Lean Into You

In today's episode of Lean Into You, we talk with Jae Ellard, Founder and Director of Simple Intentions, a company which trains executives how to cultivate balance, stress management tactics, and conscious communication in the workplace.  In our chat, we will talk about the power of a compassionate "no". We will cover:
   
     1) How learning to say no starts with reassessing our values
     2) What "hedging" means
     3) How we can begin to practice saying no
     4) How saying no can actually encourage community rather than hinder it

If you would like to engage more with some of the topics in today's conversation, visit www.simpleintentions.com.

This podcast is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

In today's episode of Lean Into You, we talk with Sarah Moore, the Inclusion Coordinator for the Tennessee Child Care Resource and Referral Network. In our chat, we will cover:

   1) How inclusion in the classroom starts with a shift in mindset
   2) How implementing people-first language can kickstart that change
in thinking
   3) How equipping classrooms with inclusive resources can make educators more confident and less stressed.

If you would like to engage more with some of the topics in today's conversation, visit tnccrr.org and access the training calendar from our home page.

This podcast is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

In today's episode of Lean Into You, we talk with Lin Venable, the Statewide Program Director of TECTA. In our chat, we will talk about a few of the ways TECTA supports educators. We will cover:
   
     1) What TECTA is and how it fulfills a need within Early Childhood Education
     2) TECTA's career development pathways
     3) How you can start a development plan by contacting your local TECTA coordinator

If you would like to engage more with some of the topics in today's conversation, visit http://www.tecta.info.

This podcast is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

With all of this talk about meditation and mindfulness, we've decided to start providing actual guided meditations that you can listen to on your way to work, while you’re on break, or whenever you have a spare 5 or 10 minutes to relax and bring your attention to the present moment. 

Today's meditation is a guided walking practice focused on bringing your attention to the five senses. The author of this meditation is Dr. Mark Bertin and was originally published on www.mindful.org. We would like to thank mindful.org for giving us permission to recite this meditation, and we want to encourage you to visit their website for a ton of amazing resources related to mindfulness and self-care. 

This podcast is funded through a grant with the TN Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

In today's episode of Lean Into You, we talk with Dr. Judy Skeen, the Professor of Religion, Biblical Studies, and Spiritual Formation at Belmont University, In our chat, we will talk about human wholeness and how we can better integrate our lives with nature. We will cover:
   
     1) How nature can start to heal us
     2) How nature encourages us to live authentically
     3) What human wholeness is and how we can become wholly human
     4) How nature gives us permission to let go of control

If you would like to engage more with some of the topics in today's conversation, visit www.couragerenewal.org.

This podcast is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

In today's episode of Lean Into You, we finish our conversation with award-winning author, theologian, and professor, Dr. Jacqueline Bussie. In part two of our conversation, we will cover:
   
     1) Why you should claim joy as your birthright
     2) The importance of learning how to compost your pain
     3) Listening when life tells us we're exactly where we are supposed to be

If you would like to find out more about Jacqueline's work, visit her website at www.jacquelinebussie.com. 

This podcast is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

In today's episode of Lean Into You, we talk with award-winning author, theologian, and professor, Dr. Jacqueline Bussie. In our chat, we will talk about the things that make life worth living during difficult times. In part one of this two part conversation, we will cover:
   
     1) Setting goals that give you goosebumps
     2) The importance of being someone's Christmas morning
     3) What it means to open nature's mail
     4) How the children in our classroom can help us bear witness to wonder


If you would like to find out more about Jacqueline's work, visit her website at www.jacquelinebussie.com. 

This podcast is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

In today's episode of Lean Into You, we talk with Signal Centers CEO, Donna McConnico,  about self-care practices for leaders of child care facilities. We will cover:
   
     1) How leaders can identify when they need to reprioritize self-care
     2) How to create a culture in your organization centered around self-care
     3) The best way frontline staff can address self-care with their supervisors

If you would like to find out more about Signal Centers' mission, visit their Facebook at www.facebook.com/signalcenters.

This podcast is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

In today's episode of Lean Into You, we talk with Kelly Hopkinson, the owner of Kelly Hopkinson Yoga. Kelly will talk to us a little about how we can recognize bad habits in our lives and how we can start to change them. We will cover:
   
     1) How self-reflection helps us identify when we are performing at our job
     2) The importance of identifying our barriers of resistance
     3) How we can implement simple habits that foster long-term change
     4) How seeking validation from within can help anchor the good habits we've formed.

If you would like to find out more about Kelly's work, visit her website at www.kellyhopkinsonyoga.co.uk. Also, check out her Ted Talk entitled, "Learn to Shine Bright: The Importance of Self-Care for Teachers."

This podcast is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

In today's episode of Lean Into You, we talk with Dr. Chris Collins, the owner of Novel Chiropractic, on Chattanooga's North Shore. Chris will talk to us a little about how we can begin to change our relationship with stress. We will cover:
   
     1) The relationship between emotional and physical health
     2) The importance of setting manageable goals, self-evaluating, and investing in things that fill us up
     3) How changing our relationship with stress can help dust off our passion for the classroom


If you would like to find out more about Chris' work, visit his website at www.novelchiropractic.com. You can also check out his "stress-less" podcast, Mindgarden.

This podcast is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.