Pieces To Wellness

It's often said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Another perspective, one that applies to our mental health, is that each of us is beholden to our own preconceived patterns of distinguishing beauty from ugliness, joy from sadness, right from wrong. Good news, these patterns are flexible. We can adapt and grow.

Black and white thinking can be very attractive. It feels decisive and at times gives us the illusion of control over external events and circumstances. However, this illusion is just that. Too often, either/or thinking causes us to overgeneralize, and can even lead to stereotyping and gives bias the upper hand. Most importantly, when we limit our choices to black OR white, even black AND white, we miss everything in between. Yes the grey that comes from blending the ends of the spectrum. AND the rainbow of colorful possibility and nuance in between. And those colors, that's where the glimmers are: hope, possibility, dreams, potential. Enjoy this episode full of inspiration and support as you work your way through the colors of your days.

Is there something you're struggling with? Or something you'd like to hear us discuss?
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Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness…
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This week, your favorite dynamic duo welcomes coach Jon as our guest. Jon is a man of varied talents, interests, and experiences, one of which being that he holds the distinction of knowing Tim longer than Karen has!

Jon is a coach of many kinds, including athletic coaching as well as life and health coaching. He applies his years of experience cooking professionally and a lifelong interest in nutrition in his coaching business SolomWise. SolomWise is named for biblical figure King Solomon who has been described as coach of coaches. Jon's strong faith in Christ is also foundational to the wisdom he shares with others.

Jon shares with us some successful components of his platform of encouraging and supporting people by using nutrition to improve their wellness and elevate their life experience. He invites us and others to consider what lens we're looking through when we evaluate our life circumstances, reminding us that habit changes only stick if there's a belief change. 

You'll get lots of practical tips here to improve your overall health and wellbeing. If you want to reach out to Jon and see what he's all about, check him out on IG @headchef_2994 or FB @Head Chef. 

Is there something you're struggling with? Or something you'd like to hear us discuss?
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend!
Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness…
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This week the Instigator and the Yogi are back with our repeat guest and fan favorite Dave! Dave likes to take us swimming in the deep end conversationally, and this time we're diving into the subject of dating, relationships, and mental health.

We start from a place of common ground, the position that interpersonal relationships, particularly romantic ones, when going well, can be a boost to one's mental health, and that the opposite is also true. When we're struggling with our romantic and/or other relationships, we are often also struggling in terms of our mental health. And that's where the conversation gets interesting!

From there we get into communication strategies, love languages, self awareness, identifying the differences between wants, needs, and priorities, and so much more! Including, how does one know when it's time to throw in the proverbial towel? Let us know what resonates for you!

Is there something you're struggling with? Or something you'd like to hear us discuss?
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend!
Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness…
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This week the Dynamic Duo are delighted to welcome back Jen DeGroff of TrueIcon Inc. Jen joins a very elite group of repeat Pieces to Wellness guests, welcome Jen! 

Jen shares her journey with us of leaving the corporate world to follow her dreams and develop a platform through which she shares her strengths with others. Rooted in authenticity and resilience, TrueIcon Inc. helps people take bold action toward their goals. Jen's services through TrueIcon include public speaking, adaptive and inclusive fitness, 1:1 coaching, group workshops, and she has a podcast! Check out The TrueIcon podcast HERE.

Jen followed a series of epiphanies to create TrueIcon Inc. Through her own lived experiences, she developed a unique perspective on values-driven growth, saw a gap in what services and supports existed to help others acheive confidence and success, and set out to fill that gap well. She tells us that we don't build strength unless we push ourseves and that we learn the most by trying and failing (hint: if you're not failing at least some of the time, you may have more room to push yourself!). For example, if you're learning to ride a bike, you learn by failing and falling. This teaches you the things you need to do (or not do) to avoid falling, and ride on.

If you want to listen to more about Jen's story, check out the TrueIcon podcast episode about Jen HERE. And, if you want to listen to Jen's first Pieces to Wellness episode, #104, that's available HERE. Follow Jen on IG @beatrueicon for regular doses of inspiration and motivation. You'll be glad you did!

Is there something you're struggling with? Or something you'd like to hear us discuss?
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend!
Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness…
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Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below:

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This week the Instigator and the Yogi are back to our roots, talking friend to friend, peer to peer, about what's going on for us. Our topic? How do we find, maintain, cultivate grace under pressure? 

Let's face it, life is challenging, and emotions are compelling. They are designed to get our attention, and sometimes are meant to help us determine our next step. A term we hear regularly these days is emotional regulation, which relates to our ability to manage our emotional response relative to what's going on in the external world. Managing emotions sometimes feels like trying to wrangle a beast, or calm a storm, particularly when this is a skill we haven't had much practice with.

And that's the thing, regulating our emotions, exhibiting grace under pressure, is a practice; it requires effort and consistence. If we tend to be emotionally reactive, this can be a sign that we are operating on autopilot, which for many of us consists of patterns of behavior shaped by past experiences, present circumstances, and the resulting reactions which are not always healthy - at least not for us! When one is emotionally regulated (a state which comes and goes), there tends to be a pause between the physiological emotion (which lasts about 90 seconds) and the response. That pause? That's where your power is. Listen to us dig into this and share with a friend!

Is there something you're struggling with? Or something you'd like to hear us discuss?
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend!
Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness…
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Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below:

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This week we're stoked to welcome Nick to the show. Nick is a physical therapist by day, and a musician, well, all the time. He's the guitarist for local band Gozer, and the brains behind the upcoming Joint Jam on 10/10 at Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs, NY. This event brings together 9 local and touring bands and emphasizes community and wellness through partnership with HeartSupport Upstate NY. 

One of the things the three of us agree on right away is that healing is multifaceted and one of the facets or “pieces” to that, is music. Music is the universal language. Music is healing. Nick shares with us how the themes of community and music are celebrated where he works, Capital Area Physical Therapy & Wellness. They've integrated music into their work with patients as well as their interactions with each other in creative, interesting ways to stay humble, hungry, and motivated. 

Given the many ways music inspires movement, connection, and community, Nick has created the first Joint Jam, which weaves together all of these key pieces to wellness. The Instigator and the Yogi of course share our perspectives on how we connect these pieces in our own lives. If you want to get tickets to Joint Jam click HERE ($15 in advance/$20 at the door). To find out more about Gozer, go to gozerny.com or check them out on IG @gozer_music.

Is there something you're struggling with? Or something you'd like to hear us discuss?
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend!
Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness…
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Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below:

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This week we are delighted to welcome a dear friend to the show. Suzanne O'Connor is one of Karen's seminary sisters. She lives in the Capital Region and recently published a memoir about her relationship with her sister Nancy titled, "'I Don't Want to Be Mean or Anything' said my Special Sister to the World". Available on Amazon HERE.

Suzanne's sister Nancy lived with multiple mental health and developmental challenges, which Suzanne describes in her book and with us with honesty, dignity, grace, and humor. We dig into the complexities of growing up in a large family with a sibling with special needs, and explore how relationships with family evolve greatly over time. She shares heart-wrenching stories of how a system based on recovery was often insufficiently able to meet the needs of people with persistent mental illness like Nancy.

Nancy was well-known for her natural gregariousness, her blunt statements of truth - sometimes silly/funny, often deeply profound, and her general selfless nature. Her insights were often spot-on, and her Nancy-isms are bound to bring a smile to your face! 

If you're interested in reading Suzanne's book, it's available for purchase HERE.

Is there something you're struggling with? Or something you'd like to hear us discuss?
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend!
Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness…
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Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below:

Send us Fan Mail

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In recognition of September as suicide awareness and prevention month, our guest conversations this month are with people whose lives have been affected by suicide. This week, Pieces to Wellness is honored to share a really special conversation we had with Justine. 

Justine's brother Ryan died by suicide, and we admire her bravery in sharing her experience with such honest vulnerability. What Justine did next is truly extraordinary. She used her pain as motivation to raise suicide awareness in the construction industry where she works. We were fascinated to learn that the AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) has an initiative targeting suicide prevention in construction called Hard Hat Courage. Click the link to learn more! In fact, Construction Suicide Prevention Week occurs annually, to learn more, click HERE.

It was especially touching when Justine talked with us about her brother Ryan. Her love for her big brother shone through in every word. Justine's team for this year's AFSP Walk (Capital Region Walk for RITA) is Ryan's Relic Band. In fact, this whole conversation is genuine, honest, and filled with compassion. Please share it with someone you love.

Is there something you're struggling with? Or something you'd like to hear us discuss?
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend!
Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness…
Like, Follow, Share 🧩

Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below:

Send us Fan Mail

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https://a.co/d/h7AQf91

This week's episode is short and sweet, and hopefully one you'll come back to over and over. One of the pieces that's been especially transformative for Karen's wellness is meditation, and this week she shares a guided meditation.

One of the most common myths about meditation is that if you find yourself having to refocus on meditating over and over, then you're doing it wrong. In fact, refocusing on meditating over and over is what meditation is. Like most of the pieces we share, practice = progress, and meditation is no different. We don't strive for perfection here, there's no such thing.

Karen shares a relatively simple 5 minute guided meditation, and we hope that you'll listen to this part as often as you need to incorporate meditation into your wellness/self-care practices. 

Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected] and share your requests with us!
Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend!
Remember - The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness…
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Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below:

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https://a.co/d/h7AQf91

Things do get better … 

This week, we are honored to welcome Kristen Christy to the podcast. Kristen is co-creator of 988, the suicide and crisis lifeline. In the 4 years since 988 became available, they have responded to 23.3 MILLION calls/texts/chats. Literally saving lives each and every day.

Kristen describes herself as a hope dealer; she continuously spreads the message that hope is not cancelled. And what is hope? Hope can be the invitation to Help One Person Everyday or the message: Hold On, Pain Eases. Kristen leans on her role as a military spouse to reframe experiences, and reminds us that by asking for help, we give other people hope.

We also get into some of the nitty gritty of building and providing suicide awareness and prevention. We encourage people to develop a safety plan  consisting of 3 warning signs that you may need help, 3 reasons to stay alive, and 3 people to call. Sometimes prevention is intervention. Kristen also talks with us about post-vention, what to do after a crisis. This recovery period includes caring for the person who's had a crisis in a way that facilitates belonging and connection.

It bears repeating, 988 is a literal lifeline. Share this episode with someone you care about!

Is there something you're struggling with? Or something you'd like to hear us discuss?
Reach out on IG @piecestowellness or shoot us an email at [email protected].
Please check out our other episodes and tell a friend!
Remember -  The road to a better you is paved with pieces to wellness…
Like, Follow, Share 🧩

Get a copy of Tim's book, Never Underestimate the Power of You by clicking the link below:

Send us Fan Mail

Follow us on IG, Subscribe, Rate & Share!  

https://a.co/d/h7AQf91