Start Within w/Coach Colette

Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness month? It's even more important to pay attention to your mental health during this time of isolation, physical distancing, and uncertainty.  There is so much about COVID-19 that has imposed limitations on what you can and cannot do. And, that can be pretty frustrating! One way to support your mental health is to focus on those things that you can control. In this week's Financial Fridays episode, Coach Colette shares specific steps you can take to help keep yourself healthy, well, and in a good state of mind. Also in this episode, Sukhtej shares prompts to help you diversify your financial portfolio to hedge your bets in these uncertain times. 

On May 7, we experienced a full Super Moon, also known as the Flower Moon or the Vesak Moon. From this full moon, can we trust that the sun will rise again, even if we are in darkness? Can we have that faith that we will rise from the ashes? In the Unplugged segment, Coach Colette discusses the value of tapping into the full moon energy to release what's no longer serving you. Are you able to let your suppressed emotions bubble to the surface and find ways to release them? This also could be a great opportunity to heal any mother-child wounds that you might have. 

What lessons are you learning from life in the time of Corona? If you'd like to share your responses or thoughts, send us a message here.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen. For all of the moms who are listening, we wish you a happy Mother's Day! 

Welcome to May! Did you know that today is Global Love Day? Can you allow yourself to settle, go within, get grounded, and start to feel the love that you have inside? Even as you face challenging aspects of life, can you still set an intention to look at your life through the eyes of love? In this episode of Financial Fridays, Coach Colette shares tips and ideas to help you more fully embrace love, starting first with an intention to love yourself. She explores the different aspects of love, including compassion and forgiveness, and offers guidance to help you cultivate and express these feelings towards yourself and others.

Do you find yourself flowing easily between a survival mindset and a proactive mindset? That is, do you find yourself stuck in a state of "FIGHT-FLIGHT-FREEZE" when something negative happens? In the Unplugged segment, Coach Colette shares how she has been impacted by COVID-19 when it comes to making even the simplest of decisions. She also gives insight into how it has impacted the celebration of our 100th podcast episode that released last Friday. What lessons are you learning from life in the time of Corona? If you'd like to share your responses or thoughts, send us a message here.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

What is your relationship with money? Really, think about that for a moment. Has your relationship shifted since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic? Maybe you're getting more up close and personal with your financial statements to keep track of how much money is flowing in and out. Or, perhaps, are you playing ostrich and burying your head in the proverbial sand, not even peeking at your accounts? Either way, you're sure to gain some useful advice and tactics from this Coach Chat episode.

You'll hear the conversation Coach Colette has with Jacquette Timmons, financial behaviorist and coach. She supports people to focus on their behaviors, motivations, choices, and overall psychology around money. You should know that the situation we're facing today is not Jacquette's first economic downturn. She recalls her experiences watching fellow financial professionals deal with the 1987 stock market crash and the 2008-2009 recession. Jacquette reminds us that there's no way to have predicted the full impact of this pandemic; so, she advises to not "should" all over yourself about past action (or inaction) regarding your finances. Instead, she recommends viewing this as an opportunity to re-frame or adjust your relationship with financial planning to focus less on the results, and more on the process of thinking through the different aspects -- such as your income, expenses, resources, goals, and time horizon. 

To get your copy of the Financial Wheel exercise that Jacquette mentions in the episode, click here. And, for all of you entrepreneurs and business owners, tune in to hear specific guidance around pricing your products or services in a challenging economic environment. What lessons are you learning about your finances in the time of Corona? If you'd like to share your responses or thoughts, send us a message here. 

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

This week has been all about the environment, with Earth Day on Wednesday, and Arbor Day today. What is your favorite tree? There's a great hashtag on Twitter, which is #ArborDayAtHome that encourages you to appreciate the trees that are all around you, while still staying safe and healthy. In this episode of Financial Fridays, Coach Colette shares what is her favorite tree, along with some wellness tips and Advice from a Tree; which can be helpful even as you shelter in place and practice social distancing. Sukhtej provides some guidance on how to create and/or review your budget, as you continue to monitor your income and expenses in these complex times.

Are you a leader or manager in your organization? Are you wondering how to get prepared for people on your team that are under high levels of stress? Later in the Unplugged segment, Coach Colette offers her response to this question about leading teams during COVID-19 that was asked by a student in one of her Virtual Facilitation & Leadership online classes. What lessons are you learning from life (personally or professionally) in the time of Corona? If you'd like to share your responses or thoughts, send us a message here.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

Under normal circumstances, this past Wednesday, April 15, would have been Tax Day in the US. Be sure to check that your state filing deadline also has been changed, and see if it coincides with the July 15 federal filing date. Given that April is Financial Literacy Month, settle into yourself and think: what are your financial priorities at the moment? Tune into: where is it most important for you to concentrate the resources that you have?

In this Financial Fridays episode, Coach Colette brings your attention back to your financial mindset. She shares a specific practice and ritual to tune into abundance. You can practice the ritual any time that you feel a sense of scarcity rise up into your consciousness. If you'd like to learn more about Young Living Essential oils she mentions in the episode, click here. Sukhtej suggests that you review your financial goals and consider which, if any, external or governmental funding streams may be helpful at this time.

Are there times when you feel a sense of dread or guilt when you ask for your time, or when you set your personal boundaries? In the Unplugged portion, Coach Colette shares a personal story about setting personal boundaries and protecting her time while working with her team, and holding space for her virtual coaching clients and online students. She also discusses the difference between self-care in "normal" times, and survival care in the times of COVID-19. What lessons are you learning from life in the time of Corona? If you'd like to share your responses or thoughts, send us a message here.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

This week was National Public Health Week. It's so significant to recognize this celebration now because of all of the nurses, doctors, EMTs, medical researchers, and midwives who are going above and beyond --- all of the public health workers who are putting their lives at risk so that we can stay healthier, and help to flatten the curve of COVID-19. 

In New York City, at 7 pm at night, people have taken to clapping outside of their windows, on their porches, or on their fire escapes, to give a standing ovation to all of the public health workers, thanking them for putting their lives on the line so that so many more of us can stay healthy and well. Consider, how can you share some loving kindness from your heart? If someone in your family is an essential worker, or if you know of a friend who is a public health worker, how can you give them some encouragement or express your gratitude? We are all in this together, navigating this challenging situation. 

Also in this episode, Coach Colette shares a personal anecdote about how she has been reacting to cancellations in her weekly schedule. She describes her A-HA moment about balancing aspects of predictability in all of this uncertainty. She also shares insights she's gained from Jon Kabat Zinn and Deepak Chopra on practicing the Mindfulness Attitude of Letting Go, and the Spiritual Law of Detachment. What lessons are you learning from life in the time of Corona? If you'd like to share your responses or thoughts, send us a message here. 

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

It's been suggested that social distancing to flatten the curve and slow the spread of COVID-19 also will have an impact on our mental wellbeing, that is through increased social isolation. Isolation and loneliness already are real health issues, considering that loneliness causes stress. Long-term or chronic stress leads to more frequent elevations of the hormone cortisol, and also is linked to higher levels of inflammation in the body. Ready to hear some good news about an innovative solution? 

In this Coach Chat episode, Coach Colette has a conversation with Tamar Lucien, the founder and CEO of Mental Happy. This Y Combinator-backed company helps people to learn life skills for their emotional wellbeing. The startup was born out of Tamar's struggle to overcome her own anxiety. She soon began to realize that others also were struggling to cope after living through traumatic life events. 

You'll hear how Tamar was really good at listening to customer feedback when making pivots from their first product, a curated wellness kit, to the current Mental Happy online community. The community now offers a full series of guided practices to help people focus on their healing process with a positive mindset and emotional state. You'll also learn how positive psychology can impact your daily life.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

Congratulations on surviving the year that was March, and welcome to April! How you are doing? Did you know that today is Find a Rainbow Day? A rainbow is not truly an object, and cannot be physically approached. So, you can't touch it. Yet, we all believe that it's real, and we feel really good when we get to see a rainbow in the sky. 

How can you seek out rainbows in your current situation? For example, what is something that is perhaps out of your reach today, because of all that's going on, that can still bring you joy in the moment? In this week's Financial Fridays episode, Coach Colette offers some inspiration to consider how you can shift your perspective to see things in a more colorful way, especially in this time of uncertainty. She also shares her personal experience of recently reviewing her 2020 intentions wheel to discover that she has many things to be grateful for, even as she continues to shelter in place for this extended period. 

Coach Colette encourages you to ponder: What insights you have gained so far? What lessons are you already learning from life in the time of Corona? If you'd like to share your responses or thoughts, send us a message here. You'll also get some stock tips from Suhktej to consider updating your financial portfolio during the market downturn.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

You may be aware that in March, the New York City Department of Education made the monumental decision to close New York City public schools to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Can you think of a better time than now for students to be enhancing their emotional resilience skills? And, if you think that social emotional learning is just for kids, you would be wrong! 

Coach Colette and the Start Within Podcast team are excited to join the global movement to celebrate the importance of social emotional learning (SEL) on the first annual International SEL Day on March 27, 2020. This special, Friday episode of Coach Chat is a conversation with Daniel Trinidad, the Restorative Justice Coordinator at Urban Assembly Media High School. 

You will hear from Daniel how implementing SEL has not only improved student wellbeing and academic outcomes, but also has enhanced the overall culture and environment in the school. You'll also hear how he has improved his own social and emotional wellbeing using the framework for himself.

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The Urban Assembly was founded in 1997 under the mission of advancing students' economic and social mobility by improving public education. In partnership with the NYC Department of Education, the UA has created 23 small, career-themed middle and high schools throughout New York City. To learn more about the work that Daniel and his colleagues are doing at Urban Assembly Media HS, click here.

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.

We hope that you are staying healthy and safe in these challenging times. Have you heard the acronym VUCA? It started as a military term, and it stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. You'll learn more in this week's Financial Fridays episode.

As we continue our focus on Women's History Month, meet the next powerhouse woman, Zitkala Sa (which means Redbird in Lakota). This Yankton Dakota Sioux writer, editor, translator, musician, educator, and political activist has been noted as one of the most influential Native American activists of the 20th century. In 1913, Zitkala Sa wrote the libretto and songs for the Sundance Opera, the first Native American opera. During the 1920's, she promoted a pan-Indian movement to unite all of America's tribes in the cause of lobbying for citizenship rights. She continued to work for civil rights and better access to healthcare and education for Native Americans until her death in 1938.

In light of Suki's commentary on market volatility, Coach Colette was inspired to offer additional guidance to navigate and manage your emotions and feelings in this VUCA environment. She shares her personal journey this past week dealing with rapidly changing information and concerns about her wellbeing. She also provides suggestions to help ease your tension, calm your nerves, and get grounded. 

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it on Instagram and tag @Coach_Colette! She’ll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on her Instagram Stories. Thanks for listening and please make sure to give us a review on iTunes or Spotify or wherever you listen.