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Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone Mar 25, 2014

Show notes

We all know that most of us are overwhelmed. The question is- what do we do about it? Like most things- it begins with awareness. We get into a discussion based on a book by Brigid Schulte titled -Overwhelmed- Work, Love, & Play When No One Has The Time. We play some clips from an amazing interview she did with NPR's Terry Gross. Some of the highlights include: The idea of "contaminated time" Is there a different set of expectations between men and women when it comes to parenting? We claim to be a culture of family values- Is this in alignment with the behaviors and policies we currently have? Balancing the responsibilities of parenting between mom and dad The dangers of being "fun dad" The biology that men have in regards to being a nurturer. Resources Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh A New Earth weekly interview with Oprah Winfrey and Eckhart Tolle Hunteryoga.com has created another Daily Practice that begins on March 24th!!! The first week is free. Click the link for more details. Todd has a few spots opening for his Men's Group. Email me @ comments@zenparentingradio.com Tree of Life Chiropractic Care has some interesting workshops planned. An outline can be found here. If you shop Amazon by going through our website first (there is an amazon link on the bottom right hand of our home page), a portion of your sale will help fund our Be U program. Thanks for supporting us! Check out our new website & be sure to sign up to get all new podcast sent direct to your inbox @ ZPR. We would love to hear any comments from the show by sending us an email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com You can be sure to hear more by liking our facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/ZenParenting Painting or remodeling? Don't forget about our parnter Avid Co.

Outliving Cancer with Tears, Wit, and Grace Mar 23, 2014

Show notes

In this compelling interview, our friend Katie Weiss shares her breast cancer experience, starting with the fact that she was diagnosed at 35. Due to her age she is told her lump is probably nothing, but she walks us through the series of incidents that lead to the mind-numbing news that she indeed had breast cancer. Recently separated and with a three-year-old daughter at home, Katie takes us from diagnosis, to chemotherapy and finally recovery. Katie's storytelling is vulnerable, raw, and full of humor - we were laughing and crying a the same time! There is so much to learn from her amazing story, this podcast is a must listen!

“Powerful Women Intimidate Me” ~Todd Mar 18, 2014

Show notes

Todd confesses that he still feels intimidated by powerful women in our society, and he uses Oprah and Hillary Clinton as examples. This leads to a discussion about the campaign created by Sheryl Sandberg called "Banning Bossy" The campaign is designed to empower female leadership by making us more conscious of the words we use to describe young girls as they assert themselves. The confidence gap starts early- Between elementary and high school, girls’ self–esteem drops 3.5 times more than boys’. Bossy holds girls back- Girls are twice as likely as boys to worry that leadership roles will make them seem “bossy.” Girls get less airtime in class- They are called on less and interrupted more. They also discuss Cathy's blog- "Banning Bossy: It's not about the word, it's about the conversation" and why this campaign (which has been ridiculed by bloggers and the media) is worth another look. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dynbzMlCcw Other topics include the value of partner vacations and why being away can bring you back to center. Hunteryoga.com has created another Daily Practice that begins on March 24th!!! The first week is free. Click the link for more details. Todd has a few spots opening for his Men's Group. Email me @ comments@zenparentingradio.com Tree of Life Chiropractic Care has some interesting workshops planned. An outline can be found here. If you shop Amazon by going through our website first (there is an amazon link on the bottom right hand of our home page), a portion of your sale will help fund our Be U program. Thanks for supporting us! Check out our new website & be sure to sign up to get all new podcast sent direct to your inbox @ ZPR. We would love to hear any comments from the show by sending us an email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com You can be sure to hear more by liking our facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/ZenParenting

Why do certain people drive you crazy? Mar 11, 2014

Show notes

Why do we get "triggered" by certain people or circumstances? You could call it a "trigger", or you could call it a "thorn". A thorn is when you are disturbed because something you are experiencing feels similar to a negative (or uncomfortable, or unresolved, or painful) experience from the past. Instead of feeling/responding to something in present time, the experience can trigger old pain from the past. That makes the present experience feel like too much to bear, and you may respond in an inappropriate or over the top way. An example is when you are driving and somebody cuts you off - you go from being calm to out of control very quickly, and most likely you are having a response based on old thoughts or experiences (that person thinks he's better than me, that person doesn't respect me, that person is a jerk driver just like that guy who hit me 10 years ago....). When we pull up all of that pain into a present-time situation, it's understandable why we go from 0-60 so quickly. We played a few clips from an interview between Oprah Winfrey and Michael Singer who authored "The Untethered Soul" We discuss what our thorns are, why it's best to acknowledge them, and how best to remove them. We also talk about one of the best guys in the world. Hunteryoga.com has created another Daily Practice that begins on March 24th!!! The first week is free. Click the link for more details. Todd has a few spots opening for his Men's Group. Email me @ comments@zenparentingradio.com Tree of Life Chiropractic Care has some interesting workshops planned. An outline can be found here. If you shop Amazon by going through our website first (there is an amazon link on the bottom right hand of our home page), a portion of your sale will help fund our Be U program. Thanks for supporting us! Check out our new website & be sure to sign up to get all new podcast sent direct to your inbox @ ZPR. We would love to hear any comments from the show by sending us an email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com You can be sure to hear more by liking our facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/ZenParenting Resources links http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKDPBt2m_iE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuqemytQ5QA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xdDOPx2D8Y

“Leukemia Sucks” ~Maddy, Age 4, Cancer Survivor Mar 07, 2014

Show notes

"Leukemia messed with the wrong girl in November 2011 - my then almost two year old daughter, Maddy. That was when my family's journey with leukemia began...."~Erin and Dan McCarthy Last month, Maddy became a SURVIVOR, after 2+ years of treatment. It was brutal - Maddy had 3 surgeries, over 50 rounds of outpatient chemotherapy (as well as hundreds of chemo meds at home), 10 spinal tap chemo injections, 4 blood transfusions, 12 ER visits, hair loss, 16 body scans, numerous inpatient admissions, and on and on.. Dan & Erin share their 2-year experience with their daughter's Leukemia and take us through all of the ups and downs of diagnosis, chemo, and what it means to be a survivor. Dan has also been nominated as a person of the year by the Leukemia Society. Please consider donating (click here to find his page.) Every dollar counts as a vote, and we would love to see Dan receive this tremendous honor (not to mention raise a ton of $$ for cancer research)! Erin is a professional photographer and if a listener books a session during the ten-week voting period, she will donate all costs to LLS. Find her website here. If you shop Amazon by going through our website first (there is an amazon link on the bottom right hand of our home page), a portion of your sale will help fund our Be U program. Thanks for supporting us! Check out our new website & be sure to sign up to get all new podcast sent direct to your inbox @ ZPR. We would love to hear any comments from the show by sending us an email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com You can be sure to hear more by liking our facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/ZenParenting

Want your kid to work for Google? Stop studying and start cultivating Mar 04, 2014

Show notes

There are 5 attributes Google, Inc. currently looks for when hiring an employee and guess what? The school you came from and your G.P.A. don't mean that much. In a New York Times article titled "How to Get a Job at Google" Thomas Friedman interviewed Laszlo Bock, the Senior Vice President of People Operations for Google and asks what they look for when hiring employees. Google determined that “G.P.A.’s are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and test scores are worthless. ... We found that they don’t predict anything.” What does count? General cognitive ability- and it’s not I.Q., it's learning ability. Leadership — in particular emergent leadership as opposed to traditional leadership. Emergent leadership is described as "understanding when to assert your leadership qualities and just as importantly, when to step back and allow others to lead." Humility and ownership- “It’s feeling the sense of responsibility, the sense of ownership, to step in,” he said, to try to solve any problem — and the humility to step back and embrace the better ideas of others. Expertise Be U, Inc.- Kids and Grownups Living from the Inside Out- We discuss the similarities between what Google is looking for and what our consciousness development system is all about. What do you do when your kids are "fighting" and they're both right? We share a story of our two daughters having a serious disagreement, how they were both right, and how we navigated through the experience. We also give our Oscar ballot results. Here's a clue- Todd was the runaway winner, but did some interesting "research" to get ready for the evening. We also play this ultra-funny Saturday Night Live Commercial. Listen and enjoy. If you shop Amazon by going through our website first (there is an amazon link on the bottom right hand of our home page), a portion of your sale will help fund our Be U program. Thanks for supporting us! Check out our new website & be sure to sign up to get all new podcast sent direct to your inbox @ ZPR. Todd's Men's Group has a few openings. Please email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com for details. We would love to hear any comments from the show by sending us an email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com You can be sure to hear more by liking our facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/ZenParenting

Dealing with an emotional child Feb 25, 2014

Show notes

How do we react when our children have an emotional response? Yes, there needs to be some boundaries on how our children treat us, but we must also be aware of our own triggers and take responsibility for the energy we bring. We share a recent experience when our daughter had an emotional response (let's just say it wasn't handled perfectly). We also use the ocean as a metaphor to distinguish between fear and respect. The easier and quicker lesson is to teach fear, but is there a more effective way to communicate without passing fear down from one generation to the next? Do you want your kids to like you more? Ask them to teach you something you don't know. I did this last weekend when I asked my girls to tell me about "Frozen". They lit up because they loved sharing a part of themselves (and teaching me in the process). We also answer a few questions from some listeners whose partners have different parenting styles. We also talked about this in podcast our podcas titled "Are You On The Same Page As Your Spouse?" Want to win a $20.00 Amazon gift card? The Oscars are this weekend and we want you to "Play the Oscars with ZPR"courtesy of Be U, Inc. Simply subscribe to our podcast by clicking this link and we'll get you the instructions to play ASAP. Invite your friends to join!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCjWMFXdk-Y&feature=youtu.be If you shop Amazon by going through our website first (there is an amazon link on the bottom right hand of our home page), a portion of your sale will help fund our Be U program. Thanks for supporting us! Check out our new website & be sure to sign up to get all new podcast sent direct to your inbox @ ZPR. Todd's Men's Group as a few openings. Please email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com for details. We would love to hear any comments from the show by sending us an email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com You can be sure to hear more by liking our facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/ZenParenting

Adoption: 5 Kids, 3 Countries, 1 Family Feb 21, 2014

Show notes

Our friend Jenny Zabrocki shares her personal stories about her modern family. Jenny and her husband Jon had three biological children and then decided to adopt. They adopted a son, Mesfin, from Ethipoia and a daughter, Iris, from China. She helps us understand the challenges and celebrations surrounding the adoption process. Jenny's very honest and grounded way of sharing her story is an inspiration, and a reminder of how much each of us has to give. Click here to read Jenny's "Live by Family" blog. Resources: If you shop Amazon by going through our website first (there is an amazon link on the bottom right hand of our home page), a portion of your sale will help fund our Be U program. Thanks for supporting us! Check out our new website & be sure to sign up to get all new podcast sent direct to your inbox @ ZPR. Todd's Men Adventure Retreat is February 28th through March 2nd. Please email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com for details. We would love to hear any comments from the show by sending us an email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com You can be sure to hear more by liking our facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/ZenParenting

Parenting makes your brain mushy Feb 19, 2014

Show notes

Do you forget names or what you are going to say next? Do you walk into a room and forget why you are there? Don't fear- we can relate, and we also have some ideas to make your brain less mushy. There is a book called "Keep Your Brain Alive" that discusses Neurobics - these are ways to train your brain to stay alert and sharp. Cathy just returned from a vacation and discusses its importance and how we put "fake" importance on our day to day activities. If we can all step back and re-prioritize we'd be in a much better place. Lastly we discuss boys and the stigma against physical affection. A question came in from a listener about her 10 year old son being one way during the day and another way at night. Along the same lines, we discuss a blog written by Shannan Younger titled, "Thank you, Shaun White, for not medaling in the Olympics" Shaun White (famous snow-boarding Olympian) asks for a hug from another man in his moment of defeat. Resources: Mom Translator Skit- SNL Keep Your Brain Alive by Lawrence Katz & Manning Rubin Thank you, Shaun White, for not medaling in the Olympics Lumosity- a simple online tool to improve cognitive function in various populations. Jill Bolte Taylor's Ted Talk- A Stroke of Insight If you shop Amazon by going through our website first (there is an amazon link on the bottom right hand of our home page), a portion of your sale will help fund our Be U program. Thanks for supporting us! Check out our new website & be sure to sign up to get all new podcast sent direct to your inbox @ ZPR. Todd's Men Adventure Retreat is February 28th through March 2nd. Please email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com for details. We would love to hear any comments from the show by sending us an email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com You can be sure to hear more by liking our facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/ZenParenting

Do your kids show gratitude? Feb 11, 2014

Show notes

Last Friday night was "pizza & ice cream night" in our house. Nowhere to go, nothing to do other than watch the Olympics, eat some unhealthy but yummy food and spend some quality time together. At least that was the picture I had in my head for the evening. The problem was one of my daughters was not on board with MY plan and instead told me how bored she was and how she wanted to watch "Merlin". I instantly went to a place of judgement thinking- this kid has no idea how good she has it- pizza, ice cream, Olympics. I think about Slum Dog Millionaire when the children are looking through the trash heaps for something edible to eat. Cathy and I discuss this experience at length and give some ideas on how best to navigate through such a situation. What would you do if your kid decided to switch from Spanish over to French? Well that's what mine did even though I view it as less practical. It was a test to my overly-logical view point as well as my parenting. How would you react? We also discuss the book All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood by Jennifer Senior. The research now shows that we are busier than ever and how that can affect our psyche. We distinguish between helicopter parenting and being a "super" parent. Last we discuss how joy is one of the more difficult emotions to own. If you shop Amazon by going through our website first (there is an amazon link on the bottom right hand of our home page), a portion of your sale will help fund our Be U program. Thanks for supporting us! Check out our new website & be sure to sign up to get all new podcast sent direct to your inbox @ ZPR. Todd's Men Adventure Retreat is February 28th through March 2nd. Please email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com for details. We would love to hear any comments from the show by sending us an email @ comments@zenparentingradio.com You can be sure to hear more by liking our facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/ZenParenting

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