Relationships 2.0 With Dr. Michelle Skeen

Latest Episodes:

Guest: Gary Kowalski, author of Blessings of the Animals: Celebrating Our Kinship with All Creation Nov 21, 2012

Show notes

My guest on Relationships 2.0 this week is Gary Kowalski. He will help us understand our relationship with animals as we discuss his new book Blessings of the Animals: Celebrating Our Kinship with All Creation.

Guest: Deborah Price, author of The Heart of Money: A Couple’s Guide to Creating True Financial Intimacy Nov 14, 2012

Show notes

This week my guest on Relationships 2.0 is Deborah Price author of The Heart of Money: A Couple’s Guide to Creating True Financial Intimacy. Money issues have long been the number one cause of relationship disharmony and divorce, yet when it comes to identifying and changing unhealthy money patterns and behaviors, many couples feel helpless. Money coach Deborah Price has taught thousands of people how to work together to resolve money conflicts and create a financially empowered future.

Guest: Brooks Palmer, author of Clutter Busting Your Life: Clearing Physical and Emotional Clutter to Reconnect with Yourself and Others Oct 31, 2012

Show notes

My guest this week is Brooks Palmer, author of Clutter Busting Your Life: Clearing Physical and Emotional Clutter to Reconnect with Yourself and Others Over the course of his career helping people let go of things they no longer need, Brooks Palmer has been struck by the many ways that clutter affects relationships. In these pages, he shows how we use clutter to protect ourselves, control others, and cling to the past, and how it keeps us from experiencing the joy of connection. With insight-prompting questions, exercises, client examples, and even whimsical line drawings, Palmer will take you from overwhelmed to empowered. His gentle guidance will help you to not only clear clutter from your home but also enjoy deeper, more authentic, and clutter-free relationships of all kinds.

Guest: Joe Messina, political radio talk show host Oct 24, 2012

Show notes

My guest this week is Joe Messina. He is a political radio talk show host. We are going to discuss how to have productive conversations with friends and family about politics. With less than three weeks until the Presidential election it’s time to learn some healthy communication skills for these heated topics.

Guest: Julie Fast, co-author of Loving Someone With Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner Oct 17, 2012

Show notes

My guest is Julie Fast, co-author of Loving Someone With Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner. Fast's book, Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder, is a first of its kind book—written specifically for the partner of a person with bipolar disorder. If you have a loved one with bipolar, you know how disruptive and straining this disorder can be to your relationship. You may experience feelings of fear, loss, and anxiety as well as a constant uncertainly about your loved one’s ever-changing moods. This book is designed to help you overcome the unique challenges of loving someone with bipolar disorder. With the supportive and helpful information, strategies, and real-life examples contained here, you’ll have all the tools you need to create a loving, healthy, and close relationship.

Guest: Leslie Sokol, PhD, co-author of Think Confident, Be Confident for Teens Oct 10, 2012

Show notes

My guest this week is Leslie Sokol, PhD co-author of Think Confident, Be Confident for Teens. Confidence is like a magnet that attracts people to you and helps you get closer to reaching your goals. When you believe in yourself, you send the message that you have the brains, ability, and talent to handle whatever life sends your way. And the truth is, you do! Leslie's book, Think Confident, Be Confident for Teens shows you how to tap into your self-esteem so you can be yourself in every situation, no matter how awkward you feel or scary that may sound. The fun exercises and tips in this confidence-coaching workbook will guide you past feelings of self-doubt and encourage you to believe in yourself, strengthen your friendships, and meet every challenge head-on.

Guest: Cindy Ariel, author of Loving Someone With Asperger’s Syndrome Oct 03, 2012

Show notes

If you’re in a relationship with someone who has Asperger’s syndrome, it’s likely that your partner sometimes seems cold and insensitive. Other times, he or she may have emotional outbursts for no apparent reason. And in those moments when you can’t understand each other at all, you both feel fed up, frustrated, and confused. The behavior of people with Asperger’s can be hard to understand and easy to misinterpret, which is why it’s so important to learn more about your partner’s condition. The tools presented in Loving Someone with Asperger’s Syndrome will help you build intimacy and improve the way you and your partner communicate. Filled with assessments and exercises for both you and your partner, this book will help you forge a deeper, more fulfilling relationship.

Discussion of the book ACT for Interpersonal Problems: Using Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Schema Awareness to Change Interpersonal Behaviors. Sep 26, 2012

Show notes

This week on my radio show I will be discussing the book that I co-authored with Matthew McKay, PhD and Avigail Lev, PsyD, ACT for Interpersonal Problems: Using Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Schema Awareness to Change Interpersonal Behaviors. I will be discussing the book with Maarten Aalberse PsyD, a clinical psychologist and ACT therapist in Lyon, France. The book presents a complete treatment protocol for therapists working with clients who repeatedly fall into unhealthy patterns in their relationships with friends, family members, coworkers, and romantic partners. These clients may blame others, withdraw when feeling threatened, react defensively in conflicts, or have a deep-seated sense of distrust—all interpersonal problems that damage relationships and cause enormous suffering.

Guest: Steve Flowers, author of Living with Your Heart Wide Open: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Unworthiness, Inadequacy, and Shame. Sep 19, 2012

Show notes

My guest is Steve Flowers, author of Living with Your Heart Wide Open: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Unworthiness, Inadequacy, and Shame. Everyone is subject to feelings of unworthiness and inadequacy and sometimes these feelings can become your very sense of self and dominate everything you do. Living with Your Heart Wide Open offers a way to free yourself from this prison of shame though gentle and wise guidance in mindfulness and self-compassion practices as embodied within Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training.

Guest: Susan Kuchinskas, author of The Chemistry of Connection: How the Oxytocin Response Can Help You Find Trust, Intimacy, and Love Sep 12, 2012

Show notes

The guest for my radio show on September 11th is Susan Kuchinskas, author of The Chemistry of Connection: How the Oxytocin Response Can Help You Find Trust, Intimacy, and Love. When you make love, cuddle with a partner, or have coffee with close friends, a powerful brain chemical called oxytocin floods your body with feelings of contentment and trust. This natural love drug, produced by the hypothalamus, is responsible for human bonding in both platonic and intimate relationships, and is the key to many of the psychological differences between men and women. In The Chemistry of Connection, you’ll learn easy ways to increase your natural supply of oxytocin to establish deeper connections with family, friends, and romantic partners. You’ll discover: • The power of the cuddle hormone in relationships • How sex and love are deeply entwined for both women and men • The chemical differences between lust, romance, and love • How to raise children who trust and love in a healthy way