Today, I answer a listener's question about a troubling friendship. Friendships are an important part of our social network. They give us space from the close bonds of family. Sometimes they are embedded in our families and help us get along with each other. And for others, friends are their "families of choice". Along with this, friendships can be as difficult to manage as relationships in the family. Today I talk about how dynamics born out of the family play out in our friendships. When and how to talk about difficult subjects. And how to decide when to let a friendship go.

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Cynthia Lane is a masterful spiritual mentor and teacher. Her path includes 28 years in the Vedic tradition as a TM (Transcendental Meditation) teacher and 15 years of study and practice in the Native American tradition, especially Lakota. She also studied for many years with Bill Bauman, a PhD. psychologist and fully enlightened mystic. Finally, in France in 2014, Cynthia began a profound journey and connection with Mary Magdalene. This richly fulfilling connection has given rise to what Cynthia calls the path of Grace. It is path of allowing, rather than doing; a path of surrender to the power of Divine Light and Divine Love to be the major propeller of our healing and evolution. Cynthia now combines her experience and training with her vast joy, love and expansiveness, which she shares as the work she calls FirstLight Transformations. This work is dedicated to bringing all of us home to our Infiniteness—and taking our bodies with us on the journey. Every facet of our exquisite human expression of the Infinite can come to self-recognize as Divine, so that we live in the total freedom and profound happiness that is an innate part of the human package. For more information on Cynthia and her work, please see: www.FirstLightTransformations.com

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Today, Mercy answers questions from a college student, a recently divorced woman and a new stay-at-home mom. They are each seeking advice about how to handle a new phase of life while managing new relationships. Mercy gives advice for navigating inevitable periods of anxiety, self doubt and fear of the unknown. These times in life are rich with possibility and opportunity for growth and expansion. Call-In with Questions: 888-298-5569(KKNW) or 425-373-5527 | Website: www.LeadershipWithMercy.com

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Today, I will be interviewing Chase O’Donnell. We will be talking about our experiences of dating. She is in her 30s and I turn 70 today. Chase and I met on a spiritual retreat this summer. When I found out that she earns her living as a stand-up comedienne, I asked her to join me on the show. She eagerly agreed. As we talked about being single and dating, we began to compare the desires and challenges of a woman ready to start a family life with a post-reproductive woman. Naturally we compared the desires and challenges of men in our respective cohorts. Our surprising and mutual conclusions brought us full circle to our original connection as spiritual seekers. You know we will be laughing! Chase O'Donnell is an LA based comedian, actress, and writer. She currently features for Christina P. across the US. Her two person comedy show 'Too Blondes' won the Broadway World Award and received praise in the New York Times. Chase has been a fan favorite on notable podcasts including "Dr. Drew After Dark" and "Where My Mom's At". She also writes for National Lampoon's Final Edition. Chase was chosen for Best of Fest in the Burbank Comedy Festival and won the famous Uncle Clyde's Comedy Contest. She enjoys tea, rainbows, and Disney Plus in no particular order. Instagram: @chase_odonnell | Website: www.chaseodonnell.com

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Today's guest, Sheila, talks with me about her journey in her family relationships in her 17 years of recovery. What is unique about our conversation today is that we will be clarifying Sheila's goals and discussing her strategies to become the person she wants to be in her roles as a mother and a committed partner.

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Bowen Family Systems Theory is the framework for understanding human behavior that I have used for over 30 years, in my clinical practice, my work in organizations and businesses and in my personal life with my family, friends and colleagues. It guides my curiosity and fascination with everyone and every mess I meet. I have done my best to make this way of thinking my own. The inspiration for this show is Dr. Ann Bunting. She was my first Bowen supervisor, teacher and mentor. She lived Bowen Theory embedded in a vibrant family and community while staying true to herself. I hope to share something today that may inspire a listener's curiosity about their relationship system as Dr. Bunting inspired me. - Email: [email protected] - Books: "Extraordinary Relationships: A New Way of Thinking about Human Interactions", Robert Gilbert, M.D. & "Growing Yourself Up: How to bring your best to all of life's relationships", Jenny Brown

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Today my guest is my friend Beth. She is visiting me from Vermont where we have been friends for 30 years. In our show today, we are going to be talking about her stepfather, Guy Cheng, and his impact on her family and the community. Her brother is preparing a talk for the Charlotte Historical Society about Guy which has brought back rich memories of his legacy. This topic is particularly interesting to me, apart from my own memories of Guy and Beth’s family. In my family, my grandmother was married three times. Her second husband, my mother’s stepfather, was the only grandfather I knew. He was a college professor and brought education and cultural traditions into her life and my family. My grandmother’s third husband was a retired engineer who brought financial security, a sense of adventure and travel and kindness to our family. After my parents’ divorce, my father remarried. My stepmother’s personality, experience, sense of humor, and three children expanded our family life in many ways. Divorce and stepparents get a bad rap in our religions, culture and society. Very few marry with the intention of getting divorced. Yet, as biological creatures, we are serially monogamous. Many humans can form emotional and reproductive bonds with more than one partner after the disruption of a prior partnership. (Some are more like swans and mate for life.) There are adaptive advantages to successive mates with different traits. These mates bring a broader range of resources into the family which gives children more options for facing unknown environmental challenges in the future. This is the evolutionary biological perspective. We are going to talk today about a second marriage and step parenting that provided emotional stability, humor, creativity and joy to a young family. Whatever your spiritual or religious beliefs, I propose that blended family life can be uplifting and inspiring.

Today my guest is Emily Morrow, J.D. Emily is a dear friend who brings us her story of reinventing herself professionally and culturally. A highly successful estate attorney, Emily retired in 2004 at the age of 52. As she began a consulting practice, she and her physician husband decided to build a second home overseas. After a stint in Sydney, Australia, they moved to Auckland, New Zealand. We are going to talk about her experiences making this brave move, her talent for building community and her personal transformation. As a consultant to lawyers and law firms, Emily focuses on the core capabilities lawyers need to be successful; business development, strategic planning, self-presentation/ communication skills, practice management and succession planning. She designs and facilitates retreats, coaches (one-on-one and teams), provides tailored training and conducts bespoke research projects. Emily is a frequent contributor to LawTalk and LawNews and has been the keynote speaker at numerous professional conferences for NZLS, CLANZ, ADLS, ALPMA, AWLA, CWLA, Law Plus, Lawlink, Legalwise, AALA and others. She is a regular presenter at the NZLS Stepping Up programme on the topic of “The People Dimension”. Website: www.EmilyMorrow.com

Today, I will be interviewing Chase O’Donnell. We will be talking about our experiences of dating. She is in her 30s and I turn 70 today. Chase and I met on a spiritual retreat this summer. When I found out that she earns her living as a stand-up comedienne, I asked her to join me on the show. She eagerly agreed. As we talked about being single and dating, we began to compare the desires and challenges of a woman ready to start a family life with a post-reproductive woman. Naturally we compared the desires and challenges of men in our respective cohorts. Our surprising and mutual conclusions brought us full circle to our original connection as spiritual seekers. You know we will be laughing! Chase O'Donnell is an LA based comedian, actress, and writer. She currently features for Christina P. across the US. Her two person comedy show 'Too Blondes' won the Broadway World Award and received praise in the New York Times. Chase has been a fan favorite on notable podcasts including "Dr. Drew After Dark" and "Where My Mom's At". She also writes for National Lampoon's Final Edition. Chase was chosen for Best of Fest in the Burbank Comedy Festival and won the famous Uncle Clyde's Comedy Contest. She enjoys tea, rainbows, and Disney Plus in no particular order. Instagram: @chase_odonnell | Website: www.chaseodonnell.com

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Join Mercy Russell for an encore of her debut show of The Remarkable Relationships Show and her guest Priscilla Friesen. In The fall of 2005, Ms. Friesen founded The Learning Space with Regina Carrick and Glennon Gordon. Ms. Friesen’s professional and personal interest has been in the interplay of the brain, physiology and relationships. Guided by the framework of Bowen theory, Ms. Friesen has interwoven self-regulation methodologies, including Biofeedback (a method to develop self-regulation through awareness of physiology, such as muscle tension, heart rate, and hand temperature, allowing one to see the impact of thought and emotion on physiology) and Neurofeedback (offering real-time information about central nervous system/brain wave functioning, affecting the way the brain organizes perception, emotion, and learning) into her work with individuals, couples, families, and organizations and in her teaching. Website(s): www.LeadershipWithMercy.com | https://thelearningspacedc.com/pages/staff/priscilla