“I love to work with parents and to help them get in touch with that tender softness for themselves, and it’s so important.” ~ David Ekram

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Summary:

This episode features my interview with David Ekram as we discuss how to bring self-love and self-compassion into your life.

I really appreciate all the content David shares with us from the summary of positive psychology to David Hamilton’s three stages of self to the description of Martin Seligman’s Perma of Authentic Happiness. He covers so many important topics and ideas from the importance of gratitude, spirituality to breathwork and meditation. This is our longest episode in the Hope Strength Courage podcast series.

David does a phenomenal job of covering the huge topic of positive psychology and distilling it down to the a few key topics.

This 26^th episode in the Hope Strength Courage Podcast is our final episode for the series but I invite you to check out all the other episodes if you haven’t already. I highly recommend starting at episode #1 for my interview with world renown pediatric surgeon, Dr Bernie Seigel as we discuss how to talk to our children when they are ill.

I hope you will enjoy all the interviews in the Hope Strength Courage series as much as I did.

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Best Advice from David Ekram:

• You know, you don’t have to identify as being a spiritual person or a religious person to do these kinds of acts of kindness.
• it is very common, that when we’re feeling badly, either emotionally or mentally or even physically, for a lot of people to isolate themselves. And so, what I recommend for parents is to help your child connect with someone.  It doesn’t have to be a parent.  Today we have so many ways we can connect, parents should encourage their children to find connection.
• Breathing into your belly, you know, slowly and then breathing out. Even doing that three or four times whenever you think about it.  It really helps tremendously. 
• Also I really stress, especially for parents who have a child who is dealing with an illness, is really working with the positive mindset of the seven habits.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Interview:

• https://happierteachers.com/  to discover what David is doing now
• email David: David@ DavidEkram. Com
• David Hamilton “I Heart Me: The Science of Self-Love”
• Kristin Neff  “Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself”
• Brene Brown “The Gifts of Imperfection” and “Daring Greatly”
• Mark Seton: The Seven Habits of Happy People: https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/
• Martin Seligman – “Authentic Happiness”: https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/
• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi “Flow” and “Finding Flow”
• Neil Pasricha “The Book of Awesome”, and “The Happiness Equation”
• Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/
• Harvard Medical School: https://hms.harvard.edu/

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The post How to bring self-love and self-compassion into your life first appeared on Laura Lane.

“Because when you can instill these virtues (compassion, kindness, empathy) in children at a younger age, then that will help to permeate throughout their whole life and set up a foundation for them.” ~~ Natalie Ledwell

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Summary:

This week’s episode which features my interview with Natalie Ledwell as we discuss how to focus on the positive through affirmations and vision boards.

Natalie is a colleague of mine through the Evolutionary Business Council and I am thrilled to share with you the work she has done to understand how we create our own affirmations and for both ourselves and our families that can help each one of us through challenging times.

I really appreciated Natalie’s honestly and down to earth explanations of how Mind Movie affirmations and other tools like gratitude can help us to stay positive everyday.  I hope you will take her up on her offer for access to the free tools on her website. I know from experience how beneficial they can all be.

I hope you will enjoy this interview as much as I did.

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Best Advice from Natalie Ledwell:

• Keep a gratitude journal – it’s easy to be grateful in the moment but when you keep a gratitude journal it can be really important when you’re going through a challenge
• The more you focus on the good the more that expands.
• Everything that we live through, and everything that we go through, there is always a greater purpose and a higher purpose for that.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Interview:

• www.mindmovies.com

Read Full Transcript Here

The post How to create affirmations that will help families through challenging times first appeared on Laura Lane.

“My mission was to marry nutrition and how to make really good food taste good, make it taste scrumptious.” ~~ Chef Tina Jo Stephens

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Summary:

Now for today’s episode which features my interview with Whole Food Nutritionist Tina Jo Stephens as we discuss how we can use diet to heal our lives.   

Last week was part three of my interview with NLP Practitioners Ed Olvera and Jacquie Nagy and we spoke with then about using cognitive behavior therapy to help us become more hopeful.

This week Tina Jo talks with us about how the food we eat makes a difference in how we feel. And the importance of finding foods that heal and sustain our bodies. Both for our children and ourselves. She talks about how to marry nutrition and how to make really good food taste good, in her words to make it taste scrumptious.

What I loved about this interview is how Tina explains that this is a family adventure. And she reminded me about things I had forgotten to do myself for our family.

I appreciate all the great pieces of advice she shares throughout the interview from her experiences caring for her younger brother. Everything from letting go of guilt to remembering to ask for help. Such great reminders that stand the test of time. They were helpful when my daughter was in treatment and continue to be helpful years later.

I hope you will enjoy this interview as much as I did.

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Best Advice from Tina Jo Stephens:

• Make getting into the kitchen fun and easy – it has to be easy
• Think outside of the box
• Parents – don’t be afraid to ask for help; when someone asks what you need, don’t be afraid to say something nutritious like a salad, or veggies or fruit

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Interview:

• www.rawfoodrecipes.com

Read Full Transcript Here

The post How to include nutritious foods into your diet for health first appeared on Laura Lane.

“We’ve learned from working with people is that hope is really essential; that we don’t grow, we don’t change” ~ Wendy Ulrich

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Summary:

Now for today’s episode which features my interview with Psychologist Dr Wendy Ulrich as we discuss how cognitive behavior therapy can help us become more hopeful.

Last week we spoke with NLP Practitioners Jacquie Nagy and Ed Olvera about how to take time for selfcare and relaxation and I love that this week’s conversation with Wendy picks right where they left off. She shares an amazing definition of hope and talks about how we can find meaning in the most difficult situations. When we retrain our brain to look at things differently, we can calm our brains to find peace and override the negative thoughts we generate when we become depressed.

I hope you will enjoy this interview as much as I did.

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Best advice from Dr. Wendy Ulrich:

• we’ve learned from working with people is that hope is really essential; that if we don’t grow, we don’t change
• we retrain our brains to look for what’s right, what’s possible, what’s good, what’s still available to us, and not just for what’s threatening and, and difficult
• our brain does better when we’re in motion
• motivation follows action
• find ways to express gratitude
• focus on what we can control even in the midst of what we cannot control

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Interview:

• www.sixteenstones.net

Read Full Transcript Here

The post How to become more hopeful through cognitive behaviour therapy first appeared on Laura Lane.

“Get a hug. Get a lot of hugs. I think that’s a really important thing to happen.” E. Olvera

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Summary:

Today’s episode features part 3 of my interview with NLP Practitioners Jacquie Nagy and Ed Olvera.

In part 1 and 2, Jacquie and Ed gave us an overview of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and we discussed how to use NLP and Breathing to manage daily stress. Jacquie shared her four steps to shift from overwhelm to intentional resourceful living and three of her ten daily habit to start her day.

This week Ed continues the conversation about what we can do when we are in overwhelm, how to move from one state to another, and he shares an amazing, guided mediation with us.

I really love the guided meditation or visualization combined with the reminders both Jacquie and Ed give to take time to practice the tools we have learned and of course hugs, get lots of hugs

I hope you will enjoy this interview as much as I did.

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Best Advice from Ed Olvera and Jacquie Nagy:

• Being able to be in that state of calm or that state of relaxation, is the kind of state to be in when you’re in that (hospital) setting and you (can) provide the highest quality of service to the people that you’re helping
• A friend of mine taught me how to hug in a really different way.  You hold on to the person you’re hugging long enough where your breathing begins to synchronize.  And it really helps you calm down.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Interview:

• www.holisticdirections.com

Read Full Transcript Here

The post How to take time for self care and relaxation first appeared on Laura Lane.

“I’m not defining how I’m going to be loving, or how I’m going to be supporting, but I’m setting the intention for that to happen.” J. Nagy

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Summary:

This week’s episode feature’s part 2 of my interview with NLP Practitioners Jacquie Nagy and Ed Olvera.

In part 1, Jacquie and Ed gave us an overview of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and we discussed how to use NLP and Breathing to manage daily stress.

This week’s interview was packed with steps, habits and resources we can use as parents. Jacquie goes into detail of her 4 steps to shift from overwhelm to intentional resourceful living.

One of the things I loved about Jacquie’s 4 steps was when she explained how breathing can be used as a mechanism to shift ourselves from one state to another. From fear to calm or from inaction to action.  When she also talked about the 10 habits of her morning and evening self care routine, it was a reminder to me to get back into my habits as well. I hope you will take Jacquie up on her offer, if you send her an email, she will send you a copy of all 10 habits. I really appreciate that after Jacquie’s four steps, Ed brought this back to what we can do when we are in overwhelm, again how to move from one state to another, and that leads us into part 3 of the interview when next week Ed will be sharing an amazing, guided mediation with us.

I hope you will enjoy this interview as much as I did.

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Best Advice from Jacquie Nagy and Ed Olvera:

• I suggest that we take three deep breaths, even one deep breath but three is great, and then asking the question to themselves “what is my intention?”  What is my intention right now, in this very moment? What do I want to happen right now, for myself and the person that I’m with? 
• Set your intention for the day. What I do is as soon as I put my feet out of the bed, touch the floor, I think about my intention for the day.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Interview:

• www.holisticdirections.com
• www.holisticdirections.com/news

Read Full Transcript Here

The post How to shift from overwhelm to intentional resourceful living first appeared on Laura Lane.

“There’s research that is indicating that deep breathing can, in fact, alter the functionality, of our hormones, and in particular the cortisol, which regulates our stress.” Jacqui Nagy

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Summary:

Today’s episode features Part 1 of my interview with NLP Practitioners Jacquie Nagy and Ed Olvera.

Last week we spoke with Kevin Hall, bestselling author of Aspire as shared his deep insights he learned when his own daughter Summer was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He talked about how he and his family only wanted positive people surrounding her as she went through her treatment and recovery.

This is a big part of the discussion as part of my interview with NLP Practitioners Jacquie Nagy and Ed Olvera, as we discussed this week how to use NLP and Breathing to manage daily stress.

I really appreciated learning and properly understanding what NLP is all about and how we can use breathing as a leveraging point. Going from simply breathing to setting an intention on the state of being we choose to be in. Being in a state of calm rather than fear.

I hope you will enjoy this interview as much as I did.

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Best Advice from Jacquie Nagy and Ed Olvera:

• Look at breathing as a really essential leverage point in terms of managing the current moment and what’s happening in every single present moment
• Being able to maintain, build, nourish one’s self care is critically important for a sense of well being because (children’s cancer) it is an ongoing challenge

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Interview:

• www.holisticdirections.com
• www.holisticedirections.com/news

Read Full Transcript Here

The post How to use NLP and breathing to manage daily stress first appeared on Laura Lane.

“Passion says okay, yeah, we’re going to suffer for what we love here.  We love this child. We love what we’re going through.  It doesn’t help to say why, anyway, right?   It doesn’t help to say well, how could this happen?  Good things – bad things happen to good people all the time. And so you need to come back and say what matters most? Let me have passion.” ~ Kevin Hall

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Summary:

Today’s episode features my interview with highly sought-after business consultant, speaker and coach Kevin Hall.

Kevin is one of my mentors and he generously wrote the foreword to my book Two Mothers One Prayer: Facing your child’s cancer with Hope, Strength & Courage. In this episode Kevin shares with us words that strengthen us as we support our families.

What impressed me most about my interview with Kevin, is his brilliant story telling and wisdom that he shares throughout the interview. I could listen to Kevin for hours. In fact, I have listened to him for hours as he has mentored me from a number of years. I am grateful that he talked about Passion and our willingness to suffer for what we love and just like Dr Setton, in our previous episode, he talks about Victor Frankl and most importantly Genshai – never treat another person in a manner that would make them feel small.

I hope you will enjoy Kevin’s stories and wisdom in this interview as much as I did.

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Best Advice from Kevin Hall:

• We were fortunate that when people came in to visit our daughter…they came to affirm her, to encourage her.  To encourage is to add to somebody ‘s heart, so when you breathe life into her, you add to her heart when you come in.  I think that went a long ways for her to being able to recover.
• … people say do you ever get a negative thought? Of course, I do.  We all do, nobody’s immune from that, but that’s why we need to reprogram our minds.  And we do it with words.  It’s very intentional.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Interview:

• www.powweofwords.com

Read Full Transcript Here

The post How to harness the power of words to remain positive in the face of adversity first appeared on Laura Lane.

“Use your individuality and your imagination. Because it helps you tap more into who you are.” ~ Fiz Anthony

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Summary:

Today’s episode features my interview with Fiz Anthony, Profession singer and songwriter. Fiz is a dear friend of mine whose music is featured in the opening and closing credits of the Hope Strength Courage Podcast and even closer to my heart, when my daughter Celeste found out that her cancer had become terminal, Fiz wrote a special song just for her called Angel on a Stage. You can watch the video for it on my Youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdkE5wiZcvo

Last week, when I spoke with Dr Mark Setton about how to choose happiness habits to increase your daily wellbeing, we mentioned the importance of Flow – listening to, playing or dancing to music would all fall under the category of flow. That is exactly what Fiz is talking to us about in this week’s interview: the healing nature of music and how to bring more music into your child’s life.

What I loved about this interview is not only hearing about the work Fiz has done to share his music with children in hospital but also his many ideas to help parents bring healing music into the lives of their children.

I hope you will enjoy this interview as much as I did.

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Best advice from Fiz Anthony:

• In regard to the parents, first and foremost, I would say is understand who we are.  You’re a human being but you’re a soul having this human experience
• We’re all here for one another. Whether people realize that or not, it’s true. We all learn from one another.
• There’s a lot of energy in hospitals that are … it’s heavy energy. So, how can you lighten that up?  Bring in some balloons, some crafts, coloring books, whatever you can do, whatever phase your child is in.  If they can’t colour ….  think of creative ways to bring in, maybe some fun games. Make it more fun.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• https://www.fiz4ever.com
• Ignite the Rock-Star Within: How to Achieve Anything with Music Visioning by fiZ

Read Full Transcript Here

The post How to bring more music into your child’s life first appeared on Laura Lane.

“The most effective emotions, according to the research of feeling gratitude, about the past, things that we are grateful for on a daily basis. Appreciating what is happening in the present, being involved in the present is very important, too, and then feeling hope for the future – finding something about the future, you know, that we can feel hope for.” ~ Dr Mark Setton

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Summary:

Today’s episode features part 2 of my interview with Dr Mark Setton, PHD in Philosophy, co-founder and CEO of Pursuit of Happiness, a non-profit organization dedicated to data driven research into the study of happiness and depression prevention.

Last week we spoke with Mark about the importance of cultivating strong relationships and being caring towards others through Acts of Kindness and how caring for others can make a difference in our own happiness.

This week we continue to discuss the next 5 of 7 Habits of Happy People and how to choose happiness habits to increase your daily wellbeing.

I hope you will enjoy this interview as much as I did.

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Best advice from Mark Setton:

• I think the Dalai Lama once said, the more we go through suffering, the bigger our hearts become, the more compassionate. 
• Give them the time to talk about, as much as possible, about how they feel.  Some children are probably less prone to talking than others. Some of us can be introverts, in which case, flow activity.
• I would say that, for people who were going through a traumatic experience, mindfulness is, can be very effective.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• www.pursuit-of-happiness.org
• Book: “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor Frankl

Read Full Transcript Here

The post How to choose happiness habits to increase your daily well being first appeared on Laura Lane.