PerfectWhelm with Eric Slivoskey: The Podcast That Helps Enhance Your Life

In the third and final segment of this mini-series on Personal Resilience, I offer 6 specific tools and strategies for helping us when we face difficult times, challenging circumstances, and life altering traumatic events.

The 6 strategies include:

-         Discover your resources and ask for help

-         Tune in to your situation & educate yourself 

-         “Aim small, miss small” is all about a narrow focus

-         Care about something greater than yourself

-         Find a few reasons to smile and tap into gratitude

-         Take a daily dose of your MEDS, and I’m not talking about actual medicine

Building and Cultivating Self-Awareness is the Path that Leads to Empowerment

As I wrap up the episode, I share some statements that my personal coaching clients have consistently offered me as feedback as a result/outcome of me working with them on a 1:1 basis.

-         “I feel better and more in control of my life.”

-         “I feel more equipped to handle my struggles and the negative thoughts and emotions I experience.”

-         “I’m more focused and more confident at school.”

-         “I better understand the importance of self-care, more easily recognize what stressors trigger me, and I’m more clear on how to ask for help when I need it.”

-         “I wish I’d learned these skills earlier in life.”

Links & Resources

-         Schedule a free discovery call with me.

-         Email: [email protected]

Please follow, subscribe, rate, and/or share the podcast with someone who you think might benefit from it.

In this solo episode, I talk about 3 separate tragedies that showed up in my youth, significant events that all happened in the first ten years of my life. 

I share how these situations laid the groundwork and a sort of foundation for me to cultivate a resilient mindset, even as my life was swirling with grief, deep loss, pain, fear, and uncertainty.

Some of the early building blocks of resilience that surfaced for me in my youth and continued on and evolved as I grew older include finding refuge in the social support of your significant others, connecting with a faith or personal belief system, and finding both distraction and fulfillment in the pursuit of one’s interests, hobbies, and passions.

Other lessons that I expand upon are how personal resilience can be enhanced by the connections we develop to nature and the physical world around us, as well as increasing our consciousness as it relates to becoming more accepting of uncertainty and the unknown, and more self-aware of the importance of acknowledging and expressing gratitude in our lives. 

The importance of realizing that there is power to be tapped into when we view pain through the lens of purpose and we utilize struggle and pain in our lives to help develop more empathy for ourselves and others. We get to choose and decide how we frame the reality of pain on our journeys. 

Towards the end of the show, I share how these 3 events taught me to be open to the idea that miracles can and do happen.  When we are open to the impossible, then we can permit what might seem like it’s impossible or hopeless to become truly possible. And we can build our personal resilience even stronger when we prioritize patience with ourselves and offer ourselves forgiveness and grace when we are dealing with tremendous obstacles and longer-term fallout that so often accompanies tragedies and even less intensive everyday trials.

Links & Resources

-         Schedule a free discovery call with me.

 -        Email: [email protected]

-         Please follow, subscribe, rate, and/or share the podcast with someone who you think might benefit from it

In this episode, I begin by using visual imagery to define the word resilience. The dictionary definition of resilience is the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties, and the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape.

I discuss how important a role mindfulness plays when it comes to gaining a better understanding of how impactful resilience can be in our lives. Mindfulness is that ability to pay attention on purpose without judgment.

We go deeper into descriptive language that talks about the properties of a mindset. A mindset can be fluid, dynamic, and very influential in terms of how we see ourselves, others, and our lives in general. Mindsets also play a role in terms of impacting the quality of our experiences, how we deal with change, how we communicate, and how we cope with life.

I elaborate on the current state of mental health in our country, and specifically how 60% of college age students have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. Since the pandemic, people are feeling an ever increasing intensity of negative emotions including anxiety, hopelessness, depression, and isolation.

Tune in to hear a more in depth discussion about why students are not always equipped with the necessary life skills or the resilience to deal with societal pressures.

Links & Resources:

-         Schedule a free discovery call with me: email [email protected]

-         Leave a rating or review of the Podcast on your favorite Podcast listening platform.

Today I talk about an experience I had while filming one of my early guest
episodes this past week. I had what I would describe as a social anxiety
panic attack. I experienced these reactions frequently in my teens and
twenties, and although they became less common in the past 25 years or
so… they can still appear without any notice.

For me, the onset of one of these attacks has been closely related to
having to introduce or tell about myself to others like in the beginning of the
year or semester or classroom, or meeting type of situation. The second
situation that I saw a pattern in over the years was when I would have to
read in front of others. With the Podcasts, I sort of have to do both of those
tasks and my mind and body reacted strongly yesterday. These attacks
are characterized by a racing heart, sweaty palms, a feeling of desperation,
and difficulty speaking… because I struggle to get enough air in my chest
and lungs to form words in a natural way. It literally makes talking feel
terrifying and nearly impossible.

I went into the specifics of sharing this encounter because I want to
normalize talking about uncomfortable things, inconvenient truths, and
discuss what it’s like to do hard things on this podcast. One of my recent
guests shared her thoughts that vulnerability is connection, and I couldn’t
agree more.

I also talk about how many of the things that we experience in our minds,
brains, and body don’t seem logical, but we are complex beings… and we
can be negatively impacted by major events in our childhood or our pasts
that trigger traumatic responses in our nervous system. I mention ACE’s
also known as Adverse Childhood Experiences and how they are
scientifically linked to irregularities in our brains, minds, and bodies.
I discuss the importance of learning to manage the moment with curiosity
and potentially somatic techniques when dealing with something like what
happened to me yesterday. When we open up about our perceived fears or
the things we believe we fail at, we take it out of the dark and bring it into
the light.

Towards the end of the show, I offer my perspective of the culture we live in
and how a heavy emphasis on winning, success, and being at the top can
sometimes overshadow the value and benefits of struggle and strain.
Losing and failing can teach us too, especially if we are willing to pay
attention and learn. One of the ways we can learn more about things like
trauma and the way our physical and emotional beings react to it is through
reading and research. In this particular episode, I mention the book “The
Body Keeps the Score” Brain, Mind, & Body in the Healing of Trauma.”
This book is written by Bessel Van Der Kolk.

Links & Resources:

-         Schedule a free discovery call with me: email [email protected]

-         Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

Building and growing a business can be tough when dealing with the challenges of hiring great staff, promoting your products, and managing costs. Being profitable when people are stealing from you on a daily basis or when curious customers turn into scam artists who want to destroy your business makes it even tougher.

In this episode of the podcast, I first share about how a busy and profitable night one December weekend evening during our Christmas rush turned into mayhem. I talk about how a ring of scam artists faked a medical emergency in the midst of dozens of customers, which ultimately led to security, police, and paramedics being called to the scene. A fortunate chain of events led me to one of the same attorneys that they were pleading to take their case, and that chance encounter helped me turn the tables on this ring of scammers who were demanding compensation and threatening to sue us.

In the second story, I share how 2 relatives who were involved in gang activity conspired to both get hired on by our company so they could set up their plans for thievery. Check out this episode to learn how we discovered what they were up to, how much they stole from us, and what the deal was with the secret envelopes. The brazen attitudes and bold behavior of these two criminals ultimately led to them being caught.

In the final segment of the show, I discuss some ideas for current or aspiring entrepreneurs, business owners, and those involved with side hustles on the importance of getting clarity on your values when being in business for yourself. Lastly, I share some important questions that entrepreneurs can ask of themselves along the lines of skills and abilities that may come natural, what outcome or service you might offer that solves a problem or addresses a need, and how significant it can be if we can just learn to practice giving ourselves permission to simply take that first step and get started.

Links & Resources

-        Schedule a free discovery call with me.

Email: [email protected]

-        Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

Building and maintaining a business and working a side hustle can often be difficult. There is sometimes lots of hours and very little yield or pay for the efforts and energy expended. Promotions don’t always work, marketing strategies often misfire, and the sacrifices required to get the job done are often unrecognized and underestimated. 

We must ask ourselves if we’re willing to make the necessary commitments required to help our business reach it’s full potential. 

I share how some of my business plans, ventures, and projects have fallen flat. It can be discouraging and disheartening, but I remind listeners that the best lessons in my life have come out of the well of rejection, struggle, pain, and uncertainty. 

In this episode, I also discuss how Resistance- that internal and universal force that works against our creative efforts and keeps us from doing the work we are meant to do…is a real obstacle for the artist or creator that must be overcome. Some examples of resistance include procrastination, fear of failure, self-doubts, perfectionism, and self-loathing. I offer ideas on how to confront and overcome resistance. 

In the final segment of this episode, I discuss a Retail Aqua Massage Business that Estalita and I started in 2000. I bring attention to the challenges we faced getting started, and the difficulties we encountered once we officially opened for business. 

Links & Resources:

- Schedule a free discovery call with me:

Email: [email protected]

- Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

What are some factors that lead someone down the path towards entrepreneurship? In this episode, I discuss the work culture in America and how it’s not set up to help us experience longevity, nor does it contribute to human flourishing. Many of us are working our whole lives and sacrificing tremendous parts of ourselves to make others’ dreams come true and to make large corporations even more profitable than they already are.

Why do so many people stay in soul sucking jobs that are draining the energy and life right out of them? So many people are willing to stay miserable because they are caught up in seeing a mirage that I refer to as “Someday Isle.” This is the belief that you will finally get to do all the things that you have been putting off someday many years down the road.

One of the biggest points I make in this episode is how European work culture and even their educational culture is very different from the United States. Listen in to better understand what I mean by “Sunday Afternoon Dread” and why Americans are the masters of the 3 day weekend.

I share how a 7 week cross country trip that I took with a friend shaped my view of desiring to create a future where I could be independent, free, and autonomous. On that same trip, I practiced a side hustle mentality and engaged in sales that in many ways created a path forward for me in operating businesses and starting new ventures.

In the final part of this podcast, I share a half dozen reasons why being an entrepreneur has been mostly beneficial and amazing for me. Much of it comes down to living out my values, like doing meaningful work, having more say in how I use my time, improving my core strengths and interests, devoting more of myself to serving others, practicing better self-care, and being more present with my family and friends.

Links & Resources:

-            Schedule a free discovery call with me: email [email protected]

-            Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts

What if you were to gain life altering clarity around the idea that overcoming your self-limiting beliefs is key factor in helping you to make significant progress towards your goals and become a better and more confident version of yourself?

In this episode, I’ll share where self-limiting beliefs come from, and how they hold us back, and why they are so difficult to shake.

Do you want to learn how to better recognize, confront, challenge, and push through any harmful beliefs you might have? I offer specific approaches in this episode.

When we confront the negative stories that we tell ourselves or the ones told to us by others, we must come to terms with deciding if we are willing to feel negative emotions on purpose to grow.

We’ll explore the idea that what you currently think and believe is largely based on what you’ve always thought and believed up until now. Confronting these negative beliefs is akin to bringing darkness into the light.

We discuss how our modern society and how the proliferation of technology and social media in our current world has diluted our focus, distracted us, and contributed to us often feeling disconnected from ourselves and others.

I share how beneficial using curiosity, humor, and self-compassion can be when challenging our self-limiting beliefs.

Did you know that Roger Bannister had to resist the limiting beliefs that critics placed upon him and carve his path to the first recorded sub 4 minute mile?

To wind things down, I offer specific examples of questions that you can utilize to gain clarity around your limiting beliefs, test the validity of them, and ask for evidence to see if they even have any sense of truth.

I close out the episode with a guided exercises that reflects on identifying a recurring self-limiting belief, and the ways we can create new thoughts/beliefs that better serve us on our journey through this life.

Links & Resources:

Schedule a free discovery call with me:

Email [email protected]

Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

Models and Systems give us a structured way to create the results we seek. In this episode, I discuss what is perhaps the most logical and simplest Model that I’ve ever come across in the area of Personal Development. This framework is easy to understand and straightforward in terms of implementation. In this information packed discussion, I offer a deep dive into the Model including definitions of each of the components, how the different components connect and relate to one another, and I reflect on some helpful nuggets I’ve uncovered from researching and applying the principles of this Model.

What are some major points that really stand out in this episode?

- Our brain is wired for our survival, so if we fail to intentionally observe, notice, and train our brains… it will lead us down a path of autopilot and default choices that generally aims to conserve energy, stay in predictable and familiar patterns, find ease, seek comfort, and avoid pain.

- Mindset lessons from Hunter Pinke, an energetic and enthusiastic young elite college athlete who faced many challenges after a spring break ski trip accident left him paralyzed from the chest down.

- If we look hard enough, we can often find some value and prosperity in the adversity that we face. We are more that anything that has ever happened to us.

- The thoughts that you choose to pay attention to today and decide to act on today… will create the realities of your tomorrow.

- Some mind blowing statistics on the daily number of and the characteristics of our thoughts.

- The liberating idea that THOUGHTS ARE NOT FACTS.

- When we use our imagination, our skills, and our creativity to shape our future… we begin thinking thoughts that are creating emotions that will drive our intentional actions, that will ultimately help us to achieve or at the very least move in the direction of progress towards the results and outcomes that we set out for ourselves.

- The Model in a Nutshell: We have both shared and unique circumstances that are facts about our lives.  We can choose and decide what thoughts we have about those circumstances. And… Our thoughts create our feelings-Our feelings determine our actions-Our actions determine our results.

Links & Resources:

Schedule a free discovery call with me:

Email [email protected]

Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

Real growth starts when you stop overthinking and start taking action, and that’s exactly what coaching can help you do. In this episode, I discuss how coaching empowers people to break free from limiting beliefs and take action toward meaningful goals. I walk through the GROW model, a powerful framework for setting goals, assessing where you are now, exploring options, and committing to a plan.

People come to coaching for all kinds of reasons - burnout, stress, or just feeling stuck. One of the most important things I teach is how to connect goals to a “hard why” because when your goals are tied to something meaningful, they become much more achievable. I share my own 70-pound weight loss journey as an example of how clarity and purpose drive real change.

One of the biggest lessons in this episode? Growth requires discomfort. I call it the “currency” of success because real transformation happens outside your comfort zone. When you embrace creativity, push past fear, and commit to taking action, you build momentum that lasts. Coaching isn’t just about hitting goals. It’s about becoming the person who can achieve them!

In this episode, I discuss:

• What coaching is and what it isn’t and reasons why someone might want to work with a coach
• A breakdown of the GROW model, a structured coaching framework
• The importance of a “hard why” when it comes to reaching your goals
• Why growth requires discomfort 
• How coaching can help you create sustainable momentum

Links & Resources:

• Schedule a free discovery call with me: email [email protected].
• Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts.