Meanderings with Trudy

We start our meander with a reading from Richard Wagamese (Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) novelist, journalist, and mentor), a passage from his book "Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations" which I think is really about hope. How it’s not enough to be resilient if being so means bouncing back to the same place… what he wants for himself, and offers to us, is to reach Beyond resilience, to a new place of growth, each day. Angie and I wrestle with “resilience” and from this place I ask a few basic questions: do we need resilience to be capable of rebirth? And how does the Enneagram support rebirth? And finally, if personal development is an inside job, how does community fit in?

The funny thing about the Enneagram, and personal development in general, is that the work is both an inside and an outside job. Inside as we look at ourselves and our habits of behaving, believing, and so on so we can see how they serve us. Outside as we need support, and to be held to account, as we do the inner work.  And in community, in contact and communion with each other, we create something more than ourselves. 

Just as the Enneagram gives us a mirror to see ourselves, there is often a lot there about ourselves that we see that we just don’t like. And here’s where community comes in – as its best, community is a supportive place where people who care about us help us see who we are, and help us sit with those things about ourselves that we don’t like. In community, we get the strength to look at who we are, without judgement but with great kindness, enabling us to see how that serves us, or not. And then change, if we wish. Rebirthing ourselves... as we shift.

I hope you’ll stick with us as we explore. And please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to [email protected].  We believe these meanderings matter, and we hope you do too. So please share.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

milk and honey, by rupi kaur

"Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations", by Richard Wagamese

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to [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.

In episode 2 on the enneagram, we tackle wholeheartedness, relationship and heart using the lens of the Enneagram. Angie and I also “show our work” here as we wrestle with the concepts, and how to keep things accessible to listeners at all levels of familiarity with the framework…. Not an easy task.

In short, the Enneagram helps us see ourselves. It really is a practice of paying attention: to our habits and long held beliefs, those we have inherited and those we have nurtured ourselves through life, all so we can see how we are showing up, or not showing up, in our relationships. Relationships first with our selves, and then, with others. Using awareness and presence, we can learn to see how we unknowingly protect ourselves from heartbreak in nine different ways. Reminder: the Enneagram model has nine main personality types… hence the “nine different ways” we protect our hearts from harm.

As mentioned in the last episode, we are exploring the Enneagram as a practice of presence. Today, we wrestle with the question: what if the secret to life isn’t about becoming a better person (ie. self-improvement) but is simply about being more human (ie. more real, more compassionate)? Can the Enneagram to help us do that? We believe it can. Listen in and let us know… do you agree? 

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

The Riso Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (RHETI) assessment at The Enneagram Institute, look under “Testing Center” tab at the top of the landing page

About Thomas Merton’s life and writings

Brené Brown on wholeheartedness

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to [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.

Episode one: The Enneagram. I laid the table at the end of January 2023 with my genesis story of the Enneagram and today, Angie shares hers… and a whole lot more. So what is this thing, the Enneagram? Is it a tool or a model to make me “better?” Is it a map, or an app? Is this an alone thing or do I need community? If it supports spiritual development, does that mean it is religious?

We meander all over the topic of what the Enneagram is, how it outlines types of personalities but so much more. When push comes to shove, Angie tells us, it really is a practice of presence. That is the ultimate purpose, and invitation: to be present to who we really are, in service of shining our own light into this world.

Understanding the Enneagram in this way, from a place of presence, makes it possible to feel with and for eachother. But, and here’s the rub: that’s uncomfortable; it may demand that we change who we think we are so we have room for others… and so, we don’t take up the invitation to ask the big questions about who we be, we allow ourselves to be defined by the behaviours of our type, excusing our challenging behaviour with an “that’s just what I was built to do”, and move on.

Yet the gift of insight and personal development offered by this model is astounding, if you tough it through the work, if you’d let your soul truly shine. There are few places in this world where we spend time asking the big questions of life anymore, but that’s what we’re trying to do here with this series of episodes about the Enneagram.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Comedian Rob Delaney’s interview on CBS, showing the power of human connection, of being seen

The quote Angie was trying to share was from Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

“Old Turtle and the Broken Truth” by Douglas Wood

“Start Close In” by David Whyte

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to [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.

Today, we meander On Wonder, and wrap up the fall season in anticipation of our winter break. Like our previous topic, On Reverence, On Wonder came to us as a bit of a surprise. It felt like a natural follow on from On Reverence, and is deeply connected to joy, so… here we are. Wonder, like reverence, and grace, is hard to define. This is a particular problem in English as wonder means many things: one type of wonder links directly to awe, and another links to control, expectation, and fear, among other things. So, Angie and I delve into this and so much more as we briefly revisit the other topics covered so far this year.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. We’ll be back with another PauseCast in March, 2024. If you have comments or questions, or topics you’d like us to cover, please send them to [email protected]. Please subscribe, share our work widely, and give us a review to tease the algorithms. 

Happy New Year everyone!

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

M.A.S.H.

“This is Water” by David Foster Wallace

FaceBook post on Advent by Laura Barnes, provided by Angie

‘It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” sung by Rosanne Cash, the poem Angie read in our meander, and on the origins of the poem

“The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy – book, and movie (trailer)

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

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.

One of the things I love about talking with Melissa is that she IS a podcaster herself. Meandering with her is kind of like playing badminton…she so easily slips into interview mode, batts me the birdie giving me space to wonder about my past as a parent, for example, and then I batt it back to her and she gets to talk about Beyoncé! Such is the gift of talking with people in this big world of ours.

Melissa is from New York City and loves the hustle of the big city. She talks about wonder as it comes up in her life, living now on Staten Island, with her parents in the home where she grew up. And how she still can see the stars at night, and they remind her of wonder in the world. I hope you enjoy this meander with her as we go far and wide on topics that matter to us.

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Melissa’s podcast is called “Making Way,” a podcast about finding your path in life. She interviews a wide range of people, and gives them each space to tell their story, sharing their wisdom. Give it a listen!

Beyoncé

“Hawaii”, by James Mitchner, published in 1959 when Hawaii joined the US as the 50th state

Fort Frances, Ontario

“The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse” by Charlie Mackesy – book, and movie (trailer)

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to [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.

Today, we meander On Reverence. We landed in this space unexpectedly in our previous PauseCast, when we explored On Worry, and Angie talked about how worry is a human response that takes us away from reverence. And reverence, well, last week Angie told us that “…reverence is a recognition of awe and wonder for all of life…” This week, she built on that saying that “…reverence is to see life as a gift… It is a mindset.” At its most basic, I think its a way of being open to the rawness of the world – beauty and hardship – and it is supported/made possible by all kinds of things… grace, pause, light, hope, peace, joy and love, among others... which is what Angie and I talk about today. 

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share our work widely, give us a review to tease the algorithms. If you have comments or questions, please send them to [email protected].

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

Richard Wagamese, “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations”

The link Angie promised us today can be found here: American Symphony

And finally, as a wee present for reading this far, a jazzy rendition of This Little Light of Mine.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

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.

In chapter two of Dina’s book, we’re looking at reconciling loss. We start with last month’s exercise to look at our loss maps, and my extrapolation out, looking at belonging. It’s a great example of how to do the exercise and apply the learning to our own lives. Dina tells us that reconciling loss is about reasserting harmony in our experience, and with the insight from my loss map, I find more harmony inside myself when issues of belonging come up. Belonging, and so much more, is part of this episode.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to move out of your loss map and see how you’ve reconciled those losses you found. Start with one loss you've noticed, and move on from there. With a kind and non-judgemental mind, what do you see?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at [email protected].

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

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.

Today we meander around Worry… what it looks like, feels like, and how it connects to joy. To be honest, there seems like a lot to worry about these days, maybe it has always been this way, I can’t say. But today, today’s days feel heavy. 

In a nutshell, worry is about control of how we want things to be but are concerned that they won’t be. It’s about “should be” things… so, how do we find our way through this? How do I keep my heart open, no matter what is happening? It won’t surprise you to hear us say that awareness and presence are key to working with this. Of course, I pull in some wisdom from author Richard Wagamese about this work being an inside job, and the role of stillness in finding our balance. And Angie shares her wisdom with us about worry and joy, and how community and stillness help. As always, I love this conversation… I do love them all.

I hope you’ll enjoy this episode. Please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to [email protected].

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

Richard Wagamese, “Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations”

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

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.

Resilience... that's what lies at the heart of today's meander.

Michelle is a career coach and what I noticed is how she used her recovery experience in her blog where she writes to people facing career transitions. “Find joy in the journey” is a guiding principle that helps her in both her life and her work.

A big insight also came to her while she was in recovery – that people really did want to help her, all she had to do was make her needs known. In a very real way, asking for help, and accepting it, was a gift she could offer to others. 

The big invitation to listeners coming out of this episode is to practice the “pause.” When you listen to this meander with Michelle, you’ll hear this practice explained. Give it a try, and if you’re of a mind, shoot me a note at [email protected] and let me know how it went, and how it helped you in your life.

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Michelle Schafer Coaching. You can also find her on LinkedIn.

An article from the BBC on the Persian poet, Hafiz.

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

Please send thoughts and comments to [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.

Today’s PauseCast continues our dive into the bigger topic of Change. Last session we looked at abundance and scarcity, and we often see these two as opposites. But… the opposite of abundance isn’t scarcity, it’s actually Enough. At least we think so. 

This is a real wrestle folks… as we meandered around, we realized just how difficult a topic this is to get our arms around. How do we approach the concept of enough? How much enough is actually enough? And yes, Angie brought the movie “Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” into the mix… a movie she loves but I’ve never seen. Too. Much. Fun. 

As this podcast is about joy in the every day, Angie links us back to community and sacred moments when we share what we have as individuals with one another, creating a sense of enough. Community and sharing creates a sense of “enough,” at least for Angie. What’s your view? Let us know what you think!

Please, share our work widely, give us a review or a drop us a few stars. If you have comments or questions, please send them to [email protected].

Episode links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Big Stone House

Khalil Gibran, The Prophet

“Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”

Brené Brown on Enough

Anne Lamott (American author) on enough, and turning 68

Royalty free music is called 

Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma

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.