Hearts+Minds

There has been a real trend in the last while of finding meaning in less. Rather than searching out bigger and better experiences which were very in vogue in the early noughties (remember the craze for bungy jumping?), people have reached saturation point and want to find greater simplicity in their lives (minimalism, sustainability, detoxing, etc.). 

So what about little things? Our lives are made up of little things: much of our day is made up “maintenance”: maintaining equilibrium to allow ourselves to recharge and grow. These routines can seem boring and meaningless, but when done with love and intention, we can find a deeper meaning behind them all and find flourishing there. 

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Is poetry something that is incomprehensible to you? Our guest on this episode is British poet and writer, Sally Read.  Sally didn’t always “get poetry” and yet poetry had a transformative effect on her.  It helped her to connect in a profound way with her patients when she worked as a psychiatric nurse.  She explains how in her own poetry she attempted to “grasp the interconnectedness of everything”. 

She describes what poetry meant to her as an atheist and now as a believer.  Sally shares her favourite poets with us and suggests the steps to develop a genuine love for poetry. She finishes with a beautiful reading of one of her much-loved poems.

Resources:
-  Sally Read’s website:  https://www.sallyread.net/
-  Night's Bright Darkness: A Modern Conversion Story (Ignatius Press, 2016)
-  Annunciation: A Call to Faith in a Broken World (Ignatius Press, 2019)
-  Dawn of this Hunger, a poetry collection 

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At this time of year – New Year’s resolutions have worn off - they are sort of pushed to one side while we get on with the job of living.  We have got through nearly 2 years of Covid so we may almost resent the idea of New Year's Resolutions.  

How can we do less but accomplish more? But we can be fearful – it is not to eliminate the things you care about from your life.  It’s simply to get laser-focused on why they matter to you. We cannot do it all – that idea – we cannot do it all is a wonderful reminder or wake-up call for us women who often feel guilt-tripped into precisely doing it all – the perfect Mum, wife, or girl-friend, perfect career woman. We have a list of expectations as long as our arms and frankly, they are unfair and unjust and can lead to great frustration.  

We wanted in this podcast to talk about some questions we can ask ourselves that could help our listeners to think about what they need to do less to accomplish more. That is different for everyone.


Resources: 

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Greg McKeown

Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life, Henry Cloud

Atomic Habits, James Clear 

Why You Need Essentialism? No. 87 - Optimal Work

Beyond the Inbox: Rules for Reducing Email: Cal Newport

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Our guest on our latest podcast episode is Margaret Kane-Roe, a multi-award-winning scriptwriter, filmmaker, actress, and voice-over artist.  She has described the best films as metaphors for life. The inspiration for her writing comes from her love of telling yarns and finding the best way to help other people to tell their yarns. 

She talks about school, how she started writing in her 30’s after attending a class in her local library and why for writers one of the most important pieces of advice can be, don’t get it right get it written! We also discuss how one can find the time to write as a busy mum in an ever busier world. To finish she shares with us some of her favourite books and some must’s for the Christmas stocking this year for young and old alike!

Reference links

https://www.margaretkanerowe.com/

Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare 

Complete Chronicles of Narnia - Full Col (The Chronicles of Narnia) by C. S. Lewis  (Author), Pauline Baynes (Illustrator)

Collected Poems Patrick Kavanagh

Collected Poems Patrick Kinsella 

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Peace and serenity is something we crave and yet it can seem so unattainable. In this podcast, we talk about what kind of peace we should be striving for? What happens when we lose our peace and the importance of prayer.  The importance of anchoring oneself in reality and what the Garden of Gethsemane can teach us.

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Mark Twain once said, “The 2 most important days in your life: The day you were born and the day you discover why.” Core values point to our 'why'. Without core values, we don’t know what we live for and we don’t know where we are going. 

We cannot live off someone else’s values. We need to own our values. In this podcast episode, we explore why we need to understand our values more deeply, grasp them as intellectual truths to make them our own. Also, why we need a plan in real-time to get input and connect with God if we are serious about owning our values.  If God is with us we too will experience conversions or moments of grace as part of our journey.

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In this episode, we explore why perfectionism oftens hijacks our growth in the Christian life. We discuss how this misconception can make God’s will something rigid and unattainable and all the more exhausting. 

We explore the hallmarks of perfectionism and why love is the missing ingredient. We discuss the importance of focusing on the journey and on the opportunities and less on the failures. Finally, we address why perspective building is everything.

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Our conversations about marriage often focus on practicalities, the mortgage, house, date, hotel booking. The excitement around the couple, the relationship itself, often gets lost. We are joined by Maria Kilcommins on this episode to talk about how to best prepare for marriage or remain happily married.  

Maria has spoken on this topic at a recent retreat for women in Lismullin Conference Centre.  Maria is a Mum of 4, married to Shane living in Charleville Co. Cork.    She suggests that all of one's life is a preparation for marriage. In fact each friendship and relationship paves the way for the marriage bond.  No one arrives to marriage perfect. Both arrive ready to journey together.   She discusses marriage as ultimately a friendship, a journey and a commitment not so much a destination.  The secret of a good marriage is virtue - the choice to love by being better, kinder, more patient. For couples marrying in the Catholic tradition, Maria talks about the sacrament of marriage as a source of renewal and strength in married life. 

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There are a plethora of spiritual books out there. It can be hard to know which one is right for you now! In this podcast episode, Catherine McMahon will share some of the ideas from a talk she gave on a recent Hearts+Minds overnight in September. We discuss why reading spiritual books are so essential to a healthy spiritual life. 

Catherine explores the variety of spiritual books out there, each of which serves different purposes; biographies, books on personal prayer, doctrinal books which help us to understand more fully what we believe.  What books would you recommend to someone who has never read a spiritual book in their lives? and what one can make prayer doable for those who want to start a prayer life? Catherine suggests some great titles that help you to know the person of Christ.

While Catherine also shares some of the dangers of not reading spiritual books she shares how inspiring it is to start reading the right book for me right now!

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Some months back one of our listeners requested we cover the topic Mind, Body and Soul on our podcast series. With over 18 months of the pandemic under our belt we are more convinced of the connection between healthy mind, healthy body and healthy soul.  Today my guest is Dr. Norella Broderick.  

We explore studies which indicate that religion and religious practise can help reduce levels of depression and improve coping mechanisms with mental illness.  We explore why some might find faith unhelpful in dealing with mental illness.  Dr Broderick highlights the importance of authentically seeking answers and truthful solutions.  We discuss the difference between spirituality and religion. And finish our discussion with take-ways for believers and non-believers alike.

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Hearts + Minds Official website - hearts-minds.ie
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Email: [email protected]

Hearts+Minds events in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Galway and Navan