Anger. It's an emotion I have historically handled in pretty unhealthy ways. In this episode I talk about my relationship with anger and share about the difficulties I face handling anger and other difficult emotions in the context of caregiving.  I delve into my process for recognizing when anger brewing in me and also noticing when it's showing up as a protective shield to deflect my attention from having to feel more painful emotions.  

You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne

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Meeting my friend Rachel Brumberger has been one of the standout joys of this podcasting adventure for me. Rachel is a master acupuncturist, herbalist, wellness consultant and overall warm, wise, insightful soul who is super easy to talk to.

 In this episode Rachel and I talk about everything from childhood experiences & feelings of unworthiness, our deeply ingrained perfectionistic tendencies, the steps we take to manage overwhelm and much, much more. We cover A LOT of good stuff!

In our conversation I mention an episode of Living in the Sandwhich Zone in which I captured my experience moving through a moment of caregiving overwhelm in real-time.  You can listen to that episode here Pain: The Portal to Transformation. 

If you're interested in learning more about attachment theory in relationships check out @thesecurerelationship. I love the accessible way Julie Menanno shares this super helpful relationship information. And also check out Rachel's IG suggestion @the.holistic.psychologist

Rachel is the host a UnscRXipted, a fabulous podcast all about health and wellbeing. Be sure to check out and follow her on Instagram at @reallyrachelb and check out her website RachelBrumberger.com.

You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne

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In this episode I come clean about my habitual procrastination, my efforts to shift out of that rut and as Shola Richards' says, "kick that silly habit". It's not the episode I intended to air but procrastination (and other curve balls of life) derailed me this past week. 

You can find more of Shola Richard's wisdom on his website: sholarichards.com

You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne

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After struggling for decades with public speaking anxiety, Dr. Germer found relief from anxiety and shame through the practice of self-compassion-- the warmhearted attitude of mindfulness when we suffer, fail, or feel inadequate. In this episode (Part 2 of our conversation) he shares about the impact of shame on the body and how the practice of self-compassion is a powerful antidote to shame.

Dr. Germer is a clinical psychologist and expert on the topic of dealing with shame. He, along with Dr. Krisin Neff, co-developed Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), an empirically-supported, 8-week training program for the general public.  He and Dr. Neff co-authored two books on Mindful Self-Compassion, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program.

You can find out more about Dr. Germer’s work and the courses he offers on his website https://chrisgermer.com and you can follow him on Instagram @christophergermerphd.

You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne

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In February of this year, I had the opportunity to interview, Dr. Chris Germer, a clinical psychologist and part-time lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.  As luck (or fate) would have it, I had the chance to interview him on the topic of shame…not once but TWICE.  As you’ll hear, the first time did not quite go as planned.  However, the second time around (which you WILL hear in this episode) we talked about shame, what it is, what it does and what the antidote to it is.

Chris’ primary interest is his work related to self-compassion. Along with Dr. Kristin Neff (who I talked about in the What to Do When There’s Nothing You Can Do episode a few weeks ago), he co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program and MSC has since been taught to over 200,000 people worldwide. Additionally, they co-authored two books on Mindful Self-Compassion, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program.

In 2007, Chris began collaborating with Kristin Neff, psychology professor at the University of Texas, Austin, and pioneering researcher on self-compassion. In 2009, he wrote the book, The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, and, in 2010, Chris and Kristin co-developed Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), an empirically-supported, 8-week training program for the general public. The Center for Mindful Self-Compassion was established in 2012 and since then over 100,000 of people have learned MSC from over 3,000 teachers worldwide. A bestselling workbook on the MSC program appeared in 2018 and a professional textbook was released in 2019, both co-authored by Chris and Kristin.

In 2015, Chris helped to establish the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion at the Cambridge Health Alliance. He is on the faculty and serves as a senior advisor and research consultant, currently co-developing an fMRI research protocol for treating chronic pain with self-compassion.

Chris spends his professional life traveling internationally, teaching and writing about mindfulness and self-compassion, supporting MSC teachers and students, consulting on self-compassion research, and maintaining a modest psychotherapy practice.

You can find out more about Dr. Germer’s work and the courses he offers on his website https://chrisgermer.com and you can follow him on Instagram @christophergermerphd.

You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne

Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): LITSZ_Club_Sandwich

When things get rough to help myself feel better I often take a trip down memory lane to happier times. This week you get to come with me on one of those trips. This episode is one I recorded during My Weekend Away (you can go back to Season One to check out that episode).  In it my LARK friends and I talk about the Law of Attraction, pedicures, shoes, motherhood and how the stressors we face in our jobs can impact our children. 

Renae's Canadian Glossary Term: Billets are families who invite junior players into their homes to be a part of their family during the hockey season. The billet family provides housing and support to young men who have moved away from home to pursue their dreams of playing the game they love.

You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne

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This has been a particularly challenging and overwhelming few days on both the parenting and eldercare front. Despite all my best efforts there was just nothing I could do to make things better.  In this episode I share a self-compassion practice I learned during my leave of absence that I returned to today to try and calm my own distress that resulted from it all.  

The practice, Self-Compassion with Equanimity, is one taught by Dr. Kristin Neff, an expert on the topic of self-compassion. You can find a guided recording of the practice by Dr. Neff here: https://bit.ly/Self-CompassionwithEquanimity

You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne

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Sometimes (really more often than not) when something happens to me, in my head--right off the bat-- I have an idea of not only what happened but why things unfolded the way they did.  In this episode I'll share a helpful tip I learned in therapy that has really helped me to slow down and avoid jumping to conclusions. The late, great Dr. Wayne Dyer often said..."When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." The tip I share this week has really helped me do that!

You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne

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This last week was huge for me!  I not only completed my first full work week in over two years but I also sent my firstborn off to college. In this episode you get a review of all that and more as I navigated some serious traditional milestones in the Sandwich Zone.

You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne

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In this episode you'll hear about Day One of returning to work after a two and a half year leave of absence. 

You can follow me on Instagram at: @karen.e.osborne

Click on this link to join Club Sandwich (the LITSZ Private Facebook Group): LITSZ_Club_Sandwich