This week I share about my most recent personal growth workshop, how I ended up there and the ways it validated many of the decisions I've made over the last year.

Many of those decisions were painful ones. Yet for me the pain of idling in discontent was far worse than taking the painful step of daring to do something different.

In this week's episode I reflect on making the tough decision to leave my career and the synchronicities that preceded that decision.

Click here to listen to the episode where I tell my Dallas story that I refer to in this episode.

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

It's not always easy to know what to do or say to support someone who's struggling with their mental health. In today's podcast you will meet Lauren Cikara, Vice President of School Mental Health for Active Minds.

Active Minds is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to promoting mental health awareness and providing resources for mental health support, with an emphasis on mobilizing youth and young adults. With a mission to reduce stigma and encourage open conversations, Active Minds is a pivotal force in fostering a supportive mental health community. 

Click the links below to learn more about Active Minds:

Website:  www.activeminds.org

Learn how to help a friend: asktohelp.com 

Newsletter Sign Up: activeminds.org/newsletter-sign-up/ 

Read their blog: activeminds.org/blog/ 

Facebook: facebook.com/activemindsinc 

Instagram: instagram.com/active_minds/ 

TikTok: tiktok.com/@active_minds 

Twitter: / active_minds 

Linkedin: / active-minds-inc  

The mission of Active Minds goes to the heart of this podcast and why I talk about mental health and suicide prevention. Programs like the ones offered by Active Minds can provide life-saving support to kids suffering from mental health challenges.  To add your support to this important mission please consider donating to Active Minds. Your gift today empowers young adults to change the conversation about mental health in their communities-- providing hope and saving lives. 

Donate Now!

As we close out National Suicide Prevention Awareness month this is a small step you can take to make big difference in the lives of our kids! 

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

It's been a wow-filled week in my Sandwich Zone! In this episode I'll fill you in on my awe-inspiring adventure to Lewis Howes' Summit of Greatness event I attended last weekend.

Sadly, my friend who I'd planned to go with was unable to attend at the last minute. But despite this bummer I ventured out by myself and tons of magic rained down on me and literally lead me straight to a front row seat to soak up the wisdom of the likes of Esther Perel, David Goggins and the amazing Dr. Joe Dispenza.

If you're interested in learning more about the research and work of Dr. Joe and want to explore more about the brain-body connection you can check out a free screening of his new documentary Source: It's Within You from September 27th-29th. Here's the link to register: https://sourcethefilm.org/

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

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. In this week’s episode I share some important things I’ve learned over the course of my parenting journey navigating the mental health system and doing every possible thing I could to keep my child alive. 

In the episode I reference some of my earlier episodes. The links for those are below:

Navigating the Mental Health System (Part 1): Things I Wish I'd Known When the Sh!t Hit the Fan

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/3DEFpAhDLMb

Navigating the Mental Health System (Part 2): Things I Wish I'd Known When the Sh!t Hit the Fan

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/bxGA7KuDLMb

Preparing to Launch: The One MUST DO Thing I Decided to Do Before Sending My Son To College

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/iTDjwk4DLMb

SUICIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES

National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Call or text 988

988lifeline.org: Offers 24/7, free, and confidential support for people in distress, prevention, and crisis resources.

Crisis Text Line

Text TALK to 741741

crisistextline.org: Provides free, 24/7 text support for people in crisis. Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 

https://afsp.org

Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention & Counseling Center

https://didihirsch.org/services/suicide-prevention/

Samaritans - samaritans.org: Offers emotional support to anyone in emotional distress or at risk of suicide. Available 24/7 in the UK and Ireland.

The Trevor Project - thetrevorproject.org: Provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth. Offers a hotline, text, and chat support.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline - suicidepreventionlifeline.org: Now part of the 988 Lifeline network, provides 24/7, free, and confidential support.

Mental Health America - mhanational.org: Provides mental health resources and tools, including suicide prevention resources.

HopeLine - hopeline.com: Offers a 24/7 crisis hotline and various resources for those in need.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) - nami.org: Provides information and support on mental health issues, including resources for suicide prevention.

Rethink Mental Illness - rethink.org: Provides support, information, and advice for those affected by mental illness and suicide prevention.

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

Between getting over the Covid hump and sending Kiddo #1 back to college I needed a little extra time. I'll be back next week with more tales to tell.

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

They say the 3rd time is a charm! Welp, this third round of Covid was far from charming. It did, however, give me a lot of time to think, ponder and look within. In this week's episode I share some AHAs I had during my week dealing with the aftermath of being bitten, yet again, by the dastardly Covid bug.

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

This week I share with you something I recorded in the wee hours back in July during my first week of my podcasting hiatus. It's something I captured after a particularly jarring work-stress dream. Yes, I know...it's been 9 months now since I left work and I'm STILL having work-related dreams (and nightmares) that shake me out of sleep! This one in particular left me with an important takeaway. So, I'm sharing it with you this week in case someone else out there needs to hear it, too.

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

Hey hey Sandwich Zoners! It's been a minute! But I'm back and getting back in the groove. In today's episode I share a little about my trip with Linny to the Big Apple. Lots went down while we were away and I had a big refresher course on the subject of Radical Acceptance.

Thanks for your patience as I took some much needed time off. It's lovely to be back in the Zone with you!

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

Lots has happened since I pressed pause on podcasting for my summer sabbatical. My time "off" definitely has NOT been filled with the restoration and relaxation I had hoped for...but such is life in the Sandwich Zone.

In addition to lots happening on the family front, A LOT has happened on the world stage, too.

Though it's not something I ordinarily do...today I share my feelings on the importance of this upcoming election.

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

Just a reminder...I'm taking a little down time to practice some much needed self-care and enjoy some summer family time.

I'll be back with more to share in a few weeks!

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