Wonder Your Way To Brilliant

This week’s episode of  Wonder Your Way to Brilliant continues our exploration of AHIMSA or Nonviolence. It explores how accepting, ignoring, or indulging our own powerlessness leads us to states of violence toward ourselves and others. There are so many ways that we experience powerlessness in relation to the world around us as well as in relationships. In the end, remaining in this state will always keep us from love - love of ourselves and others. Take a deep dive with me this week… Let’s peel back a bunch of layers of that onion… and in the end, access more aspects of love.   

This week’s podcast begins our exploration of AHIMSA or Nonviolence. In Eastern thought, non-violence is so valued that it stands as the very core foundation of all yoga philosophy and practice. Ahimsa was the foundation of Gandhi’s approach to changing the world But what does Ahimsa, non-violence, actually mean. It cannot - and is not - as simple as not hitting or physically harming another person or even another creature. In this week’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, we begin the exploration of what Ahimsa is and start to reflect upon the micro thoughts and almost undetectable lifestyle practices that can be infected with traces of unintended violence.   

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, I introduce the concept of the Yamas and Niyamas: Yogic Ethical Principles, why I have selected this as our focus and offer some queries to begin the journey. If you are ready to be guided on a deep dive into living consciously and authentically, tune in and join me. I can’t wait to journey with you!  

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, I offer some guidance on one way to marking this moment in time and bringing closure to another year of precious life. As it is said, how we do anything is how we do everything. If we want to be more present, take some time to be present in this transitional time. If you want to feel more loving, take this moment to experience all the love that is present in your life now and that you have been gifted over the course of the year. Whatever it is you want more of in your life, take the time to revel in that experience. Let this podcast guide you through a beautiful process of doing this.

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, I offer some teachings from Deborah Adele’s The Yamas and Niyamas to help guide and center us when our hearts can feel heavy, closed or burdened. How can we engage during the moments that typically trigger those draining emotions and have a different experience? How can they become energy giving instead of energy-sapping?  

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, my colleague and friend, Jodi Silverman, founder of Moms Who Dare Communities, and I debrief the month-long You Matter Marathon. We exchange stories and experiences related to handing out YOU MATTER cards and discuss subtle and highly conscious ways we can all continue to let people know they matter - all year long.   

During the month of November, we have been exploring Courageous Connections with food. In this episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, dear colleague and friend, Dr, Christine Kiesinger and I decided to get very raw in talking about our complicated relationship with food and eating over the years. At this time of year when we are surrounded by food, we talk about how complicated our relationship with food and eating can be, how it affects us emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. We talk about the really hard stuff, what we have learned along the way, and how we are currently navigating our relationship with food. Christine offers some beautiful practices for becoming ever more mindful in the relationship with eating.

On today’s episode of  Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, I had the privilege of speaking with Samantha Retamer, Communications Coordinator and Elizabeth Sanon, Manager of Food Acquisition Partnerships at Philabundance. Philabundance provides food to over 90,000 people per week in the greater Philadelphia area and does incredible work to drive hunger from our communities and end hunger forever. What was amazing to me was how much I did not know about the organization and the amazingly innovative and entrepreneurial strategies they are engaging in to address this issue. I am also truly grateful for their guidance on how we can all make a meaningful difference!

It is amazing that an act that we perform so many times a day (and that is essential for our survival) can be so complicated, but as our guest on today’s podcast will share with us, the choices we make around food are at the center of our wellness. On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, we talk with Jessica DeLuise, founder of Eat Your Way to Wellness, a holistic wellness practice committed to educating people about the power of food and guiding them to make choices that support health. We cover everything from why our relationship with food is complicated, what makes figuring out the food landscape so complicated, and how we can educate and empower ourselves. And for the Hungry Harvesters out there, she teaches us how we can get the most out of our Hungry Harvest boxes.  

Today’s podcast kicks off our month-long exploration of courageous connections to food. On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, we talk with Vanessa Paige, Philadelphia Market Manager for Hungry Harvest, a company on a mission to end food waste and hunger. As Vanessa shares, we regularly throw away huge amounts of perfectly good food while so many people live in a state of food insecurity. Tune in and learn about Hungry Harvest’s innovative approach to addressing both issues and how you can get involved.

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, I share about a concept that I found absolutely curious, fascinating, and powerful: The 5 Year Marriage. When I first heard the phrase, I was confused. Curious, I listened more deeply. The 5 Year Marriage not only offers a framework for a deep, intimate relationship but a model way of thinking about all aspects of our lives. Enjoy!

This past week of the hearings on Kavanaugh nomination was extraordinarily difficult for most of us individually and was further fracturing to us as a society. We are in a no-win situation at the political level - one that is pushing us full steam ahead in the direction of amplifying divide and battle. It literally feels like it is fracturing the foundation of our united states. On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, I do not discuss the nature of the hearings, but rather what all of this demands of us. Specifically, I invite us to think about who we are going to be in this and what role each of us has to identify as ours to play. No answers, but hopefully the provoking of some courageous inner curiosity.  

This week, I observed the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the annual Day of Atonement and the conclusion of a 10 day period dedicated to reviewing who we have been over the previous year and clearing the path to showing up with even more intention and goodness in the coming year. A major theme in these 10 days is forgiveness and atoning for any times we have missed the mark in acting in treating ourselves and others with loving kindness. But forgiveness is not always easy.  On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, I explore what I believe forgiveness is really about, how we can think about it, especially when opening to forgiveness feels hard, and steps we can take to move closer to expanding our forgiving hearts.  

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, I am beyond excited to introduce you to Courage to be Curious’ new swag - 156 Game-Changing Questions to help us Live Lead and Love courageously. Three decks of cards, 52 questions in each, dedicated to Living a conscious life, Loving and connecting deeply, and Leading with intention and influence. Listen in and explore this new opportunity to ‘pause worthy’ questions!

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, I have the immense privilege of talking with Cheryl Rice, Coach, Speaker, Social Entrepreneur, and creator of the YOU MATTER MARATHON! The You Matter Marathon is a simple and powerful way to create a never-ending ripple of positive connection. You don’t want to miss this episode because listening to it can change how you show up in the world today. By introducing you to a single action you can begin performing right away, you can transform your relationships, magnify your impact, and transform the world.  

Vulnerability is scary and uncomfortable. That’s the definition of it, right? So why would we do it? Why would we put ourselves out there in a vulnerable way? Well, on today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant I do my best to make the case because I honestly believe that it is through the sharing of our vulnerability that we create courageous connection. Having had an amazing experience at a seminar where I had the privilege of watching people share their vulnerability on stage, I know first hand that this is a potent ingredient for the kind of connection we are all craving.

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, part IV of this series on the Unexpected Adventure, I take you deep inside my own inner world. After spending a week with Jerome in Atlanta, interviewing him so that we might gift him and his family a memoir of his life, I asked myself the question, “What was this about for me?” As you know, this endeavor was not part of my ‘work,’ but rather a pursuit of my heart. So I got curious with myself… Why did I feel called in this moment? What was this experience about for me? In today’s episode, I will share what I have arrived at so far and ask that you receive this exploration as a gift from one heart to another.

On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, join us for Part III of the Unexpected Adventure. After following a Courageous Connection formed on a train ride, I had the privilege of interviewing Jerome Dorn from IndaHouseMedia about his extraordinary life for the purposes of writing his memoirs. On today’s episode, I share the ‘Unexpected Doors’ that Jerome began opening for me as well as a glimpse into what defines the life of a person. What defines our life? What directs our life? Jerome gave me (and Lisa) the gift of delving deeply into these questions through his eyes.

We are two days into the Unexpected Adventure and our heads are spinning. What began as the seedling of an idea to explore the life of a fascinating man I met on an Amtrak train has turned into an adventure with surprises and twists and turns we could never have anticipated. On today’s episode of Wonder Your Way to Brilliant, Part II of the Unexpected Adventure, my courageous co-traveler Lisa and I share how the experience of delving deeply and curiously into the life of someone else unleashes the power to transform three lives.  

This is totally new and I hope you will join me on this Unexpected Adventure! At the end of April, I met a traveler on an Amtrak train, someone absolutely fascinating. To be honest, I often meet people on trains or waiting in line somewhere or on planes, etc… And it is not even the first time I have exchanged contact information with someone (not in a romantic way!). But this one ranks as something more of a Courageous Connection leading to an Unexpected Adventure because never before have I booked a plane and set aside 5 days to… Listen in and find out.