Meanderings with Trudy

As we explore our experience of aging, we need to be in the present moment. And the best way I know how to do that is to enter through experiencing what is real in our bodies. I’ll lead you into a wee sitting practice, using a body scan, and then offer a few prompts for writing that will help you explore this for you.

Today, I encourage you to explore your body as a gateway into how you are right now. For as long as you want to write, I invite you to explore what has surprized you about your body. Times you felt strength you didn’t know you had. Or maybe, how you found you actually like the crows’ feet around your eyes, the smile lines that transmit to the world your joy-filled perspective on life.

Write with as much detail as you wish and explore what has surprized you about your body.

Write all you want, for as long as you want, until you feel complete. I recommend you determine a time you want to write for, say 8 minutes, and write that whole time. Keep your pen moving on the page, and just see what comes up. This writing is between you and the page, no need to share with anyone.

If you have any thoughts about how you did, or have any age-related topics you want to explore, drop me a line at [email protected] and I'll have a look.

Episode Links:

The book I read from is "Consolations: The solace, nourishment and underlying meaning of everyday words” by David Whyte

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I am so glad you're here! This is our first in these meditation and journaling opportunities as we explore ourselves and the concept of aging.

When Cheryl and I started this journaling club, we wanted to introduce people to the concept of "liminal space" which is really just a fancy way of saying we are in a space or time of change. With this meditation, we settle in as if it were the first time ever into a meditation practice. A very short one. Just to whet our appetite. Then I offer you the following writing prompts to play with:

First – what is the most significant change you’ve faced in your life in your past? What helped your through that time? And second – what change are you facing in your life today? What resources do you have now that will help? 
Write all you want, for as long as you want, until you feel complete. I recommend you determine a time you want to write for, say 8 minutes, and write that whole time. Keep your pen moving on the page, and just see what comes up. This writing is between you and the page, no need to share with anyone.

If you have any thoughts about how you did, or have any age-related topics you want to explore, drop me a line at [email protected] and I'll have a look.

Episode Links:

The book I read from is "Consolations: The solace, nourishment and underlying meaning of everyday words” by David Whyte

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

I missed you guys, and so while I am still thinking about next steps for this podcast, I wanted to stay connected with you. So I am sharing here a short meditation and writing prompt that I am already writing for my friend Cheryl's journalling group. I'll drop a meditation and writing prompt-based episode every second and fourth Tuesday of the month until Christmas, when I will reassess. Our first meditation and journalling prompt will land on October 13, 2026.

I hope you like this wee offering, and give yourself the gift of time to explore yourself in the arc of change by exploring the writing prompts on offer. 

Feel free to drop me a line and let me know how it's going. I'm always available at [email protected].

Episode Links:

Meander with Cheryl Marita

Meander with Callum Lurie

The book I reference is "Embers: One Ojibway's Meditations" by Richard Wagamese

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

All good things end, or at least pause, and that's what I talk about in this meander.

I feel the need to clear space so I'm closing this season, and this podcast, down for a while. It's time. The pandemic, the genesis of my work, has long since ended, and while the world tumult and our fears around change have only intensified, I need a rest from monthly production. I may come back in future, but right now, I need a break.

I have tried to show up in this space cleanly, and share with you what is in my heart and mind, with honest clarity. And this episode is no different.

If Meanderings has landed in your heart and helped you in some way, I'd love to hear about it. You can reach me at [email protected]. Drop me a line; I read everything you send. 

Thank you for joining me for any and all meanders, it has been my pleasure to sit with you and show you how joy in the every day shows up in the lives of my guests, in books that I love, and in my own life.

Be well.

Episode Links:

Trudy's Blog on her coaching website

Trudy's Substack  

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Thank you for joining me as we tie up any loose ends in our book review of “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brené Brown. This has been a journey of exploration for all of us, as I've shown my work in applying the guideposts in my life. It has been a pleasure to offer these windows into one way of using her work. I hope, if it feels right to you, that you find your way into doing something similar.

I hope this book review has been of service to you in your life. Please, if you have comments you'd like to share, shoot me a note at [email protected]. And share this episode around, talk about the ideas with your friends and family. I do think these practices can make a difference in your life and in the quality of your relationships.

Episode Links:

Trudy's substack, and her blog

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

If you ever wondered about the life of a Canadian actor, this is the show for you! Callum has worked for the last seven years in Canadian musical theatre. He's been featured in playhouses from the province of Ontario eastward to the Canadian Maritimes, and has done some TV and a little voice-over work too. When he's not acting, he's teaching in schools in the greater Toronto area... a pairing that he enjoys, keeps him engaged in life, and helps to pay the bills.

I hope you like this meander. Please tap that "like" button, and share this episode around because no advertising is as good as word of mouth. Shoot me comments at [email protected], I'd love to hear from you!

Episode Links:

Callum's Instagram

The County Stage Company, where Callum appears this summer in "First Date" and "Pinocchio"

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Yes, this will be the last PauseCast for a while. Maybe a long while. I’ve decided to close this chapter of the podcast, and if "Meanderings with Trudy" comes back, it will be in a different form. So this is the last of these PauseCasts, and we dive deeply into endings. We explore why endings matter, and what that means for bringing presence to our experience. And how endings can draw attention to the soul of our being human.

Please drop me a line if anything piqued your interest at [email protected]. And share this episode around. Thank you for sharing your ears with me over these last six years, and these many episodes with Angie. Such conversations matter. 

Episode links:

Information about Angie’s community event in June is via Big Stone House

Two poets we talked about and read from today include: Richard Wagamese’s “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations” and David Whyte’s “Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words”

Marie Kondo, Japanese American expert on how to tidy, in a meaningful way.

Robin Wall Kimmerer, "Braiding Sweetgrass"

Liz Bucar, "Beyond Wellness"

Angie's substack, "The Bigger Picture"

Trudy's substack, "Meanderings with Trudy"

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

As this podcast is about joy in the everyday, I'm bringing you deeply into what brings me joy, today. We meander through the story of my garden, and how my mother helped me build my garden and her legacy to me. A gift that keeps on giving.

As I meandered, I realized how every plant has a story. Most every plant was a gift to me from someone. The lavender from my brother Steve, the hydrangea from my friend Mary, the allium from my Dad and so on. A community garden of a sort.

I hope you enjoy this little window into my world, as it stands right now. If you have comments you'd like to share, please shoot me a note at [email protected]. 

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

We’re now covering the ninth and tenth guideposts to wholehearted living – cultivating meaningful work, and cultivating laughter, song and dance.

I hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode widely. If you have questions or comments, please send them to me at [email protected]. I will address them in the next episode.

Episode links:

The 2010 TedTalk that started Brené’s rise to international helper

Biography

Brené Brown podcast “Dare To Lead” with Adam Grant on her new book

We did another deep dive into Martha Beck’s “The Joy Diet: Ten Daily Practices for a Happier Life.” You can find the first episode here. The rest unfold after that. 

Gordon Lightfood’s “Song for a Winter’s Night” is my favourite; and “The Last Farewell” is my favourite by Roger Whitaker

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.

Career coach Michelle Schafer returns to the podcast, but this time, we talk to her from the seat of her expertise as a career coach. Michelle has been on the podcast twice already. Both times we explored how she faced down adversity: once as she healed from breaking her leg, the other as she hiked to Machu Picchu in Peru. And both times, she had to draw on deep inner resources to persevere. 

Today, we talk about the very difficult job market people are facing. Fewer jobs, more people looking, the encroachment of tech eradicating whole sectors of work. It’s tough out there. It’s an exhausting environment, and resilience is that much more important. 

Relationships connect us to job opportunities, and support us as we do the shift. Michelle speaks to this and so much more in our meander: what does it take to navigate through this job market, and how can we stay positive in the process?

You can find her award-winning book, "Cultivating Career Growth, Navigating Transitions with Purpose" at your local independent bookstore. And you can read about it on her website. (You can also find it on Amazon.)

Michelle is just a delight to chat with; her clients are well-served by her effervescent outlook on life and vast array of support to offer them in their coaching adventure. 

Please drop me a line if anything piqued your interest at [email protected]. And share this episode around, and if you’re of a mind, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode links:

Michelle’s coaching company is called: Michelle Schafer Coaching. Here are the links to her previous episodes: healing from a broken leg, and hiking in Peru.

As always, this podcast is sponsored by the guests who give of their time, and by my company, Chapman Coaching Inc.

Royalty free music is gratefully received and is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Live life joyfully, and always let kindness guide you.