Mind Over Matter – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome back! 

Short intermission from the usual podcast episodes to present a conversation promoting a very special & free event you can attend!

Music and Mindfulness - Hosted by Cambridge Council of Aging on Thursday Sept. 22, 2022 from 9am-12pm. Our audience will be taught techniques to better equip them for dealing  with mental health and overall wellbeing – as well as to transition back  into society in a post pandemic world.

Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/music-and-mindfulness-tickets-400195855577

This event is generously sponsored by Chartwell Retirement Residences.

Join the conversation today on the podcast with radiologist Dr. Mitch Abrams and Chartwell business development manager Amy O'Reilly. 

Find out more about Chartwell Retirement Residences at chartwell.com

Find out more about Dr. Abrams: https://www.instagram.com/dr.mitch.abrams/?hl=en

Welcome back! Let's talk about SLOW & INTENTIONAL LIVING. 

Akta is a former dentist and currently a youtuber & a full time creator who loves to spend her time writing, doing art, yoga, sipping on tea, watching FRIENDS and sometimes doing nothing at all - which is highly underrated. For most of her life, Akta was an overthinker and productivity addict which made it difficult to figure out what she really wanted in life. In this episode we’re talking about Akta’s story, philosophy behind slow and intentional living, how you can incorporate it into your life – and a little bit of a caveat, which was my favourite part – navigating changes in friendships in this thing we call life.

How to find Akta:

@aktavibes on Instagram, Youtube & Twitter

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Aktavibes/featured

Akta's Website: https://www.aktavibes.com/

sitting down and learning from yoga teacher & self-growth coach, Emma Berry today! Emma is passionate about helping people make the most of every single day using yoga, meditation, journaling and more. Alongside that, she works a full-time job as sa senior analyst and loves finding balance between the two crazy areas of her life! You can join her for weekly yoga classes, workshops & group self-development programmes all via Zoom. You can also join her Soulrise programme as discussed on the podcast for a discount of £150 instead of the original £180. You can find all the information here: https://www.emmalouiseberry.co.uk/morning-soulrise

Emma's instagram: @emmalouyoga

In this episode we discuss: 

- Why it's important to have a morning routine & how you can craft what works for YOU

- How morning routines have changed Emma's day to day life

- How to create a balance between work and wellness

Spirituality provides us an anchor in life; it involves the recognition of a feeling or sense or belief that there is something greater than yourself. For some people, this is thoroughly grounding. The nice part is that it can also be practiced in a variety of ways - especially when we go through difficult times.

So that’s why I decided to have Sarvesh Thakkar talk about this today. As a young Canadian entrepreneur, Sarvesh launched an ayurvedic-inspired plant-based restaurant and meditation space at the age of 21. He recognizes Spirituality as a crucial part of his life through his experience of living at a Monastery for two years while growing up in India. Sarvesh emphasizes his biggest learned lesson at the monastery - gratitude. He is on a journey towards creating a conscious footprint in social and entrepreneurial spaces. You can find him on instagram: @sarveshthakkar

Questions that Sarvesh encourages us to consider: What defines me?; What things, people and ideologies should I be committed to?; What do I want out of my life?; Am I ready to test myself to new challenges and lead with balance?

In this episode, we will talk about:

• Why spirituality is an important component of mental/physical wellness
  
• How spirituality creates a strong mind-body-soul connection
  
• Sarvesh’s 3 recommended ways YOU can weave spirituality in your life
  
• How you can create intentions in your life and why they are so beneficial

today i'm sitting down with Joshua White, an incredibly passionate men's health advocate and undergraduate student studying history and political science. here is a little bit about Josh: he spends a lot of his time outdoors, thinking and philosophizing, and exercising. Josh also has dedicated his social media to advocating for men’s health and mental health, and overall enjoys brightening people’s day. you can find him on Instagram @jash_white. 

we discuss everything from his shaking personal experience of having his mom diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer (you can visit her inspiring instagram handle: @thrivenutritionandyoga), doing personal growth work, what it means to be "cool", and how men's mental health needs attention NOW. our conversation was such a blast and i know you will enjoy it too! 

Today I sit down and have a powerful conversation with Ironman Triathlete & Resilience Speaker, Molly Kennedy. Molly grew up in a dysfunctional family with addiction, abuse, neglect, abandonment, suffered from an eating disorder, was suicidal and a runaway at 15 years of age. Despite all the odds, Molly persevered forward to become a bodybuilding champion, an Empire State Games Gold Medalist, has finished a full Ironman Triathlon, worked as a health educator, coach and now tells her story internationally to youth.   In this episode, we talk about why it's important to shift your mindset by "do the work", how negative self-talk changes the way you show up, and what kinds of opportunities vulnerability has created for Molly.  Molly is the author of the book, “Creating the Champion Within: How to Get UP When Life Knocks You Down”. You can visit her website here & follow her on her Instagram (and Facebook, Twitter) social media @flipyour20_. Book Molly as a speaker for your next event: mollykennedyspeaks.com. 

sit down with me today & let's talk about burnout & protecting our energies. especially in a time of the global pandemic, this can be hard. even though we're at home, we mistakenly assume that people have permission to access our energy 24/7 - which inevitably leaves us feeling exhausted, burnt out and overwhelmed. it's something i'm learning to get better at as well - so let's talk!

In episode 3, I am accompanied by Canadian Olympian and resilience speaker, Sarah Wells! Sarah speaks about how she overcame obstacles in her athletic career and how she dealt with her setbacks. You might have seen her compete in the 2012 London Olympics, 2015 Pan Am Games Toronto, and The Amazing Race Canada. In this episode, Sarah offers 3 pieces of advice to anyone who wants to build their resilience; we also talk about taking risks, how challenges have made us grow, and a fun rapid fire round of questions! 

The book Sarah spoke about: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

How you can book Sarah for speaking: sarahwells.ca; instagram & twitter: @sarahwells400mh

today, we're getting vulnerable and talking about the hardships and obstacles we face. and how it's so hard to put mind over matter in those situations but going through rough waters can make us realize how absolutely resilient we are. i share my experience after being in an unfortunate incident & having to navigate the criminal justice system - all while i faced difficult emotions. we often ask ourselves "why me?" while we go through rough waters as well. but i'm going to let you answer that question in this episode. so here's a quick breakdown of what we talk about on today's episode: • i share my story about how i found my "why me?" • i share my victim impact statement + pieces of advice that really helped me create my own turning point • why self-victimization is self-sabotage. LINKS: Canada Suicide Prevention Service at 1-833-456-4566 (24/7) or text 45645 (4 pm to 12 am ET). Crisis Line: (416) 408-4357 Survivor Support Program: (416) 595-1716.

let's talk INSIDE WORK! each episode will consist of a thought-provoking question which  i'll ask you at the beginning. we'll then revisit it at the end of the  episode, i'll share some of my thoughts on that question + i'll tie it  into our episode! - a fun way for us to do the "inside work" together.

here a little sneak peek on episode 01:

• an intro about who i am, how i got into wellness + meditative practices

• where you can begin on your wellness journey if you're just starting out

• what it means to do the "inside work" and why it's more valuable to start inside first

• a quick + easy strategy for you to begin