A Richer Life

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Jeff Snipes, who spent 16 years leading one of the largest United States corporate leadership development companies before selling the company in 2012.  Jeff made a transformation in his professional life, becoming the Co-Founder and Chairman of Millennium School, Founder/Chairman/Board of Directors of Millenium.org, and the Founder and Chairman of Conscious Leadership and Education Foundation.  We explore leadership, family, education and what is missing and what it means to be a ‘success' and be in alignment.    Episode Highlights:  Rich shares three of the developmental frameworks from the Millenium Forum.  Jeff has been drawn to both the entrepreneurial and educational paths.  Jeff discusses the early breakthroughs that his leadership development company experienced.   How willing were the executives to explore the parts of themselves that needed fixing?   What did Jeff Snipes learn the most about himself in running the leadership company? What was the pivotal shift in Jeff's life and leaving his executive role?     What would be the cost of not listening to your gut feeling?   Our human spirit is crying out to us to grow.   Jeff Snipes talks about starting the Millennium School in San Francisco.  Humans are constantly learning and adapting.   How do self-care and well-being show up in the classroom between teachers and students?   Millennium School doesn't have grades.   What are the elements that are adding pressure and anxiety for people?  Parents need to be the change that they want their kids to take on.   What would Jeff say to his 30-year-old self?    What is he doing to live a richer life?   Self-love is not a selfish act.    3 Key Points: Within each of us lies our unique true nature and our potential to be in service of all.    Notice interconnection. Everything is interdependent. Recognize how each action affects another.  Practice compassion. Compassion requires action. Strive to alleviate the suffering in ourselves and others.   Tweetable Quotes: “Careers are funny things. You always think you have a game plan and then the  Universe intervenes and it unfolds in unpredictable ways.” – Jeff Snipes “More than half of the Fortune 500s were our clients from the CEOs on down. We had all the data on their professional assessments and how successful they were. ” – Jeff Snipes “There were some underlying capacities that were directly attributed to peoples' overall success. These were things like deeper self-awareness, emotional intelligence, the ability to create meaning out of a lot of information. – Jeff Snipes “Authenticity, to kind of drop the guard and if you don't know something, admit that you don't know it.” – Jeff Snipes “Stay open to feedback and people will trust you more, and they will sign up to help you.” – Jeff Snipes “People are ultimately successful when they are in alignment.” – Jeff Snipes   Resources Mentioned: Jeff Snipes on Linkedin

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Mike Govoni, a certified holistic health and wellness coach and a certified addiction recovery coach. Mike speaks about being in recovery for over 15 years, his coaching program called Healing Beyond Recovery and how he continues to do this in his own life, and how he fought back against trauma and contemplation of suicide.    Episode Highlights:  Rich Weingart introduces Mike Govoni, who shares his background.   Mike Govoni found out his father was a pediphile priest.  Mike Govoni was taken away from his mother at age three.   Sexual molestation happened to Mike, but not at the hands of his father.   Mike discussed his past addiction issues.     How did thoughts of suicide arise in his life?  In what ways did meditation practices benefit Mike?    What was a catalyst for Mike to start healing?  We must create a more flexible nervous system.  We all have self-energy and it is who we are.  Our true being is loving awareness. COVID-19 is bringing us together and apart at the same time.  Life is traumatic, but we need the courage to heal it.  What is Mike Govoni doing to live A Richer Life?    3 Key Points: Trauma creates a sense of disconnection and dysregulation in our nervous systems. Addiction is an attempt to regulate and restore connection, where the arousal cycles potentially last well past rehab treatment.   We don't come to consciousness without pain.  Trauma is an illness of not being alive in the present moment.    Tweetable Quotes: “I'm not a victim. I look at everything that happened to me as a catalyst to my spiritual evolution as me growing as a man, growing as a professional in the World of owning my own business.” – Mike Govoni “We all have a story and it is up to us whether or not we want to look within and discover and befriend all of the parts of ourselves so we can bring ourselves fully to light. ” – Mike Govoni “In order for us to express our light, that also requires us to look at our darkness.” – Mike Govoni “When we are on our path to healing, we have to recognize that we are in some sort of pain and discomfort. Something is going on that we need to address.” – Mike Govoni  “When there is no awareness that is present in our life, we take the mind and the fictitious stories that begin to secrete from the mind. We take them as being real.” – Mike Govoni “I am not anti-medicine or Western approach. I think it is lacking a lot of things. But, the wisdom in me knew I had to find an alternative route. So, that is when I left mainstream medicine.” – Mike Govoni   Resources Mentioned: mikegovoni.com Mike Govoni on social media: Linkedin Instagram Facebook YouTube 

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Jaxon Snipes, currently an undergraduate at Cornell University pursuing a degree in Music within the College of Arts and Sciences with a minor in Business. Jaxon Snipes bravely opens up about the pain he experienced after literally a traumatic fall from grace that left him clinging on to life.  How did Jax overcome the trauma, the physical changes, the panic attacks and the depression?  On the other side, was Jax able to find his music?    Episode Highlights:  Rich Weingart introduces Jaxon Snipes, who shares what brought him to Cornell University.  How did he express himself when he was growing up?  How did he start exploring the deeper parts of himself?   Music became a massive stress release for Jaxon Snipes.   What was life like going to Cornell for baseball?  Jaxon describes the injury he experienced.   How does it feel to recount that painful story?  What was Jaxon's lowest point after his accident?    Did the accident bring Jaxon towards addiction?   How can we alleviate pressure from kids?  How did he get out of the cycle of hating himself?   Jaxon Snipes performs a song that he wrote called “Young Man's Blues.”   It is ok to not feel ok.  What is he doing in his life today to live a richer life?  The small stuff is the big stuff.    3 Key Points: You have to feel your way through your pain to get through it, not ignore it. Be in touch with your feelings.   Once our nervous system recognizes that we are not going to die from mentally reliving our painful traumas, we stop acting like we are going to die.  Let kids know that they can be whatever they want to be, and actually mean it.     Tweetable Quotes: “I had a relationship with a girl who had some anxiety and deeper issues, depression, and I felt it was my need to save her. She ultimately had to be taken away to a wilderness camp in Montana where she was completely secluded from me.” – Jaxon Snipes “I have a therapist and I did that a bunch in the beginning because I had to deal with PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. That is one of the most important things to do is to kind of acknowledge that that happened.” – Jaxon Snipes “You've got to kind of dive into it (trauma) to release the tension. It is kind of like a muscle where it is super tight and it is hurting you and you've got to just dig into it a little bit and you have to press it and hold onto it.” – Jaxon Snipes “I went back to San Francisco and started focusing on my health and my wellbeing. I saw a therapist who I still see, and I rehabbed my brain through mental exercises in the hyperbaric chamber.” “Most importantly to me, I dove into my music and wrote about my emotions and experiences.” – Jaxon Snipes “Being able to fully accept yourself, just like you are loving yourself for as long as possible when you are a kid. Develop a foundation of full love for yourself and you will kind of always remember that.” – Jaxon Snipes   Resources Mentioned: Jaxon Snipes on Linkedin

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Ellie Guardino, Vice President Global Head of Hematology Oncology for Personalized Healthcare at Genentech, adjunct clinical professor for medical oncology at Stanford University and loving Mom, Wife and Friend. Ellie was recently nominated and elected by Fierce Farma as one of 2020's Fiercest Women in Life Sciences. Ellie Guardino has been fighting her own battle with cancer since 2008 and speaks about how she is facing it head on, focusing on her work, and what it takes to live life to the fullest in spite of aggressive cancer. This episode is dedicated to celebrating Ellie Guardino's incredible medical career achievements and her momentum to keep moving forward, inspiring others in the process.  Episode Highlights:  Rich Weingart introduces Ellie Guardino.  Who were Ellie's role models growing up and what drove her forward?  Ellie takes us through her inspiration and her life's work.   How important is it to hold space for your patients for them to feel safe?  Challenges of being a patient.     When did she transition to Genentech?  What causes cancer to come back? In 2012, Ellie had another melanoma that developed on her chest wall.  What is Ellie's status today?  How impactful has her family been in her life?   Our faith can move mountains.   What advice would she share with her children and to her younger self?   The peaceful life of Martin Luther King helps Ellie Guardino tremendously.   What would Ellie Guardino like to share with the audience?  3 Key Points: To have faith is to defy logic and it is an act of courage. It takes faith to think positively and to know that there is a deeply loving God that cares about our pain.    No one is without fear. But it is crucial to get to a point where you can live each day without being burdened by it and can live each moment to the fullest.  Ellie Guardino's motto is “Faith over fear.”  Tweetable Quotes: “I may not be as much of an advocate for myself. But I was so grateful for all of the care and support that I got. I just try to remind myself that I am a patient now. I have to view this as a patient and let them help me.” – Ellie Guardino “I was very open and I knew that would serve me well because that is what I have always told my patients. You need to embrace your community because that is what will get you through.” – Ellie Guardino “When I was diagnosed with my melanoma, I had a chance to evaluate whether I was doing everything I wanted to be doing and the answer was yes. I wouldn't have done anything differently. ” – Ellie Guardino “I probably spend an hour and a half or two hours with each patient on that first visit and look at, what are their economic needs? Are they going to need extra support? We have all kinds of breast cancer grants. ” – Ellie Guardino “I was able to keep my practice and also do research at Genentech that would impact far more patients in the long run than my one-on-one patient-to-patient care. ” – Ellie Guardino “If I worry about tomorrow, I lose today, and I don't want that to happen, that I lose opportunities, and happiness that I could be having, and fun that I could be having when you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Don't focus on that.” – Ellie Guardino Resources Mentioned: Ellie Guardino on Linkedin

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Dr. Alana Lopez, Licensed Psychologist and Parent Coach with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a PhD in Pediatric Psychology. Dr. Alana Lopez talks about her inspirations for embracing conscious parenting, how it has influenced her professional work and her own parenting strategies, and how she goes about working with families.    Episode Highlights:  Rich Weingart introduces Dr. Alana Lopez. Dr. Alana Lopez opens up about her early journey learning what it means to be a conscious parent.   We have to do the inner work first for conscious parenting.  What was the area of her life that she felt stuck in originally regarding parenting?  What is the ‘dial' for Dr. Alana Lopez that makes her days graceful?   In the midst of all of our ‘doing,' we have to incorporate ‘being' to recharge.   The importance of parenting with power and grace.   What is the conscious parenting approach that Dr. Alana Lopez uses when she is working with families?   We can get too caught up in labels for our kids and ourselves.   Honor where you are at in the moment without judgement. 90% of the time we are just going through life based on old habits.  Don't be afraid to show your kid that you are not perfect.   What does she mean by ‘space creator?'   Parents should be the ultimate safety signal.  What does Dr. Alana Lopez mean by being an ‘energy shifter,' ‘emotion detective,' ‘connection maker,' and ‘accountability partner'?  What advice does Dr. Alana Lopez have for parents that feel like they are failing?    3 Key Points: The book that helped to transform Dr. Alana Lopez is The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary.  Honor your child that stands before you and make sure their voice is being heard and understood.   We can sit with our feelings and acknowledge them and open up the door to new possibilities.    Tweetable Quotes: “I really decided at that point, like, I have a son coming into the world and I want to be all-in. In order for me to be all-in, I have to take care of myself. I have to be in touch with myself and really get back to the roots of what's important.” – Dr. Alana Lopez “We are all humans in this together. We all have a story to tell that is so worthy and deserving of being heard.” – Dr. Alana Lopez “Our children are our teachers and they are here for a reason. It is so powerful just to see your child through that fresh lens." – Dr. Alana Lopez “I think for me, the biggest ‘aha' in that area was what was my relationship with my emotions were, and to really look at that relationship. That relationship is very heavily influenced by how we were raised.” – Dr. Alana Lopez “It is finding refuge in the simple things, like just taking a nap or just sitting with your child on the couch, with no TV.” – Dr. Alana Lopez “Great parenting is not about doing things quote-unquote ‘right' or not yelling. It is about getting curious about what triggers us, knowing why we fall back into old patterns without self-judgement, making a conscious effort to try something different.” – Dr. Alana Lopez   Resources Mentioned: Alanalopezphd.com Linkedin for Dr. Alana Lopez

One year anniversary of A Richer Life podcast. Rich looks back on his podcasting journey with gratitude and some of the lessons he has learned. In this episode, Rich outlines his top 10 lessons and some of the things he works through and we all work through as we create new pathways in our nervous systems, safety for ourselves and others and build a tribe to lean in to and co-regulate with on our journey towards A Richer Life.   We are meant to shine and hiding our light does nobody any good...a difficult truth to claim for ourselves, but a truth it is.  We were meant to shine even through the darkness that is sometimes a part of life.

On this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Amy Shouse of NorCal Integrative Medicine about what inspired her to pursue integrative medicine, her experiences with trauma, and what it really means to engage in self care.    Episode Highlights:  Amy came from a medical family, but her family members weren't the most healthy and her father (an ER doctor) died at age 40 from a brain virus.  Amy went to many medical doctors to get her health issues assessed, but she was misdiagnosed and had her concerns ignored by all of them until she went to an acupuncturist.  Through her acupuncturist, she found another integrative medicine doctor who correctly diagnosed her with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.  Amy's health concerns not being addressed properly inspired her to become an integrative medicine practitioner.  Amy had a lot of what she refers to as “unmetabolized trauma.”  Amy watched her dad's health rapidly deteriorate over the course of about two years from the time she was about 13 to 15 years old.  Amy believes that self care is a full time job, but people have resistance to it because we live in a society that is solely focused on being productive.  Amy received a new chronic diagnosis this year of “Burning Mouth Syndrome.”  Because her mom checked out when her dad died and Amy was the oldest child, she had to become the parent.  The pandemic has changed so many things, and Amy has seen a huge increase in patients coming in for acupuncture for their anxiety.  Functional medicine involves further testing and more detailed work than a typical physician would put in.  Amy has recently gotten into paddle boarding with her family as a form of self care.  Play and laughter are important parts of self care.    3 Key Points: Amy's experiences with doctors misdiagnosing her Hashimoto's was one of the things that inspired her to become an integrative medicine doctor.  Many people have a lot of resistance to practicing self care because we live in a society that focuses almost exclusively on functionality.  Unmetabolized, or unprocessed, trauma can have physical consequences and lead to chronic health issues.    Tweetable Quotes: “When you're looking for a root cause, you're not just asking what, you're also asking why.” - Amy Shouse “You have to practice not being in resistance.” - Amy Shouse  “None of us are in the game of perfection.” - Rich Weingart  “Choose love, not fear. It's as simple as that.” - Amy Shouse   Resources Mentioned: A Richer Life Amy Shouse The Body Keeps The Score

We ARE Enough - this is such an important truth to claim for ourselves and not always easy to do or see. We are not perfect nor will we ever be, but we can try to be the best version of ourselves.  When we fall short of that, we can try to practice radical self-compassion and forgiveness for others when they 'miss the mark'. We must heal individually and as a Nation.

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Cassandra Solano, who works to impact people's lives by addressing hidden trauma that could be holding them back from their potential.  Cassandra is a licensed clinical social worker in California and a conscious relationship coach helping people get unstuck in love via online coaching in the US and Internationally. She has been counseling since 2006 in various settings from drug treatment to mental health clinics. She's been in private practice for over a year helping people identify how their childhood trauma is impacting their adult relationships, break unhealthy patterns and heal. She is sober over 15 years, a survivor of childhood emotional abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, narcissistic abuse and uses her personal and professional experience along with spiritual tools to help clients transform their lives. You can find her hanging out on instagram @cassandra_solano   Cassandra dives into her first-hand experience of how damaging a chaotic childhood can be to the latter parts of your life, herself growing up in an unhealthy household. Self-development is a lifelong process, so the best time to start is now! Episode Highlights:  Cassandra has quite the background story that led her to make an impact in people's lives Growing up in a bicultural home played a large part in who Cassandra is today Micro-direct trauma shapes our nervous system which lays roots into every other part of life A faulty blueprint exists in the world of what a real man should look and act like Cassandra's parents both experienced their own individual traumas that were brought about by their upbringings Trauma extends between generations as the caregiver naturally imprints on their children Every individual has the right to decide whether or not they want to forgive the trauma that their parents have bestowed upon them Recognizing that childhood trauma can be hard to wrap your head around but can also explain so much The ACES study showed the links between parental conditions and health problems later in life for the children Emotional abuse and neglect show their head in different forms for everyone Childhood trauma will show itself in relationships later on in life Children and adolescents will turn to stressful strategies as a method to overcompensate for what they are missing at home Drugs and alcohol are an easy escape from the pain of a traumatic reality Trauma is inherited by younger generations at both a relational and biological manner Cassandra went through an emotionally abusive relationship that ended in a necessary divorce, for her children's sake Different seasons of life require different forms of self-development and foundational elements Self-development is a lifelong process that affects you and those in your life If your nervous system is in a disruptive mode, it will show up in your perceptions and behavior A bottom-up approach, nervous system to thoughts, will allow you to set the right foundation for a change in your life Learn to listen to what your body is trying to tell you before your brain messes it all up Self-awareness is vital to successful communication in a relationship Many people go into shut-down mode, which leads to poor decision-making and blurs the thought process Moving from the dorsal state to the sympathetic state to the ventral state Life happens every single day, so be aware that - you will change states as your deal with it To be vulnerable and share your feelings means you must learn how to be safe   3 Key Points: The World puts pressure on both men and women to behave and conduct themselves in certain ways, and that pressure can turn into damaging trauma if not dealt with in the correct way. Intergenerational trauma is the reason that so many children experience the same emotional problems that they went through. At both a relational and biological level, trauma is imprinted on children and affects them as they grow older. Self-development is a lifelong process, If you can find a way to change the relationship between your nervous system and your perceptions of relationships, the world, and life in general, you can begin to live in harmony of both body and mind. Tweetable Quotes: “Understanding what our parents went through and their trauma doesn't mean we have to give them a pass or excuse them for not doing better...it is every individual's right to decide to forgive their parents or not.” - Cassandra Solano “Just because I was born to these parents that had PTSD in their bodies, that it had affected them biologically at a cellular level, I already came out the shoot, kind of,  wound tight.” - Cassandra Solano “The normal thing for humans to do is to repeat patterns without much consciousness of why they're doing it.” - Rich Weingart No matter how much you struggled in relationships, you can heal, find clarity, and learn the skills to have a healthy relationship.” - Cassandra Solano   Resources Mentioned: The Grinch - Movie Cassandra Solano's: Website | Instagram

Feeling like shit feels like shit, but it happens.  We are not designed for perfection or for feeling perfect every day.  In understanding our 'state' and how we are designed, we can have compassion instead of judgement and move through (with self-care) to a higher state of consciousness.

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Paige Rodgers, Marketing Communications Consultant for StubHub, Equinix, and Hotwire, Leader for Social and Environmental Impact, Parenting Speaker, and a mother of two daughters. Paige Rodgers talks about her life evolving into being a parent, parent and child detachment, her experience with helping her daughter cope with anxiety, depression, and dependency, and her upcoming TEDx Talk.    Episode Highlights:  Rich Weingart introduces Paige Rodgers.  Page Rogers will be on a TEDx Talk on September 12th, 2020: tedxmarin.org/speaker/paige-rodgers    Page's daughter Cassidy dealt with depression and anxiety.   How did Page create an environment that made Cassidy comfortable enough to ask for help?  How was Paige Rodgers parented?  How did Cassidy transition back to life when she returned back from Spain? What types of dependencies was Cassidy involved with overcoming? Paige talks about a wilderness program in Hawaii that Cassidy attended.   What was Cassidy's experience like in a therapeutic all-girls boarding school?  Cassidy joined Marin Healthy Youth Organization. Paige talks about an extremely meaningful poem and a song.  The perfection is in the imperfection.  Where do things stand now with Cassidy? Perfection is an illusion.   3 Key Points: We can't run away from our issues. Wherever we go, there we are.  Suffering with someone is codependency.   Healing can come from helping others   Tweetable Quotes: “There were times when I was the parent with my mom.” – Paige Rodgers “I remember my childhood very positively and I think I just learned this behavior of solve for it. If there is a problem, just solve it. I can take it. I can do it.” – Paige Rodgers “It wasn't really until later in life that I repeated that pattern of ‘I got this,' that it served me so many times. I think the reason I had some incredible experiences in my life is because I didn't see a boundary." – Paige Rodgers “I've learned a lot about this idea of detachment where really your kids' good days shouldn't be your good days and their bad days shouldn't be your bad days.” – Paige Rodgers “One of the many considerations for the rise in anxiety in adolescents in recent years is that they started putting warning labels on the SRI bottles.” – Paige Rodgers “We are in a culture of medicating, and so it is just being aware that it's not always going to be the solution.” – Paige Rodgers   Resources Mentioned: Linkedin for Paige Rodgers

Being human is all of that.  We all matter and we all make a lot of sense exactly where we are.  Leaning in, allowing ourselves to be supported and challenged instead of trying to be perfect.  Strategies that work and people that support us, we all need it.

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Matt Wan, Founder of Momentous which is a premium performance nutrition company focusing on quality sourcing and transparency. Matt Wan talks about his mission to change the supplement industry, the work he is doing at Momentous, the products he offers, and his own personal health routines.    Episode Highlights:  Rich Weingart introduces Matt Wan.  Matt Wan shares his past in athletics growing up in California and moving to Wyoming.   How serious should kids take nutrition? Was it a hard decision to leave Harvard and start Momentous?  What was his path like after leaving Harvard?  Matt Wan talks about forming the name and logo.  How did he build the team and what makes the product stand out?   What do people usually misunderstand about supplements?    Matt Wan shares his daily routine of self-care.  What market does he sell into?  How does Matt Wan handle self-care?  Matt discusses the importance of sleep. What are the greatest lessons he has learned by starting a company?   Momentous aims to be at the top of premium sports nutrition.  Awareness is the greatest challenge for Momentous.  Reading more is helping Matt Wan.   3 Key Points: Momentous is the first company of its kind to collaborate directly with dietitians and strength coaches from all four major league sports, selling directly to over 100 professional collegiate teams.  Momentous' sleep product has 3mg of melatonin per capsule and 500mg of magtein  Create habits that are good for us one-by-one.    Tweetable Quotes: “Part of the problem in the market is the saturation, the lack of regulation, the low barriers to entry mean that it is like pizza shops. Everybody says they have the best products. It doesn't even mean anything.” – Matt Wan “What differentiates the product is that it is something that we can really prove. We can take you through individually why each of the ingredients we've sourced is the absolute best for that purpose.” – Matt Wan “The parents should be taking the responsibility of having healthy foods in the house, educating themselves, and educating the kids where it makes sense, where it is appropriate." – Matt Wan “NSF certification, and specifically the NSF Certified for Sport program refers to this third-party group NSF that provides this program that products can submit to be approved for use by professional sports leagues.” – Matt Wan “Supplements don't have to be instead of food.” – Matt Wan “I love exercise. Exercise is like a break for me. It is highly satisfying. It makes me feel good both physically and mentally. There is also a meditative aspect for me as well.” – Matt Wan   Resources Mentioned: Linkedin on Matt Wan LiveMomentous.com Instagram for Matt Wan Astrophysics for People in A Hurry by Neil deGrasseTyson Atomic Habits by James Clear Shoe Dog by Phil Knight  

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Mastin Kipp, #1 Best-Selling Author, Creator of Functional Life Coaching, a methodology to help accelerate his clients lives and businesses by identifying and dissolving the root cause of obstacles impeding human success. Mastin Kipp has been recognized by Oprah Winfrey on her Emmy Award-winning Show Super Soul Sunday. Oprah refers to Mastin as a ‘spiritual thinker for the next generation.' Mastin and Rich talk about emotional trauma, attachment theory, our nervous system, how we heal and the work Mastin does through Functional Life Coaching.   Episode Highlights:  Rich Weingart introduces Mastin Kipp. Mastin Kipp explains emotional trauma and how it relates to his family.  Is it possible to go through life without trauma?  What are symptoms of emotional trauma?  Mastin talks about brain-to-body pathways.  How does the Vagus nerve work?  What does Mastin mean by attachment patterns?   Address the root causes of attachment patterns.    How does neuroplasticity work?  Mastin Kipp discusses strategies of self-regulation and co-regulation.   Nobody is alone in their struggles.  Transitional Characters: ending the pattern of trauma in your life.   We need to help single mothers raise their children.    Which two books should people read?     3 Key Points: The symptoms of trauma include: depression, anxiety, distractibility, lack of follow-through, personality disorders, divorce, not feeling seen or heard, not feeling safe in your relationships, ADHD, PTSD, OCD, etc...  Trauma work is a lifestyle shift with ongoing maintenance.  Attachment theory is a way to analyze and mentalize your relationship to a relationship. The four basic attachment patterns are secure attachment, anxious attachment, avoid attachment, and disorganized attachment.    Tweetable Quotes: “Emotions are a huge part of your life, and if you don't know what you are feeling, and you don't know where you are feeling it, and you don't know where those emotions come from, they will run you.” – Mastin Kipp “You need to ask yourself the question: do you want to be in charge of your life, you want to direct your life, you want to guide your nervous system, or do you want to be at the whim of it?” – Mastin Kipp “Emotions of trauma are stored in our body and regardless of how long it has been since the traumatizing event, our body always remembers. In fact, we relive our nightmares until we realize that we are the dreamers and can wake up." – Mastin Kipp (from his book, Claim Your Power) “There is really no way to improve your brain health without improving your body health first, outside of maybe neurofeedback and brain surgery, and meditation. Maybe” – Mastin Kipp “Emotional trauma is caused by relationships and it is also healed through relationships.” – Mastin Kipp   Resources Mentioned: mastinkipp.com   Claim Your Power by Masin Kipp Daily Love by Mastin Kipp   The Mastin Kipp Podcast  The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van Kolk M.D. Personality Isn't Permanent by Benjamin Hardy

After an RV trip across the Country, we return for season 2 of A Richer Life Podcast.   Expansion and Growth is a great thing, but can we do it with Ease and Gratitude?  Many of us are challenged with this - the balance of always striving versus arriving.   We know the longest journey in life is the shortest distance - from the head to the heart.  Is that the journey or is it from the heart to the head? Rich launches season 2 with where he is with his own journey in life and gives us a sneak peak into upcoming guests.  

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Alden Mills. San Francisco-based Alden Mills began taking control of his life at age twelve, when his doctor told him to learn chess because his asthma would keep him from playing sports. His first goal was to conquer the asthma, and he went on to achieve extraordinary things in sports, academics, military service, business, and philanthropy.  Alden became a nationally ranked rower, a gold medalist in the Olympic Festival, and captain of the freshman and varsity teams at the U.S. Naval Academy. As a Navy SEAL he led his platoon through multiple missions. After discharge from the military, he founded Perfect Fitness and led it to growth of over 12,000% annual sales of $90 million, and Inc. magazine recognition as the fastest-growing consumer products in America in just three years. He developed over 40 patents, including the Perfect Pushup, Perfect Pullup, Perfect Sit-up and Perfect Ab Carver. Alden's books include Be Unstoppable: The 8 Essential Actions to Succeed at Anything and Unstoppable Teams: The Four Essential Actions of High-Performance Leadership. He has been featured on ABC's Nightline, CBS This Morning,The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, and more. He serves on boards of a number of nonprofits. For tools and resources to help you become unstoppable, visit alden-mills.com Episode Highlights:  Alden recounts his childhood asthma diagnosis and how his parents helped him realize it didn't need to hold him back. Alden explains how the sport of rowing really unlocked a change of mindset for him. How does rowing lead to your recruitment in the Navy? How did the Navy lead you to becoming a Seal? What was the hardest moment that you had and what kept you from quitting? During hell week, after many, many members of his class quit, Alden was pulled aside and told he was a terrible leader. After leaving the Navy, Alden starts the company Perfect Fitness. What inspired you to start Perfect Fitness? As Alden was building his business, he reached a point where everyone was telling him to give it up, which he nearly did. Alden realized he should have started with innovation instead of invention. What led to you ultimately pivoting again and selling that company? Alden wanted to know how he could achieve a broader impact. He published his first book, Be Unstoppable, in November, 2013. Alden started working on becoming a “content entrepreneur.”   Be Unstoppable is really a book about persistence.   Alden explains the 8 essential actions to succeed in life. Alden discusses the role exercise plays in persistence and taking control of how you think, feel, and act. Rich transitions the conversation to ask Alden about parenting. Alden discusses the importance of letting children fail so they can learn from their failures. Why do people stay in the “harbor” of their lives and how can they break out? What does it mean to you to have a richer life and what are you doing today to live a richer life? Have the courage to push yourself out of your comfort zone and create a challenge for yourself.   3 Key Points: Surround yourself with a tribe. Stay curious in life and keep learning. It's only a failure if you don't learn anything.   Tweetable Quotes: “The best way to thank a veteran is to go out there and serve somebody else.” -Alden Mills “The importance of having somebody else to believe in us cannot be understated enough.” -Alden Mills “I've still failed way more times than I've succeeded.” -Alden Mills “I'm no more extraordinary than the next person, I just have the willingness to keep going.” -Alden Mills “There is no greater lesson than learning from failure.” -Alden Mills “You're not failing unless you're not learning from it.” -Alden Mills   Resources Mentioned: Alden Mills: Website | Instagram | Twitter 

TJ Canada returns to dive into the complicated issues around the brutal and senseless murder of George Floyd.  What's it like to be Bi-Racial?  What's it like to be White?  How should all 4 of these officers be charged?  How do we move forward and heal and come together?   The looting and the destruction must stop and is not a part of the solution.  Is the anger and outrage justified, yes.  We are all responsible for our response, so how do we stand United and come together?  How do we support the men and women in Blue who protect and serve us and get the bad apples off the streets?  We must do better, together...and together is the only way through to lasting change and peace.  It's up to all of us.   Join TJ in his journey as he and Rich literally have a black and white conversation, which we all need to step up and start doing and showing love and compassion for one another.

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Daniel Levin, Innovation Strategist, Speaker, Visionary, and Author of The Mosaic. Daniel Levin shares his story of spirituality and business. Daniel lost both of his parents two years apart on the same day, walked away from the chance to run a billion dollar business, studied in the seminary for five years and left one day before becoming a rabbi, has lived in a monastery as a monk, and worked as the Director of Development at Hay House Publishing Co taking them from $3m to $100m in revenue.     Episode Highlights:  Daniel Levin talks about the impact of losing both of his parents. He discusses his moving in with his wealthy mother's sister and her husband. Daniel traveled around the world, including going to Israel.     How did he get connected to Hay House?  What were the contributing factors to growing Hay House's tremendous economic growth?  He speaks to the power of living your own life and not one planned for you.  Rich summarizes what Daniel Levin's book The Mosaic is about.   We all have trash to unload from our lives.  There are extraordinary things to be found in ordinary people.     Separation is a great illusion of our reality.   When people aren't heard, they yell. Figure out the way to hear each other. Danny talks about his kids and his relationship with his special needs daughter. Daniel Levin shares a story about talking to a homeless man.    As a father and husband, what is Danny doing in his life to live a richer life for himself?    3 Key Points: We are better together.   Daniel Levin helped expand Hay House's sales from $3 million to $100 million in 10 years.   We have to stand up and face the challenges that we have been given.    Tweetable Quotes: “Living in a world that was that unpredictable, that was that random, was so hard for me that I had to make up a story that had a  cause and effect to it.” – Daniel Levin “What am I doing today? I do organizational psychology with companies; one form of that or another. I'm doing exactly what my life was set up to do.” – Daniel Levin “My belief system is, I can never be great doing someone else's life." – Daniel Levin “Who cares how many times we fall. At the end of the day, the only thing that is important is that we got up one more time than we fell. That is all that matters.” – Daniel Levin “Your humility is beautiful. But never allow it to become a hiding place for you to shrink from your greatness. It is time to do what you were created to do.” – Daniel Levin from his book The Mosaic “So many of the people that I met, and I helped to become really big people lost the sweetness and the innocence and the beauty of who they were, and they started to believe the press clippings of who they had become.” – Daniel Levin   Resources Mentioned: danielbrucelevin.com   The Mosaic by Daniel Levin The Mosaic Podcast   Linkedin for Daniel Levin  

In this real, Rich talks about gratitude and what it can mean to express the love towards ourselves and others.  We not only should, but we MUST surround ourselves with people that make us feel good and that fan our flames that we have burning.  Who is your tribe?  What relationship is maybe no longer serving you?  Reaching out and thanking a veteran today and the tribe you have in your corner.   Much gratitude and love to my tribe and all of the people out there loving on themselves and others and doing their part to do their best and keep getting up when they fall.  Our environment and who we surround ourselves with is within our control.    

During this episode of A Richer Life podcast, host Rich Weingart talks with Sean Dustin, host of the Nowhere to Go But Up podcast. Sean talks about his past, including a rocky childhood and experience with selling drugs, his time in prison, and what he did to change and turn his life around. Sean also talks about the importance of parent-child relationships.   Episode Highlights:  Sean takes us through a brief version of his life story: Sean had a rocky childhood, got into drugs at a young age, went to Juvie and a drug treatment center. Sean moved frequently while living in Sacramento and started selling drugs. He moved with a stripper to Vegas and she had his first daughter. He lost the ability to see his daughter when she was 18 months old, got back into selling drugs, and started seeing another stripper who was also addicted to meth. Eventually, Sean got raided by a SWAT team and got arrested but was released in 2 days. Sean moved on and “opened up shop” in a different area. He got involved in a bad situation and thought he was going to kill someone. He got caught with the gun which turned it into a federal case. Sean gave himself up and did his time in the state system (15 months) and another 15 months on parole. What's it like in prison? Is there any reform or is it just survival? There can be reform if you look for it. What was your personal experience like in prison? What was the “bottom” that caused you to turn it around. Sean was scared and did not know what to expect. After 4-5 days the realization hit him that he had royally messed up and there was no one to help him. Sean digresses to discuss how the current situation has put everyone on a level playing field, in the way that no one has experienced this situation before. How did you break the pattern of doing the wrong thing? Sean says he didn't, it broke him. When Sean got out, he started searching for small victories to help carry him to the next goal, and the next goal, which helped build his self-esteem. Sean talks about his second daughter and how important their relationship is to him. Rich and Sean are planning to have a part 2 of this episode. What is the most powerful thing you are going right now to try and live a richer life? 3 Key Points: It's never too late to change. Even if you are apart as parents, the way you interact sends a very strong message to your children. RIght now, everyone is on a level playing field in that we are all experiencing something new and we are experiencing it together.   Tweetable Quotes:  “Things are being thrown at us all the time, and it's really on us how we respond to those things, right?” -Sean Dustin “We're in a situation we've never been in before. Nobody, none of us. So we're all at the same level.” -Sean Dustin “How you choose to respond to anything in your life is how life is going to respond to you.” -Sean Dustin “I was leading people into the wrong places, you know? I was using my influence to influence people to do the wrong things.” -Sean Dustin   Resources Mentioned:  Sean's Podcast Sean's LinkedIn Sean's Facebook

Identifying your tribe in life, growing, expanding and allowing ourselves to be supported.  None of these things are easy, but they are simple.  What will our new normal be?  What is this for you and what is something you want to release from your old patterns that are no longer working and something you want to attract more of into your life?  We do human better, together. In Awe - book referenced by John O'Leary

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Kristina Wandzilak, Founder and President of Full Circle Addiction and Recovery Services, and her mother Constance Curry. They dive deep into the truth, the pain and the love story of their family dealing with addiction, and how the healing process is not just for the addicted individual, but also for those that love them.    Episode Highlights:    Rich Weingart introduces Kristina Wandzilak and her mother Constance Curry.  Kristina Wandzilak talks about how addiction impacts not just the individual addicted, but the people that they mean the most to.  Constance talks about addiction in their family starting with her husband's alcoholism.   What is their advice to someone with an addict in their family?    Getting help is a journey.  Rich reads a passage from their book The Lost Years.  How did Constance's healing process go?   Kristina and Constance talk about their love and respect for each other.   How did Constance continue to get stronger despite her daughter being on the streets?  How did Kristina process her mother's recovery and changes?   What happened when Kristina tried to come back home during her treatment phase?    How did Kristina find her path to recovery?   Kristina was a lot more relatable and able to communicate in a more positive way when she recovered.   How did they find forgiveness for Constance's ex-husband, who is Kristina's Dad?   Everybody has the power to find themselves and build their strength and courage.  Truth empowers us and others as well.   3 Key Points: One out of seven people in the world are affected by addiction in one way or another.  When dealing with having a loved one suffering with addiction, reach out to others and know that you are not alone.   Letting go is important for dealing with most problems.  Tweetable Quotes:   “Addicts don't change their behavior until it makes sense to them to change. Why wouldn't it? When we can live at home or have our rents paid or food in the cupboards and children take care of?” – Kristina Wandzilak “It is imperative for families to let go and it is so much a part of my work to support families and teach families about how to let go.” – Kristina Wandzilak “Addiction happens to family systems, not just individuals. You can have one person addicted and five or six people profoundly, deeply, hopelessly affected by this disease that slowly takes over homes." – Kristina Wandzilak “Kristina said, I was brave when I closed the door on her. I wasn't brave. I had just tried everything I knew. I didn't know anything else to do.” – Constance Curry “There were times that I was so angry, I didn't know what to do. Now what. And I expressed that anger sometimes. But, this was not an angry exchange. This was an accept, a surrender exchange.” – Constance Curry “The great change in Kristina was her humility. She didn't expect anything and she didn't ask for anything. During the first few weeks we all were a little on edge, not really knowing what to expect.” – Kristina Wandzilak   Resources Mentioned:   fullcirclerecoverycenter.net   Kristina Wandzilak: The Lost Years : Surviving a Mother and Daughter's Worst Nightmare by Kristina Wandzilak and Constance Curry   Instagram for Kristina Wandzilak

We can't take back the past, but we can face the truth, learn, look deeper into our patterns and why they make sense and build new pathways and greater resilience to ultimately take agency over our lives and how we show up.  When we fall, which we will often, we get back up and all the while, try to take it easy on ourselves and in turn, others as well.  It's an inside out game - not easy, but more simple than we tend to make it. Referenced: New book by last week's guest, Mike Robbins:  We're All in This Together : Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust and Belonging. Upcoming guest, Kristina Wandzilak and her Mom, Constance Curry - co-authors of The Lost Years: Surviving a Mother and Daughters Worst Nightmare

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Mike Robbins, author of 5 books including Bring Your Whole Self to Work and We're All in This Together, to discuss vulnerability and teamwork. Mike talks about his past, his struggles and how it shaped who and where he is now, the value of togetherness in uncertain times and his new book launching on 4/14: We're All In this Together https://mike-robbins.com/together/ Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust and Belonging.    Episode Highlights:  Mike, a left handed pitcher, was drafted by the New York Yankees out of high school, but instead went to Stanford. After finishing college, he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals, where he played for 3 years until a career ending ‘tommy john' injury. Mike is now a motivational speaker and an expert in emotional intelligence.  In the current times, with Covid-19, it is important to be genuine and authentic, and to try and see how this disconnectedness can actually bring us closer together. Growing up, Mike's parents split up when he was young and his dad had a mental illness. Going through that experience taught Mike a lot about authenticity and trust. From an early age, Mike considered himself a “seeker” of knowledge on how to be a better human being. In Mike's books, he talks about how your family is your first team. When he started at Stanford, Mike had to come to terms with not being the smartest student or best player on the team, and, while he enjoyed his time there, it was difficult. Mike's baseball career ended soon after he sustained an injury, and he officially retired when he was 25.  When he couldn't play baseball anymore, Mike felt very lost and did not know what he was going to do with life and struggled with depression. We can't connect the dots in our lives looking forward, we can only do that looking backward. Despite his dad's struggles, when Mike was struggling with depression his dad was there for him and was very supportive. His dad unfortunately passed away unexpectedly when Mike was 27. Think of your Ego as a human construct, or a mental construct. It is meant to keep us from harm but often gets in our way. Google did a 3 year study and found that psychological safety was the most important factor for teams to create high performance. Having open and honest conversations is a great way to build psychological safety. Mike grew up in a predominantly black area, and as a white person this meant he grew up as a relative minority. Belonging is a fundamental human need; everyone needs to feel like they belong. The importance of having “the sweaty palm conversation” and “caring about and challenging each other.” What is Mike doing for himself  today to live A Richer Life?   3 Key Points: Authenticity and vulnerability are increasingly important values, especially in the face of our current world issues. Psychological safety is the most important element for teams to create high performance. Belonging is a human need, and is it so important to create an environment where people feel like they belong.   Tweetable Quotes:  “From a very early age I became what I now call a seeker. I was really seeking, not of knowledge, per se, but wisdom and insight into how to be a human being.” -Mike Robbins “I know that we are way stronger and more resilient than we think we are. We have literally gotten through 100% of everything that's been thrown at us in life up to this point.” -Mike Robbins “With any privilege we may have, utilize that privilege in a way that might potentially be beneficial to those who may have less privilege.” -Mike Robbins “Belonging is a fundamental human need.” -Mike Robbins “It's in everyone's best interest to create a diverse environment, to create an inclusive environment, to create an environment where people feel like they belong.” -Mike Robbins   Resources Mentioned:  Mike Robbins' Website | Linkedin | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram We're All in This Together (book) We're All in This Together (Launch Page)

"Every feeling fully felt is bliss" - Joseph Campbell Being with and breathing through emotions instead of trying so hard to feel good all of the time.  Perhaps that is the way through?  As humans, we can try so hard to get it 'perfect' which is such an illusion.  Rich reads a letter from his Dad, The Hug and discusses the situation we all find ourselves in, together.  United, but divided and the pain, but necessity of social distancing. "Life altering events have a way of causing a person to open and explore areas within themselves which they had not previously touched."  Book launching on 4/14 by upcoming guest, Mike Robbins: We're All In This Together, Creating a Team Culture of High Performance, Trust and Belonging  https://mike-robbins.com/together/  

THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SOME EXPLICIT LANGUAGE INCLUDING THE ‘F' BOMB   During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Michael Anthony, Author, Influencer, Public Speaker, and an Advocate for Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse. Michael Anthony also hosts his own podcast called Think Unbroken and his book Think Unbroken where he addresses childhood trauma.    Episode Highlights:  Michael Anthony discusses a poem by Dylan Thomas.  Rich Weingart introduces Michael Anthony. What did Michael's life look like as a kid?  Michael had been shuffled around to about 30 different families as a kid.    He was adopted by his white racist grandmother as a biracial child going to a predominately black school.   He had a breakdown moment when he was 150lbs heavier than he is now and was an alcoholic and constant cigarette smoker.  What is the story behind his mother's behavior?   How did these harsh upbringing circumstances affect Michael's siblings?  You only get so far on your own.  What did therapy do for Michael Anthony?   Which steps can you take to identify when you have reached your own bottom?  People often disappear when we start making healthier choices.    Remaining ‘comfortable' keeps people trapped in unproductive cycles.   What did moving to Portland, Oregon offer Michael Anthony?  The human body is a survival machine.  Did he get to a point of forgiveness to those that did wrong to him?  You don't necessarily have to forgive. But, you have to accept what has happened.  What advice does Michael have for people in abusive relationships?   How did his book come along?   What are the statistics for abuse?   Love hasn't been canceled.   What is Michael Anthony doing specifically to live a richer life?     3 Key Points: There is strength and power in perseverance.  Take ownership of your life and use your traumatic story to help others and not as an excuse to mistreat others.   Most people don't make a change until they hit rock bottom.     Tweetable Quotes: “I think you can only make it so far on your own, before you have to kind of leverage those around you, whether that be your community, or family, or whomever.” – Michael Anthony “You think about the greatest things that human beings have ever accomplished, you've very rarely, if ever, come across someone who did something spectacular without the assistance of others.” – Michael Anthony “Success can be a precursor for really kind of unveiling who you really are as a person." – Michael Anthony “The body can put up with a lot. But, it can only put up with a lot for so long.” – Michael Anthony “As human beings, we are innately obsessed with self-destruction. Look at the state of the world right now. That is an ‘us' thing.” – Michael Anthony “The more time you spend from that place that you were, is the more time you can step into the place of who you are becoming.” – Michael Anthony   Resources Mentioned: Michael Unbroken Social Media: Instagram Twitter ThinkUnbroken.com Think Unbroken Podcast National Hotline for Child Abuse: 800-422-4453 

In this episode, Rich explores his thoughts on our need for love and to be able to accept the fact that we are all experiencing trauma and are in some sort of pain/shock right now. Our cheese has been moved, but we are resilient and we have the ability to step back, re-evaluate our priorities, take care of ourselves and each other and maybe realize through social distancing, how important it is to be connected and how we can all use this to come together as communities and as a World.  Song - Burt Bacharach, What the World Needs Now is Love Book - Spencer Johnson, Who Moved My Cheese

It's always darkest before dawn and there is a silver lining to every storm. We, individually and as a species, are brilliantly designed to be resilient. My hope is this social distancing shows us how critical it is to be connected, slow life down and love on each other.  Let there be no mistake, this is another form of trauma we are all processing.  May we create greater safety for ourselves and each other as we work through this and learn from it.

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Kristina Wandzilak, Founder and President of Full Circle Addiction and Recovery Services. She is featured in the television series Intervention, the expert on the television documentary reality show Addicted, a regular guest on Good Morning America, and the author of a book that she co-authored with her mom called The Lost Years. Kristina talks about her past struggles with addiction and how she overcame them and found redemption personally and professionally.    Episode Highlights:  Rich introduces Kristina. Kristina Wandzilak had her first drink of alcohol around the age of 13.  What led up to Kristina Wandzilak becoming addicted to alcohol?   She grew up in a family of four kids and two parents.   Her dad was an alcoholic and anger and fear grew in the house.   Alcohol seemed to be the most important relationship in her dad's life and made her curious about it.   Kristina - alcohol made her feel perfect with her first drink and put her at ease.   Alcohol became Kristina's escape from her pain and frustration.  How did her childhood play out once alcohol played a role in it?  Kristina turns to cocaine and other substances.  Kristina's parents couldn't control the chaos that she was causing.   She ended up out of her parents' house and living on the street.   Kristina turned to crime to support her habit, including robbing 22 homes.    One way she fed herself was eating leftovers from hotel hallways.   The first night she laid her head on concrete to sleep changed her.  She hit her bottom by living in a homeless shelter.   She ran away and went to rehab three times.  Kristina went into treatment at age 21.  She talks about experiencing rape and forgiviing the man who raped her.  We do better when we get help.   A perfect life is an illusion.   Kristina has met a new man named Roy that respects and supports her journey. What was her life pivot and purpose like when her life turned around for the better?  There is strength in community.  We can become stronger.    3 Key Points: Grief can create empathy and compassion for others.   The unexpected thought Kristina had while in a homeless shelter was the regret she had for letting addiction derail her personal life and her family life.   It is counterintuitive to tell parents to let go of their kids during addiction. But it can push them towards choosing sobriety to rejoin the family in a healthy manner.     Tweetable Quotes: (Grief) “It isn't a feeling but a state, a state of living, you know? It is where my children and I live. Under the umbrella of grief comes all sorts of amazing feelings, of course sadness and devastation but also joy.” – Kristina Wandzilak “Addiction is a recipe. It is a recipe of many things. I do believe that it is biochemical. It is hereditary. It is environmental. It is social, emotional, and psychological.” – Kristina Wandzilak “In a matter of a year, I lost everything, really. I dropped out of high school. I lost my swimming career. All my friends changed and were different. I was out of control. I was angry. My parents couldn't control me." – Kristina Wandzilak “My mom is the hero of my story and had she not let me go that day I would have used myself, I'm certain of it, in her home. It was the only decision she could make.” – Kristina Wandzilak (Past addiction) “I don't think I took a sober breath for three years, I'm certain of it.” – Kristina Wandzilak “I think life is like one big sleepover and when it ends, it's time to go home.”                                            - Savannah Wandzilak   Resources Mentioned: fullcirclerecoverycenter.net   Kristina Wandzilak: The Lost Years : Surviving a Mother and Daughter's Worst Nightmare by Kristina Wandzilak and Constance Curry   Instagram for Kristina Wandzilak Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 800-662-4357 or 800-662-HELP https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline OR look up a local AA (alcoholics anonymous)

The importance of self-love. How uncomfortable it can be, but how critical it is to build this muscle, one day at a time.

During this episode of A Richer Life, host Rich Weingart speaks with Christa Skov about facing challenges and building resilience in grieving the loss of her husband. Christa shares her story in a generous way that will inspire and uplift those who may be facing similar trauma and loss.    Episode Highlights:  The song “No Hard Feelings” by the Avett Brothers is meaningful to Christa because it reminds her of the way her late husband, Matt, lived his life. They got married and moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado where they started a family.  During their pregnancy they found out their child would likely have a defect involving her esophagus. It was a long process teaching their daughter how to eat. A year later Christa realized she was suffering from depression and sought help. Her goal was to get to a place where she would feel healthy enough to have another baby. Being outside feeds Christa's soul. There is so much wonder and beauty in the world even though we all face challenges. Christa's experience as a new mother helped her build resilience. Resilience is something you need to build and consciously think about. They had their second daughter and moved back to Marin where Matt grew up. Matt started having bad headaches and was eventually diagnosed with a very rare cancer. One of the last things Matt did was to design an owl party for his daughter. Richard describes a prayer circle Matt attended for a friend's daughter near the end of his life. Christa thanks her family and Matt's family as well as the entire community that has supported her as she has rebuilt her life. Grief does overwhelm you at times but sometimes you have to allow it. Christa's motivation is her children. She wants to create a life that resembles all the hopes and dreams she and Matt had talked about. Being open to help was very important to her. It's easy to get wrapped up in anxiety. What has helped Christa is to take things day by day. Be open to your community, allow grief, and seek help. Therapy gave Christa tools and resources for how to deal with building a new life. Grief can come and go in intense waves. Your heart can grow and love more. We can always continue to honor those that aren't with us anymore.   3 Key Points: It's critical to build up your resilience as you face life's challenges. Accept help and rely on your community through the grieving process. Keep an open heart and allow your heart to grow.   Tweetable Quotes: “For me, being outside, whether it's taking a walk or going on a hike or doing whatever I can to kind of see the beauty of the world has always been something that has helped me.” – Christa Skov “Building resilience is something that, you know, it's not just given to you. It's something that you have to actively pursue.” – Christa Skov “One of the conversations that Matt and I did have was wanting to have our kids have the lives that we had always talked about, even though I would have to do it on my own." – Christa Skov “With loss...you can't get over it. But you can learn to live with it.” – Christa Skov “Your heart grows...it's about me opening up and growing and allowing that.” – Christa Skov   Resources Mentioned: “No Hard Feelings” by The Avett Brothers Dana Farber Institute

Dr Mark seemed to have it all together (like many of us), but his life was caving in around him. From being voted the best chiropractor in Marin to wanting to jump in front of a truck and end it all, Dr Mark takes us on his journey through parenting, depression, anxiety to training his nervous system how to relax and create new environments and safety for his World and so many around him.  Creating a Family Mentor Program, a Young Men's Ultimate Weekend taking kids through their right of passage and building stronger households and communities the RITE way from the inside out, Dr. Mark turns the tension and disconnection into ease and safety for himself, his family and many young men and families. www.schillinger-chiro.com www.goodmenproject.com www.challengeteenagesons.com  

Could it be that the more we love ourselves, the more we allow ourselves to do self-care guilt free? Rich explores this question in his life and in this episode in a journey toward healing and higher consciousness.

Deputy Chief, Rob Martin joins us from Canada. As the DC of the Kitchener fire department just outside of Toronto, Rob takes us on his journey of what he thought his life would be, to his pivots to purpose focusing on mental health for first responders and a lot more. Leading by example, Rob faces his challenges and leads his department in getting real with the trauma involved with first responders, from 'numbing the pain' to claiming our 'personal ethos' of knowing who we are, Rob's success is defined in his path to serve others and helping people grow on purpose to define and claim their 'Evolved Life'.

Kicking off 2020 with a reality check. The joy, sadness, fear, anger, disgust and how it all comes as a part of the package. Exploring the full range of A Richer Life.

Rich welcomes trauma informed coach, leader, father and husband, TJ Canada. TJ takes us through his journey and discusses his struggles from a tough upbringing with inter-racial parents to his various coping strategies that almost completely derailed his life, but ultimately defined the Dad, Coach and Human he is today. TJ says, 'I remember that moment like I'm going against everything I vowed I would never be.'  TJ, a father of 2 boys, 5 and 6, coaches leadership and becoming a better human through Vulnerability, Authenticity, Love, Understanding and Energy.

Sarah Baldwin, a trauma informed life coach and somatic practitioner joins Rich to talk about her journey through life's rough waters into the depth of her purpose today. Unknown to Rich prior to the interview, Sarah was an actress, known for Something Borrowed, Poor Greg Drowning and Dads.

In this final Real of 2019, Rich discusses the holiday season, the end of the decade and 'the order of things' on a good day in his life. What is your higher power and how do we arrange and prioritize Self, Higher Power and Others in our lives?

Rich gets more uncomfortable with his competitiveness.  Owning it, being aware of it and addressing patterns that we want to shift.  Identifying with whatever 'it' is and why and who is in charge now, we create safety to grow and expand.

The return of Markus completes this 3 part series on addiction, recovery and sobriety.  At the core of it all is ‘tough' love.  In this episode, Markus and Rich ping pong back and forth exploring what it was like for Markus, the role his friends played and the dynamics in the room and with the family.  The power of an intervention, the fear that surrounds it from all sides, the availability for anyone to express ‘true' love and reach out to help and for help.  Hiding from whatever deep truth we have is ultimately more painful and destructive than confronting that truth.  Markus again courageously opens up in another act of outreach and service, a pattern and one of his many gifts he shares with the world. https://www.drugabuse.gov/ https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/support-treatment/

Rich gets uncomfortable with one of his challenges, his competitiveness.  What has been his blessing has also been a curse that he has had to work on and work through.  

Rich's Dad, John Weingart joins Rich to discuss the family dynamics of Markus 2.0. In this episode, Rich and his Dad explore the depths of the difficulties families face around this brutal disease of addiction. From a parent and brothers perspective, we discuss the intervention, its complexities and how it played out for us from different perspectives.   

In this short clip, Rich continues telling his story of his auto immune issues - one of his challenges in the unknown World of the mystery of auto immune issues and how he plans to continue to deal with it. 

Coach, Consultant and Speaker, Deb Blum opens up with Rich on some deeper challenges and truths in her life.  Deb is the co-founder and executive director for Wellbeing of Boys and the co-founder of Redwood Parents Connect, building a community of support for parents as their kids journey through high school.  Deb is also the co-host of her own podcast, The Parenting 3.0 Show.    In this episode, Deb joins Rich to courageously talk about her marriage and looming potential divorce in the early years of marriage with young kids.  Deb and Rich dive deep to discuss childhood trauma and cognitive and somatic healing in the ultimate journey of self-awareness and seeking for A Richer Life.  Deb finds her safety and her purpose in her healing.    

In this episode, Rich shares another layer of his story and a health challenge he faced and still deals with that helped propel him to explore a deeper truth.

Born with Cystic Fibrosis and diagnosed at the young age of 18 months, Laura has overcome doctors preparing her for the worst and likely outcome of an early and inevitable death to writing her own story and thriving today.  She has had quite the journey which she takes us on in this episode.  With courage, hope, love and sometimes just sheer grit to take another breathe, Laura's ability to choose her own attitude even given her circumstance has been what has kept her alive.  Laura shares her journey with us and what she is up to today.  With a non-profit, Strong and Salty launching later this year (www.strongandsalty.org) and a documentary she made of her life, Breathe in Life, Laura is also a huge advocate for the donor program which saves lives (including hers - twice).  To opt in as a donor, it takes about 2 minutes.  This is a Call To Action for ALL of us - at www.organdonor.gov you an register to be a donor and save lives.  We talk through Laura's journey to her purpose and passions today that keep her not only living, but thriving!

In this episode, Rich shares a little bit of his story and the plan for these clips.  These are short, collaborative episodes on ways we can all lead A Richer Life. 

Markus Weingart, Coach, Father, Mentor and Spiritual Advisor to many who know him, including myself, courageously opens up and shares his amazing journey.  Markus discusses his earlier days growing up and his journey through addiction beginning in high school.  His athletic achievements were one of many things in his life derailed by his addiction.  "Drugs and alcohol took my life away from me.  My life had become what can I take from life instead of what can I give to life."  A rock bottom that would have almost certainly ended up with Markus dead or in jail has in many ways defined his life today.  "That is the magic of this process, being able to give back what was so freely given to me when I first needed help.  That's the wonderful circle of recovery."  There is no doubt Markus is living A Richer Life today and what almost killed him has become his purpose in many ways.  Addiction is present in almost every family somewhere, so like all major issues which every family faces at some point, the question to ask is, 'are we paying attention to the elephant in the living room?'.  This episode focuses on Markus' story and purpose.  In a future episode with Markus, we will bring dealing with this disease full circle and explore his Intervention, Family Dynamics and Co-Dependency. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) NIH - National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/support-treatment/  

In this short trailer, Rich asks a few questions and outlines the expectations for the audience including the mission and goal of A Richer Life Podcast, what you can expect to get when you tune in and when you will get it.  Dive in and see what you think!

Rich welcomes Psychologist, Author and Speaker, Dr. Dan Peters. Dr Dan is the co-founder of Parent Footprint, with the mission to make the world a more compassionate and loving place — one parent and one child at a time. He is host of the “Parent Footprint Podcast with Dr. Dan” and is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post and Psychology Today. Dr. Dan is also the co-founder and executive director of Summit Center, offering psychological and educational services for children, adolescents, adults, and families, including assessments, consultation, and counseling. Dr. Dan is also the author of a series of "Make Your Worrier a Warrior" series of books providing easy-to-follow, practical strategies for both parents and children. Dr. Dan is a frequent speaker and writer on topics related to parenting, family, giftedness, twice-exceptionality, dyslexia, and anxiety. In this episode, Rich dives deep into Dr. Dan's own journey with depression and anxiety. Rich will explore Dan's journey into facing and going through that pain, what helped him pivot and ultimately, how this journey contributed to Dr. Dan's purpose and all that he has manifested in creating A Richer Life for himself. For more information on Dr. Dan you can visit: www.drdanpeters.com or www.summitcenter.com Dan and Rich fully agree that to live A Richer LIfe, we need to be courageous, face our fears that are not going to kill us and take one step at a time in the direction of our dreams. Join us on this journey. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)