The Weekly Pause

In this episode of The Weekly Pause, Beth Leibman joins us for a discussion on communication.  As you listen to the conversation, think about a successful teacher, leader, spouse or any other person that you've encountered.  Did that person engage you?  Were they thought provoking?  Or did they sound like a canned recording telling you something they thought you should hear.  Words matter.  As we go through this discussion, you will hear Beth speak about how her clients learn to communicate effectively, passionately and compellingly. 

The title says it all here. After taking a summer break, Lenore and Paige are back at it. What better way to catch up than a candid conversation about life's lessons and how we've grown our EQ. 

In todays episode of The Weekly Pause, Paige and Lenore speak with Matt Perelstein about learning to attain inner peace on and keep it going everyday. What is inner peace? Is it truly obtainable? Is it a real thing? If you've ever pondered these questions, now is your opportunity to hear all about inner peace and hopefully answer many of your questions. As we speak about our own personal journeys, learnings and practices, our hope is that you find a way to get your own inner peace on and live a healthier, happier more fulfilling life! 

More and more people are working remotely, and it seems that may be a trend that may continue.  But working remotely can certainly change the work dynamic. And it brings up some great questions about how to lead in this environment.  But one thing that doesn’t really change by working remotely is managing your emotions.  Or does it?  Join us as we discuss the benefits of emotional intelligence skills in the remote working environment with Diana Lowe.  Diana is a certified Emotional Intelligence Coach, and is the CEO of Blue Light Leadership, a leadership development company focused on educating, training and coaching emotional intelligence for remote leaders.Learn more about Diana on here website: https://bluelightleadership.com/  or contact her via email: hello@bluelightleadership.com.

Have you ever felt like an imposter at work or in a group?  We’ve all had moments where we’ve felt imperfect and feared being “found out” for not being or knowing what we claim.  But where does this fear come from?  And can emotional intelligence really help us overcome the “Imposter Syndrome”, so we can begin to embrace our imperfect self?Listen as we discuss these very questions with Amy Sargent, a certified Social + Emotional Intelligence Coach and Executive Director of The Institute for Social and Emotional Intelligence (ISEI).You may contact Amy at amy@isei.com.  You may also want to check out ISEI’s website: https://www.isei.com/. 

Fear can drive us forward or hold us back.  Fear can lie to us and hijack us into an emotional state of fight, flight, or freeze.  And it can happen in a second – not giving the cognitive brain time to examine the situation and determine the best thought or course of action.  But with Emotional Intelligence practices, we can learn to use fear to our advantage - by pausing to determine the best way to contribute to the situation (through thought, word, and/or action). Each of us has within us, the values of love, assessment, knowledge, and decision-making…which value should you use in a given situation?  Listen as we speak with Lynn Taylor, of Taylor Protocols, who understands the power of fear and the power of the silent pause.  He explains how to use the silent pause to examine the fear, determine what our best value in the moment is, and how to use that value to best contribute in any situation.Visit Lynn on his website https://www.taylorprotocols.com/ or contact him at Lynn.Taylor@taylorprotocols.com.And click here to get a FREE Core Values Index: http://bit.ly/CVI_FREE.  After a quick self-assessment, you’ll immediately receive your personalized report, describing your top two value contributors – where you shine best in this world!

Relationships are very important to our wellbeing on many levels - but no relationship is more important than the one with yourself!We often think it's selfish to care for ourselves first, but it's truly the only way to fully care for others.  Taking time for self-care and to nurture our mind, body, soul - and emotions - is time well spent.  And it's not only valuable for us but to those around us, as well.  Learning to love ourselves and do what's best for us (not what is required to meet others' expectations) can give us the freedom we need and can grow our personal power!Join us as we talk with Cathy Mott, a certified Social & Emotional Intelligence Coach, Executive Coach, Keynote Speaker, and Author of "“Shh…Just Listen! Great Things Happen in The Silence", about her journey to self-love and the impact it has had on her life, and on the lives of her family, friends, and clients.  For more information, please see Cathy's website at www.cwcleadershipdevelopment.com or reach out to her at cathymott@cwcleadershipdevelopmentllc.com. 

Parenting is a one of the most valuable, yet difficult, jobs one can have.  And usually, parents are so busy taking care of others, that they neglect their own wellness.  And while social and emotional learning for children and youth is crucial in developing physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy adults, it’s just as important for parents to take care of their wellness – physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Creating a well-balanced life not only keeps us at our best, but it teaches our children the importance of self-care.In this episode of The Weekly Pause, we learn the importance of balanced wellness – for parents and children.  We are joined by Tabatha Marden, Certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, Social-Emotional Learning Consultant, and Mental Health Advocate, who shares her insights and expertise in the areas of wellness for children and their parents.  Learn ways to help children through their anxiety, as well as how to “Rock the F-word [i.e. feelings]”.If you would like to contact Tabatha for more information about SEL for parents, or her Emotional Wellness Mastery Program called “Thrive in EQ”, please visit her website https://tabathamarden.com/ and find emotional wellness tips on her Instagram account, @tabmarden.

The human biology contains thousands of emotions – each serving a purpose in your personal and professional life.  But how do you survive all the feelings you experience in a day?  And what about the emotions brought on by memories of the past or anticipations about the future?The main force in managing your emotions and gaining the ability to accept both pleasant and unpleasant emotions as information to make better life decisions, is (as you probably know by now) Emotional Intelligence.Listen as Brian Grossguth, a Corporate “Continuous Improvement Manager”, describes his life changing experience with Social and Emotional Intelligence (SEI).  Brian also discusses how SEI affected his life and his work, to the point even his family and co-workers noticed a difference in him.  Now, he is dedicated to bringing SEI skills to others in the workplace through his speaking engagements and through projects that drive continuous improvement and optimize success skills at all levels of business.  

In this episode of The Weekly Pause, we discuss the impact of Emotional Intelligence in people's personal and professional lives with professional Coach Kim Ann Curtin.  Kim talks about how she has shown up in the world of coaching, going from corporate America to becoming an executive and trading coach.    She shares insight on how her clients embrace coaching, as a result of a shifting mindset of coaching as a punishment to coaching as a reward. Learn more about Kim Curtin here: www.thewallstreetcoach.com

Each of us has encountered times in our lives when we embarked on a journey that we believed in, yet, heard that voice in our head, our ego, telling us that there is no way we can accomplish our goal.  Adding to that inner voice, there could be other external voices, adding fuel to the fire we have created by not having faith in us, telling us only what can go wrong or just viewing our thoughts in a completely negative way.  These external voices can come from a person that we know,  trust and look to for approval, acknowledgement and encouragement.  Perhaps they don't mean it and are projecting their own perspective on you. Damaging none the less.  Remember, in the words of our guest, Bobbi Kahler, we can choose with whom we speak.   Some of you may have heard of Bobbi, the author of "Travels of the Heart: Developing Your Inner Leader" and contributing author of the Amazon and NY Times best selling book, "Masters of Success".  Or maybe, you have listened to Bobbi's amazing podcast series, UnYielded: Thriving No Matter What.   Paige and I are privileged to welcome her as our guest today.  Join us and get a tidbit of how Bobbi has evolved in her journey to thrive and  can contribute to your journey as well. Bobbi is offering  a free 7-day Raise Your Game Challenge:  http://www.bobbikahler.com/raiseyourgamechallenge/.  At some point in the future, the price will go up to $297.    www.bobbikahler.com

One of the things that bonds us all in our humanness, is our emotions.  And we mainly learn about our emotions, and the boundaries others set for our emotions, from our parents, teachers, and other influential adults during our childhood years.  But what if you didn’t learn about managing your emotions when you were young?  What if you just found out about Emotional Intelligence (EQ)?   The great blessing of life is that you can always learn!  You can learn the concepts and skills of EQ at any point along your journey, and at any point, you can help others along in their EQ journey. Listen as we speak with Harvey Deutschendorf, author of “The Other Kind of Smart”, TEDx Speaker, and writer for FAST COMPANY, as well as the author of a monthly column with HRPROFESSIONALS MAGAZINE, about his journey from childhood adversity to “The E.I. Guy”.  Harvey also shares about the Mankind Project, a safe and welcoming space for men, where they can join in discussions about, among other things, their emotions.   You can learn more about Harvey and contact him on his website: https://www.theotherkindofsmart.com/.  And you can also learn more about the Mankind Project here: https://mankindproject.org/.

Given all of the challenges life tends to bring, it can be difficult to see the blessings in some situations.  And that is normal since our brains are "trained" to perceive and protect us from danger.  But more times than not, what our brains perceive as danger may not be danger, but rather a challenge - a challenge which may be overcome through perseverance and realistic positivity, both of which are OUR CHOICE.  Realistic positivity is "seeing an opportunity rather than a threat", and this emotional intelligence skill can be learned.  Earl Brooks, a telecommunication professional, has not only learned this skill through his life experiences, but he also teaches it to his sons (and others) through his gracious attitude and positive outlook.  Learn how you, too, can develop a positive attitude and begin brightening your world!          

Home is where we go to find security, comfort, and peace.  It should be a place where we can relax, just breathe, and be ourselves.  But did you know that the interior design of our home can further affect our emotions and mood?  The colors, textures, styles, and smells of our home can evoke pleasant or unpleasant emotions and sometimes even the smallest change in décor can make all the difference in how you feel when you come home.  Join us as we talk with Diana Hall of Interiors by Diana about the ways the interior of our home and office can affect us emotionally, and as she provides tips on how to create a space you’ll love!You may reach Diana through her website https://interiorsbydiana.com/.

How often do you judge yourself for feeling a certain emotion?  When you were growing up, were you allowed to have a range of emotions or were you told which emotions were acceptable and to “get over” the other ones?  Emotions are a part of our being, they are neither good nor bad, and they all serve a purpose in our human evolution and survival, and in our own personal growth.  One way to use the power of their purpose is to be curious about the emotion and why you may be experiencing it.  In this episode of The Weekly Pause, we talk with Marc Brackett, Ph.D. about what he defines as an “Emotion Scientist”.  Dr. Brackett, director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of “Permission to Feel”, discusses being curious about our emotions, the importance of emotional intelligence at any age, and how teaching social and emotional skills to our children can help change the world.You may learn more about Dr. Marc Brackett on his website: https://www.marcbrackett.com/ and learn more about RULER at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence here: https://www.ycei.org/ruler.    

One element of strong Emotional Intelligence is having a growth mindset.   A growth mindset allows us to learn and to develop in all areas of wellbeing.  And two of the best ways to begin developing a growth mindset is by practicing realistic optimism, and by focusing on the present moment.  Listen as Monica G.M. Smith, MS, MMT, owner of Mindful Endeavors, LLC and author of "Stress Lightly: Practicing the Art of Self-Care", discusses the 5 R’s and shares other techniques we can use to foster our own growth mindset.   Please feel free to contact Monica by visiting her website at https://www.stresslightly.com/, and find out more about purchasing her book and learning the 5 R’s at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Stress-Lightly-Practicing-Art-Self-Care/dp/1711038644.

Preparing for the day can help it run more smoothly; however, sometimes unexpected things happen which require us to move out of our comfort zone and make moment-to-moment decisions.  But by looking to your purpose and using your cognitive thinking skills, you may be able to make better decisions.  This can be very difficult when emotions are carrying high energy, and even more difficult when the situation presents potential dangers.  Such was the case when an armed man entered Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy on August 20, 2013.  Listen as we talk with Antoinette Tuff, the school’s bookkeeper, and learn how she used her confidence, compassion, and control to negotiate with the gunman, saving the lives of over 870 people.Learn more about Ms. Tuff and her amazing story at https://antoinettetuff.com/.

Grief and sorrow from trauma are emotions that, while perhaps unpleasant to experience, can serve a powerful purpose.  They can provide a way for us to express how we feel about a loss or provide a signal for us to seek out support and comfort.   There are differing levels of grief and sorrow, and sometimes things happen that are out of our control, which cause tremendous levels of these emotions.  But through them, we can learn to heal.  Listen as we speak with Scarlett Lewis, founder of Choose Love Movement, as she describes her healing process - from the loss of her son, Jesse, in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut to creating an inspiring and impactful social and emotional learning program to help others heal through their pain and learn to understand and manage their emotions.

We know healthy eating is great for our physical and mental wellbeing, but it is also great for our emotional wellbeing!  Join us as we discuss the power to better manage our emotional health, through our dietary choices, with Dr. Claire Warren.  "Dr. Claire" has been a family physician for decades and is currently a champion of eating healthy to improve not only your physical wellbeing, but also your emotional wellbeing.    Learn more about choosing healthier dietary habits by emailing Dr. Claire and/or signing up for her communications at food.as.medicine65@gmail.com.

Feeling safe, secure, and heard is imperative to every human being.  And feeling safe and heard when discussing your emotions, and while learning to navigate and manage your emotions, is crucial to wellbeing.  In this episode, we discuss this very truth with Kristen Hopkins, Founder of Dangers of the Mind (DOM).  DOM is a social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, developed for at-risk youth.  And it is being implemented throughout the nation!  As Kristen describes in this episode, every child is to be valued and every child should be embraced – including the “child” in each adult.  “The position of your mind determines the posture of your life.” – Kristen HopkinsSee more about Kristen's positively impactful program here: https://dangersofthemind.com/.