The Finding Peace Podcast

Why does Gratitude have to be so complicated?  Well, it's not really, but Shame sure has a way of making it messy.  Listen to how to honor emotion while also expressing gratitude in this episode of the Finding Peace Podcast.

In this episode, I explore fond childhood memory and how it relates to why we do some of the behaviors that we engage in.  Many times, we are trying to find ways to feel our love and belonging tank but then are shadows of shame tell us that doing so is wrong or they were doing it inappropriately. In this episode, we explore what is underneath the surface and how we can find creative ways to get our love and belonging tank filled in healthy, lasting, and peaceful ways.

You can listen to the Finding Peace Podcast by clicking on any of these links:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0p6DK6fPPjHH0z911oCuUg

In this episode, I have the privilege of interviewing up my very own self-defense instructor, David Perez. David shares what led him to find peace in the world of martial arts and how his experiences have led him to now have the opportunity to bless other people and tapping into their own inner power and challenging their mindset.

As a child, whenever I would visit the Science Museum, I would love to watch the pendulum swinging back and forth. In this episode, we explore how the shadows of shame do a similar swing along the various spectrums. This episode helps you have a better understanding of the motivations of each of the shadows. I also give you another perspective based on Jungian psychology that was exemplified in the book, King, Magician, Warrior, Lover by Robert Moore and Douglass Gillette that explores the parts of ourselves that can help us shine powerful light on the shadows.

At the end of the podcast, The Finding Peace Online Weekend Workshop is mentioned. Here, we will take a deeper dive into the Finding Peace Model and give you some tools to connect with your inner power while connecting with your truth.  You can learn more about the workshop here: https://www.findingpeaceacademy.com/onlineweekendworkshop

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In this episode, I have the privilege of interviewing Lee Atwood, a Registered Provisional Psychologist practicing in Alberta, Canada. He has done research in sex and porn addiction and his areas of specialization, including addiction, are couples and parenting issues, depression, and anxiety.  He also LOVE'S talking about the hero's journey, a concept developed by Joseph Campbell and used in some of the most famous stories in history.

In this podcast, I referenced Matthew Dicks, an amazing storyteller in his own right. You can find out more about him here.

You can listen to this and other episodes of the Finding Peace Podcast here:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0p6DK6fPPjHH0z911oCuUg

It is 5 am in the morning, I am operating on maybe 51/2 hours of sleep. I am supposed to meet my personal trainer today. And I was so afraid that I wasn't going to be able to be on time that I tossed and turned throughout the entire night because I thought, if I don't wake up, I'm going to sleep through my first session with my personal trainer and that is not going to send a good message.

And now I'm standing in the gym with my trainer, and I am so tired. I'm looking around at this gym. It's a fairly small gym, there is a rack of weights. There's a medicine ball, there's a treadmill and a bunch of other things that I'm fairly familiar with, because I've been going to the gym for several years by myself.

I have decided that I needed to do something more intense for me because, unfortunately, as the years continue to go by, I continue to put more and more weight on my body, which I know physically is not healthy for me. And I want to be able to stick around for awhile and spend time with the people that I love the most. And so I've decided to hire this guy to see if he can help me take better care of my body. And I've asked him, in particular, if he can help me holistically, not just working particular muscles, but I want to be able to work more holistically mind, body, and spirit.  I chose him because he is a jujitsu instructor in addition to being a personal trainer, and he told me that his master, who taught him about jujitsu, believed in that holistic part of healing the mind, body, and soul. So I felt that this was going to be a really good experience for me.

He's showing me around the gym, give me a little bit of a tour of his place. He has just moved in a couple of months ago. And he's really excited about this new building, He's telling me about the history of the building and as he's talking, I ended up stepping on to the mat where he teaches jujitsu.  He says to me, "Hey, you got to get off of that. That is sacred ground."

And when he said that, I immediately stepped off of the mat. I didn't want to be disrespectful. But what struck me more was how immediately he reacted in a way that said, Hey, dude, this is sacred space, and no one is allowed to be on the sacred space until they're instructed to do So because sacred work, beautiful work happens on these mats. And so there's formality to it. And that made me really think about a question that a buddy of mine had asked me just three days earlier. And this is the question

Can you help me understand the difference between walls and fences?  

Listen to the answer on this podcast and deepen your understanding of what makes boundaries more effective.

If you want help connecting to your deepest value, click here to check out the Finding Peace Workbook.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1472700242

There is a lot of controversy and contempt taking place around the world. We have a challenging time even being willing to consider listening to another person's point of view. In the process, we lose a sense of peace and security and instead become more defensive.  In this episode of the Finding Peace Podcast, the listener will be asked to consider how being willing to emphatically listen may actually deepen relationships (and indeed create change). 

Troy also teaches the listener about BRPEs - the four behaviors that will drive disconnection in a relationship.

You can get a copy of the Year of Self-Love, which Troy reads from during the podcast here.

You can listen to this and other podcasts by going to any of the links below:

 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1472700242

Shame is often what drives us to change our behavior.  It's like a kick in the pants that shoves us out of our comfort zone. And initially, it seems like it is a great motivator for change, but is it sustaining?

In this episode, we explore whether or not Shame is really that great of a cheerleader.  

You can listen to this and other episodes of the Finding Peace Podcast by going to:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1472700242 

And as always, you can pick up your copy of a Year of Self-Love by going here: https://amzn.to/2njvXc9

Referenced in this podcast are the following articles:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57a40c19414fb54f51f8095f/t/57db82fc37c581429570a889/1474003709483/Lickel+et+al.pdf

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2155472/The-way-Im-going-Im-going-live-longer-Why-TVs-650lb-Virgin--lost-400lbs-love--morbidly-obese-more.html

This special episode of the Finding Peace Podcast reviews some of the tips outlined by Dr. Feliciano. 

Dr Eileen M Feliciano is a doctoral-level Psychologist in New York State with a Psy.D. in the specialties of School and Clinical Psychology. After having thirty-one sessions this week with patients where the singular focus was COVID-19 and how to cope, Dr Feliciano decided to consolidate her advice.  You can read her advice at the link below:

https://energyresourcing.com/blog/mental-health-wellness-covid-19/

If you haven't gotten your copy of A Year of Self-Love, you can grab an e-book version here: https://amzn.to/2lCfOxZ

You can listen to this and other episodes of the Finding Peace Podcast by clicking: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1472700242

Most of us are now staying home to avoid spreading the virus, many of us are resorting to the television to watch endless hours of entertainment programming.   And I, like millions of Americans seem to still be drawn to the competition shows.  Whether it is on the competitor’s ability to lose more pounds than the others, the whim of a panel of judges, or the voting of viewers on their smartphones – every week another contestant is eliminated until there is one winner

Particularly I have been watching American Idol.  “There can only be one American Idol” is a phrase I hear repeatedly on the show.  There can only be one winner.  That is how it goes in competitions.  There can only be one gold medalist, one winner of the state basketball tournament, one student of the month. I get it.  It’s how the game works.  I hate it.

But it really stirred something up inside of me when I was watching this year's season of American Idol and the contestant Doug Kiker was shown into the audition room where Lionel Richie, Katie Perry, and Luke Bryan sat waiting to hear what Doug was going to sing. 

Doug works as a garbage man missing one of his front teeth.  He had no experience singing except for in the shower. He actually tried out for American Idol in August 2019 and didn’t make the cut before trying out again in front of the judges in Baton Rouge.  You can watch his audition here:

https://youtu.be/LfeXu26peJU

What stood out to me more than anything was the comment Lionel Ritchie made as he put his arm around Doug’s shoulder – “He is trying to show his daughter that he is somebody.”

With tears running down my cheeks, I blurted out, “He is somebody already!  He doesn’t have to prove that to anyone!”

As Rumi says, “You are more valuable than both Heaven and Earth.”  Just you being you is enough.

I want you to say it out loud – I am worthy of love and belonging.  When my shadows tell me otherwise, it is important for me to remember more than ever that I am loved. That I belong…

It is my hope that you can do the same, even if you are not selected as the employee of the month, don’t win on American Idol, or that you weren’t selected for the position you dreamed about – You are enough. And who knows, but if you can tap into that truth, your willingness to believe that may open doors you never imagined.

Please send me your questions for the podcast at [email protected]

You can listen to this and other episodes of the Finding Peace Podcast by going here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1472700242