Out of the Fog with Karen Hager

Can you connect with your loved ones who have passed over? Sophia Demas says that when we die we simply shed our bodies, yet remain as conscious as you and I are right now. It is through consciousness that communication with departed loved occurs. This has garnered the attention of scientists and after-death communication (ADC) is a new field of study. Sophia’s here to share some true stories of signs, messages, and timing with the departed that have inspired her work and changed her life.

-----------

In her first book, The Divine Language of Coincidence, Sophia Demas chronicles the miracles she has experienced since the age of 19. After discovering the key to turning a coincidence into a potential miracle, she was propelled to share with the world how miracles are accessible to anyone. By paying attention to divine nudging and taking action, Sophia has enjoyed three diverse careers, had her marriage saved from the brink of divorce, and many other extraordinary events that have led her to her true purpose and has brought her sublime happiness. Her experiences related to death and after-death communications are incorporated in her second book, Consciousness Beyond Death, to be released in September 2023. Find out more at sophiademas.com.

I’m fascinated by the idea that there is a deeper connection between all of us than we can see. Our illusion that we are solitary can lead to a lot of pain … and it can also lead us to romanticize that pain and maybe wallow in it in a way that can be unhealthy.

On today’s show, you’ll meet Judy Wilkins-Smith. She says that we are shaped by patterns handed down by our ancestors—invisible multi-generational patterns of thoughts, feelings, actions, reactions, and choices that limit our responses to events and influence every decision of our lives, unconsciously running the show … but that this doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do to heal or change. Instead, she says, this truth can open a treasure chest of possibilities and growth.

----------

Judy Wilkins-Smith is an organizational, individual, and family patterns expert. A systemic executive coach, trainer, facilitator, thought partner, and leadership conference and motivational speaker, she has 18 years of expertise in assisting high-performance individuals, Fortune 500 executives, and legacy families to end limiting cycles and reframe challenges into lasting breakthroughs and peak performance.

As the Founder of System Dynamics for Individuals and Organizations, Judy collaborates with individuals and corporate decision-makers to implement innovative, ‘whole system’ design elements, ensuring balance, appetite for excellence, passion, and sustained success.

She is the author of Decoding Your Emotional Blueprint: A Powerful Guide to Transformation Through Disentangling Multigenerational Patterns. Find out more at judywilkins-smith.com, or connect with her on Facebook and Instagram @judywilkinssmith.

Have you forgotten that you are magic? Even though I know in the depths of my being that I am a child of the Divine and that Divine Light flows through me, sometimes I just feel like that schlumpy mom who ends up doing everyone’s laundry. Athena Monet, the Seaside Shaman, is here to help us find faith and magic in ourselves, even when life leads us astray.

----------

Athena Monet is a writer and contemporary shaman. Her Soul Medicine work uses traditional shamanic techniques, such as soul retrieval and shamanic journey; and a fusion of past life regression work, intuitive reading and Spirit therapy. She helps women navigate and free themselves from severe anxiety, depression and other mental, emotional, and physical manifestations of grief and trauma.

Athena enjoys dancing, writing, seaside living and empowering others to work with their own loving helpers of the Spirit World on their unique journeys toward healing. She’s the author of Leave With Love. Follow her on instagram @TheSeasideShaman and find classes, tools and resources on her website at www.seasideshaman.com.

What’s your decision-making style? Do you go with your gut and freefall into new things without worrying about it too much? Or do you think and re-think everything, trying to control every detail?

Most of us fall somewhere between these two extremes. Sarah Noble’s here to talk about how intuition can be used to inspire more balanced decision-making, leading to more powerful choices.

--------

Sarah Noble is a mystic, spiritual guide and transformational coach. She considers herself a portal between the seen and unseen worlds, and is devoted to creating spaces that allow people to feel fully alive and connected to their intuition. She’s the host of The Modern Day Intuitive podcast. Find out more about Sarah and her work at sarahnoble.com.

Are you in a daily battle with anxiety or depression? My guest today is Dr. Dan Tomasulo. He says that although anxiety disrupts the lives of millions of people, there is hope. He’ll share some tools to access the emotional skills that can help you shift your well-being into a more positive direction. Dr. Tomasulo calls this the Positivity Effect.

---------------

Dr. Dan Tomasulo is the Academic Director and core faculty at the Spirituality Mind Body Institute (SMBI), Teachers College, Columbia University; and is on the teaching staff at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Ph.D. in psychology, an MFA in writing, and a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Review Editor for Frontiers in Psychology, special section on Positive Psychology, and has been honored by Teachers College, Columbia University, with their 2021 Teaching Award.

Sharecare honors Dr. Tomasulo as a top-ten online influencer on the issue of depression. His new book, The Positivity Effect, was recently the #1 new release on Amazon for anxiety.

Learn more at dantomasulo.com and find resources by texting HOPE to 55444.

What happens when our sense of who we are gets turned upside down? It can be sparked by an unexpected lay-off or health crisis; a breakup or the arrival of a milestone, like a significant birthday or an empty nest.

My guest today is Linda Rossetti. She says we often misunderstand what’s happening at these times, and that makes us miss out on the advantages these moments bring.

--------------

Linda Rossetti is a business leader, Harvard MBA, former Fortune 500 executive, and pioneering researcher on individuals’ experience at the crossroads of their lives. She is the founder of The Transition Institute, LLC, a firm that partners with corporations, nonprofits and individuals on a new way to successfully move through major changes. Her work has been featured on NPR, NECN, CBS/WBZ, Money Magazine, SMARTBrief, the BBJ, and other outlets. Her new book is Dancing with Disruption: A New Approach to Navigating Life's Biggest Changes. Learn more at lindarossetti.com.

We are always changing. Sometimes that’s a delightful truth, and sometimes it feels like change is happening *to* us, and not *for* us.

My guest today is Susan Sutherland. She has deep insight into how we can move through change, and even consciously create it. It’s easy to fall out of touch with our inner voice, and Susan helps us start to listen again and find the heart of our next chapter.

------------

After 30 years in the corporate world and being a c-suite executive, Susan Sutherland established her coaching, mentoring and consulting practice. She helps leaders embrace their growth edges, and humans in transition seeking their "next chapter,” so they can create and respond to change, and manage transitions in ways that align with who they truly yearn to be. Susan and her spouse found their ‘next chapter’ in 2018 and now split their time between San Francisco and a ranch in rural South Africa, where they run a lodge/ guest house and retreat center. Find out more about Susan and her work at cleareyedcoaching.com.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how the negative things we experience can come to shape the way we see ourselves, other people, and the path before us. When I get scared, I have a tendency to try to distract myself or using coping habits that aren’t so great … like … donuts, for example.

My guest is Dr. Donna Marks. She says that we can find the voice of love … even when we’re in pain or fear … and that there is a path to a healing moment that lets us use pain as a doorway to happiness, meaning and purpose.  

-------

Dr. Donna Marks has been a licensed psychotherapist and addictions counselor in Palm Beach, Florida, for more than thirty years. Dr. Marks developed a chemical dependency training program at Palm Beach Community College, which has grown into a four-year degree and received the Florida Governor’s Council Award. She is also a certified gestalt therapist, psychoanalyst, hypnotist, sex therapist, and teaches A Course in Miracles; along with sharing her methods with hundreds of thousands of listeners on podcasts and radio shows. Her new book is The Healing Moment: Seven Paths to Turn Messes into Miracles of Love. Learn more about Dr. Marks at www.DrDonnaMarks.com.

Today’s show includes mention of suicide and other issues that may be triggering. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out for help. You can call or text 988 to be connected to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the US. In Canada, call 833-456-4566 any time.

In the face of indescribable loss, how can we find a way … day by day … to keep going? Denny Meek is my guest today. She wants to share openly about the challenges she’s gone through so that the shame, secrecy, and silence society puts around grieving (especially bereavement from suicide) and can instead find inspiration in what the human spirit is capable of. “If impossible experiences can be endured, they can bring untold personal growth,” she says.

---------

Denny Meek is an author, speaker, and a fighter.

Her book, Still Standing: A Mother’s Raw Journey from the Shadows of Loss to the Dawning of Hope, is a memoir that raises awareness domestic violence, infant loss, anorexia nervosa, teen suicide, and grief. The book is being used at three Australian universities to inform undergrad and post-grad students in health sciences, social work, psychology, education, and nursing.

Of her four children, three are deceased. One was lost to a rare heart disease as an infant, and two others committed suicide as teenagers. Denny was in two main relationships that subjected her to domestic abuse. She has had to confront many losses, pains, and challenging situations, but through it all, she has endured, survived, and learned to live again.

Her fulltime mothering was supplemented by a series of odd jobs, from unemployment project officer to bar staffer, from photographer to professional tarot reader, from video editor to teacher’s special aide. She lives in Australia with her adult son.

Find out more about Denny and her work at dennymeek.com.

Got negative thoughts? Dealing with depression or anxiety? I think a lot of us struggle with maintaining optimal mental health in these difficult times when it can feel like a new stressor lurks around every corner. Dr. Greg Hammer says that with daily practice, the brain can be rewired to combat negative thoughts. He’s developed a three-minute method for that, and he’s here to share it today.

--------------

Greg Hammer, MD is a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, pediatric intensive care physician, pediatric anesthesiologist, mindfulness expert, and the author of GAIN without Pain: The Happiness Handbook for Health Care Professionals. Find out more about Greg and his work at greghammermd.com.