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The holiday season can often feel really stressful, even though we often feel like we should be feeling more gratitude at this time of year. So how do we slow down enough to notice the small things that are actually going right...especially when life feels busy, chaotic, or overwhelming? Author and podcaster Lori Oberbroeckling joins Risa Williams to talk about simple, actionable ways to build gratitude into your daily routine. She also shares her “Gratitude Questions List,” a tool she created to help make everyday appreciation feel easier for us all

They discuss:

-Learning to notice the tiny daily things around us as a way to work the "gratitude muscle"

-How to recognize moments as they happen to us as a daily gratitude practice

-How we can start sharing our gratitude with others more regularly

-How setting up daily "practices" helps us to notice the "happy little moments" with more consistent intention

***New Book: The Tiny Wins Journal by Risa Williams, illustrated by Dulcie Yamanaka, will go on sale next week just in time for the holidays! Risa will be giving away 10 free copies of the books to newsletter subscribers - sign up for her newsletter at risawilliams.com today ***

Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapy

Guest: Lori Oberbroeckling, secretsofsupermom.com, @secretsofsupermom

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For info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.

*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

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We often understand what it means to feel physically fit in our bodies, but what does "emotionally fitness" look and feel like? Dr. Tamara Soles, psychologist and keynote speaker, is back on the show to talk with Risa Williams about building up our "emotional fitness," one mental rep at a time. They discuss how families can work with these emotional regulation tools together, and how building these skills is so important to do to manage our daily stress levels.

They discuss:

-Learn a few components of Emotional Fitness: Awareness, Regulation, Flexibility, Curiosity and Humor

-How parents can model to their kids how to regulate their nervous systems and emotions by talking about these elements more regularly

-Simple everyday tricks for regulating your nervous system that don't involve a lot of time or money to do

If this is a stressful and chaotic time of year for you, take a minute to pause and listen to this extremely helpful episode that can help you find the calm again!

Host: Risa WIlliams, @risawilliamstherapy

Guest: Dr. Tamara Soles, drtamarasoles.com, @drtamarasoles

**Get news about Risa's newest goals planner, The Tiny Wins Journal, which comes out in a few weeks by signing up for her newsletter at: risawilliams.com***

Support the show

For info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.

*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

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So, you've learned how to set boundaries and effectively communicate your boundaries to people, but what do you do next? How can we go about managing and adjusting our boundaries as our relationships change, we grow, or new situations present themselves to us? Risa Williams talks to Stevon Lewis, therapist and book author, about how to figure out how much "access" you're allowing people to have to parts of you based upon information you're receiving from them across different situations over time.

They discuss:

-How boundaries can be on a scale and not an "all or nothing" concept

-How most people see boundaries as "punishment" instead of a "choice" that allows us to feel safe and thrive

-How to adjust how much access someone should have to you and your time based upon information you're given 

-Why we need to prioritize our own time with ourselves a little bit more intentionally for our own health and wellbeing

Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapy

Guest: Stevon Lewis, stevonlewis.com, @stevonlewismft

Support the show

For info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.

*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

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Do you feel like there's just work and free time but you never quite get everything done during your free time? You're not alone! On this special episode of the show, "Reader Questions" - I invited a reader of my books, Ksenjia Sabic, a technical project manager in NYC, on the show to ask questions about "Get Stuff Done Without the Stress" and to share her experience of using the tools in the book.

We discuss:

-How trying to "wing it" with free time each week may not be helping you do the fun things you want to do

-Why adulthood tends to leave most people feeling lost about the path to their goals and how they can start to map things out for themselves

-How perfectionism leads us to have harshly different rules for ourselves than we have for other people

Thank you so much, Ksenjia, for being brave and coming on the show! I appreciate you reading the book and all your wonderful questions and feedback! I am sure listeners will benefit from hearing your experience as well.

**Check out the Sept/Oct issue of Therapist Magazine because Erica Curtis and I wrote an article in it about our kids' book: Max and The Imaginary Tree, and skills parents can use for calming down each day**

Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapy

Guest: Ksenjia Sabic, linkedin.com/in/ksenija-sabic/

Support the show

For info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.

*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

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Do you try to set goals but then beat yourself up if you're not working on them every single day? Or, do you want to move forward with many new goals but find yourself stalling out at the starting line? Risa Williams talks to Debra Eckerling, book author, goals coach, and podcaster, about how we can set goals in a much easier and less stressful way! 

They discuss:

-Deb's 5 of 7 Rule for working on goals each week

-Why writing down all the small steps you're taking each week is so important to do to motivate you to keep going

-How one simple journaling technique can show you patterns about yourself that can help you figure out what to do next

**Big thanks to everyone who showed up at Risa's workshop this past weekend at The Huddle/Google Visitor Experience and thank you to Isabella and Vic for hosting the event!**

Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapy

Guest: Debra Eckerling,  thedebmethod.com, @thedebmethod

Support the show

For info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.

*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

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If someone asked you to share your computer's desktop, would you cringe a little? Are the texts and emails just piling up and you're feeling really overwhelmed by them? What's the state of your digital organization right now? Risa Williams talks to digital organizational expert, Indigo Organizing founder, and Ted Talk speaker, Amanda Jefferson, about managing our digital footprints in easier ways.

They discuss:

-What do when your email inbox is feeling overwhelming to navigate

-How password management can stress us out and what to do about it

-Organizing your computer desktop so that it suits your own needs  

-Tech Avoidance and how it gets in our own way of making progress on things

**Upcoming events: Risa Williams will be speaking at The Huddle at The Google Visitor Experience on Sept. 14th at 12 on "Calming Down Skills for Kids and Grownups" and the first 25 people get free books and gift bags! A fun event for both kids and grownups with art activities for everyone! Visit risawilliams.com/writingmedia for info.***

Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapy

Guest: Amanda Jefferson, indigoorganizing.com, @hey.amandaj 

Support the show

For info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.

*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

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How can we start and end our days in calmer ways? What are some easy routines that can keep us grounded in what we value and help us focus on what we want to get out of the week? Risa Williams talks to podcast host and founder of Whole Wellness Mamas, Amy Nesbitt, about how we can form daily routines that help provide structure and calmer feelings for our lives and our homes.

They discuss:

-Nightly routines that help set us up for calmer mornings

-Ways to visually chart upcoming events for the entire family

-Why one-on-one time is so important for families to prioritize

-How teaching our kids simple daily routines sets them up for an easier time in adulthood

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***Upcoming Events: Risa will be at The San Diego Book Festival on Aug. 23rd at the University of San Diego from 10 am to 4 PM! Stop by her author's booth and pick up some signed books and gifts for the kids!

Risa will also be speaking at Amy's Whole Wellness Mama Summit on Aug. 25th! Sign up here for free access: https://www.wholewellnessmamas.com/summit?sa=sa0227179901f588b20e00d2962f2d4c2c3fbe1952 ***

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Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapy

Guest: Amy Nesbitt, linktr.ee/wholewellnessmamas

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Support the show

For info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.

*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

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Sometimes, we can get really lost in our own words during conversations with others. We wander off, we shut down, we forget to say what we need...so how can we learn to be more assertive in our every communication? Risa Williams is joined by Erica Curtis to discuss simple ways we can simplify our thoughts down into words and figure out exactly what we want out of the conversations we're having.

They discuss:

-Simple ways to figure out what you want from an interaction

-How conversations have two types of goals: Action Goals and Emotional Goals

-Practical communication principles from The Gottman Method and The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

-Why we need to regulate our nervous systems and soothe ourselves in order to be able to effectively communicate to others what we want

**UPCOMING EVENTS:

This Saturday: Risa will be doing a story-time and book signing at Village Well Bookstore in Culver City on August 9th at 11 am with free art activities for kids!

August 23rd: Risa and Erica will be hosting an author's booth at the San Diego Book Festival on August 23rd at 10 am, more details at: 

https://www.kpbs.org/sdbookfestival **

Hosts: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapy

Erica Curtis, therapywitherica, @ericakcurtis

Support the show

For info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.

*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

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Do you struggle to slow down and emotionally connect with what's going on around you sometimes? We all do! Risa Williams talks to Kyohei Mikawa, minister of The Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Center of Los Angeles, and Youtube creator of The Lotus Sutra Lab, about everyday mindfulness tools we can use to slow down and feel more compassion for ourselves and the world around us. In these stressful times, how can we lean into more gentle patience, understanding, and kindness towards ourselves and others throughout busy everyday life?

They discuss:

-Mindful "slow down" moments: Taking time throughout the day to practice slowing down and feeling what's happening in your body and around you

-Mindful listening: How to practice a gentle form of listening where we give others space to show us what they are feeling and really hear them more intentionally

-Mindful community: How sharing our mindfulness practice with others helps us practice it more regularly and feel more connected to the world around us

-Mindful spaces: Creating a space in your home that feels like "peace" for you to do your daily mindfulness practice

-Hope and heart: Two important concepts to consider on a daily level to help ground you and give you a boost to keep going

Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com @risawilliamstherapy

Guest: Kyohei Mikawa, rklabuddhistcenter.com, youtube.com/@AwakenYourInnerBuddha

Support the show

For info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.

*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.

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Do you struggle with talking to yourself in a loving way? Do you find it's easier to show other people love rather than to give it to yourself? Then, this episode is for you! Risa Williams talks to therapist, Darrin Kagele, about cultivating self-love and learning into lean into self-kindness more intentionally.

They discuss:

-How kindness is a starting point for learning self-love

-Creating a Self-Love Menu to draw from when you're feeling stuck

-Why training your brain to form new pathways is so important to do

-How self-love is a habit that we need to practice consistently

-Risa's tool: The Cartoon Animal from her book, The Ultimate Self-Esteem Toolkit

-Darrin's tool: "The Sacred Pause" and how to use it to get past stuckpoints

**Stop by and say hello to Risa Williams and Erica Curtis at The San Diego Book Festival on August 23rd at 10am PST! They will be in an author's booth promoting their newest kids book, Max and The Imaginary Tree...as well as their other books!**

Host: Risa Williams, risawilliams.com, @risawilliamstherapy

Guest: Darrin Kagele, darrinkagele.com

Support the show

For info on books, workshops, guests, and future episodes, please visit: risawilliams.com.

*All tools discussed on the show are meant for educational purposes only and not as a replacement for therapy or medical advice.