Some people just radiate love and community and positive energy. I am so glad you are choosing this episode today, as this is one of my all-time favourite interviews. Sometimes, my guest and I welled up with tears because of the beauty we felt in what we were speaking about. My guest on this episode really understands community and love and culture and celebration.

She has only been a few years here in Canada, and she is making all kinds of impact in her city of Port Coquitlam. Her name is Mithila Karnik Adarkar. She is a professional, a community-member, a believer in diversity and inclusion, a sharer of culture and builder of understanding. She is a visionary and a solution-seeker and fierce advocate of women.

Mithila is the founder of the Poco Diwali celebrations. She is also a co-founder of the “Make a Fuss Movement”, which empowers women of today, the past and the future. You’ll hear Mithila talk about why she believes in community involvement, what she gains from it and what she wants her daughter to learn from her engagement. We talk about where she came up with the idea for the Diwali celebrations and what these events look like and how she pulls it all off.

Mithila talks about diversity and how representation is key to moving a city forward in an equitable way, and she describes her desire to both embrace this new home of hers and the wonderful traditions of Canada, and at the same time, celebrate and share her heritage and be able to hold both passionately.

Mithila will astound you. Her passion and intelligence is extraordinary and you will gain a lot from this woman, I promise you. Enjoy! Share it and be inspired by this spirit of love and community. I know I was!

My guest today is creating community and wellness on quite a massive scale! My guest is Vanessa Elias and she is a mental health activist, a certified parent coach (she has her own company called, Thrive with a Guide), and writes and speaks about child and family wellbeing. Vanessa is also the founder of Block party USA. She is a firm believer that block parties are a cure for most of what ails us today. They are simple, actionable, free, joyful ways to allow for face to face connections, free play for kids, and many other benefits to us and our children.

You'll be surprised at the myriad ripple effects of a block party! Today we talk about why Vanessa id such an advocate for mental health, how Block Party US originated and why, what the many benefits of block parties are and why they are so impactful, why face to face connections are so vital fro our wellbeing, and why kids need to have free play opportunities. We talk about the benefits to teens, to our support systems, the resources vanessa has for you, and the simple, essential few things to make your block party a success. Enjoy this important and uplifting conversation with Vanessa.

Follow the show so you don't miss any future episodes.
And... let me know if you try a Block party!
I am organizing one this Sunday!

How to get in touch with our guest, Vanessa Elias:

Website: https://www.blockpartyusa.org/

What happens when we are consumed by our work, or the titles and roles we have? And when I say consumed, I mean that almost literally – like swallowed up, or as if we melded into one like some kind of chemical reaction that happens when two substances merge.

If there is no boundary between work self and non-work self, no off switch, like when you come home from work, or when you finish with the last client as you work from home, how does the transition to relax happen? The transition into the “you” without work? IS THERE a you without work? Also, even more worrisome… what happens when you lose that title or role you have completely given yourself to? I am saying when, not “if”, because you will lose that title eventually. Nothing ever stays the same. Eventually, things change.

Today, in this episode we are going to look at some of the aspects of over-identification with our roles and titles. For those of us who happen to be super-achievers, strivers, very capable people, this will likely be of help to you.

This episode looks at:
What happens when we over-identify with our roles and jobs, at work, and at home as mom, and lose ourselves in them? How do we love our jobs and work hard and be our successful selves, without losing ourselves completely? How do we compete or deal with the images we are shown in the media and movies of the perfect woman and the perfect mom. What happens when we finally figure out what is most important, and who we are – as our non-work selves – and what are some ways to do that? We will also look at how our strengths and friendships fit into all of this, why our definition of success is so important to our self worth and ability to be happy, and why we need to not just DO all the time, but also learn how to BE.

So get comfy, or start walking, or grab a notebook and a cup of something, and settle in. Let’s grow some good together.

I am looking forward to sharing this inspiring and informative conversation with you. I speak to Greg R. Baird, who has been dedicating his life to inspire, empower, and educate folks about the fact that each of us has something to offer, and we all matter. Especially now, as we see the long fought-for DEI policies in the States under attack, these kinds of conversations matter.

Greg and I talk about his childhood in a small town and affected him, how and why he went into teaching and then moved into speaking around the globe, why he feels storytelling is an effective mode of communication, how these DEI orders are affecting him and what he does, how we can try to stay sane and navigate the onslaught of negative news around us, what communities need to be productive, how we can be better allies and neighbours, where he got this caring demeanour from, and much more.

Get in touch with our Guest, Greg Baird:
http://www.gregrbaird.com/home.html

You can also see clips of our conversation on YouTube@gaylebeavil

This is a fun episode for me, as today I am talking with a friend I have known for 47 years! I asked him to be on the podcast because I have been marveling at him and his wife and what they have done for 32 years now.

They have created a fundraiser for children’s charities where they invite over 100 friends, and friends of friends, to an annual Bonspiel. They have a dinner and an auction and other various ways to make money, and I can tell you first hand, it is a lot of fun.

At this event, everyone has a connection to Bob and his wife, Sue, somehow. Bob carefully creates teams and combines people from different friend groups, so connections are made and fun is had.

In this episode you will learn how Bob and Sue (and many family members and dedicated friends) make this work and how they have kept it going for more than 3 decades. You will hear what the event looks like, how they choose the charities each year, and some of the touching (and hilarious) stories of success they have had.

You hear how Bob has a zest for life and friendship and generosity, unlike anyone else.  

I am glad you are tuning in, and I think you will be inspired and entertained by this story of incredible generosity and dedication.

Welcome to today’s episode. I am so pleased to have Lyda Salatian on the show with me. It was honestly one of my favourite interviews I have ever done. Her passion and dedication just burst through in every moment of our conversation.

Lyda founded the nonprofit, Green Teams of Canada, in 2011. She has won some very prestigious awards for her passions and commitment, such as: British Columbia Achievement Foundation Community Award and the YWCA Women of Distinction Award - Environmental Sustainability.

Lyda believes inviting people into nature and engaging them in meaningful, fun hands-on action, will instill an ethic that will lead people to care more about the environment and responsible environmental behaviour. Lyda has worked and volunteered in the nonprofit sector for 20 years.

Lyda and I talk about:
-how she began, and what motivated her to take on this huge task.
-what the events look like and what projects they do
-who can come to the events (hint – EVERYONE – all ages and abilities are welcome!)
-why taking care of the environment is pulling weeds and planting seeds, but even more         
  importantly – about connecting to each other
-the difference acting in community can make
-what the future vision of Green Teams of Canada is
-how people can find out about the events and get involved
-why environmental action should be our top priority and why it is urgent we act now

My conversation with Lyda will move you, inspire you, make you think and likely have you want to get your whole family involved. See you there!

Links

https://greenteamscanada.ca/locations/lower-mainland-green-team/

https://www.instagram.com/greenteamscanada/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-teams-of-canada/posts/?feedView=all

Welcome to another episode of Love Sweet Love.

I am so glad you are here. Today you are going to find out about a revolutionary program that will turn your thinking around aging upside down. This program is called From Aging to Sage-ing and it was created by Rabbi Zalmon Schachter-Shalomi. It supports participants to consciously move through the challenges and transitions of life by engaging in the older years more joyfully, compassionately and deliberately.

One of my guests today is Janey Talbot. Janey is a Sage-ing program facilitator, a hospice volunteer, a mom of 5 and a grandparent of 6. Janey has had a 35 year career in community education and development and has always been passionate about gathering groups of women for deep and rich conversations. Janey lives on the Sunshine Coast of BC.

My 2nd guest is Wendy Scott. Wendy has taken two of the sage-ing programs and was made aware of them after she retired. Wendy has had a 35 year career in the municipal recreation field and has worked with countless community groups and citizens. Wendy is a widow, a mother of two and a grandmother of one. Wendy lives in Nanoose Bay, BC.

Today, Janey and Wendy and I talk about the 6 pillars of the program. We also talk about what these groups look like, how both Janey and Wendy feel have changed and grown through the program, and what they feel the major benefits are to this refreshing, respectful and honouring lens through which we can look at the aging process and also engage in the aging process.

You don’t want to miss this. It will help you if you are moving into this phase of life, and also if you have a loved one who is an “emerging elder”.

Enjoy this conversation. Please follow the show so you won’t miss an episode, and please feel free to share this episode with a friend!

I’d love it if you gave the podcast a 5 start review, too! It helps get it spread to more people – it’s an algorithm thing!

Sage-ing International website:
https://www.sage-ing.org/

Contact Janey re program information or registration:
[email protected]

Book: from Aging to Sage-ing:
https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/from-age-ing-to-sage-ing-a-revolutionary-approach-to-growing-older/9781455530601.html

The Maharishi effect study:
https://research.miu.edu/maharishi-effect/reduced-violent-crime-in-washington-dc

Anyone who has been a busy mom (I had three kids in 6 years) and worked part time as a teacher. It was so busy and stressful at times. I was exhausted. I had no time for myself. Sound familiar?

Studies show that what is most correlated with our happiness, is the sense that we have more TIME to enjoy our lives. Time actually matters more to your happiness than money, or anything else, according to Yale’s Dr. Laurie Santos, who studies and teaches about the Science of Happiness. She calls this “time affluence”.

I know one of the factors of busy-mom-ness is the factor that we have no time. We are rushed. We are frantic. We are multitasking. It makes sense that I did not feel very happy sometimes at home. I must say here that there were MANY, many times of delight and fun and happiness and gratitude, amongst the stress, but I believe if I had known the important impact of time and our happiness in that phase of my life, I might have treated myself differently. Prioritized myself differently.

In this episode, I will share with you what exactly “time affluence” is, and why research says it is so key to our levels of happiness. You will hear where money fits into the equation, the effect of being frazzled, busy and pulled in all directions, has on our lives, how time affluence works and its effects on our mood and our overall health, and, maybe most importantly, I will share 9 strategies that will help you get more time to enjoy your life.

I think you will find this episode surprising and inspiring and I hope it motivates you to get some more of this important, sometimes elusive, entity in your life.Thank you for being here. I appreciate your time so much and I know you will benefit from this episode. Enjoy!

Resources: 

https://www.drlauriesantos.com/

Join Gayle on Substack. Subscribe to her “Growing Good in the Juicy Middle” where you will get weekly posts about what makes us thrive through midlife and beyond, as Gayle shares knowledge, research and practical ideas through personal stories.

https://gaylebeavil.substack.com/

LInks to 2 posts on Substack of Gayle’s about time and time affluence:

https://gaylebeavil.substack.com/p/do-we-have-time-for-happiness?r=3m9x4e

https://gaylebeavil.substack.com/p/getting-time-on-our-side?r=3m9x4e

When I mention “time blocking” and my mentor, my mentor is from a wonderful women’s business and mentorship group I’m in, called “Living in Balance”. I highly recommend this group for female entrepreneurs and business owners.

How to Get in touch with Me:

Email me at [email protected] if you want more info.

https://gaylebeavil.substack.com/

My guest today calls herself a story-telling enthusiast. She is a professional journalist and after 8 years of television news reporting, she decided to move into the nonprofit world and charity work. My guest is the inspiring Kate Glaser.

Kate heads the Hope Rises Network which tells and shares good news stories of love and hope from around the world, and Hope Rises also, importantly, takes action in Kate’s local community of Buffalo, New York.

They raise money, often partnering with other brands and companies and give back to local families and causes. Besides all of this, she has a weekly spot on the Television show, Daytime Buffalo where she shares these good news stories and supporting local causes, she runs a marketing company, she is a mom of three, and much more.

I am so thrilled to have her on the podcast, and to highlight her and her amazing work and life.

We talk about:
-why she moved from tv news to the nonprofit sector
-the origin of Hope Rises and their mission
-how they raise money and the causes they support
-why storytelling should be t the core of all brands
-recent examples of folks they have highlighted and helped
-advice for folks with a dream or passion and what it takes to grow
-different ways we can support Hope Rises

Enjoy, and I know you will be inspired.

Resources:
Hope Rises Network on Instagram 
Hope Rises News on facebook
https://hoperisesnews.com

Hi there. Thank you for being here with me on the Love Sweet Love Podcast. This episode is about something life changing and life-saving and that we can add into our lives.

Life-changing and life-saving.

It is free. It is accessible.

My hope with this episode is that it will have you pause and think about how you can get more of this in your life, and into the lives of your kids, your grandkids and all of your loved ones.

It is not just a good idea. It is imperative.

I share with you some of the most impactful research findings on this subject, and put it all into one place, right here, on this episode. I have some examples and stories which I weave research through, and then near the end, I put all the benefits to your life together on one very compelling list.

It will Blow. Your. Mind.

What is this powerful piece that we can easily add into our lives? It is what i am calling the “other”, Vitamin “C”. It is: community.

To end the podcast, I include some of the parting words of Dr. Vivek Murthy, the departing US Surgeon General as he ends his time in office. He has written extensively on the epidemic of loneliness and the powerful positive, preventive impacts of community.

I am really excited for you to have this information that will positively impact your health and wellbeing in so many ways.

Enjoy. See you soon!

Link to Dr. Dacher Keltner’s book: “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life”

https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/awe-the-new-science-of-everyday-wonder-and-how-it-can-transform-your-life/9781984879684.html

Link to Dr. Vivek Murthy’s book: “ Together: the Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World”

https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/together-the-healing-power-of-human-connection-in-a-sometimes-lonely-world/9780062913296.html 

Link to Dr. Vivek Murthy’s “My Parting Prescription to America”

 https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/my-parting-prescription-for-america.pdf