Self Care Spotlight

With JD Founder, Alyssa-- You've probably heard the saying, "It is not happy people who are grateful, it is grateful people who are happy," and maybe you have pondered it or maybe it was just a passing thought, but for me, this is one of those quotes that just rings so much truth and wisdom, and yet in the USA, I can't help but feel like we've got Thanksgiving wrong in several ways, which I explain in today's episode. THIS WEEK'S GIRL TALK: -Gratitude breeds happiness -Thanksgiving as a metaphor for American culture -How gratitude helped me heal -Gratitude Rants -A 7 minute guided gratitude meditation I also talk about gratitude as one of the modalities that helped me heal during the hardest point in my life. When I was so sick of being sad, I decided to be grateful instead. And then I found happiness. I'll share my unique gratitude practice, and at the end you'll get a 7 MINUTE GUIDED MEDITATION starting around 19:37 minutes in. thejournaldeck.com/episode32 

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Connect with Alyssa: Instagram http://www.instagram.com/alyssakuzins 

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With Bianca Filoteo-- Did you know that the Moon changes signs every 2-2.5 days? And that you can focus your energy on different life areas depending on which sign it is in? Crazy cool, right? Bianca and I break this down in a really easy to follow way, and I found this very illuminating as a holistic approach to plan your days, especially since the Moon is so connected to our emotions. THIS WEEK'S GIRL TALK: -The Scorpio New Moon -Why Sagittarius is going to help you keep calm over the holidays -How to use daily moon signs to help your plan you day most effectively -A breakdown of the daily moon sign meanings And on top of that, what's the overriding theme of November astrologically and energetically speaking? We're going to jam on what the Scorpio new moon has in store for you and how the Sagittarius sun sign will help you over Thanksgiving to keep it calm, even with that crazy uncle who talks politics...BONUS DAILY MOON SIGN CHEAT SHEET at thejournaldeck.com/episode31 

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Connect with Alyssa: Instagram http://www.instagram.com/alyssakuzins 

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With @spiritsandsawdust-- Lauren, who has been a practicing witch for 20 years, offers practical magic for living with ghosts of all kinds, whether it's the spirit ghost giving you the creeps in your own home, your ex-boyfriend who you cannot seem to rid yourself of, or a block in your business. From magical herbalism to tarot and channeling, she offers her clients FREEDOM and EMPOWERMENT in their lives, homes, and businesses to clear negative energy and manifest the life they desire! THIS WEEK'S GIRL TALK:  -How she got into spirit work (it's a GREAT ghost story!)  -How we are ALL living with ghosts (the spirit kind and the ex-boyfriend kind) -How she helps people clear their "ghosts" -What's the difference between wicca, paganism, and being a witch? -Her thoughts on this new acceptance of "witches" or being witchy -Who is a "witch" and what is" magic?" -Why intuition is self care  If you are anything like me, the woo woo world and witchcraft especially isn't something you grew up with or started exploring until the more recent years. Today's episode schooled me in what is witch, wicca, and paganism, and I was fascinated with Lauren's expertise and offerings! +2 Simple spells/rituals for clearing or manifesting that anyone can do! SHOW NOTES: thejournaldeck.com/episode30

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Connect with Alyssa: Instagram http://www.instagram.com/alyssakuzins 

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With JD Founder, Alyssa--Piggy-backing off of the fan favorite, episode 24: universal signs, on this week’s episode, I riff on the idea of what happens when you see a sign that is unsettling, isn't what you want to hear, or means you signifies that have to do something really hard. This weekend I saw a dead butterfly while walking on the beach with my boyfriend at sunrise AND I wasn’t sad…let me explain! THIS WEEK’S GIRL TALK: -Supportive partnerships -Why perspective is everything -Why I viewed this death as a good, not bad sign -How to deal with a scary or upsetting sign -On accepting and trusting new chapters, life shifts, and the on going process of deaths/births throughout your life + JOURNAL PROMPT on life shifts, endings, and beginnings at thejournaldeck.com/episode29 

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Connect with Alyssa: Instagram http://www.instagram.com/alyssakuzins 

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With Bianca Filoteo-- What's the overriding themes of October astrologically and energetically speaking? Bianca is back for our new monthly astro forecasts to clue you in on the energy happening and how this may be reflected in YOUR life, what you can learn from it, and how to flow with it. After all, even though our sun sign might not be in Scorpio or Libra, we each have these Signs somewhere in our charts... Which brings me to the fact that she not only clues us in on the duality of this month's energy, but she is also breaking down how to read your astro birth chart with my stars in Scorpio as an example.  BONUS HOW TO WORKSHEET at thejournaldeck.com/episode28 THIS WEEK’S GIRL TALK: -Libra & Scorpio energetic qualities  -Shadow side of each Sign -On dualities/the paradoxes of humanness  -How to read astro birth charts -Scorpio and the Divine Feminine -Jupiter moved into Scorpio: what that means for yo

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Connect with Alyssa: Instagram http://www.instagram.com/alyssakuzins 

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With Blume Honey Water CEO-- Michele Burchfield started out in the craft beer industry in the original sales team of Sam Adams, and after 20 years of a thriving career in several beverage companies, she started Blume Honey Water in our hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. That was 15 months ago, and Blume has taken Western PA by storm and is now expanding rapidly into local health grocers near YOU! THIS WEEK'S GIRLTALK: -How she started at Sam Adams beer in the 80’s -How a boy’s wrestling team inspired her -The history and health benefits of honey -The Unsugar: how how honey is processed differently in the body -The challenges & humor of starting a business -Her journey from “the burn the calories” to “fuel your body” -Society’s evolution from Gatorade to pure hydration Michele shares her fascinating journey from beer to honey and how talking to a boys wrestling coach inspired her to create nutritious and delicious, natural hydration for adults and children. We talk a lot about why honey is different from other sugars (I was wondering the same thing), and she shares some funny stories from when starting the business, like when they had to juice 550 pounds of organic ginger unexpectedly!! Tune in for some inspiration on what it means to live life in full blume and the joys/challenges of building a company. BLUME COCKTAIL RECIPES AT thejournaldeck.com/episode27

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Connect with Alyssa: Instagram http://www.instagram.com/alyssakuzins 

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A Biz Riff with JD Founder, Alyssa--This week you're getting a behind-the-scenes look into why I didn't use Kickstarters to crowdfund even though it's the number 1 crowdfunding website AND an inside look into my feminine business mindset. This might not sound like a self care topic, but I assure you this decision came with a lot of headaches and ultimately taught me a lot about honoring myself and others. THIS WEEK'S GIRLTALK: -Course correction -Masculine versus Feminine business model/approaches -What is crowdfunding and how Kickstarters works versus Celery for pre-orders -Why no sale is small and "enoughness" -Reframing success and being open to new possibilities A lot of people assume there is only one way to crowd fund, and while this is not an episode bashing Kickstarters by any means, this is my reasoning for why it didn't energetically feel like the right approach for starting this company, The Journal Deck. I'll break down my top two reasons and explain the difference between masculine and feminine businesses models and how that related to my crowdfunding platform options and ultimate decision. BONUS JOURNAL PROMPT AT THE END!

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Connect with Alyssa: Instagram http://www.instagram.com/alyssakuzins 

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With Dr. Stefanie Painter @theshakticenter-- Have you ever wondered what your Purpose is? For Stefanie, I'm pretty sure it's to dance and inspire others to embrace their best, most natural Self, but that doesn't always come easy, especially when you're trying to do what's expected. In this candid interview, Stefanie walks us through her awakening journey of people pleasing and "checking off all the boxes," only to arrive at a place where she was questioning her own happiness. She also shares her opinion on doing self care versus embodying true self care and self love, and she isn't afraid to tell it like it is. Finally, her love of dance is sure to make you wanna bust a move and embrace your inner Shakti! THIS WEEK'S GIRLTALK: -Finding and following your Purpose -Her awakening moment -Living up to family expectations -What Shakti means to her -How acts of self care can be bandaids -Why dance is life and why everyone can dance!

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Connect with Alyssa: Instagram http://www.instagram.com/alyssakuzins 

Advertising Inquires: email [email protected] 

Support the show

Connect with Alyssa: Instagram http://www.instagram.com/alyssakuzins 

Advertising Inquires: email [email protected]