now.

His books

Join me as a I puzzle through one of the most potent psychological tools we have: gratitude. 

This week I discuss what my dear friend Laura O'Neill learned in her years working at a homeless shelter in Seattle.