Connection Academy

Why do we care so much about meeting the expectations of others? How can we develop the courage to live true to ourselves? And what does that mean - for you?The top regret of the dying is "I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, and not the life others expected of me".  Today we will draw upon the wisdom of the dying to reflect on how we are living - and more specifically, how we can live true to ourselves.This conversation touches upon three areas which inspire joyful living:Why do we fall prey to living according to the expectations of others?How can we develop the courage to live true to ourselves?How can we get clear on what we truly wantKristin Ransome, the founder & host of Connection Academy, is a certified Integral Life Coach who is on a mission to inspire joy. Through these conversations, 1:1 coaching and the online workshops she offers via the connectionacademy.co website,  she offers you a new way of looking at life, and practical ways in which you can get closer to what inspires you.Visit our website, connectionacademy.co, where you can sign up for an upcoming Joy Management Workshop or 1:1 Life Coaching.Follow us on Instagram to receive daily inspiration on how to live a joyful life.

What makes you feel alive?  Today we're exploring how to create a life of passion - one in which you feel energized and connected to what inspires you. So many people are disconnected from their sense of passion out of sheer neglect, meaning they forget to pay attention to what makes them feel alive and they end up getting sucked into the daily hum-drum of life as a result. Kristin believes this is something we should change - especially if we hope to live with joy.To make today's conversation practical, Kristin offers you a reflection-exericse to help you discover what you are truly passionate about, and how to craft these passions into your daily life.Kristin Ransome, the founder & host of Connection Academy, is a certified Integral Life Coach (PCC) who is on a mission to inspire joy. Through these conversations, 1:1 coaching and the online workshops she offers via the connectionacademy.co website,  she inspires you with a new way of looking at life, and practical ways in which you can live with joy.Visit our website, connectionacademy.co, where you can sign up for an upcoming Joy Management Workshop or 1:1 Life Coaching.Follow us on Instagram to receive daily inspiration on how to live a joyful life.

How does the fear of being misunderstood impact how you live your life? If you're like most people, it limits the choices you make and holds you back from living true to yourself.In today's conversation we're discussing the courage to be creative with your life, and how to overcome the fear of being misunderstood.It's an important conversation because creativity is the skill that empowers us to be the artists of our own lives, and when we're able to learn what gets in the way of our innate creativity, we become more empowered to make choices that reflect our hopes, not our fears.If you want to engage deeper with this topic, visit our website to register for an upcoming Joy Management workshop.Visit our website, connectionacademy.co, where you can sign up for an upcoming Joy Management Workshop or 1:1 Life Coaching.Follow us on Instagram to receive daily inspiration on how to live a joyful life.

What choices are you making that are no longer supporting the life you aspire to live? This is a question we explore today through a conversation about a skill that can help us free ourselves from our unconscious mind (fears, doubts, insecurities…) and to express ourselves freely in the world - and the skill we're exploring is creativity.Kristin Ransome, the founder & host of Connection Academy, is a certified Integral Life Coach who is on a mission to inspire joy. Through these conversations, 1:1 coaching and the online workshops she offers via the connectionacademy.co website,  she offers you a new way of looking at life, and practical ways in which you can get closer to what inspires you.This conversation is part of a series of conversations in support of World Mental Health Awareness Day, on October 10. We've dedicated this conversation series to the topic of creativity, which Kristin defines as “bringing something new into being” - where that something new, is joy.___Visit our website, connectionacademy.co, where you can sign up for an upcoming Joy Management Workshop or 1:1 Life Coaching.Follow us on Instagram to receive daily inspiration on how to live a joyful life.

Toxic positivity is pretending that life only about happiness, and completely neglecting fear, sadness and grief from life. It's an approach that says: no matter how desperate or dire a situation, one should maintain a positive mindset. It's a "good vibes only" approach to life - criticised as being over generalised optimism, which  minimizes and denies any trace of emotion which isn't strictly happy or positive - limiting people's ability to get through such emotional states.Today's conversation is with Kate Chojnacka - an ex-Googlers who is incredibly passionate about all things related to human connection. She is a workshop-facilitator and has taught people from all walks of life about Toxic Positivity. Today she teaches us about the following:1. What toxic positivity is2. How to notice toxic positivity3. How to be a better friend - to yourself, and to othersIt's an important topic - especially during this pandemic, when many of us are feeling overwhelmed with fear, anxiety or sadness. Here we hope you can find comfort in allowing yourself to feel these emotions, and to live a bigger life as a result. Lean in and enjoy.

Today we're discussing one of the most crucial skills and mindsets that every one of us is capable of developing - one which enables us to express ourselves, to see the world a little differently, and one which enables us to solve incredibly complex problems. Today we are speaking about creativity.I share today's conversation with Kish Davda, who works at Google during the day and as a music producer during his free time. Kish lives and breathes creativity in all that he does. We discuss what creativity means to us, why the world needs more of it, and ways in which we can all start flexing more of our creative muscles: through facing our fears, trying new things, collaborating with new people and more.If you're someone who struggles with self doubt, self expression or just someone who is curious to learn more about creativity in your personal life and in the workplace - this episode is for you. Lean in and enjoy!

Today we're speaking about crafting purpose and meaning into your work.  Purpose is about engaging in deeply fulfilling personal missions that make you feel like you are contributing towards something bigger than yourself. What's really important to you? Not what should be important to you, or what the world expects you to value - but what do you really value? It's a personal journey that takes a lot of introspection.If we focus on the things that we're getting right and the things we are really proud of, and where we want to go - this positive vision of who we want to be creates enormous energy for change, which helps get us through tough moments.Today's conversation is with Dr Michelle Rencele who holds a PhD in Organisational Psychology: studying human behaviour in the workplace. Michelle specialises in team and organisational resilience, and holds a personal passion in helping people craft purpose and meaning into their work.If you're somebody who is looking for more fulfilment in your day to day job, or perhaps somebody looking for a little motivation or hope -  this episode is for you. Lean in and enjoy!

“Life is too short to pretend that you are someone that you are not. Work on your self-expression, your personal freedom.”Today's we're speaking about getting out of your head, using dance as a vehicle for mindfulness. Dancing is communication without words; life without narrative. Everybody is equal on a dance floor. Life is too short to pretend that you are someone that you are not. Mindful dancing is about dancing for yourself, and learning to let this way of being overflow into your life: having the courage to show up and be who you are, not striving to perfect the movements, but trusting yourself to flow with life. This episode is about learning to work on your self expression and your personal freedom. I share this conversation with two incredible people: Kate Chojnacka and Tim Hermann, who facilitate dance and meditation at Google - alongside their day to day jobs.If you would like a new perspective on how to manage stress, how to foster self expression and confidence, or how to take life a little less seriously - this episode is for you. Lean in and enjoy!

Today’s conversation is about the ever-relevant topic of stress and anxiety, which is the world’s most commonly diagnosed psychological disorder. Stress is a part of our everyday lives and since there is simply no avoiding it, the task for mental health professionals has become to further our understanding of how we might better manage how stress shows up in our lives.Today I speak with Gordon Shaw who is a Counselling Psychologist & Mental Health Specialist. The conversation covers a series of points such as defining and differentiating between stress and anxiety, the physical symptoms of each, as well as ways in which we can better manage how stress affects us.This conversation is part of a wider series discussing topics related to Mental Health. If you are someone who would like to better understand what stress and anxiety is and how it might be showing up in your life - lean in and enjoy.

Ever wonder what you might be able to do to help yourself through an emotionally challenging time? On today’s episode I speak with Thabo Lepotho, who is a Councellor for the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, Africa’s largest mental health org. Today’s conversation is about how we can use self-awareness to better understand ourselves and to address our emotional trauma.Reflection is super important - it’s your window to your own soul. People who don’t reflect often have insecurities. They are more likely to not have a good relationship with themself, and as a result, to not have good relationships with other people. You need to be more self-confident with your self-image in order to break the chain of emotional trauma. It’s about looking at yourself and asking “what have I learnt?”. To feel, heal, and move on with your life.When it comes to our mental wellbeing, self-awareness is crucial as it makes it easier to identify what triggers us, to anticipate our own reactions, and importantly - to make behavioural changes that can lead to personal and interpersonal success. Thabo guides us through a conversation on the importance of self-reflection - and how the first step in healing our emotional trauma is letting ourselves feel our emotions.

On today’s episode I speak with Ian Power, who is the CEO of Spunout.ie - Ireland’s youth information website, inclusive of a free 24/7 text service called “Text 50808”, which provides support for people going through mental health or emotional crisis - big or small. Ian and I had an incredibly rich conversation on the very important topic of 'Creating Space for Connection' and practical ways in which we can use emotional intelligence to foster more inclusive spaces. Specifically, we discuss the role of empathy and self-awareness and how these two emotional skills enable us to deepen the connection with ourselves and others.This episode is part of a larger series of conversations discussion Mental health and Wellbeing. Creating space for connection is a central part of proactively managing our wellbeing, as connection is rooted in our need for love and belonging. Science has shown that connection to aids our mental health in many different ways: reducing our levels of anxiety and depression, regulating our emotions, and improving our self-esteem (to name a few).But beyond mental health, another reason why I felt this episode was contextually relevant is because if you look at many of the global news headlines - whether that be on racial injustice, growing inequality, or grossly skewed political views, they all emphasize fragmentation and disconnection within our communities. This conversation addresses practical ways we might better come to understand one another, so that we may evolve as a human collective.

Today we speak with Cassey Chambers - the operations director of Africa’s largest mental health organisation: SADAG (The South African Depression & Anxiety Group). Cassey believes that “everyone should be informed about mental health”, yet as we know - that isn’t the reality. This gap in education on mental health results in many people not feeling a sense of connection and support in their lives, and not knowing a way forward. You can think of today’s conversation as that lesson on Mental Health that many of us never had while we were in school.Our conversation touches on points such as:What is mental health?What are some of the signs/symptoms of a mental health concern?How can we better support one another - what does it look like to have a conversation on mental health with someone you care for?What role does stigma play in us taking action on mental health concerns?Some practical tips to 'check-in' with ourselves and take care of our wellbeingMental Health is one of the fastest-growing global health concerns, hence this is an important conversation which we should all be having. If you feel this episode would benefit someone you know - do share a link with them.

Today we speak with Dr Trudy Meehan, who has specialised in Social, Clinical and Positive Psychology. Trudy gives us a clear definition of mental health and practical tools for how we can address our own personal wellbeing.We discussed PERMA, the "Model for Happiness & Wellbeing" as defined by positive psychology - a framework which we can all use to monitor our own wellbeing:1. Pleasure2. Engagement3. Relationships4. Meaning5. AccomplishmentTrudy believes that "people want more than the absence of suffering" - sharing how we can all get to a place of positive emotion, the importance of accepting pain and suffering in our lives and the responsibility we have to identify and support each other through times of need.

This podcast hosts conversations discussing what “true success” might look like in a truly connected world. Not only a ‘connected world’ in terms of digital networks, but one where we have a better understanding of ourselves, each other and the endless possibilities of life around us.Here we a range of relevant topics inclusive of wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, coaching and personal development - topics which detail our shared responsibility towards creating a more connected future. Conversations are tied together by educational perspectives of professionals working in the field coupled with some inspiring personal stories.I hope to use this podcast to share the vision and passion of those invited to speak on the show. I believe these perspectives are incredibly important because only when we come to realise the many possibilities of life beyond our current personal reality can we intentionally build into a future which is capable of supporting and amplifying what it means to truly be human.I’m personally looking forward to learning a lot from connecting with people on the show, and I welcome you to join the conversation!