Linda Durham -- provocateur, a major force in the Santa Fe art gallery scene, world traveler, seeker, and author -- continues her in-depth conversation with Melanie in this episode.
Creative thinking, a positive mindset, trust and faith, and the other side of fear are touched on as Linda continues to share just a few of her astonishing life experiences.
"There is something comforting about the passage of time, about aging, about entering a phase of life known by various names that I’m learning to embrace." ~Still Moving, by Linda Durham
Linda Durham has been one of the most influential people in the Santa Fe art scene over the last three decades. And she's just published her first book, a memoir called Still Moving.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Linda and Melanie talk about courage in the face of challenges, leading an artful life, creativity writ large, and living large no matter one's age.
This episode is the first of two parts.
"If my beloved business hadn’t failed, and if I hadn’t thrown all caution to the proverbial wind and used creatively raised funds to embark on a trip around the world, this book would not exist." ~ Still Moving, by Linda Durham
Linda Durham's Facebook page here
Today's guests really are women who care! Jody Feagan and Katie Rountree are both smart, fun, and quiet community activists.
Jody is the founder and former director of the San Miguel Writers Conference and Literary Festival in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she lived for ten years and raised her three children. In 2015, she moved full-time to Santa Fe and is currently the marketing director for Malouf on the Plaza.
Katie is a former radio and TV personality. Currently, she does voice-over recordings for companies all over the country, and is the Director of Audience Services and Corporate Relations for Performance Santa Fe.
This energetic conversation focuses on the powerful impact that small, community-oriented, grassroots organizations can have in times of crisis.
100 Women Who Care Santa Fe has made it possible to donate almost $450,000 to non-profits in northern New Mexico since 2012.
Listen in, hear how these two old friends are having a massive positive community impact.
JoAnne Tucker, Ph.D., and Regina Ress join Melanie, one from Santa Fe and the other all the way from Costa Rica!
JoAnne was a dance major at Juilliard School, earned her Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of Wisconsin. She was the Artistic Director and Choreographer of the Avodah Dance Ensemble, a New York City-based modern dance company. Currently, she's the president of Healing Voices, and co-director of the new film Out of the Shadows: Shining Light on Domestic Violence.
Regina is a storyteller, founding board member of Ahvodah, an actor, educator, and assistant director of the same film.
JoAnne, Regina, and Melanie talk about domestic violence, creativity, healing from trauma, and dance as a powerful medium of expression.
It's shocking that in the United States right now, one woman is killed every 16 hours by an intimate partner. Between 2001-2012, 6,500 US troops were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. During that same time period, 11,700 women were murdered by intimate partners in the US.
It's a tough topic, but the conversation is enlightening and uplighting. Promise.
Listeners haven't heard from Katelyn Hilburn in a while. In this episode, we find out what's been going on with this popular guest.
When we first met Katelyn back in 2016, she was the director of community initiatives for Creative SantaFe. One of her projects was as a team member working to secure a $300,000 NEA grant for artists' and creatives' affordable housing. Remarkably, that collaborative project was a big success, and ground was broken a few weeks ago.
Katelyn moved on, completing an intensive business training program for entrepreneurs, founded her own company, called Madre Foods, and unexpectedly had a baby.
All big successes.
By the fall of 2019, things had changed once again, and Katelyn needed to meet the demands of both a growing single-owner business and her personal life.
This episode gives a glimpse into how she's navigated some rough waters, offering all of us hope and inspiration for the journey of being human.
Dr. Melanie Harth is a psychologist-trained transformational counselor and coach. She’s a licensed psychotherapist, with advanced training in trauma, post-traumatic growth, mindfulness, and innovative adaptation.
She loves sharing provocative ideas with thought leaders and community visionaries about the art and science of happiness as a profound path to living a good life.
We hear the word "gratitude" everywhere. Tossed around by all sorts of folks, in all sorts of casual ways.
Today's guest, Heather Monroe, helps us understand how and why gratitude is actually a powerful force for healing and transformation.
In this deep conversation, Heather and Melanie touch on resiliency, purpose in tragedy, relational trauma, and toxic positivity, among many other intriguing ideas.
Heather Monroe is a licensed clinical social worker and an integrative psychotherapist who specializes in relational trauma. She's the Senior Clinician at Newport Academy and Newport Institute and founder of Monroe Wellness. Her mission is to help people free themselves from the bonds of their past in order to become the creators of their future.
Heather is a sought-after keynote speaker, including at the recent US Journal virtual conference in Santa Fe.
Dr. Melanie Harth is a psychologist-trained transformational coach and mentor. She’s a licensed psychotherapist, with advanced training in trauma, mindfulness, and innovative adaptation.
She loves sharing provocative ideas with thought leaders and community visionaries about the art and science of happiness as a profound path to living a good life.
This show was recorded on the 75th anniversary of the U.S. dropping the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. GK Hunter shares a touching story detailing why he wanted to make a documentary about the meeting between Japanese survivors of the atomic bomb and American survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack (Sakura and Pearls: Healing from World War 2).
This episode expands on last week's show. It includes George describing his own healing in the making of the documentary.
As George has written, there's a strong connection between cross-cultural healing and happiness. "In order to heal the past, we need to build meaningful bridges where people from all backgrounds can find relief, healing, and reconciliation. This leads to a collective happiness in society, rather than just the rare few being happy."
After 15 years of working as an intuitive healer with Jewish Holocaust Survivors, Native Americans, the homeless, veterans, physicians, and community leaders, GK Hunter developed a step-by-step process to unburdening the heavy history that we inherit from our ancestors.
Based on those years of research and experiences, he created a model of healing which he wrote about in his book, Healing Our Bloodlines: The 8 Realizations of Generational Liberation.
Hunter was the director of Sakura & Pearls: Healing from World War 2, a documentary about Japanese survivors of the atomic bomb meeting the American survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack.
He's made presentations at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Cornell University, and been a guest on NPR’s All Things Considered.
Dr. Melanie Harth is a counselor and coach who specializes in trauma-sensitive psychological safety, emotional mastery, and taking smart action steps even when you're terrified.
George Kamana Hunter (GK Hunter) has a rich ancestral lineage, including Irish, northern European, and Mohawk. In this episode, George and Melanie talk a lot about ancestral or inherited trauma and how to begin healing.
In the Forward to George's book, Healing Our Bloodlines: The 8 Realizations of Generational Liberation, Dr. Eduardo Duran writes “I have found that most, if not all of the symptoms that we treat in many of our healthcare settings have their genesis in trauma, also know as “Injury where blood doesn’t flow” by indigenous ways of knowing. The injury where blood doesn’t flow becomes part of the bloodlines that carry the injury into subsequent generations.”
This episode covers a lot of intriguing ground.
After 15 years of working as an intuitive healer with Jewish Holocaust Survivors, Native Americans, the homeless, veterans, physicians, and community leaders, GK Hunter developed a step-by-step process to unburdening the heavy history that we inherit from our ancestors.
Based on those years of research and experiences, he created a model of healing which he wrote about in his book, Healing Our Bloodlines: The 8 Realizations of Generational Liberation.
Hunter was the director of Sakura & Pearls: Healing from World War 2, a documentary about Japanese survivors of the atomic bomb meeting the American survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack.
He's made presentations at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Cornell University, and been a guest on NPR’s All Things Considered.
Dr. Melanie Harth is a counselor and coach who specializes in trauma-sensitive psychological safety, emotional mastery, and taking smart action steps even when you're terrified.
Dr. Brian Luke Seaward returns for another fun, fast-paced, captivating show, all about the consequences of our too-stressful lives and ideas about how to manage it all.
Forgiveness and spontaneous remission, the fourth pillar of spirituality, and "cosmic bread crumbs" ... curious? Listen in.
Luke is full of wonderful stories to help us understand how critically important it is to manage stress. It's a don't-miss-it conversation.
Dr. Brian Luke Seaward works with the alchemy of humanity and divinity, and is an expert in stress management and mind/body/spirit healing. A pioneer in the field of health psychology, he's developed wellness programs for several Fortune 500 companies.
Luke taught meditation at the White House from 1990-94; and has taught stress management to heads of states, Olympic athletes, and Broadway actors. He's written 16 books. Currently, he's the Executive Director of the Paramount Wellness Institute in Boulder, CO.
Dr. Brian Luke Seaward website here
Dr. Melanie Harth's guided meditation for anxiety reduction here
"Stress management is the open door to walk through." So says Dr. Brian Luke Seaward, an international teacher, speaker, corporate trainer, and author of tons of books on the topic.
Luke is not only educated, articulate, and wise, but he's also (very) entertaining. There are clearly many reasons he's been a sought-after corporate and conference presenter for so many years.
Talk ranges from the connection between stress and spirituality to his mentor Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, and from the seasons of the soul to victim/victors stories.
In the 2nd half, Luke shares one of the best descriptions of anger Melanie's ever heard.
What a pleasure it was to sit with this master teacher!
Heads-up ... Luke does another show next week.
Dr. Brian Luke Seaward works with the alchemy of humanity and divinity and is an expert in stress management and mind/body/spirit healing. A pioneer in the field of health psychology, he's developed wellness programs for several Fortune 500 companies.
He taught meditation at the White House from 1990-94; and has taught stress management to heads of states, Olympic athletes, and Broadway actors. He's written 16 books. Currently, he's the Executive Director of the Paramount Wellness Institute in Boulder, CO.
Political activist, climate activist, and Santa Fe young poet laureate Artemisio Romero y Carver returns for another fast-paced show.
In this episode, Arte shares facts and feelings about racial justice. It's a wide-ranging convo, including collective trauma, white guilt, and why it's necessary to challenge the status quo.
Toward the end of the 2nd half, Arte gives one of the most heartfelt and heart-full descriptions of happiness in chaotic times that Melanie's ever heard.
Walk the Talk Santa Fe Facebook page here
Today's episode continues last week's conversation with Dr. Anita Johnston, eating psychology pioneer, storyteller, co-founder of the Anorexia & Bulimia Center of Hawaii, developer of Hawaii’s first in-patient eating disorders treatment program at Kahi Mohala Hospital, supervisor for the International Association of Eating Professionals …
… and the author of Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship With Food Through Myths, Metaphors, and Storytelling.
She shares a wonderful story from Kenya in this episode. It’s lovely, but no spoilers.
Anita also talks about how the answers reside in “your true self,” and what that means.
Finally, she talks about cracking the code of the metaphorical meanings of some food tastes. You can download that for free here.
Dr. Anita Johnston's website is here
The Happiness Doc, Dr. Melanie Harth's website is here
Melanie's Facebook page, Dr. Melanie Harth / The Happiness Doc is here
Dr. Anita Johnston is a keynote speaker and workshop presenter at the upcoming US Journal Santa Fe virtual conference.
31st Santa Fe Conference: Integrating Spirituality, Compassion, and Mindfulness in Mental Health and Addiction
Conference Dates: August 3-5, 2020 - Virtual Conference!
Dr. Anita Johnston is an eating psychology pioneer, storyteller, the co-founder of the Anorexia & Bulimia Center of Hawaii, developer of Hawaii's first in-patient eating disorders treatment program at Kahi Mohala Hospital, supervisor for the International Association of Eating Professionals ...
... and the author of Eating in the Light of the Moon: How Women Can Transform Their Relationship With Food Through Myths, Metaphors, and Storytelling.
She's a powerful champion of women struggling with disordered eating. The conversation ranges from imbalances in our psyches, to what disordered eating is trying to say to us.
What it means to live in a "fat-phobic culture" is part of this episode, as well as how recovery is really a process of transformation.
This was such a rich conversation that Anita and Melanie ended up recording another show ... look for it to drop next week.
Dr. Anita Johnston's website is here
Dr. Melanie Harth's website is here
Dr. Anita Johnston is a keynote speaker at the upcoming US Journal Santa Fe virtual conference.
31st Santa Fe Conference: Integrating Spirituality, Compassion, and Mindfulness in Mental Health and Addiction
Conference Dates: August 3-5, 2020 - Virtual Conference!
Psychologist, happiness and wellbeing expert, author, and international speaker Jonah Paquette returns for another fascinating show.
His first two books, Real Happiness, and The Happiness Toolbox focus on positive psychology and strategies for enhancing well-being.
In this episode, Jonah and Melanie talk about his brand-new book Awestruck: How Embracing Wonder Can Make You Happier, Healthier, and More Connected. Awe with a capital "A"; how feeling safe in the presence of something bigger than ourselves is a universal human experience; a personal story from Jonah about Moorea, French Polynesia; feeling small, and feeling safe at the same time ... all of this is featured!
If you missed the first show with him, please download that podcast, as well. It includes a lively discussion about what happiness is, what wellbeing means, and why these things even matter.
'Cause Jonah really is a happiness expert, with a Psy.D. from Stanford University to back it up.
watch the video of the show on Facebook here
Dr. Jonah Paquette is a keynote speaker at the upcoming US Journal Santa Fe virtual conference
31st Santa Fe Conference: Integrating Spirituality, Compassion, and Mindfulness in Mental Health and Addiction
Conference Dates: August 3-5, 2020 - Virtual Conference!
Jonah Paquette is a psychologist, happiness and wellbeing expert, an author, and an international speaker. His first two books, Real Happiness, and The Happiness Toolbox focus on positive psychology and strategies for enhancing well-being.
He really is a happiness expert, with a Psy.D. from Stanford University to back it up. This episode features a lively discussion about what happiness is, what well-being means, and why these things even matter.
Jonah and Melanie also talk about the place of happiness and well-being in these charged times.
And if you want even more about happiness, listen in to next week's episode, which is all about awe.
Dr. Jonah Paquette is a keynote speaker at the upcoming US Journal virtual conference in Santa Fe.
31st Santa Fe Conference: Integrating Spirituality, Compassion, and Mindfulness in Mental Health and Addiction
Conference Dates: August 3-5, 2020 - Virtual Conference!
Slowing down for happiness, even in hard times, is the focus. Melanie shares thoughts on happiness and mindfulness from the renowned Buddhist psychologist Jack Kornfield. Published on UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center website, she discusses an enlightening interview with Kornfield.
As Kornfield says, "falling into despair is not a response that helps anyone." Melanie shares his ideas about happiness and suffering and compassion and caring.
Gratitude and appreciation are deep dimensions of happiness. Joy is a moral force. And paying attention is what helps us feel the emotions of gratitude and joy.
Melanie shares UC Berkeley's ten keys to individual and community well-being, which are:
- altruism
- awe
- bridging differences
- compassion
- diversity
- empathy
- forgiveness
- gratitude
- happiness
- mindfulness
Today's episode is a quieter one, with Melanie sharing her thoughts, as well as those of Jack Kornfield.
UC Berkeley's 10 keys to wellbeing, with free quizzes for each, here
Dr. Wendy Johnson is the guest in this fasten-your-seat-belt episode. She's an M.D., with a Master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins. She's worked on health projects in Mozambique, Vietnam, the Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Haiti, and several South American countries.
Currently, Wendy Johnson is the medical director for La Familia Medical Center in Santa Fe.
Wendy's story helps illustrate the beauties and challenges of change at the public health level. Did you know that the community health center movement grew out of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, emerging out of South Africa? Melanie didn't. But Wendy does.
She and Melanie talk about the social determinants of health, that people can't be healthy when ecosystems aren't well, and what sort of mindset change is needed to shift our thinking.
The place of happiness in such times as these is also discussed, along with the power of creative exploration and creative processing.
Wendy's got a big mind, with an incredible richness of international experience in public and community health. It's a rich show, as a result.
Popular guest Doug Lynam continues to offer terrific ideas and creative solutions about dealing with our money in challenging times.
Doug is an investment advisor, financial expert, and author of the book From Monk to Money Manager. He and Melanie talked about a recent New York Times article about financial anxiety.
Other topics include catastrophic thinking, personal financial opportunities in the pandemic, connections between money and happiness, and the "Holy Trinity of Financing".
As always when Doug's the guest, it's a fun, fast-paced, and informative episode.
Dr. Jose Luis Stevens has been teaching shamanism for many years. He holds a doctorate in counseling psychology, is a licensed clinical social worker, and the author of several books.
Jose shares teachings from indigenous traditions that can be helpful in challenging times. Ancient ideas about controlling one's minds and thoughts, and the importance of balance and creativity and flow are just part of this episode.
Earlier episodes with Jose can be downloaded from the podcast list.
Both guests are long-time advocates for childhood safety and health, working within the system. They’re very much about data-driven solutions for such things as childhood trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and building strong resilient communities.
~~ What are the “surviving services”?
medical care, behavioral health care, safe housing, secure food and transport to vital services
~~ What about the “thriving services”?
parent supports, early childhood learning programs, community schools, youth mentors and job training
What are our priorities? What matters the most? Who matters?
Dr. JoAnne Dodgson returns for another thoughtful discussion ranging from the need for safe spaces and safe people, to what happens when we hold onto all of our emotions.
JoAnne earned a doctorate in Counseling Psychology and Holistic Health. She's also a published author, college instructor, community activist, and an initiate into the Eastern Andes shamanic lineage of Ka-Ta-See.
The shamanic lineage of Ka-Ta-See has much for us to learn, including our interconnectedness, and remembering the beauty of who we really are.
This episode builds on previous ones with JoAnne, which can be found in the Podcast listings.
watch the video of the show here
JoAnne Dodgson's website is here
Melanie Harth's website is here
The wonderful JoAnne Dodgson is today's guest. JoAnne earned a doctorate in Counseling Psychology and Holistic Health, and is a published author, college instructor, community activist, and an initiate into the Eastern Andes shamanic lineage of Ka-Ta-See.
In this episode, JoAnne and Melanie talk about:
- the Ka-Ta-See shamanic lineage and,
- how it might help us cope as the world turns upside down;
- the gifts of eldering;
- the sacred act of letting go;
- what might be opening up for us as humanity faces this transformative moment.
How to ...
- make basic financial decisions,
- keep your head above water,
- invest in a highly unstable stock market, and
- understand PTSD triggers in a pandemic,
- collective and individual trauma, the psychology and spirituality of surviving a crazy world ...
... yep, we cover a lot of ground.
Doug Lynam, financial advisor, national media financial expert, and author of From Monk to Money Manager: A Former Monk's Financial Guide to Becoming a Little Bit Wealthy -- and Why That's Okay, turns the table on Melanie and asks her some questions in this episode.
How to deal when the world has turned upside down? Good question. Check out all the episodes in this series for some answers. And listen for the monthly updates from Doug on Living From Happiness, No Matter What!
Money guy, Doug Lynam, returns for this thought-provoking series created to address a few of the unprecedented financial, psychological and spiritual issues that are showing up because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Doug, author of From Monk to Money Manager: A Former Monk's Financial Guide to Becoming a Little Bit Wealthy -- and Why That's Okay, riffs on how to survive a dark night of the soul.
Melanie offers her take on how to stop "fighting the facts" as one tool to use in coping with those inevitable dark times that most people experience ... especially when the world has turned upside down.
This exciting new four-part series is devoted to understanding some of the psychological, spiritual and financial aspects of living in a global pandemic.
Doug is a money manager, former Benedictine monk, national media financial expert, and author of From Monk to Money Manager: A Former Monk’s Financial Guide to Becoming a Little Bit Wealthy — and Why That’s Ok.
The second episode starts with Melanie sharing some of her personal issues with asking for help, how a contemplative spiritual practice can help us get through a dark night of the soul, and so much.