Whole Again: Mindfulness and Resilience Through Kintsugi Wisdom

The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience.

And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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What are you willing to give up in order for us to unite?

That's the question Jerry Colonna leaves us with in this conversation for A Perfectly Imperfect Union.

Jerry is an executive coach of 25 years, former investor, author of Reboot and Reunion, and a previous guest on The Kintsugi Podcast. Today he calls Centennial State Home.

Jerry believes disunion has a beneficiary. Someone always gains when the rest of us turn on each other, and naming that is the first step toward healing.

He traces his own family's story, immigrant ancestors who came to America out of poverty and survival, sons who served in World War II, a grandfather who registered for the draft before he was even a citizen, and uses it to make the case that America has always been a process of transformation, not a finished thing.

You can connect with Jerry via his website: https://www.reboot.io/

Share your thoughts on Jerry's question and share this episode with someone you love.

You can now download my Pause Breathe Reflect App with Microdose EQ for FREE on Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Discover how to spend less time on your phone and more time on things that bring you joy. Also, find the support you need to navigate today’s uncertainty with more calm and grace.

Receive a FREE copy of my book: “My Last Bad Day Shift.”

We can also connect on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to be sure you don’t miss any of the micro-meditations, wellness tips, and guidance that I publish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:11 am.

The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience.

And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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What does it really mean to be wealthy?

The answer showed up at his dad's 90th birthday party, complete with a theme borrowed from his father's signature line to every doctor who asks how he's doing: "Did you bring the coffee and donuts?"

Michael's dad spent his career in the moving industry, and at the party, his former coworkers spoke about how he always showed up. He wasn't rich by the usual measure, Michael says, but he was wealthy in the way that matters most.

Here's Michael's blog post about his Dad's birthday.

You can now download my Pause Breathe Reflect App with Microdose EQ for FREE on Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Discover how to spend less time on your phone and more time on things that bring you joy. Also, find the support you need to navigate today’s uncertainty with more calm and grace.

Receive a FREE copy of my book: “My Last Bad Day Shift.”

We can also connect on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to be sure you don’t miss any of the micro-meditations, wellness tips, and guidance that I publish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:11 am.

The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience.

And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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In the latest episode of A Perfectly Imperfect Union, we travel to The Palmetto State and sit down with Emma Ambrose.

Emma grew up in Sag Harbor, New York, and now calls Charleston home, though she joined this conversation from the Bahamas mid-move into her first apartment.

Emma built a social media career from scratch, selling over $700,000 in her first eight months on TikTok Shop, and she's now launching her own jewelry line, Popped by Ambrose, while also pursuing a real estate license.

Her take on America centers on freedom and permission, the encouragement to chase what you want even if it means reinventing yourself, something she watched her own father do when he left a Wall Street career to become a chef.

You can follow her on TikTok @emmambrosee

And her question for you and our next guest is:

What's a moment in your life you wanted to change, not for anybody else, but for yourself?

Share your thoughts in the comments and share this episode with someone you love.

You can now download my Pause Breathe Reflect App with Microdose EQ for FREE on Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Discover how to spend less time on your phone and more time on things that bring you joy. Also, find the support you need to navigate today’s uncertainty with more calm and grace.

Receive a FREE copy of my book: “My Last Bad Day Shift.”

We can also connect on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to be sure you don’t miss any of the micro-meditations, wellness tips, and guidance that I publish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:11 am.

The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience.

And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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After three years apart, Ted Lasso is back for Season 4, sliding into our DMs like an old college flame asking to grab "just one beer."

But can you truly rekindle that pandemic-era magic without ruining your favorite memories?

Michael breaks down the awkward initial reconnect, the lingering nostalgia, and whether that folksy Lasso charm still holds up in a brand-new era.

This week, Michael dives into the highlights, emotional beats, and subtle commentaries hidden within Episodes 1 and 2:

• Ted isn't returning to coach the FC Richmond men's side. Rebecca has a completely new challenge in store: the Lady Greyhounds.
• A detour to the Negro Baseball Hall of Fame delivers a memorable reminder from Satchel Paige: “No man is born uncommon.” Being uncommon isn't about trophies or social media followers—it's about showing up daily with dignity, empathy, and excellence.
• Finding the Spark: Episode 2 brings back that classic 2022 warmth while introducing Assistant Coach Alice Chilton.
• The Coaching Gap: Beneath the humor, the show shines a light on a stark reality: only 22% of women’s sports teams are coached by women, and zero women hold head coaching roles in men’s major professional sports.

Ted Lasso has always been more than a comedy; it's a playbook for human connection.

• Real inclusion isn't about falling back on comfortable defaults. It’s about representation, allyship, and creating spaces where people feel they belong.
• Just like repairing broken pottery with gold, our experiences and our scars make us stronger.

You can now download my Pause Breathe Reflect App with Microdose EQ for FREE on Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Discover how to spend less time on your phone and more time on things that bring you joy. Also, find the support you need to navigate today’s uncertainty with more calm and grace.

Receive a FREE copy of my book: “My Last Bad Day Shift.”

We can also connect on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to be sure you don’t miss any of the micro-meditations, wellness tips, and guidance that I publish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:11 am.

The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience.

And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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What does it take to actually hear each other again?

In the latest episode of A Perfectly Imperfect Union, I travel to the Last Frontier State to speak with Laura Norton-Cruz.

She's a licensed social worker, documentary filmmaker, and policy advocate based in Anchorage.

Laura believes the deepest fracture in this country right now is informational.

We're all working from different sets of facts, fed by algorithms and shrinking newsrooms, and she thinks the way through is simple to name and hard to do: get more stories from people with the least power in front of more people. Survivors, immigrants, disabled folks, foster kids, home health aides, the people whose lives rarely make the front page. Amen!

She holds two things at once: the fear that comes with raising brown, bilingual kids in this political climate, and a genuine belief that common ground is still findable, one relationship at a time.

To connect with Laura, please visit her website: https://www.lauranortoncruzconsulting.com/

And her question for you and our next guest is:

How are you helping advance the wellbeing of pregnant people and young children so we have a healthier future?

Share your thoughts in the comments and share this episode with someone you love.

You can now download my Pause Breathe Reflect App with Microdose EQ for FREE on Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Discover how to spend less time on your phone and more time on things that bring you joy. Also, find the support you need to navigate today’s uncertainty with more calm and grace.

Receive a FREE copy of my book: “My Last Bad Day Shift.”

We can also connect on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to be sure you don’t miss any of the micro-meditations, wellness tips, and guidance that I publish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:11 am.

The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience.

And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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In this week's microdose meditation from the Pause, Breathe, Reflect app, Michael guides you through his own morning ritual, a practice he returns to each day to greet the day with clarity and purpose.

Starting with a few generous, expansive breaths, you're invited to check in with your body, release any tension held in the shoulders, forehead, or jaw, and arrive fully in the present moment.

From there, Michael leads you into the heart of the practice: setting an intention for the day, the half day, or even just the next hour and visualizing yourself showing up exactly as you wish to be.

It's a simple, judgment-free practice you can do in bed, seated, standing, or on the go, designed to help you put a little more of the ripple you want to see out into the world.

You can now download my Pause Breathe Reflect App with Microdose EQ for FREE on Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Discover how to spend less time on your phone and more time on things that bring you joy. Also, find the support you need to navigate today’s uncertainty with more calm and grace.

Receive a FREE copy of my book: “My Last Bad Day Shift.”

We can also connect on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to be sure you don’t miss any of the micro-meditations, wellness tips, and guidance that I publish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:11 am.

The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience.

And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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Have you ever had one of those days where absolutely nothing goes right, right down to a door that won't open the way you expect it to?

That was Michael earlier this week. Not a bad day, not compared to July 11, 2001, but a day.

Errands piling up, arms full of packages, and a post office door that stubbornly pulled open instead of pushing. Just as his frustration peaked, a stranger stepped in with four simple words: "Hey, let me get that for you." That small moment sparked tip number 32 in Michael's 25 Lessons in 25 Years series, celebrating the 25th anniversary of his last bad day.

It sounds almost too small to count as a tip. Hold the door open for someone?

But Michael digs into the psychology behind it, what researchers call the shared effort model, and shows why this tiny, split-second exchange between strangers does real work. It signals to another person that they're seen, that someone has enough time and generosity to slow down for them, even for a second or two.

In a world that can feel lonely and divided, Michael makes the case that these small, subconscious social pacts matter more than we realize. They won't solve your biggest problems, but they can pull you out of the story that tells you you're on your own.

Discover how to scroll less and live more by taking my Free Smartphone Wellness Audit by clicking phone.

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We can also connect on LinkedIn. or at [email protected]

Subscribe to be sure you don’t miss any of the micro-meditations, wellness tips, and guidance that I publish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:11 am. 

If you feel you need more mental health support, please contact NAMI. 

With Whole Again: A Fresh Approach to Healing, Growth & Resilience after Physical Trauma through Kintsugi Mindfulness listeners explore resilience through personal stories of trauma, scars, and injury while learning to overcome PTSD, imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and perfectionism with self-compassion, self-love, and self-worth. Through insightful discussions on stress management, mindfulness practices, and digital wellness, the show offers practical tools like breathwork, micro-dose meditation, grounding techniques, visualization, and daily affirmations for anxiety relief and stress relief. Inspired by the art of kintsugi, the podcast embraces healing as a process of transformation, encouraging a shift in perspective from worry and being overwhelmed to gratitude and personal growth. By exploring the mind-body connection, micro-dosing strategies for emotional well-being, and holistic approaches to self-care, this podcast empowers listeners to cultivate emotional resilience and live with greater balance and intention.

The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience.

And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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In the latest episode of A Perfectly Imperfect Union, we travel to Ohio and speak with fellow James Madison University grad, Howard Miller.

What does it really mean to have a choice, and to be accountable for it?

That's the throughline for Howard Miller, a City of Cincinnati sustainability official and geologist by training, in this episode of A Perfectly Imperfect Union.

Howard's Cincinnati is a city of crossroads, geographically and culturally, and he sees that same tension play out nationally: incredible freedom of choice, paired with a growing unwillingness to own the consequences.

He traces his own shift in perspective back to leaving private consulting for public service, where he found a level of connection to his community he hadn't felt before. It also shows up again in his years coaching youth lacrosse, where the real lesson was never about the sport.

Howard's question for you and our next guest is:

What is your vision of America in 2050?

Share your thoughts in the comments and share this episode with someone you love.

Go Dukes!

Discover more about Howard on LinkedIn

You can now download my Pause Breathe Reflect App with Microdose EQ for FREE on Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Discover how to spend less time on your phone and more time on things that bring you joy. Also, find the support you need to navigate today’s uncertainty with more calm and grace.

Receive a FREE copy of my book: “My Last Bad Day Shift.”

We can also connect on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to be sure you don’t miss any of the micro-meditations, wellness tips, and guidance that I publish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:11 am.

The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience.

And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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What if the secret to healing has been hiding inside a 3,000-year-old poem the whole time?

That's the question Michael found himself sitting with as he prepared for Christopher Nolan's new film adaptation of Homer's Odyssey. Everyone is talking about the movie, but almost no one is talking about the one theme in the poem that might matter most right now, a concept the ancient Greeks called xenia.

In this episode of Whole Again, Michael shares what he discovered while restudying The Odyssey ahead of seeing Nolan's film. Xenia was the ancient code of guest friendship, a kind of radical hospitality where strangers were welcomed into your home before you even asked their name.

The belief was that any traveler could be a god in disguise, so how you treated a stranger revealed who you really were. Compare that to today, where so much of our social life feels guarded, transactional, and quick to judge before we even get to know someone.

Michael draws the bridge from xenia to the contemplative practice of dana, or generosity of spirit, and to Rumi's poem The Guest House, which teaches us to welcome every emotion we feel, even the difficult ones, as a teacher rather than an intruder.

The idea is simple but not easy. When we practice hospitality internally, welcoming our own feelings without judgment, we get better at offering that same welcome to the people around us.

You will discover:

• The ancient Greek concept of xenia and why it mattered so much to Homer's world
• How radical hospitality differs from the guarded, transactional way we often treat strangers today
• The mindfulness practice of dana, or generosity of spirit, and its connection to presence
• What Rumi's poem The Guest House teaches us about welcoming our emotions instead of resisting them
• A simple question to carry with you about where you could practice more xenia in your own life

You can now download my Pause Breathe Reflect App with Microdose EQ for FREE on Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Discover how to spend less time on your phone and more time on things that bring you joy. Also, find the support you need to navigate today’s uncertainty with more calm and grace.

Receive a FREE copy of my book: “My Last Bad Day Shift.”

We can also connect on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to be sure you don’t miss any of the micro-meditations, wellness tips, and guidance that I publish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:11 am.

The Whole Again Podcast: Mindfulness and Resilience through Kinstugi Wisdom airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with Pause Breathe Reflect Microdose Meditations, Growth Mindset and Mindfulness Tips, to help us transform our scars into healing and resilience.

And between May and October, I'm sharing a new series I'm calling: A Perfectly Imperfect Union. It's about connecting with every day folks as they reflect on America at 250. Conversations will air every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

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In the latest episode of A Perfectly Imperfect Union, we travel to Oklahoma and sit down with Jessica-Rose Johnson.

She's the host of the Unbreakable Hope podcast and a recent widow, after caring for her husband Andrew through six years and a second brain cancer diagnosis.

Jessica Rose talks about a family lineage of service that traces back to the Revolutionary War, and how Oklahoma's history of hardship, from the Dust Bowl to the Oklahoma City bombing, taught her community to rebuild without asking whose side anyone is on.

But the heart of the conversation is what she and Andrew built before hardship arrived. They had the hard conversations early, so when he became non-verbal for the last three years of his life, they'd already built a way to keep communicating without words.

Her wish for America isn't a thing: it's a way of being remembered. Not for what we built, but for how we loved each other.

I hope you enjoy our conversation and share it with one of your fellow neighbors.

You can now download my Pause Breathe Reflect App with Microdose EQ for FREE on Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Discover how to spend less time on your phone and more time on things that bring you joy. Also, find the support you need to navigate today’s uncertainty with more calm and grace.

Receive a FREE copy of my book: “My Last Bad Day Shift.”

We can also connect on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to be sure you don’t miss any of the micro-meditations, wellness tips, and guidance that I publish every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:11 am.