The DaliTalks Podcast

What if the key to raising a confident, bully-proof kid starts with something as simple as helping them name what they feel?

Marcelle Waldman is a certified teacher, Teen Wise coach, co-founder of Parenting Upstream, and founder of FeelLinks, a line of hands-on social-emotional learning tools for children, families, educators, and clinicians.

In this episode, she breaks down why emotional intelligence is the foundation of everything, from how kids handle conflict to how they show up in friendships, classrooms, and eventually the workplace.

We talk about what happens when kids cannot identify their own emotions, how bullying behaviors are often rooted in emotional illiteracy, and why modeling emotional regulation as a parent is the single most powerful thing you can do for your child.

This one is for every parent who has ever felt lost trying to help their kid navigate big feelings, friendships, and the social pressures that come with growing up.

00:00 What emotional intelligence has to do with bullying prevention

01:00 Welcome Marcelle Waldman and her background

02:00 Growing up in a loving but emotionally structured home and what it taught her

03:00 From kindergarten teacher to social-emotional learning pioneer

04:00 How morning check-ins and journals changed everything in her classroom

05:00 Why Marcelle left teaching to create FeelLinks

06:00 From FeelLinks to Teen Wise: helping girls find themselves

07:00 What FeelLinks emotion dolls are and how they work

08:00 Building emotional vocabulary from infancy through adolescence

09:00 How the dolls are used in hospitals, therapy, and classrooms

10:00 The head, heart, and belly touch points and why they matter

11:00 The FeelLinks journal and Feel Trip: A Journey Through Ordinary Emotions

12:00 Dali shares her own experience learning about fear and anxiety as an adult

13:00 Marcelle's stroke at 23 and how it became the turning point for her work

14:00 Why emotional vocabulary changes everything in relationships

15:00 The connection between unexpressed emotions and bullying behavior

16:00 Why journaling is one of the most powerful tools for emotional release

17:00 How Teen Wise supports teen girls through coaching

18:00 The pandemic's impact on teen mental health and belonging

19:00 Why parents modeling emotional regulation matters more than anything

20:00 What to do when you feel frustration building in front of your kids

21:00 How Marcelle partnered with Teen Wise founder Sheri

22:00 What teen coaching looks like versus therapy

23:00 Finding the right support for your child

24:00 Summer workshops, events, and resources for parents and teens

25:00 How to reach Marcelle and access free resources

26:00 Why community and connection are the antidote to parenting alone

Connect with Marcelle:Instagram: @myfeellinks and @parentingupstream_hub

Facebook: @myfeellinks and @parentingupstreamhub

FeelLinks: https://myfeellinks.com

Teen Wise: http://teen-wise.com

Parenting Upstream: https://www.parentingupstream.com

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Dali and learn about DaliTalks:visit us at https://www.DaliTalks.com/LinkTree

Follow me on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalitalks/Follow DaliTalks on IG and LinkedIn @DaliTalks

Listen and subscribe:

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@DaliTalksPodcast

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4T1R5GFmU4gXWyC9eqKEGS?si=3b59804a244f4c62

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dalitalks-podcast/id1613524529Please like, share, subscribe to this channel, and comment below. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Decades ago, Zig Ziglar's "See You At The Top" taught me something I didn't know was possible: leaders who actually care about the people working for them.

Not long after, I became a Sergeant in the Army and had to decide whether I'd lead the way I'd been led, or do something different.

In this episode, I walk through that decision, why people stay with employers who treat them well even when the pay is better elsewhere, and how this same belief is shaping the way I'm building DaliTalks as I grow toward hiring my own team one day.

Connect with me at DaliTalks.com or @DaliTalks on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Learn more about Dali and DaliTalks at https://www.DaliTalks.com/LinkTree

Have you ever wondered why you keep attracting the same kinds of relationships, or why conflict makes you shut down, or why being alone feels unbearable?

The answer might be rooted in something that was shaped before you even started school.

Bev Mitelman is a certified relationship and attachment trauma practitioner, certified menopause specialist, and founder of Securely Loved. In this episode, she breaks down the four attachment styles, where they come from, how they show up in parenting, friendships, and romantic relationships, and most importantly, how to change them.

This one is going to make you think about your childhood, your kids, and every relationship you have ever been in.

00:00 Opening: What dismissive avoidant attachment really looks like 

01:00 Welcome and introduction to Bev Mitelman 

02:00 What attachment styles are and why they matter beyond romantic relationships 

03:00 How attachment styles connect to the way kids act out at home and school 

05:00 The four attachment styles explained 

06:00 Secure attachment: what it looks like and how it forms 

09:00 Can children of divorce still develop secure attachment? 

12:00 Moving into insecure attachment styles 

13:00 Anxious preoccupied attachment: the core wound of abandonment 

15:00 How anxious attachment shows up in adult relationships 

17:00 What anxious attachment looks like in young children at the grocery store 

18:00 Can attachment styles be changed? Yes, here is how 

20:00 Dali reflects on her own parenting and what she wishes she had known sooner 

22:00 Bev shares a powerful conversation she had with her own son 

24:00 Dismissive avoidant attachment: hyper-independence and emotional walls 

27:00 What about athletes under pressure? Where do they fall? 

30:00 Dismissive avoidant in adult relationships and why they avoid commitment 

32:00 Fearful avoidant attachment: the hot and cold partner explained 

35:00 The difference between personality traits and attachment styles 

35:30 Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn: what people-pleasing really means 

37:00 How to work with Bev and where to find her 

38:30 You can change your attachment style. It is not a life sentence.

Take the free Attachment Quiz: https://www.securelyloved.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SecurelyLoved Instagram: @securely_loved

Connect with Dali and learn about DaliTalks:

https://www.dalitalks.com/linktree

Follow DaliTalks on IG and LinkedIn @DaliTalks

What was the most valuable thing about this conversation for you?

#attachmentstyles #secureattachment #securelyloved

What does it look like when someone turns a painful past into a global mission?

Chason Forehand grew up navigating abuse and addiction, and instead of staying stuck in those cycles, he built something that helps others break free from theirs.

Chason is the founder of HR-4U, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Hudson Valley, New York, with three programs: Advocacy for living wages and workforce dignity, Mentor for Good to help young nonprofits survive their first five years, and Transformation Kitchen, a culinary training program that goes far beyond teaching people how to cook. Participants become part of a family, with support, wellness checks, and community that extends well past the 12-week program.

HR-4U is not planted in one city. They go wherever the doors open. They built their first Transformation Kitchen in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, and are now setting their sights on Australia, Canada, India, Costa Rica, Detroit, and the Hudson Valley, with a goal of 20 kitchens this year.

In this episode, we talk about what it takes to run a nonprofit under a restrictive government, how Chason partners with existing organizations to stretch every dollar toward the people, why paying living wages is not just the right thing but a smart business strategy, and how you can get involved no matter where you are in the world.

As Chason says, "We don't just flip eggs. We flip lives."

00:00 Introduction and welcome 01:00 Chason's background: growing up through abuse and addiction 03:00 The 12-week Transformation Kitchen program and the family it builds 04:30 Why HR-4U travels the world instead of staying in one city 05:30 How a chance connection led to the first kitchen in Matagalpa, Nicaragua 09:00 What it takes to operate a nonprofit under a restrictive government 11:30 Dali's personal connection to Nicaragua 14:00 Transparency, donations, and where the money goes 15:30 How to volunteer in Nicaragua and what it costs 19:00 The biggest challenge when setting up kitchens globally 21:00 2025 goals: Australia, Canada, India, Costa Rica, Detroit, and more 24:00 The three programs inside HR-4U 28:00 Annual fundraising event and how to get involved 30:00 Why one person can make a massive difference 31:30 How to join the advisory board remotely 35:00 How to connect with Chason and HR-4U

Support the mission: http://zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/522b4d43-d5ca-461e-beb9-ccde6e75532c

Connect with Chason: https://linktr.ee/chasonforehand

Connect with Dali and learn about DaliTalks:

https://www.DaliTalks.com/LinkTree

Follow DaliTalks on IG and LinkedIn @DaliTalks

What does it look like to spend nearly two decades in a career that was never meant for you, only to discover your real purpose on the other side of burnout, divorce, and being pushed out of jobs you deserved?

Londone Reid, transformational coach, speaker, and founder of Her Law of Growth, joins Dali for a conversation that is raw, funny, and deeply real. Londone shares how she went from chasing a psychology degree she had to abandon to accidentally discovering life coaching, surviving workplace bullying as a Black woman in corporate America, and finally building a business that lets her help other women do the same thing she did: get clear, find their voice, and move forward.

She also talks about her Clarity Catalyst program, her growing consulting arm that builds out full CRM systems and websites for coaches, and the four-word mantra that changed her life.

Don't worry. Just do it.

What if the most important thing you can do for your child right now has nothing to do with a screen?

Wylde Scott, award-winning children's author and founder of The Imagination Project, joins Dali to talk about preparing kids for a world being transformed by artificial intelligence. But this conversation goes way beyond jobs and careers. Wylde breaks down why imagination is the single most critical skill a child can develop, why our current education model is stripping it away, and what parents can do starting today.

Wylde shares his two-phase development framework, the case for going analog before going digital, why bedtime stories may be one of the most powerful tools parents have, and what he witnessed in a Brooklyn school that changed the entire direction of his mission.

If you have ever wondered what conscious parenting actually looks like in the age of AI, this episode is for you.

Connect with Wylde Scott:

The Imagination Project: https://theirimaginationproject.org Book (Raising Dreamers): Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Facebook: @WyldeScott, Instagram @ WyldeScott

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wylde-scott/

YouTube: @Wyldescottvideos

What if the key to your health had nothing to do with willpower?

Dali sits down with Mandi Murrow, holistic and integrative health coach and founder of Rooted Holistic Wellness, for a conversation that challenges everything you thought you knew about getting healthy.

Mandi shares her journey from hairstylist and salon owner to farm life, yoga teacher, health coach, and now hormone balancing specialist after having a baby at 46.

She breaks down the three pillars she believes every body needs: gut health, nervous system regulation, and sleep, and explains why fixing those first makes everything else easier.

They also talk about why BMI is outdated, how first-generation immigrants often struggle with weight due to changes in food quality and activity level, and how to honor your cultural foods while still making healthier shifts. Plus, Mandi shares her powerful philosophy: shame is worse than sugar.

In this episode:

• The gut-brain connection and what leaky gut actually means

• Why weight loss is secondary to how you feel

• Programs for intuitive eating, hormone balancing, and GLP support

• How Mandi holds clients accountable without judgment

• Menstrual cycle education for teens and adults

• Blue zones, community, and the science of slowing down

Connect with Mandi:

Website: https://www.rootedholisticwellness.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/rootedholisticcoac

Facebook: https://facebook.com/RootedHolisticWellness

Learn more about Dali: https://www.DaliTalks.com/LinkTree

What if you had a guide walking beside you through one of the hardest seasons of your life?

In this episode, Dali sits down with Nicole Bright, a strategic decision advisor who helps women navigate divorce with composure, clarity, and control.

Nicole shares her personal story of leaving a 17-year marriage, how she became the person she needed during that time, and why she transitioned from divorce coaching to strategic advising.

Together, Nicole and Dali get real about identity loss, love blinders, knowing your triggers, forgiving without excusing, and why dealing with the emotional weight of divorce early can change everything.

If you are in the middle of a divorce, thinking about one, or still healing from one, this conversation is for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 The 3 C's: Composure, Clarity, and Control

01:00 Meet Nicole Bright: Her Story and Her Calling

04:00 Certifications, Coaching, and Finding Your Niche

07:00 What Strategic Decision Advising Actually Looks Like

11:00 Identity Loss and Knowing Who You Are After Divorce

17:00 Love Blinders, Gut Feelings, and Staying Too Long

24:00 Low Self-Esteem, Identity, and Why We Wrap Ourselves in Others

31:00 Forgiveness, Capacity, and What People Owe Each Other

38:00 Loving to Give vs. Loving to Get

39:00 What Clients Must Commit to in the 12-Week Program

48:00 Dating After Divorce and Trusting Yourself Again

55:00 Where to Find Nicole Bright

Links and Resources:

Nicole Bright's Website: https://nicolebright.com

Nicole's Email: [email protected]Subscribe to The DaliTalks Podcast:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4T1R5GFmU4gXWyC9eqKEGS?si=3b59804a244f4c62

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dalitalks-podcast/id1613524529

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@DaliTalksPodcast

For more information about Dali or DaliTalksvisit us at https://www.dalitalks.com/LinkTreeFollow me on Instagram @DaliTalkshttps://www.instagram.com/dalitalksFollow me on Facebook @DaliTalkshttps://www.facebook.com/dalitalkPlease like, share, subscribe to this channel, and comment below. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!#divorcecoach #DivorceRecovery #HealingAfterDivorce

In this powerful episode, Dali sits down with Ruby Raja, a 30-year domestic violence educator and trauma-informed advocate, for a deeply honest conversation about what healthy relationships actually look like, how abuse starts before you even realize it, and what young people need to know before entering their first relationship.Ruby draws from decades of frontline experience working with both victims and perpetrators in England's criminal justice system to break down the subtle tactics abusers use and the internal work we all need to do to protect ourselves.Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction & content disclaimer 01:00 - Ruby Raja's background: 30+ years in domestic violence and probation 03:30 - What Ruby learned from working with both victims and abusers 06:00 - How growing up in a DV home impacts self-worth 08:00 - What does a healthy relationship actually look like? 11:00 - Non-negotiables: knowing what you need before you commit 14:00 - Red flags: isolation, manipulation, and love bombing 20:00 - How abusers plant seeds of doubt about your loved ones 26:00 - Asking the right questions instead of internalizing 31:00 - Listening to your body's warning signals 35:00 - The danger of saying "I love you" too soon 38:00 - Teen relationships and sexual pressure in schools 43:00 - Oversharing secrets: why it's a risk and how it's weaponized 50:00 - 5 signs of a healthy relationship 53:00 - Where to find Ruby Raja and available resourcesConnect with Ruby Raja: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruby-raja-681908302/Website: www.inshiraa.com (free resources for victims and practitioners)Hotlines & Resources: www.inshiraa.com/resourcesFor more information about Dali or DaliTalksvisit us at https://www.dalitalks.com/LinkTreeFollow on Instagram @DaliTalkshttps://www.instagram.com/dalitalksPlease like, share, subscribe to this channel, and comment below. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!#dv #domesticviolenceawareness #relationshipadvice

What if all you needed was someone to truly listen, no advice, no judgment, no fixing?

In this episode, I sit down with Deb Porter, founder of Hold Hearing Out Life Drama and professional listener, to talk about why so many people are walking around feeling unheard and what to do about it.

Deb shares how she went from working at a funeral home to building a business rooted in the power of listening, why she caps her sessions at six per year, and the CORE framework she teaches to help people become better listeners in their everyday lives.

We also get real about conscious parenting, military family dynamics, and the emotional intelligence skills nobody taught us in school but absolutely should have.

Timestamps: 00:00 The people Deb most wants to serve01:00 Welcome and Deb's introduction02:00 From seminary to funeral home to professional listener04:00 Who Deb works with and what she offers06:00 Why she caps sessions and the referral network09:00 What clients are coming to her about right now10:00 How sessions work and the six session model12:00 The CORE framework for active listening15:00 The "Listen Your Way to Deeper Connections" online course17:00 B2B work and continuing education for funeral directors19:00 Military families, parenting, and emotional regulation23:00 Practicing what you teach: Deb's real moment with her son26:00 Allowing feelings and the beauty of being real28:00 Listening is a learnable skillConnect with Deb: https://www.hearingoutlifedrama.com

For more information about Dali or DaliTalksvisit us at https://www.DaliTalks.com/LinkTreePlease like, share, subscribe to this channel, and comment below. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!#ConsciousParenting #EmotionalIntelligence #activelistening