May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. Oxford languages defines mental health as a person’s condition w/ regard to their psychological and emotional well being. Although not “clinically diagnosable” loneliness often accompanies and even exacerbates many mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and dementia as well as physical health challenges like heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.   In this episode, I share my unique framework for viewing our overall mental health as a vast ocean. I also take a moment to focus on loneliness because even at 3 years post pandemic, according to a recent NY Times article, we are and have been in an epidemic of loneliness.

Resources mentioned:

Mental Health of America Take the depression screener as well as download the free Mental Health Toolkit

The Trevor Project - connect with a crisis counselor for immediate support, available 24/7 chat, text or phone call

NAMI - National Alliance on Mental Illness

Want to talk to someone in person?  Southern Area Behavioral Health has a walk-in clinic. Go to sabhc.org. Dallas area only.

Call 988 - Suicide and Crisis line, 24/7 call, text, chat. Access trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing suicidal, substance use, and/or mental health crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress.

Sources cited: 

Surgeon General: We Have Become a Lonely Nation

proposing a national framework

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The The ⁠Beyond the Shadow of Doubt™⁠ podcast is a proud member of the Dialogue Podcast Network found at ⁠DialogueJournal.com/podcastnetwork⁠. Part of the Dialogue Journal, the Dialogue Podcast Network was founded by Eugene England, a Mormon writer, teacher and scholar. “My faith encourages my curiosity and awe,” Gene wrote in the very first issue of the journal. “It thrusts me out into relationship with all creation” and “encourages me to enter into dialogue.” My hope is that this podcast is an extension of his vision.

Hopeful Spaces is a ⁠Dallas Hope Charities⁠ component of Hopeful Discussions, which is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA. Hopeful Spaces is a monthly parent support group facilitated by Meagan Skidmore Coaching. To join and participate in Hopeful Spaces is free; send an email to [email protected]. 

If you are ready to get the care and attention you deserve through 1:1 coaching I invite you to reach out; send an email to [email protected]. Connect with me at ⁠meaganskidmorecoaching.com⁠ where you can subscribe to get my free Pronouns 101 guide and download my free 20+ page LGBTQ+ Resource Guide for families. 

Please help the podcast grow by following, leaving a 5 star review on Apple podcasts and sharing with friends. 

Heather Rackham is the Director of The Latter-day Saint Life Coach Directory and host of Latter-day Life Coaches Podcast.  In this episode Heather shares a major a-ha moment she had when working with a life coach. 

“While learning…the coaching tools…[I realized this] was the way to experience Christ-like love for people on this earth.  This felt like the ‘how-to’ or the roadmap to actually get past some stumbling blocks.  I was given some tools to actually weed through my brain and make it happen.” Then she had a profound experience, that this is the way to do it and now it’s time to share it with others.”

Heather also notes “the flip side of the coin….so much of learning to be and have charity and Christ like love is learning that we can choose and think for ourselves. We can make choices, and we have the ability to believe, realistically, anything we want to believe.  That is agency.  The opposite side of that token is also I can choose to believe anything I want to believe AND do I really believe the things that I have always believed, especially religious things?”

This ultimately was the beginning of Heather's faith journey or faith transformation.  Connect with Heather on Instagram — @heatherrackhamcoaching or @ldslifecoaches— and her website, ldslifecoaches.com.  She offers valuable content and the ability to filter your search to find a Certified Life Coach specific to your needs, to help you navigate life.  All coaches on the Directory are certified through The Life Coach School and coach with LDS values.

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The The Beyond the Shadow of Doubt™ podcast is a proud member of the Dialogue Podcast Network found at DialogueJournal.com/podcastnetwork. Part of the Dialogue Journal, the Dialogue Podcast Network was founded by Eugene England, a Mormon writer, teacher and scholar. “My faith encourages my curiosity and awe,” Gene wrote in the very first issue of the journal. “It thrusts me out into relationship with all creation” and “encourages me to enter into dialogue.” My hope is that this podcast is an extension of his vision.

Hopeful Spaces is a Dallas Hope Charities component of Hopeful Discussions, which is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA. Hopeful Spaces is a monthly parent support group facilitated by Meagan Skidmore Coaching. To join and participate in Hopeful Spaces is free; send an email to [email protected]. 

If you are ready to get the care and attention you deserve through 1:1 coaching I invite you to reach out; send an email to [email protected]. Connect with me at meaganskidmorecoaching.com where you can subscribe to get my free Pronouns 101 guide and download my free 20+ page LGBTQ+ Resource Guide for families. 

Please help the podcast grow by following, leaving a 5 star review on Apple podcasts and sharing with friends. 

In this episode I interview Samantha Nielsen, Certified Life and Divorce Coach. An active member of the LDS faith, Samantha speaks of her journey of reconciling her divorce and faith. She recognizes the importance of acknowledging doubts, questions and allowing exploration to reconcile beliefs with personal values. Self-betrayal and denial are roadblocks to achieving inner peace; creating safe spaces for open conversations foster being true to oneself and one's unique journey.

You can find Samantha at her website moderndaydivorce.com and her Instagram page (@modern.day.divorce) where she offers valuable free content as well as a course on self-advocacy. Be sure not to miss Samantha's presentation at upcoming BYU women's conference May 2023.

The Beyond the Shadow of Doubt™ podcast is a proud member of the Dialogue Podcast Network found at DialogueJournal.com/podcastnetwork. The Dialogue Podcast Network is a part of the Dialogue Journal.  Founder Eugene England was a Mormon writer, teacher and scholar. “My faith encourages my curiosity and awe,” Gene wrote in the very first issue of the journal. “It thrusts me out into relationship with all creation” and “encourages me to enter into dialogue.” My hope is that this podcast is an extension of his vision. Read more at diagloguejournal.com. 

Hopeful Spaces is a Dallas Hope Charities component of Hopeful Discussions, which is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA. Hopeful Spaces is a monthly parent support group facilitated by Meagan Skidmore Coaching. To join Hopeful Spaces is free; send an email to [email protected]. 

If you are ready to get the care and attention you deserve through 1:1 coaching invite you to reach out. Connect with me at meaganskidmorecoaching.com where you can subscribe to get my free Pronouns 101 guide and download my free 20+ page LGBTQ+ Resource Guide for families.  Questions/comments about this episode? Shoot me an email [email protected] 

Please help the podcast grow by following, leaving a 5 star review on Apple podcasts and sharing with friends. 

Jenny Byam is the LGBTQ+ Coach ([email protected] or on Instagram @LGBTQcoachjenny). In this episode, she vulnerably shares her thoughts feelings in regards to her journey as a member of the LDS faith and a parent of a transgender kiddo. It has made her who she is today and she wouldn't change any of it. Thank you for being willing to courageously share your story, Jenny.

The Beyond the Shadow of Doubt™ podcast is a proud member of the Dialogue Podcast Network, DialogueJournal.com/podcastnetwork. The Dialogue Podcast Network is a part of the Dialogue Journal.  Founder Eugene England was a Mormon writer, teacher and scholar. “My faith encourages my curiosity and awe,” Gene wrote in the very first issue of the journal. “It thrusts me out into relationship with all creation” and “encourages me to enter into dialogue.” My hope is that this podcast is an extension of his vision. Read more at diagloguejournal.com. 

Hopeful Spaces is a Dallas Hope Charities component of Hopeful Discussions, which is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA. Hopeful Spaces is a monthly parent support group facilitated by Meagan Skidmore Coaching. To join Hopeful Spaces is free; send an email to [email protected]. 

If you are ready to get the care and attention you deserve through 1:1 coaching invite you to reach out. Connect with me at meaganskidmorecoaching.com where you can subscribe to get my free Pronouns 101 guide and download my free 20+ page LGBTQ+ Resource Guide for families.  Questions/comments about this episode? Shoot me an email [email protected] 

Please help the podcast grow by following, leaving a 5 star review on Apple podcasts and sharing with friends.

Today I explore the question ‘Is there a connection between trusting your inner voice & allowing questions and doubts?' and why it’s important.

This episode is not to be missed! Corinne share’s truth bomb after truth bomb in this candid and insightful chat.   She says, “… [God] wants us to have faith.  For those of us that believe in a Higher Power, whatever that is, we have decided to believe in it.  It was a decision we made and we made it over and over again and we started acting like someone who believes in it.  The same can happen in weight loss.  Your future is not built on your past experiences.  Your future is built on today’s decisions.  That’s it.

Jennifer Senn is from Buffalo, NY grew up Methodist and is a grief coach for parents of stillborn babies. When she lost her twin girls twenty-three years ago, she felt her world crumbled. She says, "You can plan life but that doesn’t mean that's how it will go. My whole life was a doubt after I lost my twins."

For Jennifer, questioning started immediately. How could someone loving allow this to happen..., how could I ever get back to that relationship with God? She had so many questions; she doubted herself, her body, the doctors, her faith, and God. But acknowledging these questions and doubt brought shame so real she could feel it viscerally. "I felt betrayed by my body and felt betrayed by this God I depended on to protect me. That was very jarring to realize that he shows you the way but it’s not the way you think it will be."

Join us to listen as Jennifer shares how she navigated an unexpected faith journey w/ support of her faith community. She was given a future that was different than she anticipated. In her words, "Your life doesn’t have to end or feel like it’s damaged or destroyed because something tragic, unexpected or unplanned for happens. You still can, and are meant to have an amazing life." Thank you for sharing your story and your beautiful spirit, Jennifer.

BIO: Jennifer Senn, the founder of Navigating Baby Loss, is a certified life coach who specializes in Grief Coaching for parents of stillborn babies. Her third pregnancy ended in a stillbirth of twin daughters weeks before they were to be born. Her experience of living through that loss as well as a following pregnancy and the healthy birth of their daughter is the basis of her coaching practice. She helps her clients navigate topics such as blame, guilt, isolation, depression, anxiety, marriage/ relationship issues, body shame, jealousy, returning to work after and facing others’ comments, as well as fear of another pregnancy following their loss. Jennifer knows from experience that this type of loss stays with you for a lifetime and if not dealt with properly can take a dangerous toll on women’s mental and physical well-being. She is honored to work with women and their families re-designing a future that looks different than when it did while they were pregnant, and showing them that life after loss can still be beautiful in a way that honors their baby and themselves.

Ways to connect with Jennifer:

website- https://www.jennifersenn.com get her FREE e-book, "10 Questions You Ask Yourself When You Lose Your Baby."

Quiz to get a personalized healing guide- https://www.jennifersenn.com/quiz

Podcast Link-https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/navigating-baby-loss/id1631935976

The Beyond the Shadow of Doubt™ podcast is a proud member of the Dialogue Podcast Network (DialogueJournal.com/podcastnetwork). The Dialogue Podcast Network is a part of the Dialogue Journal.  Founder Eugene England was a Mormon writer, teacher and scholar. “My faith encourages my curiosity and awe,” Gene wrote in the very first issue of the journal. “It thrusts me out into relationship with all creation” and “encourages me to enter into dialogue.” My hope is that this podcast is an extension of his vision. Read more at diagloguejournal.com.

If you are ready to get the care and attention you deserve through 1:1 coaching invite you to reach out.

Connect with me ⁠https://meaganskidmorecoaching.com⁠

-subscribe to get my free Pronouns 101 guide

-download my free 20+ page LGBTQ+ Resource Guide for families. 

JOIN ME for the free monthly parent support group I facilitate. Hopeful Spaces is a Dallas Hope Charities component of Hopeful Discussions, which is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services USA. Hopeful Spaces is facilitated by Meagan Skidmore Coaching.

Shoot me an email for more info ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

Please help the podcast grow by following, leaving a review on Apple podcasts and sharing with friends.

For those who identify with the LDS faith this coming weekend is General Conference a time that many look forward to for spiritually uplifting messages and direction from church leaders.  For others, some of the messages bring cognitive dissonance, hurt, confusion and even pain. If this is you, my heart goes out to you and I hold that hurt with you.  IF this is not you, I invite you to put on the lenses of those for whom this upcoming weekend can be very difficult.  In case you hadn't heard, there are a lot of folks who are experiencing a shift in their faith—many conservative faiths not just LDS. Since this is the BTSOD podcast where I aim to normalize having Qs and Ds I am boldly extending 4 invitations.  Even if you are not LDS and of another faith, the invitations are relevant. I invite you to consider these invitations as you listen to messages this weekend and have conversations with loved ones.

Sources:

www.listenlearnandlove.org

leadingsaints.org

Church Doctrine, Policy, & Leadership | An Interview with Prof. Anthony Sweat

Restoration by Patrick Q. Mason,

The ⁠Beyond the Shadow of Doubt™⁠ podcast is a proud member of the Dialogue Podcast Network (DialogueJournal.com/podcastnetwork). The Dialogue Podcast Network is a part of the Dialogue Journal.  Founder Eugene England was a Mormon writer, teacher and scholar. “My faith encourages my curiosity and awe,” Gene wrote in the very first issue of the journal. “It thrusts me out into relationship with all creation” and “encourages me to enter into dialogue.” Read more at diagloguejournal.com.

If you are ready to get the care and attention you deserve through 1:1 coaching invite you to reach out. Connect with me https://meaganskidmorecoaching.com where you can subscribe to get my free Pronouns 101 guide, sign up for the monthly parent support group I facilitate through the Dallas Hope Charities, and download my free 20+ page LGBTQ+ Resource Guide for families.  Questions/comments about this episode? Shoot me an email ⁠[email protected]⁠

Help the podcast grow by following, leaving a review on Apple podcasts and sharing with friends.