The Karen Kenney Show

Latest Episodes:

Is Standing Out On Social Media Really The Way To Go? Nov 19, 2020

Show notes

“You need to be special!” is a message that we’re constantly being bombarded with when it comes to our personal and professional social media presence.

This is especially true as entrepreneurs and business owners in the digital age. We’ve been taught that amongst a sea of people, profiles and posts - it's essential to our success - that we not only have an online presence and platform, but that we must also have a strategy for “standing out”.
But what if that approach is wrong?
What if we’re causing both ourselves and our business unnecessary suffering in the relentless pursuit of trying to “stand out” on social media?
How much suffering are we humans willing to cause ourselves in our need to be special, seen or have significance?

Today on The Karen Kenney Show, I sat down to talk with super-smarty pants business coach Bill Baren about how much energy we waste trying to answer the ego’s call to specialness and just how freeing it can be to embrace our insignificance in the world.
Plus, we discuss and explore the power and joy of trusting your intuition and your Spiritual Team to guide you and keep you on the path that you’re meant to be on.

KK's Key Takeaways
Insignificant Speck In The Universe (3:12)
Betrayal To Ourselves (13:57)
Permission To Break The Rules (18:33)
Set Of Personal Guidelines (23:27)
Stop The Madness (28:03)
Internal Stabilizers (31:00)
Meeting with Curiosity (35:49)
I Could Be Gone Tomorrow (40:04)

Bill Baren was the Chief Executive Officer of The Big Shift LLC and the Chief Product Officer of Empowered Education. He’s a world-renowned business coach, educator, and a serial entrepreneur. He’s started and grown four different multi-million dollar businesses and has mentored hundreds of 7-figure CEOs.

Over 50,000 people from 22 countries have participated in Bill’s online and live trainings. He has a particular passion for helping mission-driven coaches step into their true genius and make their impact known in the world.

Bill holds a Bachelor of Science in values in technology with an emphasis on computer science and a Bachelor of Arts in Russian literature from Stanford University.

He’s a huge sports fan (Go Warriors and Stanford Football!) and loves hosting dinner parties with his wife, Gia. In his past lives, he’s participated in the World Series of Poker, has produced hit songs, and has DJ’d in five different countries in front of packed crowds.

BILL BAREN SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/billbaren/

Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, spiritual teacher, host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast, founder of Fearless Flow™ Mentoring & creator of THE NEST Spiritual Membership.

KK is a certified Spiritual Mentor, a student of A Course in Miracles for 28+ years and a longtime practitioner of Passage Meditation. She’s also a certified teacher & facilitator of the Gateless Writing Method and is currently working on a memoir.

Teaching yoga since 1999, she became a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher in 2001 and got certified in Thai Yoga Massage in 2008 from the Lotus Palm School in Montreal.

KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA and is known for her storytelling, her sense of humor, her love of the Divine and her “down-to-earth” approach to Spirituality.

Her signature Yoga & Writing Workshops, Fearless Flow™ Retreats & 1:1 Mentoring Programs utilize her transformational Your Story to Your Glory™ process and have helped hundreds of people to let go of their old stories of victimization and suffering, so they can choose Love over fear and live a new kick-ass story from a place of power, forgiveness, freedom and Spirit.

A sought-after expert, guest teacher and Spiritual Thought Leader for Live Events, Podcasts, Coaching Programs and Shows, Karen has been invited to speak and teach on various platforms across the country including the Omega Institute in NY.

You can learn more & connect with KK at: www.karenkenney.com

Stay In Your Own Lane Nov 12, 2020

Show notes

The term “stay in your own lane” can mean different things to different people and we’re going to dive into a couple of ways of looking at this. Most of the time as adults, when we say “Stay in your lane” - it’s to tell others to stay out of our business or to keep the focus on what they themselves are doing. Just like when we were little kids and the teachers would advise us, “Keep your eyes on your own paper!” (Who else remembers that?)

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that there aren’t any instances where we should speak up, cross a line and say something about an incident/photo/picture that we see online or physically take action when we see an injustice.

There are definitely times we need to step out of our lane and do something to bring about necessary change or to stop abuse of others whether they be animals, humans or the environment. But for the most part, especially online, it would behoove us to practice shutting our mouths and moving on.

Another way of interpreting “stay in your own lane”, is stick to what you know and stick to what you're good at. Don’t try to pretend to be what I call “a four-lane highway.” Ha!

Today on The Karen Kenney Show, we’re talking about minding our own damn business & if you do have a business, to know what you’re actually qualified to offer and practice. Like it says in a Course of Miracles ‘You cannot teach what you have not yet accepted for yourself”. How can we expect to direct anyone towards anything that we have not yet consistently practiced in our own lives?
Without our own personal life experiences to base our reflections, wisdom or feedback on, we have nothing to inform others with. We don’t know what it feels like to perhaps be in their position.

Of course, we can always learn about other skills and have new experiences in the world but until we do have something of depth to contribute it might be best to stay in our own lane. In doing so, we can avoid doing more harm than good to those around us.
KK's Key Takeaways

Stick To What You’re Good At (8:25)
I Really Try To Stay In My Lane (17:16)
Standing In Confidence Doesn’t Make Me Right (26:41)
Attend To Our Own Business (31:55)
Be Curious (35:20)
You Can Do More Damage (39:12)

Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, spiritual teacher, host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast, founder of Fearless Flow™ Mentoring & creator of THE NEST Spiritual Membership.

Teaching yoga since 1999, she became a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher in 2001 and got certified in Thai Yoga Massage in 2008 from the Lotus Palm School in Montreal.

KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA and is known for her storytelling, her sense of humor, her love of the Divine and her “down-to-earth” approach to Spirituality.

You can learn more & connect with KK at: www.karenkenney.com

Criticism vs. Feedback Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

There’s a quote I heard that I’ve been contemplating that says how people should, “Praise in public & critique in private.” I’ve got a few thoughts now on this point of view and one of the things that informed me in my mulling and musing about it is an even older saying that tells us that “our words should pass through 3 gates before we ever write them or speak them out loud.”
Before we open our big fat mouths (ha!) and utter a word, we should ask ourselves:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?
When we’re dealing with one-to-one communication with human beings, it would behoove us to have our first thought be, “What is the most loving or kind way I can handle this?”
And then proceeding by sometimes speaking about their strengths first, before talking about where growth needs to happen.
Today on The Karen Kenney Show, we are taking a look at the differences between criticism versus feedback and how we can be working this on either side of that fence. Whether that be externally with those around us or how we internally speak to ourselves.
Whomever we are speaking to, we must first understand that our words matter.

An approach of curiosity and love instead of judgement allows us to ask the kind of questions that open the doors of thought, inspiration and insight. Rather than eliciting a response of attack, defend or prove.

This isn’t always the easiest road to travel because sometimes our input means that others (and even ourselves) have to take a look at painful spots we’d rather not deal with and prefer to ignore.

Having a level of tenderness in our approach helps to, at the very least, make the process bearable and something we can face more willingly.
Being mindful and intentional in our communication will help us to create a more loving, kind world where people can feel supported, seen and know that they matter.

KK's Key Takeaways
Gateless Instructor (2:04)
Your Words Should Pass (4:05)
Passive Aggressive (12:03)
We Need More Tenderness (21:00)
Is It Loving? (27:25)
We Are Always Learning (32:23)

Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, spiritual teacher, host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast, founder of Fearless Flow™ Mentoring & creator of THE NEST Spiritual Membership.

Teaching yoga since 1999, she became a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher in 2001 and got certified in Thai Yoga Massage in 2008 from the Lotus Palm School in Montreal.

KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA and is known for her storytelling, her sense of humor, her love of the Divine and her “down-to-earth” approach to Spirituality.

You can learn more & connect with KK at: www.karenkenney.com

We Were Made For These Times Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

With the world being how it is in this moment, now is not the time to stick our heads in the sand. If you are here on the planet right now, I believe it’s for a reason and a greater purpose. Sometimes, we need to turn to our Spiritual Team to help figure out what that is.
When we find ourselves in situations where we feel overwhelmed, defeated, scared, anxious or worried it’s helpful to remember the words of Clarissa Pinkola Estés; “We Were Made For These Times”. I believe that our lives have been preparing us for this moment. Sometimes, if you feel not up to the task, we can call upon the strength of the Divine, our Inner Teacher and our Spiritual Team to help us to “act well and wisely”.

Today on The Karen Kenney Show, we’re talking about knowing and stepping into our purpose. What are we adding to the world around us? What is it that we are bringing to the table? Each voice matters and I want to encourage you to use yours with the support of your Spiritual Team.

KK's Key Takeaways
Shame, Blame & Victimization (2:37)
I Rest In God (6:06)
We Could All Use A Little Help (14:25)
Spiritual Toolkit (21:33)
Joan of Arc (24:00)
Please Use Me (27:41)
Walking Each Other Home (33:21)
Willing To Die For (36:38)

Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, spiritual teacher, host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast, founder of Fearless Flow™ Mentoring & creator of THE NEST Spiritual Membership.

Teaching yoga since 1999, she became a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher in 2001 and got certified in Thai Yoga Massage in 2008 from the Lotus Palm School in Montreal.

KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA and is known for her storytelling, her sense of humor, her love of the Divine and her “down-to-earth” approach to Spirituality.

You can learn more & connect with KK at: www.karenkenney.com

Saying “No To Patterns” with Courtney Daniel | KK85 Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

From the loss of a younger sister in a car accident by a drunk driver, to finding & fighting the cancer of her then 2 year old son, my guest has experienced some of life’s most painful experiences. Through it all she has found a way to connect with others and build community where there was none.
Today on The Karen Kenney Show, we’re talking with Courtney Daniel who went from being an wicked shy child to an outgoing, hardworking creative strategist, wife and designer who lives by her own rules and makes things happen!

As a nationally recognized award-winning business owner, her dedication and ability to build relationships has afforded her the opportunity to work with top name celebrities & high profile clients.
Courtney’s love for design won her national recognition for the United States Postal Service when she designed a postage stamp for the Seacoast African American Cultural Center.
Recently, Courtney founded and created a membership called “No To Patterns™” which is a Seacoast organization born out of necessity to address the lack of accommodations available to Black, African-American and POC who live in NH. She wanted to create a community for those who are considering moving to the Seacoast area and to nurture those who have called New Hampshire home.
She’s been a guest on multiple podcasts including “So Money” with Farnoosh Torabi and “Entrepreneur on Fire”. Her work has also been featured on Huffington Post as well as other publications.

KK's Key Takeaways:
Visiting New Hampshire (6:23)
Loss Of A Sister (15:05)
Our Son Has Cancer (25:29)
The Story Of The Stamp (37:22)
You Have Allies Here (44:25)
Building The Community (1:01:58)

Connect with Courtney:
WEBSITE: www.courtneydaniel.com

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/CourtneyDanielBrand

INSTAGRAM: http://www.instagram.com/thecdbrand

NO TO PATTERNS MEMBERSHIP: https://membership.courtneydaniel.com/

EMAIL: info@courtneydaniel.com

Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, spiritual teacher, host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast, founder of Fearless Flow™ Mentoring & creator of THE NEST Spiritual Membership.

Teaching yoga since 1999, she became a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher in 2001 and got certified in Thai Yoga Massage in 2008 from the Lotus Palm School in Montreal.

KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA and is known for her storytelling, her sense of humor, her love of the Divine and her “down-to-earth” approach to Spirituality.

You can learn more & connect with KK at: www.karenkenney.com

The Social Dilemma Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

Social media has a grip on society and it’s changing the way we interact with each other and even ourselves. The addiction to using it, getting those likes and views are at a concerning level with dire consequences to our human connections and psyche. This is especially true with teenage girls and young women who are up over 300% in anxiety, depression and suicide rates since the introduction of social media platforms.
Today on The Karen Kenney Show, we are taking a look at a documentary called; “The Social Dilemma” and the effect of social media on the world population and its interactions with one another.

The major player tech giants such as; Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Google and Twitter have manipulated and worked to rewire the human brain through their data tracking, algorithms, and by giving out gamification dopamine responses to our interactions online.
Of course this doesn’t mean that being online is all bad, but it comes down to being self and socially aware of exactly what it looks like and what we’re all playing a part in.

Are we addicted to these platforms and allowing these tech giants to boldly manipulate us or are we really in control of our actions and reactions.
There comes a point in this Social Dilemma where we have to ask; what’s my level of participation going to be?

KK's Key Takeaways

Dopamine Responses (3:50)

Gamification (9:23)

Designed To Keep Us Looking (14:36)

We Are Being Spoon Fed (20:23)

Not Standing Outside My Castle (24:06)

Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, spiritual teacher, host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast, founder of Fearless Flow™ Mentoring & creator of THE NEST Spiritual Membership.

Teaching yoga since 1999, she became a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher in 2001 and got certified in Thai Yoga Massage in 2008 from the Lotus Palm School in Montreal.

KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA and is known for her storytelling, her sense of humor, her love of the Divine and her “down-to-earth” approach to Spirituality.

You can learn more & connect with KK at: www.karenkenney.com

I Wasn’t Always This Way Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

Our internal peace of mind and happiness are extremely important to our overall well being. In order to find that for ourselves we have to stop and take the time to really look at where it is that we came from and heal the wounds of our past.
The truth is it doesn’t matter how we got here, we are here and who we are because of it; belongs to us. It is a part of who we are right down to the core. The question then now must be “what are we going to do with where we came from now that we have arrived in this place today of our lives today?” How are we going to react or respond to the different scenarios we find ourselves in?

Today on The Karen Kenney Show, we are taking a look at who it is we used to be and who it is we can be. It is not always an easy journey. It requires effort, work and sometimes painful steps. I wasn’t always this way myself but after years of working on healing my past wounds and training my mind and heart how to tie into a deep connection with the Divine I find myself more available and open to living in a happier state of being. This does not mean I never take notice of the darkness in this world but because of this healing I am able to not allow myself to live in it.
It is not always sunshine and rainbows every day because there is no such thing as earthly perfection but there can be a level of happiness that can be achieved every day if we are only willing to do the hard and difficult work on ourselves that is required to get there.

KK's Key Takeaways
Younger, Tortured, Traumatized, Suffering Self (8:33)
I Have TO Try Everything First (13:49)
I Work With Wounded Kids (22:28)
You Are On Fire (29:57)
It’s Not Always Easy (36:50)

Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, spiritual teacher, host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast, founder of Fearless Flow™ Mentoring & creator of THE NEST Spiritual Membership.

Teaching yoga since 1999, she became a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher in 2001 and got certified in Thai Yoga Massage in 2008 from the Lotus Palm School in Montreal.

KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA and is known for her storytelling, her sense of humor, her love of the Divine and her “down-to-earth” approach to Spirituality.

You can learn more & connect with KK at: www.karenkenney.com

You Gotta’ Be Open For Business Oct 01, 2020

Show notes

In our lives we’re often looking for consistency. We want to know that we can count on certain things to be available to us or have particular people show up for us - whether that be in our personal, spiritual or professional lives.

Where there’s reliability & responsibility - there’s trust - and relationships can start to build on that foundation of faith.

Today on The Karen Kenney Show, we’re talking about how the consistency of showing up and taking inspired action - plays a huge role in the success in our lives.

It’s not enough to just sit back on our ass in our comfy belief that because we’ve asked our Spiritual Team to help us they will. I mean, of course they will, but we as the individual have to step up and do our part

We have to be willing to move our feet forward and do the damn work. Ha! We have to turn on the lights, show up for ourselves and others and be the reliable source of support & action in the world that we also want for our own.
If you want the Divine, your Spiritual Team or others in life to help you - You Gotta’ Be Open For Business!

KK's Key Takeaways

What Do I Mean? (2:02)

Move Beyond The Ego Intellect (9:27)
Love Is The Greatest Currency (24:21)

You Can’t Just Ask God (31:45)

Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, spiritual teacher, host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast, founder of Fearless Flow™ Mentoring & creator of THE NEST Spiritual Membership.

Teaching yoga since 1999, she became a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher in 2001 and got certified in Thai Yoga Massage in 2008 from the Lotus Palm School in Montreal.

KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA and is known for her storytelling, her sense of humor, her love of the Divine and her “down-to-earth” approach to Spirituality.

You can learn more & connect with KK at: www.karenkenney.com

A Conversation With Best-Selling Author Andre Dubus III Sep 24, 2020

Show notes

From “victim to victimizer of victimizers” today’s guest talks about his journey from childhood victim to vigilante status and how somewhere in the midst of the chaos, writing saved his life.

Today on The Karen Kenney Show we’re talking to one of my most favorite people in the world; New York Times Best-Selling author Andre Dubus III.
Andre is not only a beloved friend but also one of my writing mentors. As a fellow Merrimack Valley kid (he grew up in Haverhill, MA) - his work always speaks to my heart. His memoir TOWNIE is powerful, vivid, haunting, vulnerable, wicked tough and heartbreakingly tender.
In this episode, we dove deep into writing, storytelling, violence, creativity, spirituality and what the writer/artists role is in the world! You guys do not want to miss this conversation!

Andre is the author of “The Cage Keeper and Other Stories, Bluesman, Dirty Love, Gone So Long and the New York Times bestsellers, House of Sand and Fog which was both an Oprah Book Club Pick & made into an Academy Award Winning Movie, The Garden of Last Days (soon to be a major motion picture) and his memoir, Townie”, a #4 New York Times bestseller and a New York Times "Editors Choice".

KK's Key Takeaways
Run Like Hell Or Freeze (6:10)
Small Quiet Voice (15:37)
Writing Saved My Life (22:03)
I Lose It (31:56)
Paying Attention To My Intuition (40:58)
Writing Deeply (49:39)
Individual Curriculum (1:02:18)
Letting Go Of Control (1:09:29)
How It Really Happened (1:14:38)
Who Might I Have Been? (1:19:45)
Oprah Bookclub (1:32:22)
Gratitude (1:38:00)
Pay Attention (1:47:51)
Dreaming Side Of Your Mind (2:01:24)

Andre Dubus III is the author of The Cage Keeper and Other Stories, Bluesman, and the New York Times bestsellers, House of Sand and Fog, The Garden of Last Days (soon to be a major motion picture) and his memoir, Townie, a #4 New York Times bestseller and a New York Times "Editors Choice".

His work has been included in The Best American Essays and The Best Spiritual Writing anthologies, and his novel, House of Sand and Fog was a finalist for the National Book Award, a #1 New York Times Bestseller, and was made into an Academy Award-nominated film starring Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly.

His novella collection, Dirty Love, was published in the fall of 2013 and was listed as a “Notable Book” by The Washington Post and The New York Times, and was named a New York Times Editors’Choice”, and a Kirkus “Starred Best Book of 2013”.

His new novel, Gone So Long, published in October 2018, has received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal and has been named on many “Best Books” lists, including selection for The Boston Globe’s “Twenty Best Books of 2018” and “The Best Books of 2018”, “Top 100”, Amazon.
Mr. Dubus has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, The National Magazine Award for Fiction, Two Pushcart Prizes, and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature. His books are published in over twenty-five languages, and he teaches full-time at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Fontaine, a modern dancer, and their three children.

Connect with Andre:
Website: https://andredubus.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndreDubusIII

Karen Kenney is a Spiritual Mentor, writer, speaker and host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast.

She’s been a student & guide of A Course in Miracles for 28+ years, a yoga teacher for over 20 years and a longtime practitioner of Passage Meditation. She’s also a certified teacher & facilitator of the Gateless Writing Method and is currently working on a memoir.

KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA and is known for her storytelling, her sense of humor, her love of the Divine and her “down-to-earth” approach to Spirituality.

Her signature Fearless Flow™ Retreats & 1:1 Mentoring Programs utilize her transformational Your Story to Your Glory™ process and have helped hundreds of people to surrender their old stories of victimization and suffering, so they can choose Love over fear and live a new kick-ass story from a place of power, forgiveness, freedom and Spirit.

You can learn more & connect with KK at: www.karenkenney.com

Contraction & Expansion Sep 17, 2020

Show notes

In this world, there are a lot of reasons why we find ourselves tempted to go into a contracted state of being. A place we want to tuck into for protection. This pulled in, tightened up reaction creates a realm of separation - where we not only feel removed from the love of those around us - but also from the true essence of who we are meant to be.

This ego conditioning limits our ability to love and be loved. When we’re wrapped up so tightly in our fear, we can’t expand into the wholeness and holiness of ourselves.

Today on The Karen Kenney Show, we’re talking about the difference between Contraction & Expansion as it pertains to our human experience. Are we joining relationships & spaces where we have the room to grow and expand? Or are we living in a “closed fist” state of being?
A contracted state of mind, limits our capacity to give or receive love. It can take us out at the knees and leaves us feeling hurt, angry, victimized and damaged. Instead, what if we met ourselves and each other with openness and curiosity, instead of being closed and judgemental?
So, no more “saran-wrapping” ourselves. No more tucking our tails & clenching our fists. Instead, let’s choose to move into the spaces of expansion and Divine Love. It’s time to spread our tail feathers and fully embrace & embody the child of God we really are.

Are you ready to create more expansion in your life?

KK's Key Takeaways

Love Doesn’t Happen (3:42)
Fear Shuts The Window (5:09)

No More Saran Wrap Sally (9:48)

When The Mind Slips Into Fear (15:37)
The Difference Between Exclusion and Inclusion (22:41)

The Tools To Unwrap Ourselves (33:35)
Karen Kenney is a writer, speaker, spiritual teacher, host of The Karen Kenney Show Podcast, founder of Fearless Flow™ Mentoring & creator of THE NEST Spiritual Membership.

Teaching yoga since 1999, she became a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher in 2001 and got certified in Thai Yoga Massage in 2008 from the Lotus Palm School in Montreal.

KK grew up in Lawrence & Boston, MA and is known for her storytelling, her sense of humor, her love of the Divine and her “down-to-earth” approach to Spirituality.

You can learn more & connect with KK at: www.karenkenney.com

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