How Do We Deal?!

Dara and Amber call Ebony their icon of positivity, guru of self-care, and Vitamin E, because of the boost her presence provides! So they brought her on the podcast to find out just how she keeps her light so uhnbelievably bright. As always, Ebony delivered, with insights on how positivity is a choice (not always easy, even for her), tips on improving self-talk, and so much more. 

Dara met her at work, where Ebony rose from administrative work to influential leadership positions driving initatives in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Employee Policies, and Wellbeing and Mental Health. Her mission is to not just live life authentically but to foster a culture of holistic well-being and inclusivity, both professionally and through her joyful social media engagement.


Listen now and get your daily dose of Vitamin E!

Visit Ebony's professional website:
https://livingauthenticallyhappy.com/

Find Ebony on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ebonytravis/

Editing by Dara. Music by Amanda Zorzi.

Get ready to treat your ears and heart. Dara and Amber are huge fans of the alternative, dreamy pop songs of Amanda Zorzi, the Philly-based songwriter/independent artist who generously created the theme song for this podcast! But they're even bigger fans of her as a human. Amanda is a certified music therapist, foster mom to dogs in need of homes, and a professional advocate for neuro-inclusive workplaces (a path that connected her to Amber).

Music has always been and remains a main source of expression and comfort for her. In this conversation, you'll not only hear about how the process of musicmaking and performing unfolds for Amanda, but how it helps her deal with challenges, fears, and whatever's going on in her life. Listen in full to the song by Amanda that Dara and Amber literally fell in love with (Keep Me Awake), and in the episode closing, hear the first song she released (Stealing Pictures). 


Find and follow Amanda Zorzi on Spotify.

Remember to follow the show, give a 5-star review, or tell a friend! Thank you for supporting "How Do We Deal?!" Coping with the confounding is much easier with a village (even a tiny one).

Dara and Amber have wanted Michael Henry on the pod since day one. Partly because a legal mind is needed to make sense of, and deal with, confounding gun and abortion laws. But also because his perspective is uniquely insightful. Before Michael was a health sciences lawyer (and for a few years, Dara's colleague), he was an NCIS Special Agent serving in the Middle East and East Africa. With his military bonafides and roots in Texas and North Carolina, you might assume certain red state stereotypes. Yet he's a definitively independent thinker, muscle-bound and covered in horror-themed tattoos.

We covered a lot of legal, political and cultural ground in this episode. In a society throttled by extreme voices from the left and right, we hope you'll be as uplifted as we were to hear a powerful but reasonable voice for a change. While he informed us, Michael didn't claim to know all the answers but invited us to think deeper. The question may not be, "Why can't we enact reasonable legislation to protect women's rights and prevent school shootings?" but "What in our society has gone wrong to get us here?"

Our music is by the talented Amanda Zorzi. Editing by Dara.

Please boost our un-monetized morale with a five-star review, by telling a friend and/or following the show on your favorite streaming platform. Thank you for your support!

Struggling to deal with the loss of their husbands, one to the trap of addiction and one to a shockingly sudden death, Nicole and Suzanne connected and soon bonded over wine and karaoke. In this refreshingly candid "How Do We Deal?!" chat, they share how their friendship, forged out of grief and sustained by humor, helps them manage and embrace their lives as solo parents. Suzanne and Nicole give their hilarious and insightful takes on caring for their children as they all grieve, and the oddities of a social world that can't seem to handle the very common, fundamental topics of death or divorce (not to mention the people in the throes of them).

Dara and Amber were blown away by their strength and wit, as they confronted the full weight and gravity of having recently lost their spouses. Nicole and Suzanne still haven't identified their signature karaoke songs, but they do have a lot of wisdom and laughter to share! 

Podcast theme music by the soulful and talented https://open.spotify.com/artis...

Editing by Dara the amazing. 

We're always grateful for a follow, 5-star review, or a quick share-with-a-friend. Thank you for listening and supporting "How Do We Deal?!" We hope it helps you deal, just a little bit better, each day.

In this special episode recorded in Mexico during a trip to see Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Dara interviews fellow DMB super fan and podcast host Renae Lipsmeyer. On "The Space Between Podcast," with close to 100 episodes released, Renae tells the story of DMB fans and how the band has been transforming and enriching lives for over 30 years. In her conversation with Dara, Renae shares her own journey, including how podcasting about the music she loves may have saved her life. Channeling her passion for the band into meaningful conversations on her podcast helped her deal with severe depression while working as a nurse during the pandemic. With heartfelt insight and humor, Dara and Renae also discuss what makes DMB so uniquely powerful to so many people, and what the band (and the experience of connecting with other fans, especially at live shows) means to them.

You can find https://podcasts.apple.com/us/...
You can also watch https://www.youtube.com/@kissonthelipsmeyer
You can find and connect with https://www.facebook.com/profi...

Thanks to https://open.spotify.com/artis... for How Do We Deal's music!

Support "How Do We Deal?!" by giving us a follow or a 5-star review, or tell one person you think might like the show! We're grateful for all our "Dealers."

Find us online at https://www.howdowedeal.com/.

Our friend Bernard Grant, Ph.D. is many things, all of them remarkable. Multiply neurodivergent, they are an Autistic advocate, life coach to Autistics and parents seeking insight from an Autistic person on how better to support their Autistic children, neurodiversity trainer, award-winning writer of fiction and essays, and talented editor. To say that our conversation opened our eyes and minds would be the understatement of the century. You do not want to miss the opportunity hear their unique, clarifying perspective on everything from Autistic vs. neurotypical culture, racelessness and why racializing people perpetuates racism, and how they finally learned to love themself and disregard the judgements of (neurotypical) others during the calm and stillness provided by the pandemic. We loved our discussion so much, we look forward to having them back soon. Listen now, and you'll walk away with potentially life-changing insight!

Links for resources mentioned in our discussion, and some definitions of terms that many may not be familiar with, are below.

LINKS:

Bernard's professional website: bernardgrant.com

Follow Bernard on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bernardgrant

High five habit with Mel Robbins on Instagram: @high5habit

Sheena Michele Mason's substack on racelessness: racelessness.substack.com

Yoga Nidra meditation playlist on YouTube

Percival Everett's novel: Erasure

TERMS:

PDA: Pathological demand avoidance, while framed negatively by the medical establishment, applies to a neurotype with an intense need for autonomy and whose nervous system is set on alert by external demands.

Info dumping: A form of communication reserved for trusted connections, in which a person shares in-depth, detailed information about a specific interest or passion.

Dyspraxia: Also sometimes called developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), a neurological difference affecting movement and co-ordination (not related to intelligence or intellect). Increases the difficulty of tasks requiring balance or fine-tuned motor skills, like playing sports or learning to drive a car.

CREDITS:

Hosted by Dara and Amber.
Music by Amanda Zorzi.
Editing by Dara.

This is the second and final part of Dara and Amber's powerful discussion Monica Jones, our childhood friend and an incredibly strong and kind human. She shares what it's like to deal with a terminal diagnosis, metastatic (Stage IV) breast cancer, and reflects on defying the odds for almost a decade. In this episode, you'll also hear about her hopes and boundless love for her daughter, how this diagnosis has shaped relationships, what her friends' and family's support means to her, and how she focuses on the positive as much as possible. Listen and you're sure to be deeply moved and inspired, with room for some laughter, as we all learn from Moni in the ultimate "How Do We Deal?!" conversation. 

Our deepest gratitude to Moni for her time and openness in sharing. We love you, Moni! We are sending out into the universe a call and intention for science to find the right medications to keep you with us forever! And we can't emphasize this enough: F*CK CANCER!

Note: Metastatic breast cancer research is under-funded. While 30% of breast cancer patients will metasticize, only 2-5% of funding raised for breast cancer research goes to this form of the disease. To educate yourself or help fund research, see the links below.

Donate to MBC research and find resources:
METAvivor (Metastatic Breast Cancer Research and Support)
https://www.metavivor.org/

Learn about MBC:
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Metastatic Breast Cancer Program)

https://www.dana-farber.org/cancer-care/treatment/breast-oncology/programs/metastatic-breast-cancer

F*CK CANCER. In part 1 of 2 in the ultimate "How Do We Deal?!" discussion, we welcome childhood friend (from our Massachusetts hometown) and certified badass Monica Jones, who has been living with metastatic (Stage IV) breast cancer for over nine years. During that time, she became a parent, defied odds and expectations, and jumped into fierce, much-needed advocacy to help address the most deadly type of breast cancer, which is severely underfunded and poorly understood by most. Get to know the amazing force that is Monica. Find out what it's like to deal with a terminal diagnosis, on top of all the other big and small struggles we all face, while cultivating hope. Learn how best to support friends facing this situation. And become aware of the biggest threat to women's health you've likely never heard of. Monica is an incredibly strong person, with whom we also have fun reminiscing, so you don't want to miss this! 

METAvivor (Metastatic Breast Cancer Research and Support)
https://www.metavivor.org/

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
https://www.dana-farber.org/

Dara and Amber are back, bae-bae! In the season 2 intro episode, they get hyped and give a preview of the issues and guestperts coming up on the podcast. This season brings a new format by welcoming friends with unique experiences and expertise that can give us all insight on how to deal. Join our hosts as they look forward to the discussions ahead, sharing thoughts, questions and a few laughs on everything from fitness habits to the roots of crime, the seismic shock of grief to the power of music, everyday self-care to the eternal afterlife... and more!

In the season 1 finale, Dara and Amber look back, and forward, talking about the experience of podcasting, how they've dealt with the vulnerability, what they've learned, and the feedback they've received. As your hosts look to season 2, they prepare to welcome guestperts to tackle important topics, including everything from gun violence to self care. Hear about how it's gone, what the podcast and the listeners they call "Dealers" have meant to them, and the best that's yet to come. And get ready for a new level of dealing this fall!