It is my pleasure to share this discussion I had with Micah Mortali, MA. Micah is the author of Rewilding: Meditations, Practices and Skills for Awakening in Nature, published by Sounds True. His life’s work is reconnecting modern people with the restorative powers of nature through mindfulness in the great outdoors. Micah is the founder of the groundbreaking Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership at the renowned Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. Micah is also a 500-hour Kripalu Yoga Teacher, a Level 2 Mindful Outdoor Guide and is wilderness first aid certified. He has studied with Tom Brown Jr. at the legendary Tracker School in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, and holds a Master’s Degree in Health Arts and Sciences from Goddard College. Micah leads trainings, corporate events, wilderness retreats and seminars on rewilding and mindful outdoor leadership at Kripalu and across New England. He lives in the Berkshire hills of Western Massachusetts with his family.

In this episode, we talk about so many pertinent topics, from nature deficit disorder to how to really appreciate (and get out during) the winter, plus a really special way we can dive into a deeper relationship with the area right around us (especially useful during quarantine times). This is a must-listen and inspiriting talk for us all.

To learn more about Micah and his offerings, please visit www.micahmortali.com

This podcast is hosted by author and teacher Heidi Spear, MA, www.heidispear.com

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It is a pleasure to have Annie B. Kay, MS, RDN, ERT-500, C-IAYT on the podcast giving us what I call a supportive inquiry into our relationship with food. She is an author and practitioner who studied nutritional biochemistry at Cornell, has been a dietician for 25 years in a variety of settings, most recently was the lead nutritionist at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and currently has a private practice and is a nutrition specialist at Miraval Berkshires. Today, she explains how to navigate the reality that "our culture has a not-so-supportive way of communicating nutritional well-being as it relates to weight." She talks about stress related to body image, ways to approach supporting children with their relationship to food, and so much more. Noting a meme that's been floating around lately in 2020, "It's OK not to be OK," Annie reminds us that we are not alone during this challenging time. For more information on Annie B. Kay, see her website and sign up for her newsletter at https://www.anniebkay.com.

Storybook the podcast is hosted by author and educator Heidi E. Spear. www.heidispear.com

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How can we be settled when so much is happening in our life and world that is unsettling? Brahmani Liebman who has been a yoga, meditation, and mindfulness teacher for decades talks to us about mindsets and practices for feeling more at ease in our life no matter what. Recently, the home she lived in burned to the ground in a raging fire in California, and this became a time for her to see how her years of practice supported her. Brahmani shares how we can feel centered in challenging times, and she leads us in a mindful breathing practice. We all have fires going on, sometimes they are small and sometimes they are huge. So, we talk about how, in this country and in our families where we feel division, we can continue to be kind to ourselves and others, be better listeners, and work to understand each other even when we don't agree. For more information about Brahmani, please visit her YouTube channel and her website www.journeyintoyoga.com, or email her at [email protected].

Storybook the podcast is hosted by Heidi Spear. www.heidispear.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shea Ernshaw is a New York Times best-selling author and winner of the 2019 Oregon Book Award. Her books have been published in over eleven countries/languages and her debut novel, THE WICKED DEEP was an Indie Next Pick and has been acquired by Netflix for film adaptation. A beloved author, Shea’s debut adult fiction book comes out in 2021 and is called A History of Wild Places (Simon & Schuster). 

In this episode of Storybook, Shea tells us her story of becoming published, including her childhood dreams of becoming an author, her first book query, her inspiration to write every day, and so much more. Shea invites us into her world for a glimpse of what it’s like to be an author in relationship with creativity, the world of publishing, and the experience of being human.

Find out more about Shea at www.SheaErnshaw.com and on Instagram @SheaErnshaw.

Storybook is hosted by Heidi Spear www.HeidiSpear.com

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In this episode, I sit down with Vicki Baird, an intuitive and life coach, for her down-to-earth stories about our intuition: how to strengthen our connection to it and how to integrate this innate superpower into our everyday lives. Vicki also shares how the passing of her husband helped change the focus and course of her working life. She talks about her journey from being a skeptic to an intuitive coach, the fact that "everybody brings their loved ones to the grocery store," what it means to have psychic energy travel through technology (especially in work meetings), and so much more. Vicki's humor and compassion are some of her strongest attributes when talking about Intuition: Our First Sense. For more about Vicki, visit: vickibaird.com.

Storybook the Podcast is hosted by Heidi Spear: heidispear.com

Intro and outro music written by Scott Spear, performed by Scott Spear, Rob Hoffman, Dan Calig, and Tom Staszak.

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Dhru Purohit, host of the popular Broken Brain podcast and CEO and partner with Dr. Mark Hyman of Hyman Enterprises, LLC, discusses friendship. He shares stories about kindness that he learned from his father, and he offers lessons and maxims from a variety of sources, including the Bhagavad Gita, Eckhart Tolle, and Golda Meir (former prime minister of Israel). He talks to us about studies on loneliness, the growth opportunities to be found in conflict resolution (citing work of the Gottmans), the deepening of friendships he experiences in opt-out weekly gatherings (regaling us with a story/study about the Roseto effect), the value of overcoming shyness when it comes to sharing our energy and gifts with others, and more. It’s a pleasure to listen to stories and studies-within-stories on friendship — one of my favorite topics — with Dhru. You can follow him on Instagram and search the Broken Brain podcast anywhere podcasts are available.

Storybook the Podcast is hosted by Heidi Spear, www.heidispear.com

Intro and outro music written by Scott Spear, performed by Scott Spear, Rob Hoffman, Dan Calig, and Tom Staszak.

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Join me, Heidi Spear, for a guided meditation that includes breath work, visualization, and lovingkindness to help you relax the mind, calm the body, and feel more at ease.

Podcast hosted by Heidi Spear, www.heidispear.com

Intro and outro music written by Scott Spear, performed by Scott Spear, Rob Hoffman, Dan Calig, and Tom Staszak.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Rock Smith, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health's Executive Chef and author of their latest cookbook, The Kripalu Kitchen: Nourishing Food for Body and Soul, talks to us about ways to make cooking at home easier and lighthearted, how to bring more joy into the kitchen, and what it's like for him to teach guests and oversee the culinary team that prepares about 400,000 meals a year at Kripalu. He also shares details about the cooking culture when he started, over 30 years ago, and how it has changed in ways that impacted the trajectory of his career in ways he didn't expect, leading to a more fulfilling working life. Jeremy also offers tips, tales, and shortcuts for meal planning and prep, so home cooking can become a way of life, connection, and wellbeing.

Jeremy graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and began his career in classical French cuisine, working in fine restaurants in the United States and abroad. In 2005, Jeremy’s love for teaching and natural foods led him to Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires, where he applied his classical training to creating healthy cuisine in their kitchen and as a demonstration chef. He joined the Kripalu Kitchen in 2010 as Chef de Cuisine, and is the author of The Kripalu Kitchen: Nourishing Food for Body and Soul. Follow him on social media, and visit www.kripalu.org to see which programs he is teaching soon.

In 2019, Jeremy competed on Food Network's popular Chopped cooking show.

At the end of the podcast, Jeremy talks about his work on a PBS special that is due to air on March 7, 2020.

Podcast hosted by Heidi Spear, www.heidispear.com

Intro and outro music written by Scott Spear, performed by Scott Spear, Rob Hoffman, Dan Calig, and Tom Staszak.

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Nancy Levin is a best-selling author and master coach, who in her previous career at Hay House befriended the likes of Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Reid Tracy, and many others. In this episode of Storybook, Nancy shares stories about how she used to be a people-pleaser and very successful at chasing all the gold stars, until a life-changing phone call brought her to her knees. Soon, she realized the importance of setting boundaries to be able to prioritize herself and her truth. Her stories invite us to take inventory of what truths we are afraid to admit to ourselves, to others, and especially to the ones who matter most to us. From there we can take a close look at whether hiding our truth is actually creating the harmony we seek or the kind of chaos we are trying to avoid. And how long will it be until the truth comes out, anyway? What is the role that boundaries play in being able to accept and honor who we truly are and to honor and appreciate others, too?

Hosted by Heidi Spear, www.heidispear.com

Intro and outro music written by Scott Spear, performed by Scott Spear, Rob Hoffman, Dan Calig, and Tom Staszak

Nancy Levin

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