Growth & Gratitude

Make Mindfulness Your Superpower

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 10:00:53 GMT

Have you ever reacted to something in a way you regretted later? Have you found yourself in front of an empty dish after a meal and realized you ate it so quickly and mindlessly that you didn’t even get to enjoy the flavors and textures of your food? We’re so used to operating on autopilot that we rarely stop to reflect before reacting in the moment. And how often do we actually take the time to fully savor the delights available to us every day?

In today's episode, I'll help you turn mindfulness into your superpower. You'll learn how to use it in your daily life to be more intentional, present, and awake. You'll also hear about definitions of mindfulness and its transformative potential from experts such as Jon Kabat-Zinn and Joseph Goldstein. Finally, we’ll explore how to use it to recognize emotions and respond intentionally when challenging situations arise.

Tune in and listen to Episode 23 of Growth & Gratitude and discover how to foster greater peace, deeper insights, and more meaningful responses to life's joys and challenges using mindfulness as your superpower.

If you'd like to learn much more and practice mindfulness meditation with Bridget, sign up for her free Zoom course in April here.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

What is mindfulness? (1:30)
What Jon Kabat-Zinn and Joseph Goldstein think about mindfulness (3:30)
How mindful eating can help you be more aware and present (7:10)
The benefits of mindfulness for kids (9:20)
How to use mindfulness as a superpower in your daily life (10:10)
Why mindfulness is an incredible superpower (13:00)

Resources Mentioned:

Jon Kabat-Zinn website
Book: Joseph Goldstein - Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening

Connect with Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Be Your Healthy Weight for Life

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 10:00:06 GMT

Do your intentions for this year include losing weight and getting fit? Before embarking on an expensive, overly restrictive, and maybe even dangerous medication or fad diet journey, consider rewiring your brain and developing a healthy relationship with your food, eating habits, and exercise routine.

In today's episode, I share tips to help you get to your healthy weight naturally and to maintain it for life.

Throughout this episode, you'll learn that achieving this kind of transformation is possible through neuroplasticity, rewiring our brain by creating new ways of thinking about what, when, and why we eat. To help you implement and maintain this transformation, I share dozens of practical tools based on three pillars: eating the right amount of food, eating the right food, and exercising in the right ways for your healthy weight.

Tune in and listen to Episode 22 of Growth & Gratitude and learn how to transform the emotional and mental strain of always feeling like you have to lose weight into a lifestyle that allows you to focus your energy and time on the things that matter most to you.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Why is losing the extra weight so hard? (2:40)
About the mental strain that being unable to lose weight causes (5:40)
Tips on how to discover what amount of food is the right amount for you (9:00)
What are the emotions behind our eating habits? (13:20)
Discovering what kind of food your body really needs (17:10)
To sit with your cravings (21:00)
How often should we exercise? (24:30)

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Bridget:

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How to Have Shorter, More Productive Meetings

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 10:00:49 GMT

While meetings are potentially helpful for moving projects forward, determining strategies and managing organizational changes, they can also be frustrating and inefficient.

In fact, many people claim that meetings get in the way of doing their most important work and often feel like a waste of time.

In today's solo episode, I share practical tips for how to have shorter, more productive meetings, which I’ve studied and taught for decades as a trainer and professor.

You'll hear advice about how to prepare for a meeting, what to do during the meeting to keep it short and productive, and how to ensure that information shared and decisions made are well documented and followed through on.

Tune in and listen to Episode 21 of Growth & Gratitude and learn the secrets to avoiding the stress and wasted time and money caused by ineffective meetings.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Why do most people feel meetings stop them from doing their job (3:00)
What can you do before a meeting to ensure its success (4:10)
Tips and advice for during meetings (6:00)
The importance of documenting what was discussed during a meeting (9:20)

Connect with Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Integrating Your Parts and Being Joy-Full AF with Dr. Erin Baker

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 10:00:47 GMT

Have you ever tried to hold a kickboard underwater? Besides being extremely hard, it requires all your attention and prevents you from enjoying the pool. The same thing happens when you suppress emotions and bully the parts of you that are trying to make it to the surface. Wouldn't it be better to welcome those parts and understand the origins of those emotions? What if you let them float and were able to build a harmonious relationship with them?

In today's episode, the brilliant Dr. Erin Baker joins us to talk about Internal Family Systems, personal growth, healing, acceptance, self-leadership, and more. Dr. Erin is a Self-Leadership Coach, Business Strategist, Social Psychologist, Internal Family Systems Practitioner, and Official Curator of Joy. They hold a Ph.D. in Psychology, authored the best-selling book "Joy-Full AF: The Essential Business Strategy We're Afraid to Put First," and host two podcasts, "Shift-Starters" and "Life in the And."

In this episode, you'll hear Dr. Erin's clear and compelling description of Internal Family Systems, how it can help you address the parts of you that cause pain and get in your way, and how you can use them as your allies. You'll also hear about joy audits, transgender and non-binary identities, the power of curious compassion, and much more.

Additionally, Dr. Erin invites us to discard the idea that success is only attainable through being miserable for long periods. They encourage us to see the connections between success and joyful experiences. Dr. Erin also helps us understand how to deal with the parts of us that are terrified of making mistakes.

Tune in and listen to Episode 20 and let Dr. Erin inspire you to understand the parts of you that scream for attention, lose the fear of putting joy first, and live joy-full AF.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

What is Internal Family Systems? (6:20)

Stop trying to hold the kickboard underwater (12:30)

Your inner parts are a symphony (18:20)

Dr. Erin talks about self-leadership (23:00)

Joy isn't about taking only the easy paths (28:40)

About trans joy and non-binary identities (36:20)

Resources Mentioned:

Book: Dr. Erin Baker - Joy-Full AF: The Essential Business Strategy We're Afraid To Put First

Book: Richard Schwartz, Alanis Morissette - No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model

Shift Starters podcast

Life in the And podcast

We Can Do Hard Things Podcast - The Most Radical Way to Heal: Internal Family Systems with Dr. Becky Kennedy

Connect with Dr. Erin:

Website

Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Decentering Whiteness: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice With Dr. Janice Gassam Asare

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 10:00:52 GMT

Have you ever felt that a workplace policy, which was widely accepted by everyone around you, wasn't very inclusive of cultural, ethnic, religious, or gender differences?

Many of these policies seem neutral on the surface. Yet, if you look a little deeper and learn more about others, you'll see how they can be unfair to certain people and groups.

In this episode, the wise and inspiring Dr. Janice Gassam Asare joins us to discuss diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in the workplace, educate us about the concept of decentering whiteness, share actionable anti-racism tips, and more. Dr. Gassam Asare is a DEIJ Consultant, 2x TEDx Speaker, a Best-selling Author of 3 books, and a LinkedIn Top Voice. She’s passionate about helping workplaces become anti-racist. In her latest book, "Decentering Whiteness in the Workplace," Dr. Gassam Asare teaches us how to identify and rectify the systemic, and often unconscious, centering of white culture and values in the workplace.

Throughout our conversation, you'll learn about diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a focus on anti-racism in the workplace and what you can do to make a difference and create change. You'll also hear about Dr. Gassam Asare's latest book, what decentering whiteness means, and her thoughts on whiteness as a system that affects white people negatively as well as people of color.

Additionally, we discuss microaggressions in the workplace, how to make hiring processes more equitable, diverse, and inclusive, and much more.

Tune in and listen to Episode 19 of Growth & Gratitude, and help your workplace become anti-racist, more inclusive, and diverse.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

A little backstory of how Dr. Janice and Bridget met and worked together (6:00)
About Dr. Janice's work and why she's so passionate about it (13:10)
There are work policies that seem neutral, yet they aren't (16:40)
Dr. Janice talks about her latest book and the Decentering Whiteness concept (23:30)
Practical tips and advice to decenter whiteness (32:50)

Connect with Dr. Janice:

Connect with Bridget:

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The Keys to Great Health & Longevity With Dr. Bajaj

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 09:00:57 GMT

Do you want to improve your sleep quality, drive, mood, and overall health? Do you also feel a little overwhelmed by the many changes that might be needed? In today's episode, you'll discover that it could be easier than you think.

Today, the Pain Management and Anti-Aging Specialist, Dr. Akash Bajaj, joins us to share simple yet effective ways to enhance our physical and mental health. Dr. Akash Bajaj is triple board-certified in Anti-Aging, Pain Management, and Anesthesia; he earned his M.D. and a Master's in Public Health from the New York Medical College and pioneered the development of audio and visual distractions during O.R. Anesthesia as a novel adjunct. Dr. Bajaj is also the Medical Director at The Anthos Group, the Founder of Remedy Wellness & Anti-Aging, and has achieved Board Certification in Anti-Aging Medicine from the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine.

Throughout this episode, you'll hear Dr. Bajaj's advice on improving your overall health by implementing small changes in your daily routine, habits, and mindset. He also explains the long-term effects of reducing alcohol, caffeine, and sugar consumption, his supplements of choice to improve sleep quality and reduce inflammation, and much more.

Tune in and listen to Episode 18 of Growth & Gratitude, and follow Dr. Bajaj's simple advice to improve your health without magic formulas or unsustainable routines.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

A bit about Dr. Bajaj's background (1:30)
Dr. Bajaj explains the importance of being less reactive and more proactive (7:40)
Three simple steps to dramatically improve your health (8:50)
Keep it simple: less is more in anti-aging (15:20)
What reducing caffeine, alcohol, and sugar does to your body (18:10)
Dr. Bajaj talks about his favorite supplements to improve sleep quality and reduce inflammation (27:50)
The importance of scheduling time to do nothing and rest (35:00)

Connect with Dr. Bajaj:

LinkedIn
Instagram
Remedy Wellness & Anti-Aging website

Connect with Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Minute Calming Meditation

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 09:00:32 GMT

I hope this brief calming meditation allows you to feel more relaxed, centered, and peaceful. Use it to start your day fully energized, turn your lunch break into a recharging checkpoint, or before bed to help you drift off to a restorative night of rest.

I'm so honored and thrilled to be a student in Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach's 2-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, which I'll graduate from in 2025. As I work to deepen my own practice and learn more about how to teach meditation, I'll be sharing more of my guided meditations with you. I'd love any feedback.

If you want to try a longer version of this meditation, for deeper relaxation, it's here on my YouTube page, included in a new playlist called Guided Meditations: 18 Minute Calming Meditation.

While you’re there, I hope you’ll subscribe and come back to discover the new meditations I’ll be adding over time.

Tune in and listen to Episode 17 of Growth & Gratitude, take a deep breath, and get ready to release tension and reconnect with your inner self.

Connect with Bridget:

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How to Avoid or Manage Any Crisis with Eden Gillott

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 09:00:00 GMT

Did you know there are many things you can do before a full-blown crisis hits the fan?

In today's episode, I'm joined by Eden Gillott, aka Dumpster Fire Fixer™. Eden is a strategic communications consultant, an Amazon Best-Selling author, Forbes contributor, a sought-after TedX speaker, TV commentator, and Spartan athlete. She is an expert in preventing and dealing with crises and repairing reputations. She has 10+ years of experience in crisis and reputation management, studied at Harvard and NYU, and has been featured in The New York Times, The LA Times, The Wall Street Journal, and on Access Hollywood and NPR, to name a few.

You'll hear about the three stages of a crisis and how to respond to each to minimize or even avoid damage. Eden shares valuable crisis communication tips, like when and where to make statements during or after a crisis and the importance of being extra careful with what we put into writing. We also discuss the importance of having clear goals in crisis management, why it's crucial to ask for a helping hand during a crisis, and much more.

Tune in and listen to Episode 16 of Growth & Gratitude, and learn why crisis management is a crucial skill for absolutely everyone, not just celebrities and business owners.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Three things Eden is grateful for (2:00)
The three stages of a crisis (4:30)
How to react at each stage of a crisis (7:10)
Eden shares her best crisis communication tips (15:20)
The right questions to ask in the beginning of a crisis (19:00)
Where and when to speak when a crisis blows up (23:00)
The importance of taking a minute to breathe before taking action (29:20)

Connect with Eden:

Website
LinkedIn
Eden's linktr.ee
Read Eden's books

Connect with Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to Be a Great Coach

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 09:00:56 GMT

How do you feel about your coaching skills?

Coaching is a fantastic and often misunderstood tool to help people achieve their goals, overcome obstacles, gain self-awareness, and build the skills they need to succeed. Still, as with any other activity, being good at it requires a lifelong learner mindset and the will to hone our craft constantly.

In today's episode, we'll review the three core skills each of us should constantly work on to become a great coach. Whether you want to coach direct reports, other colleagues, clients, or your kids, this short episode will help you understand the 3 foundational principles that we must get right before moving on to the more advanced aspects of coaching.

Relying on almost three decades of coaching experience, I share the three skills I identified (and am still working on myself) as crucial to providing great coaching. We'll discuss the benefits of coaching, who coaching is for, and differentiate coaching from mentoring and therapy. Additionally, we'll dive into the specifics of the three skills every great coach should master, examples of what questions to avoid in coaching, and much more.

Tune in and listen to Episode 15 of Growth & Gratitude, and learn what you should focus on to become a great coach.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

What the benefits of coaching are (4:10)
What the differences between coaching, mentoring, and therapy are (6:00)
Three skills every great coach should constantly be working on (10:00)
What types of questions should we avoid in coaching (14:40)
Examples of interesting questions to ask in a coaching session (20:20)

Resources:

The Right Questions podcast
Growth & Gratitude Podcast - Ep#2 - Solve Your Problems With The Model
Bridget’s Self-Coaching Model video on YouTube

Connect with Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thriving Through Menopause With Expert Kristin Mallon: Bonus Episode

Tue, 02 May 2023 09:00:55 GMT

The medical term for menopause refers to a single day: the day a woman has had 12 months without a menstrual cycle. Still, women experience many changes in their bodies and physiology in the years before that day and, of course, after that day. So, what's the best way to deal with this widely misunderstood part of so many people’s lives?

In today's episode, I'm thrilled to welcome back the healthcare visionary and Co-Founder and CEO of FemGevity, Kristin Mallon, to discuss the importance of seeking multiple perspectives and personalized care to deal with perimenopause and postmenopause. She believes menopause is a time for women to thrive, not just survive, and her mission is turning menopause into a transformative journey towards growth, vitality, and lasting health.

You'll hear about the use of "menopause" as an overarching term, why OB/GYNs might have a limited view of menopause care, and the multiple symptoms of peri and postmenopause. Kristin also debunks the myths around hormone replacement treatments, the sexual changes of menopause, what taking estrogen does to your body, and much more.

Tune in and listen to Episode 14 of Growth & Gratitude, and hear about a different way of looking at your perimenopause and post-menopause symptoms.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

A bit about Kristin's background and why she started FemGevity (1:55)
What it is crucial to know when providing healthcare for women in menopause (5:21)
The truth about estrogen intake (8:09)
Going through menopause can involve over 100 symptoms (12:12)
The sexual and vaginal changes of menopause (18:15)
The importance of seeking personalized treatment (22:45)

Connect with Kristin:

Follow FemGevity on social media:

Connect with Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Optimize Your Health & Get Quality Healthcare With Expert Kristin Mallon

Tue, 02 May 2023 09:00:23 GMT

What’s the difference between Western mainstream medicine and personalized precision medicine? The first focuses mostly on keeping you alive and tests that prevent mortality while the second is all about optimizing your health and giving you the best quality of life possible.

In today's episode, I'm joined by the healthcare visionary and Co-Founder and CEO of FemGevity, Kristin Mallon. She is a licensed, Certified Nurse Midwife (Nurse Practitioner) and Certified Obstetrical Nurse. Kristin sees aging as a natural part of life, not a struggle, and aims to empower her patients to navigate their second half of life with strength and confidence.

Throughout our conversation, Kristin educates us about health insurance, the options they offer that we may not be aware of, and the benefits of seeking additional healthcare support and more precision testing by out-of-network providers. We discuss how what some might consider "alternative" medicine can effectively complement more traditional approaches, and how it is scientifically backed. Kristin explains the five critical areas of health they focus on at FemGevity, explains how they assist underserved populations, kindly provides us with an inspiring new perspective on gratitude practice, and so much more.

Tune in and listen to Episode 13 of Growth & Gratitude, and learn more about how you can optimize your physical health, mental health, and overall well-being, not just "prevent disease."

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

A bit about Kristin and how she sees healthcare (3:18)
Why it is so important to pay attention to the kind of health insurance we get (7:51)
The difference between mainstream and what could be considered alternative medicine (12:12)
Kristin explains the 5 areas they focus on at FemGevity (17:15)

Connect with Kristin:

Follow FemGevity on social media:

Connect with Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to Create More Time for Yourself

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 09:00:05 GMT

Does it seem as if there’s never enough time to tackle every item on your to-do list? Let's explore this together; is it time scarcity or a time management issue?

In today's episode, I share five of my favorite strategies to help you create more time for yourself, prioritize your activities, spend more time enjoying your passions and share more time with your loved ones.

We'll learn the importance of saying no more often and letting go of the unimportant things that consume our time, and could possibly be done by someone else. Additionally, we'll explore how to deal with the obligations we enjoy the least, the importance of appreciating and prioritizing me-time, and how to improve and monitor the effectiveness of our daily activities with the 80/20 rule.

Tune in and listen to Episode 12 of Growth & Gratitude, and learn how to create more time in your personal and professional life.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

How to apply the 80/20 rule and how it can completely change how you spend your time (5:21)
The perks of using time and project management tools (8:48)
Eat that frog first! (13:28)
The liberating power of learning to say no more often (18:21)
No one ever read a resume at a funeral (25:16)

Resources:

Trello
The Right Questions podcast - Why Can't I Get My Sh*t Done? with Sophie Chiche
Book: Oliver Burkeman - Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
Book: Brian Tracy - Eat That Frog!
Book: Richard Koch - The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less

Connect with Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aging Joyfully

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 10:00:29 GMT

How can we deal with the mental, emotional, and physical challenges of aging? Contrary to many messages we’re bombarded with, we can’t prevent aging. But we can learn to respect and honor our bodies and minds so that we can enjoy life more than ever as we get older.

In today's episode, I'm joined by the pro-aging champion and Founder, Jacqueline Perez, who goes by the nickname Jack. After spending over 20 years at a San Francisco-based marketing and PR firm, Jack founded Kuel Life, a space created to empower modern midlife women and connect them with relevant and curated content. Kuel Life also finds, selects, and showcases women-driven brands’ products and allows women over 45 to learn, share, shop, and play with their second-act sisters.

We had a fantastic conversation about the challenges women face in their perimenopausal and postmenopausal years, with adjustments they can make to their approach to health and fitness. We also discuss the importance of nurturing friendships and staying connected, how to create healthy relationships with adult children and spouses, and so much more.

Men, don’t skip this one! Many of our tips on aging joyfully also apply to you, and listening in to this important conversation can also help you support the women in your life.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Why it is crucial to take care of our machine (6:15)
The story behind Kuel Life's creation (8:35)
Fitness and health for midlife women (12:32)
The importance of nurturing connections in the second half of life (17:13)
Detached Involvement. How to create healthy relationships with our adult children (27:18)
How Jack takes care of her health (35:25)

Connect with Jack:

Connect with Bridget:

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Don’t Let Your Job Define Your Identity with Engineering Life Coach, Gina Covarrubias

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 10:00:13 GMT

Do your unmet expectations at work affect your emotional well-being, self-worth, and sense of meaning in life? Let’s talk about how to avoid this by taking control of the things you can change and considering a mindset shift.

In today's episode, I'm joined by Engineering Life Coach, Speaker, and Executive Coach, Gina Covarrubias. As a former Aerospace Engineer, Gina is passionate about helping STEM professionals facing a lack of fulfillment in their careers by guiding them and offering the tools they need to spark career breakthroughs.

You'll hear about Gina's struggles as an Engineer, her self-doubt and how she felt out of place and found herself in a never-ending search for the elusive “dream career” that she believed all her education and hard work should have led to. We talk about how she got out of that dark place and radically shifted her career's direction. We delve into the importance of being deliberate about every decision we make and share some tips for those who feel they are burning the candle at both ends.

In addition, we discuss the value of internal vs. external motivation, the importance of social support, the most helpful approach to coaching someone through career challenges, Gina's experiences as a woman in the male-dominated field of engineering, and so much more.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

About Gina's career transition and how she dealt with feeling like a fish out of water (10:19)
Your skills are always transferable in some way (13:02)
What makes people get so stressed out in their jobs (17:08)
Practical tips for those who feel unfulfilled in their careers (23:22)
About Gina's uniqueness and her coaching style (29:52)
Your uniqueness is your superpower (39:25)

Connect with Gina:

Connect with Bridget:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your Life’s Purpose

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 10:00:25 GMT

What is your life’s purpose? And what is your vision for your life?

If you’re not sure about the answers to these questions, you’re not alone. It takes time and deep introspection to gain clarity on your purpose and vision. But I can promise you that it’s worth the effort.

We all want to enjoy a happy life, have a loving community of people around us, be proud of our achievements, and experience financial stability. But how can we get there?

In today's episode, I'm joined by Neal Thornhill, my partner in life for over 30 years, a wonderful father, successful entrepreneur, and above all, a man with a crystal clear vision and purpose for his life.

We had a fantastic conversation about Neal's vision and purpose, the framework he came up with to help him determine them, and how he uses them to guide his daily actions and commitments. Neal also shares the four pillars that support his vision and purpose; he talks about the complex process of identifying exactly what we want and using simplicity as a tool to achieve it.

Additionally, we learn why relying on motivation is less effective than relying on discipline, how to accept failure as a natural part of every process, the power of the 80/20 rule, and much more.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Be clear on what you really want (6:16)
Commit to doing something every day (9:54)
Sit with your thoughts, realize what is coming in (11:23)
Neal's four pillars (12:48)
Don't rely only on motivation; rely on discipline (17:55)
Failing more than we succeed is entirely normal and expected (24:04)
What makes successful people succeed (26:07)

Resources:

The Right Questions podcast - Ep#9 on Apple - What Makes Love Last?
The Right Questions podcast video - Ep#9 on YouTube - What Makes Love Last?
Neal’s one-page template for identifying your purpose & vision
Book: Oliver Burkeman - Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
Thornhill & Associates website

Connect with Neal:

Let's connect!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mindful Networking & Socializing

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 10:00:55 GMT

On a scale of one to ten, how anxious do you get before a networking event?

We know a solid network is essential for a successful career and life. However, meetings, networking situations, and other gatherings can trigger social anxiety.

Who should you talk to, and what should you say? What should you avoid asking? What about afterward? Should you make the first move?

In this episode, I'm joined by the Founder and CEO of Zen Rabbit, Lori Saitz. Lori is a Purposeful Transformation Guide, an award-winning writer, a speaker, and a nationally recognized expert in using gratitude and meditation to manifest goals faster. She is also the Host of the "FINE is a 4-Letter Word" podcast and an Executive and Life Coach.

We had a fantastic conversation about how to prepare mindfully, how to engage in meaningful ways, what to look for during an event or meeting, and the best ways to follow up and stay connected to the people we met. Lori suggested interesting questions to ask people, tips and advice on who we should approach and how, and what kinds of things we should avoid. We also go through the importance of investing in follow-up, the importance of networking in the corporate world, and more.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

How you can prepare mindfully for a networking event (6:06)
Networking events aren't mandatory. Choose wisely (9:12)
The importance of asking better questions (12:37)
Be goal-oriented (18:17)
You are not alone; every person in the room is there for the same reason (25:38)
If you don't follow up, it’s like you weren't there (33:33)

Resources:

Lori's 5-minute mindful networking meditation
Zen Rabbit website
FINE is a 4-Letter Word podcast

Connect with Lori:

Let's connect!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Powerful Presentations

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 10:00:12 GMT

How do you feel about public speaking? A bit uncomfortable and anxious, or downright terrified? It’s estimated that over 70% of people fear it, so you’re not alone if it’s something you avoid.

Still, you can't allow the fear of public speaking to stop you from delivering an important presentation at work, speaking at a wedding, or sharing a message you're passionate about!

In today's episode, we'll go through the core skills required to become an outstanding public speaker. Relying on my experience as a public speaking and advanced public speaking professor at Cal State University Northridge, as well as decades as a trainer and coach, I share the nuts and bolts of delivering powerful presentations.

We'll focus on the three most important factors in any presentation: compelling content, solid organization, and a dynamic delivery. Plus, you'll learn how to start your presentation, what type of content to avoid, the importance of your body language, and so much more.

Tune in and listen to Episode 7 of Growth & Gratitude, and learn how to create and deliver powerful presentations.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Is it normal to be nervous and anxious before a presentation? (4:28)
Why the fear of public speaking is irrational (5:17)
The importance of adapting the content for each audience (7:24)
How to organize your presentations. The core pillars of an organized presentation (10:29)
What kind of energy you should bring to your presentation (15:33)
What audiences tend to remember most about presentations (19:28)

Resources:

Bridget's TEDx Talk: How Public Speaking Will Change Your Life
Book: Brian Tracy - Speak to Win
Book: Carmine Gallo - Talk Like TED
This episode on YouTube (to watch Bridget’s delivery): Powerful Presentations

Let's connect!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feel Better Now

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 09:00:51 GMT

Do you ever feel overwhelmed, anxious, disconnected, or overcome with other difficult emotions? Whether you want to feel better right now or would like to learn how to support yourself through those tough moments in the future, this episode is for you.

I'll share five proven, science-based techniques that I use with my coaching clients to help them process and manage challenging feelings, with the end goal of feeling better, even if it’s just a little better.

This is not about avoiding or suppressing intense emotions, it’s about processing them with self-compassion, self-care, and mindfulness. I want to be here for you to help you learn to do that for yourself.

These techniques are also not a substitute for professional counseling, therapy, or coaching, but they may help you elevate your mood enough to decide what kind of support and actions might be most helpful moving forward.

Together, we will…

Explore the power of gratitude
Practice box breathing to shift your perspective in a couple of minutes
Learn to embrace and fully feel any feeling
Work to gently reframe the thoughts that are causing emotional pain
Check in with your own future inner wisdom to view the difficulties you’re facing

Tune in and listen to Episode 6 of Growth & Gratitude, to learn these 5 simple yet powerful techniques to start feeling better now.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Gratitude and its superpowers. How being grateful influences how you feel (2:54)
How box breathing can change how you see the world in just minutes (4:06)
About the importance of building emotional vocabulary and welcoming all feelings (6:58)
It is hard to go from hate to love in a second, but it is possible to see someone who hurts others as someone who is hurting (10:07)
How understanding that life is 50-50 can help us (12:24)
What your future self would think of the things that worry you now (14:43)

Resources:

Meditation for Chaotic Times by East Forest
Guided Box Breathing
Sit Around the Fire Meditation with Ram Dass
Calming the Physical Symptoms of Anxiety Medigraytion (Medigraytions are meditations that guide you to self-direct your neural plasticity and consciousness to alleviate your pain, calm your mind, and grow your consciousness)
CBT Techniques: 25 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Worksheets
Cognitive Distortions: 22 Examples & Worksheets

Let's connect!

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How to Love Everybody

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 09:00:04 GMT

Do you try to look for the good in others, even in those who trigger you or who you feel angry at or hurt by? What might you find if you stayed open to seeing their positive qualities or allowed yourself to feel compassion for the pain they’ve suffered? Is it possible to love everyone? And why on earth would we want to do this? Let's find out together.

Today's episode is about striving to feel more love. The type of love we’re talking about here is not infatuation, sexual attraction or codependence. It also doesn’t involve a need to give or receive anything. It’s an emotion. It’s the feeling of pure and unconditional love. It doesn’t require us to say or do anything, but it can make a meaningful difference in the world.

I share some of my experiences and what I've learned about why actively practicing love is worthy of our time and energy and the multiple benefits it can bring to our health, mood, relationships with others, and ourselves.

We’ll also explore a true story that inspired me to devote myself to deepening my practice of love, which will likely move you, and invite you to reflect on forgiveness. And I’m talking about embracing greater loving-kindness in both professional and personal relationships.

Finally, I offer two of the best ways I've found to love when it is tough to do it, so you can put them into practice the next time you find yourself in a triggering situation with someone.

Tune in and listen to Episode 5 to find out how to love more and turn challenging moments into opportunities to grow your compassion.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Some definitions of love and why "love is always good" (3:59)

What Metta is, and how can it help us understand and practice love better (5:36)

The reasons why practicing love can do nothing but improve every aspect of our lives (9:06)

Katy Hutchison's story about love, compassion, and forgiveness (14:46)

Why all of us should become "detectives for the good in people" (19:03)

How to practice love with people who commit atrocities (21:39)

The importance of learning to identify the parts of ourselves we see in others (25:23)

Resources:

Cultivating Loving Kindness with Dr. Tara Brach

Lovingkindness with Sharon Salzberg

What you Spot is What You've Got with Dr. Martha Beck

Restorative Practices to Resolve Conflict/Build Relationships: Katy Hutchison at TEDx WestVancouverED

The Forgiveness Project with Katy Hutchison and Ryan Aldridge

The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield

Let's connect!

Website

Instagram

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How to Increase Your Influence

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 09:00:07 GMT

Do you realize how much time you spend trying to influence people? Trust me, it’s a lot! Whether you need your colleagues’ buy-in on your brilliant idea or want your kids to eat more vegetables and do their homework, you’re spending a great deal of your time trying to influence others. Are you using the right strategies? You might be surprised by what the research has to say.

Today's episode is all about how you can be more successful in your attempts to influence the people in your life. Using Dr. Terry Bacon's book, "Elements of Influence" as a guide, we’ll explore the key factors we must consider to be more influential. Bacon studied influence for decades and there is rich practical wisdom in his findings, which you can put to use immediately.

I’m excited to share the principles I learned when I was part of a team designing and facilitating an influence course at a Fortune 100 company, and it was one of our most popular courses. I taught it countless times and found the engagement and gratitude of the participants exhilarating!

In this short summary of the core principles and studies on influence, I share the methods that don’t work, the two most powerful approaches to influence, the five most impactful influence power sources, and how the three top influence strategies can be employed together for the greatest likelihood of success.

Tune in and listen to Episode 4 of to learn the tools for being more influential as a leader, mentor, parent, community organizer, or whatever roles that are most important to you on your unique and meaningful path in life!

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

About the difference between influencing and manipulating people (3:07)

Why we must have the best interest of people in mind when trying to influence them (4:35)

How to use matching and modeling to influence people (6:03)

What our top power sources are, and how to use them to be more influential (11:33)

About the three influence strategies (16:55)

Resources:

Book: Terry Bacon - Elements of Influence

Book: Dale Carnegie - How to Win Friends and Influence People

Book: Robert B. Cialdini - Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Let's connect!

Sampson Coaching and Consulting Website

Bridget’s Website

Instagram

Facebook

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How to Be Kinder to Yourself

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 09:00:35 GMT

Most of us have internalized the erroneous idea that we can bully ourselves into doing the things we think we “should” do. Our cruel self-talk pushes us to keep going, going, going, until we’re exhausted, lost, and confused about why we’re actually striving so hard.

Beating ourselves up for falling short of the unattainable perfection we dream of doesn’t actually work. My friend, please know that you are not alone if you regularly struggle with some version of the thought, “I’m not good enough.” But that voice is not the real you, it’s your primal brain.

Today's episode is about the importance of being kinder to ourselves. We delve into why this is so important, how to do it, and the ways it can positively impact our lives, personally and professionally. Learn how actively practicing deep self-compassion enhances our own well-being as well as our relationships with others.

We also analyze the role of external factors, such as social media and cultural expectations in self-criticism and comparison, and I share my top three tips on being kinder to ourselves.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Why we’re harsh with ourselves in ways that we'd never be with anyone else (3:01)
Several reasons why it is important to be kinder to ourselves (4:01)
Why it’s crucial to be compassionate with ourselves and to embrace our mistakes and failures (8:11)
Three top tips to be kinder to ourselves (12:36)
Why self-kindness is the best path to reaching our goals (18:18)

Resources:

Book: Michael Singer - The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
Book: Brené Brown - Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience
Pema Chodron books
Book: Tara Brach - Radical Compassion: Learning to Love Yourself and Your World with the Practice of RAIN
Practicing Gentle Kindness Toward Ourself (Recommended free 10-minute meditation with Sarah Blondin)

Let's connect!

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Solve Your Problems With The Model

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 09:00:01 GMT

The Model has changed everything in my life over the past four years. I’ve become much healthier physically, improved my relationships, grown my business (even during the pandemic), felt so much better emotionally, and much more. So, I’m passionate about sharing it with anyone who could benefit, even if only half as much as I have.

Life will continue to present each of us with unexpected, sometimes unwelcome surprises, challenges, and losses. It’s not always easy to understand what the underlying cause of a problem is, which is critical to identifying and implementing a long-term solution. Also, we often think that if we simply take decisive action to fix things, all will improve. But the truth is that if we don’t change our underlying mindset and engage in coaching on causes rather than symptoms, even if it is self-coaching, the change is not likely to stick.

I’ve spent many years studying Zen Buddhism, Stoicism, cognitive behavioral therapy, countless spiritual traditions and personal growth teachers. Then I finally found one model, one tool, that brought everything I had absorbed together in a framework I could use and apply daily to identify the root cause of my problems and to take action that creates lasting change. And now, I’m able to use it with my coaching clients to support them in transforming their lives in whatever ways they choose.

In this episode, I offer an introduction to The Model, also known as The Self-Coaching Model, which was developed by Master Certified Coach Brooke Castillo, founder of The Life Coach School, where I proudly hold a life coaching certification, in addition to my certification with the International Coaching Federation. We delve into and analyze the five steps of The Self-Coaching Model and learn how to apply it to our daily struggles. We also explore why mere circumstances can turn into negative results in our lives, even though they don’t have to, and we discover how Castillo's model can help us be far more intentional, present, and peaceful in our lives.

Tune in and listen to Episode 2 of Growth & Gratitude to discover this powerful tool that can help you get a different perspective on what's between you and your growth.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

What the Self-Coaching Model is, and how it can help us (2:49)
The "C" line - circumstances and how they affect us (6:02)
It's essential to learn how to differentiate thoughts from facts (6:54)
Circumstances do not lead to feelings; there is something else that creates them (8:11)
How a circumstance turns into a result in our lives (13:04)

Resources:

Bridget’s 16-minute video on YouTube: The Transformative Self Coaching Model
Brooke Castillo’s The Life Coach School podcast
For Bridget’s folder of resources to help you learn more about The Self-Coaching Model and apply it in your life, click here. Please don’t type into any of the documents there, but feel free to make your own copies to keep!

Let's connect!

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How to Get What You Want

Tue, 03 May 2022 09:00:21 GMT

Why should we start every day with gratitude? Because it benefits our physical, emotional, and mental health. It helps us sleep better, increases our self-esteem and empathy, reduces aggressive tendencies, lowers blood pressure, and more. It also happens to be the perfect complement for growth. When we’re grateful for what we already have, we can invite more into our lives.

In our first episode together, I share the benefits of incorporating a consistent gratitude practice into your life. I also explain my simple yet powerful three-step process for setting and achieving goals for personal and professional growth. My method applies to any kind of growth - healthy living, career success, satisfying relationships, and much more.

Using the SMART approach to set goals, we'll walk through three crucial steps: determining exactly what you want, managing your mind, and taking the right action. I’ll also provide relatable examples to help you visualize the process.

Join me in this first episode of Growth & Gratitude to get inspired to go after your own unique goals for growth, using gratitude to fuel your journey. I’ll be cheering you on and sharing new ideas to support you every month!

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Three things to be grateful for (1:10)
Being grateful for what we have is an excellent way of attracting more (3:32)
The three-step process to get what we want (4:38)
How to set a SMART goal (5:29)
Why our goals must be challenging (6:19)
Making sure we manage our minds is key (8:17)
Although we know the right action to take, we might resist taking it. How can we fight that urge? (12:40)
We must trust in ourselves and our inner strength (18:14)

Connect with Bridget:

Learn more about Sampson Coaching and Consulting:

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