Seeds of Sunshine - A mother-daughter podcast

Season Three, Episode 117

Join your hosts, Carmen and Sophia Micsa, to learn how to dance your way to health with Jennifer Jimenez. 

Jennifer is the co-founder of Brave Thinking Institute, an expert faculty member and trainer, and the founder and director of the Health & Well-Being Division. She is a trailblazing leader in personal transformation, health, and well-being. As the Founder and Director of the Health & Well-Being Division at Brave Thinking Institute, she has inspired and empowered thousands worldwide to live healthier, more joyful, and purpose-driven lives. 

Jennifer has been prominently featured on DC News Now, Authority Magazine, NBC, ABC, and many more. She has also graced stages alongside legendary thought leaders such as Marianne Williamson, Maya Angelou, Byron Katie, Bob Proctor, Wayne Dyer, and Deepak Chopra.

“TranscenDance™ is the secret language of your soul, it is a healing balm for your body, a pathway for transformation, and a safe haven for your inner-most thoughts, feelings, and dreams to be expressed freely.” - Jennifer Joy Jiménez

On this Seeds of Sunshine episode: 

• Brave Thinking Institute. Learn about Jenifer's mother, who was a thought leader. She spent the last 50-plus years studying the art and science of creating and living a life you love through transcendental studies, universal spiritual principles, success, and mindset.
• Jennifer's mother encouraged her to dream big. Jennifer wanted to become a professional dancer and sacrificed a lot to achieve her goal. 
• TranscenDance modality, which Jennifer teaches to people worldwide, is recognized globally as a transformative movement practice.
• Although you think you are bad at dancing, Jennifer believes that we're actually all born dancers.
• TranscenDance connects people with that higher power, with their souls. Jennifer believes that allowing that soul self to dance allows the human body to expand in health, vitality, strength, and mobility.

To connect with Jennifer, please follow her:

TranscenDance (@transcendanceglobal) • Instagram photos and videos

(4) Facebook

Health & Well-Being - YouTube

Support the show

Full editing credit & art design to my daughter Sophia Micsa. 
There are three ways to support our podcast:
1.  You can become a monthly subscriber to our podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1999885/support to help us continue our journey of sprinkling as many seeds of sunshine your way. When you become a subscriber, we will also give you a shout-out on our next episode and promote your business! No strings attached and you can cancel at any time.
2. Please donate any amount at https://ko-fi.com/carmenmicsa.
3. To follow me on social media, buy my books, or contact me about real estate, please visit https://linktr.ee/carmenmicsa, or email me at [email protected]

Season Three, Episode 116

Join your hosts, Carmen and Sophia Micsa, to learn more about Angela Beyer’s inspiring journey to Miss Universe in bodybuilding. 

Angela Beyer's achievements span a wide range, from successful bodybuilding competitions to winning titles such as Miss Florida, Miss USA, and Miss Universe. She has also delved into celebrity training and authored a health and fitness book. 

Furthermore, Angela founded House of Shape, offering women the guidance they need to attain their fitness goals. Angela has garnered recognition for her accomplishments, and her work has been featured in prestigious publications such as All Star Magazine Germany, Flex Magazine, Florida Sun Magazine, Global Trade Magazine, and Naples Daily News. Today, Angela works with CEOs, entrepreneurs, high-level executives, top-class athletes, and clients worldwide, empowering them to rapidly increase their energy levels, transform their bodies, and enhance their mental clarity. 

On this Seeds of Sunshine episode:

• Angela was born and raised in Germany. At 30, she came to the United States to learn English and fell in love with the country. Although she was a banker in Germany, she decided to focus on bodybuilding to win Miss USA and obtain her green card.  
• Angela competed at the Miss USA in Los Angeles, a big show, and she won Miss USA. After that, she qualified for Miss Universe and got busy doing her homework to succeed. 
• Bodybuilding was Angela’s lifestyle. She ate very clean, measured her food, and worked out consistently. The workouts were intense, but she had a goal in mind about how she wanted to look.
• Angela advises listeners to add strength training and movement into their daily lives. Her clients vary in age from 16 to her oldest client, 92.  
• So young women really need to understand that they have to move way more than they do right now, not be so focused on their devices. If they want to listen to a podcast or something, do it outside when they are on a run or on a walk or something. 
• Angela thinks it’s important to incorporate activity and movement daily.
• Angela believes that when it comes to maintaining muscle quality or growing muscle, strength training is always needed.
• Angela is the founder of House of Shape, her business. She trains clients online and in person.

To connect with Angela, please follow her:

 House Of Shape

 Angela Beyer (@healthcoachangela) • Instagram photos and videos

 Facebook

Support the show

Full editing credit & art design to my daughter Sophia Micsa. 
There are three ways to support our podcast:
1.  You can become a monthly subscriber to our podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1999885/support to help us continue our journey of sprinkling as many seeds of sunshine your way. When you become a subscriber, we will also give you a shout-out on our next episode and promote your business! No strings attached and you can cancel at any time.
2. Please donate any amount at https://ko-fi.com/carmenmicsa.
3. To follow me on social media, buy my books, or contact me about real estate, please visit https://linktr.ee/carmenmicsa, or email me at [email protected]

Season Three, Episode 115

Join your hosts, Carmen and Sophia Micsa, to learn more about Amanda Furrer and her journey from runner to writer for Runner’s World. 

Amanda Furrer, Runner’s World test editor, has reviewed gear and covered other running topics for almost 10 years. Since 2013, she has run the Boston Marathon consecutively. She recently completed all the World Marathon Majors and is running the Sydney Marathon this year. In a past life, she was a professional baker for two years. 

On this Seeds of Sunshine episode:

• From her mother, Amanda learned to be assertive and confident in life. 
• As the Runner’s World Test editor, Amanda recounts her perseverance in becoming a writer. 
• Amanda also learned many valuable lessons from being a baker. Oatmeal raisin and snickerdoodle are Amanda’s favorite cookies to bake. 
• Amanda has run the Boston marathon 13 years in a row, which is very special to her. 
• Amanda’s favorite marathons to qualify for Boston are the Chicago and Tokyo marathons. 
• Running and life are very similar. Amanda points out that if we really want something, achieving our goals might take some time.  

To connect with Amanda Furrer follow her on Runner’s World:

Amanda Furrer Test Editor

Support the show

Full editing credit & art design to my daughter Sophia Micsa. 
There are three ways to support our podcast:
1.  You can become a monthly subscriber to our podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1999885/support to help us continue our journey of sprinkling as many seeds of sunshine your way. When you become a subscriber, we will also give you a shout-out on our next episode and promote your business! No strings attached and you can cancel at any time.
2. Please donate any amount at https://ko-fi.com/carmenmicsa.
3. To follow me on social media, buy my books, or contact me about real estate, please visit https://linktr.ee/carmenmicsa, or email me at [email protected]

Season Three, Episode 114

Join your hosts, Carmen and Sophia Micsa, to learn more about Teri Brown and her husband Bruce’s ride on their tandem bicycle across the United States from Astoria, Oregon, to Washington, DC. They both learned valuable lessons. 

Born in Athens, Greece, as an Air Force brat, Teri M Brown came into this world with an imagination full of stories to tell. She now calls the North Carolina coast home, and the peaceful nature of the sea has been a great source of inspiration for her creativity.
  
Not letting 2020 get the best of her, Teri chose to go on an adventure that changed her outlook on life. She and her husband, Bruce, rode a tandem bicycle across the United States from Astoria, Oregon, to Washington, DC, successfully raising money for Toys for Tots. She learned she is stronger than she realized and capable of anything she sets her mind to.
  
Teri is a wife, mother, grandmother, podcaster, and author who loves word games, reading, bumming on the beach, taking photos, singing in the shower, hunting for bargains, ballroom dancing, playing bridge, and mentoring others.

On this Seeds of Sunshine episode:

• Learn how a 3102-mile bike trip across the United States changed Teri’s life and about her book 10 Little Rules for a Double-Butted Adventure.
• Teri shared three rules that she learned from this adventure. One of them is don't quit on a bad day.
• The author’s favorite mantra is to do hard things; she explains why and how that became her mantra. 
• Teri believes that it’s important to give creativity space to play. 

 To connect with Teri Brown: 

Teri M Brown, Author

Teri M Brown - Award-Winning Author (@terimbrown_author) • Instagram photos and videos

(12) Facebook

Support the show

Full editing credit & art design to my daughter Sophia Micsa. 
There are three ways to support our podcast:
1.  You can become a monthly subscriber to our podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1999885/support to help us continue our journey of sprinkling as many seeds of sunshine your way. When you become a subscriber, we will also give you a shout-out on our next episode and promote your business! No strings attached and you can cancel at any time.
2. Please donate any amount at https://ko-fi.com/carmenmicsa.
3. To follow me on social media, buy my books, or contact me about real estate, please visit https://linktr.ee/carmenmicsa, or email me at [email protected]

Season Three, Episode 113

Join your hosts, Carmen and Sophia Micsa, to learn more about optimism with best-selling author Zander Sprague. 

Zander Sprague is a compelling storyteller and an expert in personal empowerment, self-help, and overcoming adversity. As a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and best-selling author, he is a sought-after voice in self-improvement. Zander’s transformative message, captured in his book EPIC Begins with 1 Step Forward, resonates with anyone seeking to take control of their lives, move past challenges, and embrace an extraordinary future. 

Through his TV show, podcast, and social media content under the banner of EPIC Choice Media, Zander empowers his audience to see that everyone can begin their journey toward an EPIC life by taking one step forward. His public access TV show and podcast are proof of his ability to connect with audiences authentically and deliver actionable insights that inspire change.

On this Seeds of Sunshine episode:

• Zander Sprague's book Epic Begins with One Step Forward will reshape your thinking about success and progress. It gives you the practical steps you need to create epic results—whether you want to run a marathon, lose weight, write a book, get promoted, start a business, or achieve any other goal.
• Zander believes that no matter what you're doing in life, there is a process, and if you create structure, it gets infinitely easier.
• Zander's two magic words he likes to use because they will dramatically boost someone's success: NOT YET because many of our epic journeys take time.
• Having studied psychology, Zander doesn't think that we encounter roadblocks, for we can make a scenic detour and embrace the fact that there's more than one way to get to a destination.
• You will appreciate and apply Zander's 97/3 rule and feel empowered by it.
  
  

 To connect with Zander Sprague:

Podcast - Zander Sprague

(4) Facebook

Zander Sprague LPCC (@epic_begins) • Instagram photos and videos

EPIC Begins With 1 Step Forward - YouTube

 (23) Zander Sprague | LinkedIn

Support the show

Full editing credit & art design to my daughter Sophia Micsa. 
There are three ways to support our podcast:
1.  You can become a monthly subscriber to our podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1999885/support to help us continue our journey of sprinkling as many seeds of sunshine your way. When you become a subscriber, we will also give you a shout-out on our next episode and promote your business! No strings attached and you can cancel at any time.
2. Please donate any amount at https://ko-fi.com/carmenmicsa.
3. To follow me on social media, buy my books, or contact me about real estate, please visit https://linktr.ee/carmenmicsa, or email me at [email protected]

Season Three, Episode 112

Join your hosts, Carmen and Sophia Micsa, to learn more about the art and science of sourdough bread making and how to balance motherhood with running, hiking, and environmental sciences from our guest, Leigh Patterson. 

Leigh Patterson is a mom to three children and a Senior Environmental Scientist. She enjoys staying active, spending time outside, running, hiking, camping, and exploring. She and her husband have a small chicken farm. They enjoy gardening, building things, and doing projects around the house. Leigh also bakes sourdough bread and is passionate about helping others do the same. Sourdough is both a science and an art, and Leigh believes anyone who wants to learn truly can!

On this Seeds of Sunshine episode:

•  Leigh calls balancing out motherhood with her business and athletic endeavors a juggle. However, she prioritizes athletics and running, which helps her with everything else.
• Leigh started baking bread about eight years ago to have a healthier option for her family.
• As people asked questions about the sourdough breadmaking process, Leigh created a curriculum and a class. Then, she hosted her first class for a group of friends at her house.
• As a biologist, Leigh is interested in the science of making bread. 
• Sourdough is a very flexible and dynamic process.
• Leigh quoted a baker who said, "It takes 10 loaves to get comfortable and 10 years to get good."
• We've all heard of prebiotics and probiotics. Sourdough is baked in the oven, so those microorganisms don't survive that baking process. It's too hot for them. However, the fermentation process actually alters the cellular structures and creates new compounds. This is true for any fermented food, and scientists have grouped those compounds into this general category they call postbiotics.
• Sourdough refers to the process, so we can have sourdough bread, waffles, etc.  

To connect with Leigh Patterson: 

Home | OaknEgg

Oak ‘N Egg (@oaknegg) • Instagram photos and videos

OaknEgg - YouTube

OaknEgg's Amazon Page

Support the show

Full editing credit & art design to my daughter Sophia Micsa. 
There are three ways to support our podcast:
1.  You can become a monthly subscriber to our podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1999885/support to help us continue our journey of sprinkling as many seeds of sunshine your way. When you become a subscriber, we will also give you a shout-out on our next episode and promote your business! No strings attached and you can cancel at any time.
2. Please donate any amount at https://ko-fi.com/carmenmicsa.
3. To follow me on social media, buy my books, or contact me about real estate, please visit https://linktr.ee/carmenmicsa, or email me at [email protected]

Season Three, Episode 111

Join your hosts, Carmen and Sophia Micsa, to learn more about personal development and how to navigate the challenges of dating in the digital era. 

Patrycja Karas is a Life and Personal Development Coach. She graduated from the famous Jay Shetty Certification School and now works with young women, helping them increase their inner confidence and build meaningful relationships with themselves. 

Patrycja believes that everything starts from within and that the way we treat ourselves is reflected in the external reality. She is on a mission to provide people with the practical tools to improve their mental health, increase confidence, and fight the pandemic of loneliness.

 “The most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself. Work on yourself because that’s who you’ll be spending the rest of your life with”. Patrycja Karas 

On this Seeds of Sunshine episode:

• Patrycja believes in helping empower women and just help them thrive.
• When helping women, Patrycja teaches them to build a strong relationship with themselves first. 
• Dating has become harder in our modern society, so Patrycja shows women how unique and valuable they truly are. She also teaches them to stop looking outside of who they are, as everything they need is inside their soul and heart. 
• Regarding dating, taking one’s time is important, as is only investing energy in connections that truly resonate with her clients. 
• Patrycja also teaches her clients to focus on quality over quantity. 
• Everything in life starts with those small, intentional habits.

To connect with Patrycja: 

Patrycja Karas – Life Coaching for young females

Patrycja Karas | Certified Life Coach (@patisacoach) • Instagram photos and videos

patisacoach (@patisacoach) | TikTok

Support the show

Full editing credit & art design to my daughter Sophia Micsa. 
There are three ways to support our podcast:
1.  You can become a monthly subscriber to our podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1999885/support to help us continue our journey of sprinkling as many seeds of sunshine your way. When you become a subscriber, we will also give you a shout-out on our next episode and promote your business! No strings attached and you can cancel at any time.
2. Please donate any amount at https://ko-fi.com/carmenmicsa.
3. To follow me on social media, buy my books, or contact me about real estate, please visit https://linktr.ee/carmenmicsa, or email me at [email protected]

Season Three, Episode 110

Join your hosts, Carmen and Sophia Micsa, to learn more about John’s Crazy Socks and their creative way of conquering Down Syndrome and empowering people with differing abilities. 

John and Mark X. Cronin are the father-son team that created John’s Crazy Socks, a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness. They bootstrapped their business into the world’s largest sock store, earning EY’s Entrepreneurs of the Year recognition. 

John is not only an entrepreneur, but he also has Down syndrome. Every day, John and Mark show what people with differing abilities can do – more than half of their colleagues have differing abilities. They are fierce advocates for the rights of people with differing abilities, having testified twice before the U.S. Congress, spoken at the United Nations, and recorded two TEDx talks. They are members of the CEO Commission on Disability Employment. Their work has been featured on national broadcasts by CBS, ABC, CNBC, PBS, the BBC, and Fox News.

On this Seeds of Sunshine episode:

• Mark, John’s father, feels gratitude to his son for teaching him about Down Syndrome and how to live a happy and fulfilling life. 
• John and Mark plan to start a publishing company. Their focus is on publishing books by and about people with different abilities.
• Listen to their story and how they started the most successful sock company John’s Crazy Socks. 

To connect with John and Mark X. Cronin: 

Johns Crazy Socks

Johns Crazy Socks (@johnscrazysocks) • Instagram photos and videos

(2) Facebook

John's Crazy Socks - YouTube

Support the show

Full editing credit & art design to my daughter Sophia Micsa. 
There are three ways to support our podcast:
1.  You can become a monthly subscriber to our podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1999885/support to help us continue our journey of sprinkling as many seeds of sunshine your way. When you become a subscriber, we will also give you a shout-out on our next episode and promote your business! No strings attached and you can cancel at any time.
2. Please donate any amount at https://ko-fi.com/carmenmicsa.
3. To follow me on social media, buy my books, or contact me about real estate, please visit https://linktr.ee/carmenmicsa, or email me at [email protected]

Season Three, Episode 109

Join your hosts, Carmen and Sophia Micsa, to learn more about writing, creativity, and making changes in your life with our guest award-winning author and educator, Bonnie Garvin. 

 Bonnie Garvin fell into writing quite literally. She was pushing 30, married, and in therapy, trying to figure out if she wanted to have a baby. Her therapist suggested going back to university and taking classes that sounded interesting. Bonnie signed up for a class that sounded like it had to do with journalism. It was an advanced playwriting class. The play that Bonnie wrote became a finalist for the most prestigious playwriting festival in the U.S. When Bonnie received that notice, for the first time, she thought she could become a writer! 

 Bonnie gave up her job, convinced her husband to give up his law practice, and set off for New York so she could pursue a career as a writer. Over the last thirty years, Bonnie continually invented and reinvented herself, creating a more diverse and multifaceted career than she could've ever imagined back then.

On this Seeds of Sunshine episode:

• Bonnie thinks everybody needs to write, but not everybody needs to become a writer. 
• Bonnie recalls something she learned as a child that has helped her become the good storyteller she is today. Since her mother was controlling, Bonnie learned early on to lie and cover things up so she wouldn’t be discovered, which translated into her storytelling gifts. 
• As a screenwriter, Bonnie learned she could also write personal essays, so she greatly believes in reinventing herself. 
• During COVID, Bonnie created a storytelling lab. She had been teaching at USC for a long time and needed something different to encourage her students to write and reflect. 
• Bonnie is a huge believer in paying attention to the world around us daily, which helps us tell infinite stories.  

To connect with Bonnie Garvin:

Storytelling Lab | unlock creativity

Storytelling Lab (@story.tellinglab) • Instagram photos and videos

(7) Facebook

Bonnie's Hollywood Tales | Bonnie Garvin | Substack

(23) Benita (Bonnie) Garvin | LinkedIn

Support the show

Full editing credit & art design to my daughter Sophia Micsa. 
There are three ways to support our podcast:
1.  You can become a monthly subscriber to our podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1999885/support to help us continue our journey of sprinkling as many seeds of sunshine your way. When you become a subscriber, we will also give you a shout-out on our next episode and promote your business! No strings attached and you can cancel at any time.
2. Please donate any amount at https://ko-fi.com/carmenmicsa.
3. To follow me on social media, buy my books, or contact me about real estate, please visit https://linktr.ee/carmenmicsa, or email me at [email protected]

• Season Three, Episode 108

Join your hosts, Carmen and Sophia Micsa, to learn more about becoming the best student, how to take tests well, and developing more critical thinking with our guest, Jesse Hartman. 

Jesse Hartman became the co-owner of Hartman Tutoring in 2006 and has over 20 years of tutoring experience. 

As a student at Emory University, Jesse worked part-time as an SAT tutor/teacher. He aimed to reach learners not as a teacher but as a mentor and academic guide. Jesse has prepared students for nearly every standardized test and every available subject. He is currently the Director of Hartman Tutoring and continues to tutor in NYC and beyond. ​

Jesse is also an accomplished poet and award-winning lyricist. 

“Keep on asking until you understand. Keep on asking until you feel like you have a grasp of the subject that you're trying to get a hold of. There's no sense of walking away being like, I still don't really get what's going on here.”– Jesse Hartman

“The purpose of critical thinking skills is to have a sound view of how to come to a valid conclusion and recognize something as true versus not. It's harder than we think, especially in a world where many very large entities benefit from duping us, either as individuals or as collectives. Sometimes it's scary to have an opinion or a viewpoint or a vision of reality that differs from the masses.” – Jesse Hartman

On this Seeds of Sunshine episode:

• As the owner and director of Hartman Tutoring, Jesse specializes in counseling, coaching enrichment, and test prep tutoring.
• Jesse believes students use his tutoring services to improve their executive functioning or critical thinking.
• Hartman Tutoring has been a family business. Jesse particularly enjoyed working with his mother and seeing great results in students’ learning and developing their critical thinking skills. 
• Jesse’s opinion about standardized testing. He sees it as a grand subject that has a lot of ups and downs, but it's just something complicated for us in society. It's an imperfect mechanism that serves a purpose and contributes in many ways to the functionality of the educational system and to the societal world that we live in.
• Jesse is a big believer in preparing the child for the road, not the road for the child. Therefore, there are many ways that kids can become successful.

To connect with Jesse Hartman
Hartman Tutoring: customized tutoring & test prep
Hartman Tutoring (@hartmantutoring) • Instagram photos and videos

Support the show

Full editing credit & art design to my daughter Sophia Micsa. 
There are three ways to support our podcast:
1.  You can become a monthly subscriber to our podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1999885/support to help us continue our journey of sprinkling as many seeds of sunshine your way. When you become a subscriber, we will also give you a shout-out on our next episode and promote your business! No strings attached and you can cancel at any time.
2. Please donate any amount at https://ko-fi.com/carmenmicsa.
3. To follow me on social media, buy my books, or contact me about real estate, please visit https://linktr.ee/carmenmicsa, or email me at [email protected]