Inner Peace to Go

Habits are the scaffolding of our lives. They are the thoughts and behaviors we repeat regularly, shaping who and how we are in the world.

No matter what habit you're trying to build or break, there are ways to make the process easier. I share eight expert strategies in this episode, many of which I've used myself to both break bad habits (like smoking) and build good ones (I finally meditate daily!).

The books I mention in this episode are:
"Badass Habits" by Jen Sincero
"Tiny Habits" by B.J. Fogg
"Atomic Habits" by James Clear
 "Better than Before" by Gretchen Rubin

If you want to get in on my $5 coaching offer -- a power hour to work on one habit -- or join my free self-help book club please DM me on IG @YouKnowSandy or email me here.

Have a peaceful week!

What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com.

And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here.

Do you have to believe in manifesting for it to work?

Coach, hypnotherapist and author Daniel Olexa says no. In fact, he wrote the book on it: "The Pessimist's Guide to Manifesting: A Practical Approach to Making the Law of Attraction and 20 Other Universal Laws Work for You."

It's all about mindset, he says, and understanding how this operating system affects what we see on the screen of our life.

Find out more about Dan's work at DanielOlexa.com. You can follow him on Instagram @danielolexa_ctht_pcc and find his books here.

I'm on Instagram and Twitter @YouKnowSandy.

It's not too late to join the free Self-Help Circle book club!! We meet once a month on Zoom. Did I mention it's free? And super fun? Click here to join.

As always, thanks to Michael Kobrin for the music.

Have a peaceful week!

What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com.

And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here.

One of the great myths of Western culture is that success equals happiness. You study hard, get a good job and BOOM, happiness forever.

Um, no.

So many of us get caught in this trap, striving striving striving for success so we can be happy while foregoing the things that would actually make us happy as we're wrapped up in that pursuit.

I have experienced this personally and ended up burnt out and diagnosed with depression.

Since then, I've learned what science shows actually makes us happy and how easy it is to postpone them in favor of professional pursuits, only to end up feeling spent and empty.

Has this happened to you? Do you check your work emails during dinner with friends or family? Do you sacrifice sleep to get a jump on tomorrow's work?

I would love to hear how this myth that success = happiness has shown up in your life and how you're dealing with it. Please DM me on IG @youknowsandy or email me through innerpeacetogo.com. And know that I won't be checking your message during dinner!!

Also, here's the legend from Paulo Coelho that I mention in the episode.

Have a peaceful week!

What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com.

And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here.

Welcome to Thursday thoughts -- brief thought prompts to consider as a way to bring more peace to your mind and more ease to your life.

Today I'm talking about "social friction," a concept described by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee in his latest book, "Happy Mind, Happy Life."

The idea is to explore the social interactions that cause friction in our days with a warm, gentle perspective: Why does this trigger me? What does it tell me about myself, my current energy and my state of mind? How can I give the person who triggered me the benefit of the doubt in my mind, so the experience is less painful and less personal to me?

I found this concept so compelling (and challenging!) that I wanted to share it with you.

What do you think about "social friction"? Let me know if you try it and what the experience is like! DM me on IG @YouKnowSandy.

What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com.

And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here.

What is my purpose? Isn't that the billion-dollar question. And is it something I find at work, or outside of work? And how do I find it?

Dharma coach Heather Love has some answers for us. In this second installment of our series about inner peace at work, Heather shares the strategies she uses to help her clients reconnect with what matters most to them to bring deeper meaning to their lives -- whether on the job or not.

(Hint: It requires making room for -- even prioritizing -- joy.)

The book Heather mentions in this episode is "The Top Five Regrets of the Dying" by Bronnie Ware.

Connect with Heather on Instagram @iamheatherlove. And be sure to check out her podcast "For the Love of Dharma."

And please let me know what you're taking away from this episode! I am super excited to hear from you. DM me @YouKnowSandy or drop me an email through innerpeacetogo.com.

Have a peaceful week!

What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com.

And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here.

How we spend our days is how we spend our lives. So if you're spending your days at an unfulfilling job, it's important to cultivate joy where you can.

Jamie Riene, host of "Breaking Up with Corporate" podcast, has learned to find purpose beyond her day job -- and sometimes within it.

Listen as she shares how following a path of self-inquiry and self-development has allowed her to make a feeling of inner peace more constant in her life, no matter what's going on at work.

We also discuss our fascination with Abraham Hicks in this episode and I mention the book "Ask and It Is Given."

Check out Jamie's podcast, "Breaking Up with Corporate," and follow her on Instagram at  @jamieriene.

I'd love to hear what you thought of this episode! DM me at @YouKnowSandy.

Have a peaceful week!

What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com.

And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here.

Your brain is not a static organ. It's malleable and remains so throughout our lifespan. This is neuroplasticity, and it's great news for anyone with a brain!

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to create new synaptic connections and build new pathways.

This principle is why our brains can adapt after injury and make room for new skills, like learning a language or how to play guitar. It's also something we can intentionally influence to make more helpful, peaceful thoughts our go-to status quo.

I'd love to know what you think of this concept! Please drop me a line on Instagram @YouKnowSandy or email me at [email protected].

Have a peaceful week!

What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com.

And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama are two of the world's great spiritual leaders and they were also great friends.

Filmmaker and activist Peggy Callahan spent a week filming these two luminaries for "Mission: Joy," a new documentary about the importance of joy and how we can create more of it in our lives.

Peggy shares what she learned from these two holy men about gratitude, the solution to self-imposed suffering and how joy is a choice we can intentionally make.

She also discusses the Big Joy Project, the largest citizen science project ever undertaken. It's free to participate, takes seven minutes a day for seven days, and you'll receive a personalized blueprint at the end about how to maximize joy in your own life. Find out more at missionjoy.org/bigjoy. And learn more about the film at missionjoy.org.

Thank you so much for listening to this episode and supporting this podcast, which is nothing without you, the listener! I am still new at this and would love to hear what you're enjoying about the show, what's not so good and what you'd like to hear about in future episodes.

If you'd be so kind, please drop me a line at [email protected] or DM me on Instagram @YouKnowSandy.

Thank you again, and have a peaceful week!

What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com.

And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here.

There's so much more to well-being than physical appearance.

Kelsey Bryant discovered this firsthand when, despite a healthy diet and rigorous exercise routine that gave her an enviable physique, she still felt like something was missing.

That's when she began integrating spirituality with exercise science.

In this conversation, we discuss how connecting to a larger purpose makes it easier to make healthier choices and how true wellness incorporates body, mind and spirit.

Kelsey is an exercise physiologist who blends physical and spiritual training in her fitness practice for herself and her clients. She hosts the Fit Christian Woman podcast and offers personal training and nutrition guidance for busy Christian moms. Find Kelsey at her website, Kelsey-Bryant.com, and on Instagram @Kelseyb.bryant.

Does your fitness have a spiritual aspect? Please let me know! Or let me know what you want to hear about on the pod. I'm on Instagram @YouKnowSandy or innerpeacetogo.com.

Have a peaceful week!
 

What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com.

And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here.

Did you know our bodies have a built-in mechanism for activating a sense of calm?

It's called the vagus nerve and it's directly connected to our parasympathetic nervous system, the rest-and-digest, tend-and-befriend condition that's opposite of fight or flight.

I recently wrote about expert-recommended strategies for activating the vagus nerve for Shondaland.com.

My friend Branimir Kvartuc joins me for this episode to talk about the science of the vagus nerve.

You'll also hear in this conversation that we clearly do not know what we're talking about when it comes to "The Hulk."

Here's a recent scientific study about the functions of the vagus nerve.

You can find Branimir on Instagram @Branimir.

And please let me know what you think of this episode or any others! What would you like to hear on the podcast? I am all ears! Reach me @YouKnowSandy or innerpeacetogo.com.

Thank you Michael Kobrin for the music.

Have a peaceful week!

What do you need to feel more peaceful? Let me know! I'm on Instagram @thesandycohen and at innerpeacetogo.com.

And want to see me in your inbox on the regular? Get my (Not) Everything Sucks newsletter! Sign up here.