The Ripples Pondcast

Colene Elridge — known to many as Coach Colene — is a speaker, writer, and success coach on a mission to help people and organizations create better work and better lives. She and I met 10 years ago at a conference we both spoke at, and have been good friends ever since. Our conversation was a blast!

PEBBLE

Colene's Monday Morning Pep Talks are in the same vein as Ripples, and I'm telling you, they are awesome! They are the only other weekly email that I consistently save nuggets from! You can sign up for them at her website.

To sign up for Coach Colene’s Monday Morning Pep Talk emails, visit her website.

Her book is pretty awesome, too: Read This When...: Pep Talks For When You're (Barely) Holding It Together

BOULDER

Here’s the question that Colene spends 45-ish minutes journaling each quarter:

“If I were my Best, Most Empowered, Happiest Self, what would I be doing?”

PONDER:

She mentioned two books that have had a profound impact: Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, and Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons

We also talked about the Just Record app for iPhone/Apple Watch/MacOS. (Yes, it's $4.99. Yes, it's worth it!)

Here are the conversations decks that I pulled questions from:

Holstee Reflection Cards


Basecamp Cards (apparently no longer available)

BoredWalk Delve Deck

BestSelf Conversation Decks

A huge thank you to the members of the Team Ripples Patreon Community who make these possible. When it feels like your turn to help keep the Ripples flowing freely, join us and get behind the scenes access and more contact with The Ripples Guy!

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Sherry Belul is a writer, gift maker, and life coach who gets excited about helping people find creative, intentional, and impactful ways to celebrate life and to express love for family and friends. Among her many gifts to the world, Sherry is the author of Say it Now: 33 Creative Ways to Say I Love You to the Most Important People in Your Life, and most recently, The Love List of a Lifetime: Your Essential End-Of-Life Planner.

We also mentioned Postagram.

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Enjoy this replay of the February 2026 Zoom talk with the Team Ripples Patreon Community.

We followed our usual format:

pebble (a resource that I've found useful in my work or life)

boulder (and activity I'm using personally or professionally)

ponder (a collection of information and ideas I've been pondering)

You can also watch the video replay here.

Pebble: Ezra Klein Podcast Episode: This Question Can Change Your Life: WHAT IS THIS?

Boulder: Three Questions

What is it time to let go of?

What will be important to hold on to?

What might be useful to look forward to?

Ponder: Thrive Loop s

Virtuous Cycle of Flourishing: our thoughts support us, our emotions energize us, and our actions align with our values

Vicious Cycle of Floundering: our thoughts undermine us, our emotions drag us down, and our actions miss the mark—or don’t happen at all

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Enjoy this replay of a special Zoom talk I gave on October 30th (please note this has different content than the October 28 talk; be sure listen to part 1).

For this presentation I created a Google Doc with the content we explored, and I also created a PDF version that you’re welcome to download and share.

You can also watch the video replay here.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ripples.

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Enjoy this replay of a special Zoom talk I gave on October 28th (please note this has different content than the October 30 talk; be sure listen to part 2!)

For this presentation I created a Google Doc with the content we explored, and I also created a PDF version that you’re welcome to download and share.

You can also watch the video replay here.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ripples.

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

Enjoy this replay of our Monthly Zoom with the Team Ripples Patreon Community

We followed our usual format:

pebble (a resource that I've found useful in my work or life)

boulder (and activity I'm using personally or professionally)

ponder (a collection of information and ideas I've been pondering)

The notes and links from the session are pasted below.

You can also watch the video replay.

PEBBLE

Group Therapy documentary

Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict (and we explore the book in this episode of The Ripples Pondcast)

BOULDER

Gratitude Prompt: Tell me about a memorable moment of gratitude where you were either the giver or receiver, or share a note of gratitude you wish you’d previously shared with someone.

From this NYT article

Soul Pancake: The Science of Happiness - An Experiment in Gratitude

Soul Pancake: Street Compliments

PONDER

1. Anne-Laure Le Cunff: The Peril of Productivity, and the Happiness of Tiny Experiments (No Small Endeavor Podcast episode)

2. There’s a path to a good life beyond happiness and meaning (Washington Post Article Giftlink)

3a. Dan Harris, 10% Happier Podcast Your Brain Is Suggestible. Here’s How To Turn That to Your Advantage

3b. Dan HarrisThe Science Of Burnout — And How To Recharge From Stress | Kristin Neff

4. Fauxstalgia (Ghost Longing)

Fauxstalgia, or ghost longing: terms that ChatGPT helped me and my friend use to short hand a form of grief that occurs when you find yourself missing something that you never had (Here's the ChatGPT thread I created in the midst of our conversation)

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In this lighthearted and thought-provoking conversation, Paul sits down with leadership trainer and coach Roach Finley to unpack key insights from The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute. Together they explore what it means to move from a “heart at war” to a “heart at peace,” how the “box” and “influence pyramid” shape our relationships, and why this book is more about being than doing. Along the way, Roach shares personal reflections from her leadership journey and how the book is still working on her.

Connect with Coach Roach via her website, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.

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My childhood friend Pidge returns to the Pondcast...this time for a conversation about Polarities. You can also watch the video recording if you'd like...we move our hands a lot! ◡̈ -pw

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[PLEASE NOTE: I shared two different sets of content this month, so I recorded both sessions and published them as "Part 1" and "Part 2". They have DIFFERENT pebbles, DIFFERENT boulders, and DIFFERENT ponders, I promise!]

Enjoy this replay of our Monthly Zoom with the Team Ripples Patreon Community We followed our usual format:

pebble (a resource that I've found useful in my work or life)

boulder (and activity I'm using personally or professionally)

ponder (a collection of information and ideas I've been pondering)

The notes and links from the session are pasted below.

You can also watch the video replay here: https://youtu.be/8Dvf1c-0ays

PEBBLE


Hopeful Tunes 4U:
A massive playlist of upbeat tunes assembled from the Ripples community. 

Playlist can be accessed through these links:

Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/playlist/PL:196407963240367522:1146596940

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4IOsYREjf1scMlmDKapRac

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/hopeful-tunes/pl.u-4Joma4ltZ77qbX

Tidal: https://tidal.com/playlist/d33c22dc-677e-4200-b4af-d945f9f8367f

BOULDER

Body based Calming exercises https://www.envisionkindness.org/guide/shifting-how-we-feel/body-based-calming-or-energizing-exercises/calming-exercises/

PONDER

1.20 short rules for better days at work https://breegroff.substack.com/p/20-short-rules-for-better-days-at?

2. Dopamine Menu: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jan/18/whats-on-your-dopamine-menu-15-ideas-for-a-positivity-boost?

3. Mapping space: Largest map of the universe announced UC Santa Barbara (6/11/25)https://news.ucsb.edu/2025/021905/mapping-space-largest-map-universe-announced

4. Facebook Reel We don’t uncover triggers to avoid them, we uncover triggers to heal them: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1717862865476423

SEEN Method of healing triggers. (be prepared: she’s presenting this in a somewhat manic way)
(no safety, control, or choice)


5.
“I can’t do this.” actually means “You’re about to do it” Excellent reel from a birth doula  https://www.facebook.com/reel/1121419086523458

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ripples.

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[PLEASE NOTE: I shared two different sets of content this month, so I recorded both sessions and published them as "Part 1" and "Part 2". They have DIFFERENT pebbles, DIFFERENT boulders, and DIFFERENT ponders, I promise!]

Enjoy this replay of our Monthly Zoom with the Team Ripples Patreon Community We followed our usual format:

pebble (a resource that I've found useful in my work or life)

boulder (and activity I'm using personally or professionally)

ponder (a collection of information and ideas I've been pondering)

The notes and links from the session are pasted below.

You can also watch the video replay here https://youtu.be/DxOI4uPb3e0

PEBBLE

Stuff I can Control (based on Don Griner’s share)

https://2rpl.me/i/Stuff_I_Can_Control.pdf

BOULDER:

Japanese Walking: 

https://wapo.st/3H6hPMt (Wash Post gift link)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2025/07/13/japanese-walking-interval-walking-training/?

PONDER

1. Joyspan: (from NYT article about Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half)

Life span: how long you live

Health span: how long you live well (in good health)

Joy span: how long you enjoy living

four actions: Grow ~ Adapt ~ Give ~ Connect

2. Wind Phone: https://wapo.st/3J7Jayh (Wash Post gift link)

3. Hacking your Happy Horomones (Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, Endorphins): https://www.healthline.com/health/happy-hormone

Facebook Reel: https://www.facebook.com/reel/685974207368701

4. Tender vs. Fierce Self-Compassion (via Dan Harris 10% Happier Podcast episode #894: The Science Of Burnout — And How To Recharge From Stress: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-happier-with-dan-harris/id1087147821?i=1000682587392

Tender vs. Fierce Self compassion. If compassion is about alleviating suffering, Tender self compassion is about ACCEPTING things, and 

Fierce self compassion is about taking action, CHANGING things.

5. Have You Tried Lemonading? Researchers Tout the Power of Playfulness in Tough Times

https://nicenews.com/health-and-wellness/lemonading-playfulness-face-adversity/

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ripples.

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