Dr. MC's Self-Care Cabaret

Today we chat with Feng Shui expert Kerri Miller about all things Feng Shui and self-care. Kerri is a Feng Shui and Energy Clearing Practitioner and the author of the book -Feels Better. Flows Better. Feng Shui for Inspired Living.  She's passionate about showing heart-centered entrepreneurs how to arrange their surroundings to support their success and prosperity and create ease in their business and life. We look at how organizing and decluttering our spaces is great for self-care, mental health, and well-being. We chat about the environmental domain of self-care, and in a special extended outro, Dr. MC shares tips […]

If your 2023 has already felt overwhelming, this episode is for you. Back in February, we hosted a special event titled the Self-Love Rebellion. In honor of my Birthday month, we wanted to give a gift to my loyal listeners of the content shared during that event in the form of a podcast episode. Who does not like a bonus? This short episode is packed with tips and tricks to care for yourself throughout the day. Easy, efficient, effective, and free ways to start your day, beat the mid-day slump, and positively end your day to set yourself up for […]

Do you struggle to put yourself first? Is self-care an afterthought or something you hope to be able to do someday? Today’s episode emphasizes why shifting that thinking and putting your needs first is important to start doing today. Not tomorrow. Not next month. Not once are you facing an illness or disease. Today. Dr. MC is joined by fellow self-care enthusiast Dr. Gary Lindner to discuss health, well-being, self-care, and more. Dr. Gary shares insights from his work and experiences in this exciting episode. Dr. Gary received his Doctorate in Physiology and has held faculty positions at major universities. Dr. […]

When was the last time you felt genuinely grateful? For the big things, the small things, and everything in between. When was the last time you thought about what made you smile today? If ever. We tend to get so wrapped up in life and we focus on the wrong things causing us to lose […]

When life knocks you down, what do you do? Experiencing challenges, setbacks and failures is part of the human experience. You and everyone else experience tough times. The important thing is that when you do, you get up, get better and keep going. Today’s episode with Maggie Perotin offers wonderful insight into prioritizing what is […]

How’s your 2023 going? How are those resolutions? Chances are you are already off the wagon. That’s ok! This episode will orient you to set clear, powerful intentions that work. If you are looking for real transformation, you must remember that your thoughts are powerful, and your action is key. Dr. MC is joined by […]

Kicking off a new year! Such an exciting time. How do you set yourself up for success in the New Year? This short podcast episode with Dr. MC provides a year-end wrap up on 2022 and teaches you how to create your vision board, set intentions, and crush your goals in 2023. Don’t fall into…

How do you view your life? Are you a victim? A puppet? Does the universe do things to you? Well, have we got the episode for you. Remember life is not happening to you; it’s happening FOR you. This is such an important distinction from the perpetual feeling that we have no control over our…

Do you suffer from nice girl syndrome? Are you afraid to follow the desires of your authentic self? Well, it’s time to stop being a nice girl and listen to this episode. Today’s conversation with Jessica Wilbert offers fabulous tips for trusting the journey and the process as our lives unfold. Be brave to follow…

Today's episode is a LIVE podcast recording with our amazing Cabaret followers discussing such topics as accountability, retirement, the true meaning of self-care, mindset, and how to set a sustainable routine. Dr. MC answers questions and provides a few surprises along the way. We had folks from all over joining us LIVE back in October…

We are thrilled to kick off season 3 of Dr. MC's Self-Care Cabaret podcast. This is not a bite-sized episode, this is a full-sized episode – maybe even a queen-sized episode – you be the judge. And to start us off properly, today we welcome back by popular demand Amie Sica to discuss Self-Care for…

We are thrilled to release our next “Bite-Sized Pod.” These episodes are shorter in length and focus on one topic with Dr. MC instead of our traditional interview style. For this week, we're here to talk to you about How to Set a Sustainable Self-Care Routine. You likely have questions and ideas about what a…

We are thrilled to release our next “Bite-Sized Pod.” These episodes are shorter in length and focus on one topic with Dr. MC instead of our traditional interview style. For this week, we’re here to talk to you about the power of mindset. You may have heard the terms growth and fixed mindset previously, but…

We are thrilled to release our next “Bite-Sized Pod.” These episodes are shorter in length and focus on one topic with Dr. MC instead of our traditional interview style. For this week, we're here to talk to you about the importance of setting clear boundaries. We know this can be tricky and difficult, but it…

As we prepare for another back-to-school season, we’re trying something different at the Self-Care Cabaret offering what Dr. MC is calling a series of “Bite-Sized Pods.” These episodes are shorter in length and focus on one topic with Dr. MC instead of our traditional interview style. For this week, we’re here to talk to you…

We’re trying something different and offering what Dr. MC is calling a series of “Bite-Sized Pods.” These episodes are shorter in length and focus on one topic with Dr. MC instead of our traditional interview style. To kick us off, this week we’re here to talk to you about the importance of listening to your…

This episode will challenge your views on resilience and teach you a lot about trauma. Dr. MC is joined by Dr. Jennifer Herring for today’s conversation as they discuss trauma. It is important to remember that you are not your trauma, it does not define you and you do not get to decide whether or…

Do you experience unexplainable pain in your body? Or Dis-ease? Have other treatments failed you and you are convinced you cannot be healed from this pain? Do you want to start releasing pain in the body? This may be the answer you seek. In this episode, Dr. MC chats with Jessica Kaloutas. Jessica is anContinue reading

Do you work in public service? Do you work in a school? Or for a non-profit? Higher-Edu? And do you have student loan debt? If so, stop what you are doing and listen to this episode as you could be eligible for student loan forgiveness under the limited PSLF waiver. Under the limited-time waiver forContinue reading

Do you ask for help? Do you view it as a sign of weakness when you ask for help? Are you willing to be vulnerable and share your truth? Are you brave enough to tell your story? Today's episode is a conversation with Remy Collins. Remy is a courageous mama who shares her story onContinue reading

Hey, what’s your Enneagram type? Do you enjoy personality tests and figuring out the nitty-gritty aspects of what makes you who you are? This is the episode for you.  Today's episode is a conversation with Sierra Larson where they discuss the self-awareness and mindfulness domains of self-care, anxiety, and of course, a really awesome toolContinue reading

Dr. MC LIVE was such a blast! Today's episode is a LIVE podcast recording with Dr. MC and her amazing Cabaret followers discussing the true meaning of self-care and how best to set yourself up for success. We had fans from all over the country including California and Vermont and different parts of the worldContinue reading

Do you practice Sustainable self-care? Do you even know what that means? And why is it so critical? Do not miss this podcast episode with the fabulous Dr. Chris Willard. Chances are you are familiar with his work as he is a BIG deal. Thich Nhat Hanh and Tara Brach just recently cited his work.Continue reading

TW/CW: Some discussion of eating disorders and behaviors. Are you connected to your body? Do you honor your body’s signals? Today, we invite you to move back into your body. Dr. MC is so honored to share this interview with dietician Anna Sweeney. Dr. MC had the pleasure of working with Anna back in 2015Continue reading

TW/CW: Eating disorder discussion, some ED behavior mentioned. Do you struggle with your relationship with food? Join Dr. MC and author, eating disorder recovery speaker, and peer support mentor, Betsy Brenner. Betsy published her memoir in 2021 titled “The Longest Match: Rallying to Defeat an Eating Disorder in Midlife.” It was so fabulous to learn…

Fashion & self-care are a winning combo. You too can be a style icon if you start with a pop of color. Today we welcome Tiffany Giannato or Tiffy G. to the podcast. Tiffany is a fashionista by all definitions of the word. She is also a Mom, special education teacher, stylist, blogger, columnist, and…

You heard about Pluto? That’s messed up, right? Join Dr. MC and astrologer, coach, and medium, Kim Bizjak on the podcast to discuss the Pluto Return and what that means for 2022 as well as what it is like to dramatically change your life and live “life off the deep end” on a boat sailing…

In honor of my birthday, we decided to release a bonus audio clip of my conversation with the fabulous Loni Paul. We briefly discuss Traditional Chinese Medicine, the meridians, and more. Be sure to check out the full episode conversation which is packed with amazing tips.

What if I told you that you need more stillness in your life? And that you can carve out the life you want to lead? This and more on a podcast today with yoga, meditation, and jewelry designer extraordinaire, Loni Paul. This was a great conversation with Loni, and we covered a lot of ground…

Lorrine shares her inspiring story of self-love. In her debut book, Freeing Your Heart for Love, Lorrine is raw, vulnerable, relatable, and more. She is on a mission to help others share their story and practice self-love. And you can’t have self-love without self-care. What a great episode to release the week of Valentine’s day.…

Dr. MC is thrilled to welcome Joseph Corella of 567 Broadway to the podcast today where they discuss Joseph’s creation of 567 Broadway, the healing power of dance, leading with the heart, inclusivity, his viral TikTok videos and so much more. It is no secret, that Dr. MC loves dancing and is ways recommending 5-minute dance parties. Be sure to listen to this episode and learn more. Oh & this episode includes some bonus audio at the end. Enjoy! As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you’d like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: 567 Broadway 567 Broadway DVD 567 Broadway DVD & Star Kit Dance competition TikTok reel example (hard to pick a fave) EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

This episode is such a great conversation with the fabulous Dr. Mitch Abblett. I always learn so much from Mitch. Today we discuss his latest book Prizeworthy and the importance of making the mindset shift from praising to prizing. This is important for parents, educators, and anyone working with children to understand. We also chat about developing a self-care routine, mindfulness, tips for parenting, hydration, Bruce Lee, and much more. Be sure to check it out. As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you'd like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: Mitch's website Prizeworthy Book Gallon Jug for Water with Motivational Prompts Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset Book Growing Mindful Deck New Ninja Deck EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

We are back with Season 2 kicking off a New Year! Has COVID made you rethink your career? Are you considering changing jobs? Have you been evaluating your job and how they view employee wellness? This episode has got you covered. Dr. MC and her friend Andrea Jolly (The Jolly Recruiter) discuss the importance of self-care in the job search process for both employers and employees. Andrea is a recruitment leader with nearly a decade of experience in the field of talent acquisition, assessment, and development, working directly with many Fortune 500 companies. She is fully versed in the full lifecycle recruitment process and working with clients, hiring managers, and key stakeholders at all levels. Andrea loves to help people on their career journeys, especially when it comes to resume building, ways to network effectively, and practicing self-care during all phases of a job search. Employee wellness is a hot-button topic these days and employers should pay attention to this. Andrea offers fabulous tips for both job seekers and hiring managers. As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you’d like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: The Jolly Recruiter on Instagram and Facebook Julie podcast episode: Self-Care is a Choice Well-Ville for Employees welln

Dr. MC reflects on 2021 as we approach a new year. In this brief wrap-up, she emphasizes the importance of setting intentions as opposed to New Year’s Resolutions. No more resolutions! So as we look towards the new year, think about how you want to feel in the new year. Set your intentions and take action! EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Today’s episode is a conversation with Amie Sica. Amie shares some of the trials and tribulations of being a parent to two young kiddos and stresses the importance of advocating for yourself in the medical arena. They also discuss the transformative process of putting your needs first by practicing really good, foundational self-care and that is always a good idea to strive for compassion over perfection. As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you’d like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: Breathe with me Barbie on Amazon (please note, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases) Bayberry Blue Co. on Facebook Episode Transcript:

Today's episode is a conversation with Julie Sochacki where they discuss the importance of determining your non-negotiables and your core values. And remember, you have a choice…to be kind to yourself or not. And to prioritize your health and well-being or not because self-care is a choice. As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you'd like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: Link to Theresa’s episode on Julie’s podcast Core Value Direction Sheet & List of Core Values by Elena Aguilar Onward by Elena Aguilar Cheryl Richardson’s website Cook-Cottone Mindful Self-Care Scale to assess your strengths and weaknesses across the 10 domains of Self-Care. Dr. MC loves this scale and uses it frequently in her workshops. Be sure to reach out to Dr. MC after you take it if you need help developing your routine. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Speaker 1 00:00:28 Welcome to another episode of Dr. MCs self care cabaret podcast. I’m Theresa Melito-Conners a PhD level self care expert in the greater Boston area with a passion for helping others recognize the importance of caring for themselves. Today. We are speaking with Julie Sochacki. Julie is a mother of two boys and a clinical associate professor of English and director of the English secondary education program at the University of Hartford. Julia is an urban educator and has Connecticut credentials as an English language arts teacher, literacy specialist and intermediate administrator. She also holds a Juris doctorate or a J D and is a member of the Connecticut bar in her coaching practice. She meets teachers where they are and moves them forward with wisdom, motivation, and grace. She is passionate about bringing mindfulness into the classroom. She was also an author at faculty focus and a 2021 recipient of the university of Hartford innovations and teaching and learning award. Speaker 1 00:01:39 She is a member of the Connecticut state department of educations, educator preparation advisory council, and she’s also a yoga teacher at and a Reiki master Julie’s work aligns very much with my passions, a fellow PhD classmate connected us a few years back as she recognized the overlap in our work. The first podcast guest experience Dr. MC ever made was on Julie’s the resilient teacher podcast. How exciting that I can now have her as a guest on mine, full circle, as they say, I am excited to learn from Julie about the important work she is doing. I know she has some fabulous tips for us and here’s our conversation Speaker 1 00:02:29 Well, thanks Julie, for joining us here today on the Dr. MC self care cabaret podcast, I’m delighted to chat with you. I’m so happy to Speaker 2 00:02:37 Be here. Thanks for Spea

Today's episode is a conversation with Rachel Bertone. Rachel shares the importance of choosing joy every day and how that can be a powerful mindset to start your day. She & Dr. MC also discuss what it means to develop your emotional technique and to see help when needed. As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you'd like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: Rachel’s Website  Link to The Artist Way The Secret – also a Netflix documentary EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Speaker 1 00:00:26 Welcome to another podcast episode of Dr. MCs self care cabaret. I’m Theresa Melito-Conners, a PhD level self care expert in the greater Boston area with a passion for helping others take control of their health and wellbeing to find their spotlight. Today’s episode is a conversation with Rachel Bertone. Rachel Bertone is an award-winning director, choreographer and professor of theater and dance. She has staged more than 50 musicals and has garnered an international student base credits include award-winning productions of cabaret in the Heights, carousel, the wild party, gypsy kiss of the spider woman, Billy Elliot, little shop of horrors showboat hair, west side story. My fair lady and guys, and dolls. Just the name of you. She recently directed a digital piece of theater for Kate Kerrigan and Brian Lauder milks, musical of the mad ones. Upcoming Rachel will choreograph van Gogh, a new musical, which she helped co conceive, and she is choreographing little black book, an original pop rock musical about the life and times of Heidi Fleiss. She has served as a faculty member at Boston conservatory at Berkeley American repertory theater Institute at Harvard university, Emerson college and long island university. I met Rachel years ago as we grew up dancing and performing together and we stayed in touch over the years. I have taken Rachel’s musical theater dance classes and have been a big fan of her work. It has been amazing watching her career unfold. I am thrilled. She is here with us to chat today. Speaker 1 00:02:20 Welcome Rachel to the Dr. MC self care cabaret podcast. I’m so excited to connect with you and have you here with me today. Speaker 2 00:02:28 I’m so excited to be here. Speaker 1 00:02:30 And I think, um, Rachel and I, oh gosh, I don’t know. We were little when we met inside of dancing together, maybe elementary school, Speaker 2 00:02:39 Elementary school sounds correct. Yeah, it was maybe like fifth or sixth grade. Speaker 1 00:02:47 Yeah. So late elementary school, maybe I might’ve already been in middle school, but anyway, a long time and I’ve been watching Rachel grow into a phenomenal, uh, performing artist and dancer choreographer over the years. And it’s been awesome to watch this unfold. So I’m excited to chat with you. So we’re going to dive right in question one, you work as a full-time, award-winning performing artist, director, choreographer, professor, and more, and I’m wondering how you balance everything and find time for self-care along the way. Speaker 2 00:03:19 Woo. Always self care. You know, I’m going to

Today's episode is a conversation with Samantha Selig. Sam just published her first book, which Dr. MC wrote the forward to her book. Sam and Dr. MC chat about life and dish out some fabulous life lessons and words of wisdom. As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you'd like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: “She is Sparkling: A Collection of Selections” Sam’s website Flourish By Dr. Martin Seligman The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin Dr. MC and her collaboration with Nike EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:  Speaker 1 00:00:28 Welcome to another episode of Dr. MCs self-care cabaret podcast. I’m Theresa Melito-Conners, a PhD level self-care expert in the greater Boston area with a passion for helping others recognize the importance of caring for themselves. Today’s episode is a conversation with my friend, Samantha or Sam Selig. I met Sam several years ago in a Zumba class. I knew immediately. She was someone I wanted to be friends with her smile, lights up a room. Her energy is infectious, and she’s a good person. We clicked immediately. The first thing she ever said to me was something along the lines of, Hey, you’re a really good dancer, and I hope you don’t mind that I’m going to stand right behind you and stare at you because it’s easier for me to follow along that way, as opposed to watching the teacher I chuckled. But of course, in any future classes together, I made sure to be clear in my movement and exaggerate where I could. Speaker 1 00:01:22 So my new friend could watch from there, the friendship blossomed. When she announced earlier this year, she was writing her first book. I jumped at the chance to be one of her beta readers and write her forward Sam’s book. She is sparkling a collection of selections volume. One short stories about love loss and life is due out later this year. And I cannot wait for folks to read it. The story she shares in the book contain real life lessons, raw emotion, courage, vulnerability from the person who lived them. She touches upon many universal human struggles in a relatable way, such as grief loss, death failure, body image concerns, weight issues, career changes. Cross-country moves, big dreams, friends, family, and more, all the things that make us human. I am delighted to have Sam with us today on the podcast. Speaker 1 00:02:28 Welcome, Sam. I’m so excited to have you here on the podcast. Thanks for joining me. Speaker 2 00:02:32 I Theresa, thank you for having me.

Today's episode is a conversation with Jane Hardin, former Simmons University Professor of Practice and current educational consultant for Ribas Associates, co-authoring two books on Social Emotional Learning. She and Dr. MC discuss the ins and outs of self-care and how it aligns with social and emotional health/well-being. Additionally, they chat about trauma, resilience, and how self-care plays a big factor in healing from trauma. As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you'd like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: A viral video about company coming over Jane's Books – Social-Emotional Learning in the Home Social-Emotional Learning in the Classroom Dr. Gabor Mate- The Wisdom of Trauma Trauma brain vs. normal brain differences  ACE Pyramid  Dr. MC muffin recipe  Dr. MC blog post about the intersection of trauma, resilience, and self-care ***** Dr. MC has workshops on topics related to trauma including creating trauma-sensitive classrooms and examining the intersection of trauma, resilience, and self-care. If you are looking to book Dr. MC for an event, please fill out the request form.  Simone Biles Ribas Associates Website   Episode Transcript Speaker 1 00:00:26 Welcome to another episode of Dr. MCs self care cabaret podcast. I’m Theresa Melito-Conners a PhD level self care expert in the greater Boston area with a passion, helping others find their spotlight and put their health and wellbeing on center stage today’s episode is a conversation with my dear friend and mentor Jane Hardin. Jane is a former Simmons university professor of practice and current educational consultant for Rebus associates. She is the co-author of two books on social, emotional learning, one that focuses on the classroom. And a second that focuses on the home. Jane has a wealth of information and expertise in many areas, such as education, social, emotional learning, trauma, informed pedagogy, and more. She

Today’s episode is a conversation with Kelly LaVita, an avid fitness guru with a passion for lifting others up! She and Dr. MC chat about the power of mindsets and language. Be careful of saying things like, “I should…” as it tends to make us feel unworthy and that our efforts are not enough. It is very important to examine our mindset and how we talk to ourselves and about ourselves. As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you’d like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: – Kelli LaVita Website – Dr. MC blog on LaVita Tees – Dr. MC blog on gratitude EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:

Today's episode is a conversation with Sheree Dunwell. She is an award-winning vocalist originally from Lynn, MA. After earning a BFA in opera performance from Carnegie Mellon University, she returned to New England where she has been performing as a professional vocalist ever since. The second installment in our series with “The Investments” girl squad. She and Dr. MC discuss being overachievers while still needing genuine authentic self-care. Finding time for rest, taking breaks, and trying not to do it all. And most importantly, Sheree dishes out some great advice on dealing with toxic people and to NOT feed the trolls. We also hear about her time onset with Patti Lupone and even self-care when wedding planning! As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you'd like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: Sheree Marcelle page The Whitney Tribute Show in Ptown Video of her Aria Dr. MC Wedding Blog  Link to The Comedian Movie  Series of memes by Lainey Molhar EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Speaker 0 00:00:27 Welcome to another episode of Dr. MCs self care cabaret podcast. I’m Theresa Melito-Conners a PhD level self care expert in the greater Boston area with a passion for helping others recognize the importance of caring for themselves. Today’s episode is a conversation with my friend, Sherry Dunwell Sheree is an award-winning vocalist originally from Lynn Massachusetts, after earning a BFA in opera performance from Carnegie Mellon university, she returned to new England where she has been performing as a professional vocalist ever since. In 2015, she was named grand champion of WC VBS community auditions hosted by Billy Costa. In 2016, she played a featured singing role in the film, the comedian starring Robert DeNiro, Danny DeVito, and Patti LuPone. I first met Sheree many years ago as we would frequent the same fitness classes. And if you happen to listen to the episode where I interviewed my friend Carina bell tree, and we chatted about our friend group, the Carina dubbed the investments. Speaker 0 00:01:35 Well, Sherry is a part of that group as well. She is smart, friendly, and talented. I remember seeing a lot of myself and Sherry when we first met. And although we have had different lived experiences, there’s a lot of common ground in our lives and shared interests. Later, we started taking ballroom dancing lessons at a local studio and ended up performing together. And it was a blast. Sherry is one of those friends that no matter how much time has passed, we jumped right back into our friendship seamlessly. I am delighted to have her here with us today and talk about self care. Speaker 0 00:02:19 So thanks so much for joining us Sheree today here on the Dr. MC self care cabaret podcast. Speaker 2 00:02:26 I’m so excited. Thanks so Speaker 3 00:02:28 Much for having me. I’m really excited to be here. Speaker 0 00:02:31 Yeah. I’m excited to ask you these questions. We’ve got a handful of questions I came up with. We’re going to cover a variety of topics, but first and foremost, as a performer vocalist dancer, and more, how do you like to practice self-care? Speaker 3 00:02:47 So, you know, I think my answer to that has evolved over t

Today's episode is a conversation with Dr. Jackie Boivin. She is an Assistant Professor of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, MA. A former elementary school teacher who uses her past experience in the field to contextualize her instruction in teacher preparation. These two dynamic Dr.’s were in the same cohort for their doctoral studies and have been fast friends ever since. Their conversation discusses the critical need for self-care in all areas of life (even when planning a wedding). Movement breaks, hydration, and most importantly, the Power of saying No to toxic people are several tools discussed in this episode. As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you'd like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: Mindful Self-Care for Earlier Schooling: How Self-Care May Help Students Have the Emotional Competencies to Face Transitions at Younger Age Strategies and Methods for Implementing Trauma-Informed Pedagogy Exploring the Role of the School Principal in Predominantly White Middle Schools: School Leadership to Promote Multicultural Understanding (Routledge Research in Educational Leadership) Dr. MC’s Wedding Blog Post EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Speaker 0 00:00:25 Welcome to another podcast episode of Dr. MCs self care cavalry. I’m Theresa Melito-Conners, a PhD level self-care expert in the greater Boston area with a passion for helping others find their spotlight and recognize the importance of caring for themselves. Today’s episode is a conversation with my PhD partner in crime, Dr. Jackie Bowman, Jackie and I embarked on the PhD journey in 2016 together and developed an unstoppable bond. We supported each other through the dissertation process, which can be quite challenging to navigate, but having each other definitely helped us both. We managed to finish and successfully defend our dissertations during the summer of 2019, since then it has been nonstop for us. We have coauthored one published chapter in an educational handbook and another one in the editing phase. But Jackie has been up to a lot on her own as well. Dr. Jackie Bowman is an assistant professor of elementary and early childhood education at Bridgewater state university. Speaker 0 00:01:33 She is a former elementary school teacher who uses her past experience in the field to contextualize her instruction in teacher preparation, Dr. Bowman’s research specialization is in multicultural education and anti-racist pedagogy. She is the author of the book exploring the role of the school principal in predominantly white middle schools, school leadership to promote multicultural understanding. She teaches a math methods course to elementary teacher candidates at Bridgewater state. She integrates her knowledge of project based place based education to her multidisciplinary approach, to fostering conceptual understanding of mathematics. She also teaches a course titled deconstructing racism, yourself, your world, your schools, in which students explore their unconscious biases and how these impact the world around them contributing to systemic racism like modern day racial segregation of public education. Her largest passion is authentically connecting academics with social justice. I am honored to call Jackie my friend and call me Spe

Today’s episode is a conversation with Dr. MC’s amazing cousin, Allison Derrico. As if that wasn’t enough of a reason to listen she joins us with a wealth of experience as an Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Yoga & Meditation teacher. As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you’d like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: Allison’s Website on Back Bay Yoga Dr MC blog post on ayurveda Banyan Botanicals Dosha assessment quiz You can learn more about Dr. MC and this podcast on her website: https://drmcselfcare.com/podcast-home/ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Speaker 0 00:00:27 Well, welcome to another episode of Dr. MCs self care cabaret podcast. I’m Theresa Melito-Conners a PhD level self care expert in the greater Boston area with a passion for helping others recognize the importance of caring for themselves. Today’s guest is a member of my family, my cousin, Alison Derrico. Alison is an ayurvedic health counselor, a yoga and meditation teacher. In addition to being a wife and dog, mom Xtrordinair. The story goes that when my mom and dad went to the hospital and held Alison shortly after she made her appearance into the world, my mom thought to herself, wow, I want one. Well, I was born about nine months later, almost to the day. I will let you connect the dots of what happened when my parents left the hospital that sunny June day. But as a result, I have an older cousin whom I am very close to and have shared many adventures with. I admire Allison’s free spirit and openness to the universe. Speaker 0 00:01:36 I remember when Alison was going to become a yoga teacher. It was not as trendy then. And I was not as familiar with it and its benefits, but we have both been interested in self care and non traditional healing methods for quite some time. Alison has been an entrepreneur for years and she was one of the first people I told when I was launching Dr. MCs self care cabaret. I have to say for those, who’ve taken a workshop with me since COVID, you have likely heard me raving about my cousin and her private yoga classes that she has been hosting for my mother and I, well, this is that cousin, and I’m so excited to have her here with us today. Allison teaches group and private yoga classes and offers our Vedic health consult too. I am delighted to share our plans conversation with you. Let’s get started. So first question, tell me a little bit about how you became a yoga and meditation teacher and, and are you Vedic health counselor? Because that’s fascinating. Speaker 1 00:02:41 All right. So yo, I’ll start with yoga teaching because that came first. Um, I had been practicing yoga probably for about five years at a studio just outside Boston. It no longer exists, but it was Pronto power yoga. It was a Vinyasa, um, style yoga. And so when the teacher training came around, I kind of felt like it was something I always was curious about. Um, so in 2012 I did my 200 hour training at prom and that was in Cambridge. Um, and then from there I kind of dove right in and just started teaching classes and for yoga, for why I was practicing yoga, I guess, to get into that a little bit more. Um, it was something t

Today’s episode is with one Karina Beltre. A Wife, Mother, Model, Radio Host of a Rhythm Lifestyle, she and Dr. MC go way back to their days rockin’ the front row of Zumba classes together, and together they discuss their self-care needs, life as married women, and reminiscing on their old “gurl” squad: “the Investments.” As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you'd like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: Dr MC Blog: Guest appearance on Karina’s Radio Show Karina’s website You can learn more about Dr. MC and this podcast on her website: https://drmcselfcare.com/podcast-home/ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Speaker 0 00:00:27 Well, welcome to another episode of Dr. MCs self-care cabaret podcast. I am Theresa Melito-Conners, a PhD level self-care expert in the greater Boston area who loves to help others take control of their health and wellbeing. Sometimes you meet people in life with whom you just click. Today’s episode is a conversation with just such a person. My friend, Carina bell tree. We met several years ago when we would rock of the front row during Zoomba classes. And we became instant friends. Corrina’s no BS, attitude and style are so refreshing. Although she no longer lives in Massachusetts, we remain in contact despite any geographical or scheduling challenges back in the day when Corina and I were showing up for Zoomba, we bonded with a few other special ladies attending these classes, calling ourselves the investments. I believe Karena herself came up with that name because some people are just worth investing your time and energy into Corina is a wife, mother of two beautiful children, a model. And recently she began hosting her radio show called a rhythm lifestyle. I am thrilled. The Corina was visiting Boston recently, and we were able to see each other and catch up. This is my conversation with her and I hope you win. Speaker 0 00:02:04 So let’s, let’s get started. Okay. Speaker 1 00:02:07 Tell me a little bit about your self-care practices and how you like to practice them. Speaker 2 00:02:12 So for me, self care has a lot of things and it’ll definitely depend on my mood. So self-care could be reading a book, right? Just disconnecting. It could be a Netflix type of day, which doesn’t happen often. Right? Um, I even self-indulgent YouTube makeup videos. Nice. Right? Because you know how I like to do my makeup, right? Your makeup is gorgeous. I will self indulge and make up videos. Um, one of the things I also love to do as I write a letter to God, nice. I write to God a lot. And I have notebooks like lingering in my bedroom everywhere, sticky notes. Because sometimes when I’m feeling, you know, despair stressed, I feel like I have to run it down. So self care there. Now, one of the things that I started doing, and this was a long time ago before I had my gastric bypass, my doctor said, what do you, what do you want to do to make you feel beautiful? Speaker 2 00:03:17 So at the time I didn’t have a lot of money. So I started with skincare, right. Taking care of myself. So what I would do is take my time with my skincare, with my moisturizer and all that stuff. Now it’s a little bougie now I’m going to say so by the time I get up, I think I last more moisturizing than I do in the shower, because it is the only thing that I

Today’s episode is a conversation with Jeffrey Benson. As internally known author (and having worked over forty years as a teacher, mentor, and administrator) he’s had the good fortune of working with wonderful people on school reform, conflict resolution, learning theory, trauma, addiction, advisory programs, math education, staff development, leadership training, and curriculum development. Together, he and Dr. MC discuss their self-care routines, the benefits of rest, the current climate of education in a post-Covid world and so much more! As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you’d like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: Jeffrey Benson’s website ASCD website Personal Best Article by Atul Gawande You can learn more about Dr. MC and this podcast on her website: https://drmcselfcare.com/podcast-home/ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Speaker 0 00:00:26 Welcome to another episode of Dr. MCs self care cabaret podcast. I’m Theresa Melito-Conners a PhD level self-care expert in the greater Boston area with a passion for helping others recognize the importance of caring for themselves. Today’s episode is a conversation with Jeffrey Benson. Jeffrey is an internationally known author and has worked for over 40 years as a teacher mentor and administrator. He’s had the good fortune of working with wonderful people on school reform, conflict resolution, learning theory, trauma addiction, advisory programs, math, education, staff development, leadership training, and curriculum development. He now coaches, principals and teachers writes about education, speaks at conferences, all in an effort to upload what he has learned in hopes others can make good use of it. His work focuses on schools being more successful to more students, always rooted in the understanding of how people learn, what should be the starting point for all we do in schools. Speaker 0 00:01:29 I first met Jeffrey back in 2011, fresh out of grad school round one, when I was hired to be the guidance coordinator at a therapeutic high school in Massachusetts folks who have attended my trainings on creating a trauma sensitive school have likely heard me reflect on this experience for many reasons. Jeffrey was the director of education at the school when I was hired. And I learned so much from working with him. Our paths crossed once again, in my next role, as I hired Jeffrey many times to present to a large conference of special education professionals that I used to put together for a statewide trade association in Massachusetts Jeffrey’s workshops, always received rave reviews from his attendees. Jeffrey has so much information to share, and I’m delighted. He’s here with us today. Speaker 0 00:02:21 Thank you so much, Jeffrey for joining us here today on the Dr. MC self care cabaret podcast. We’re going to jump right in here with, um, question one. I know you’ve written on the topic of sel

Today’s episode is a conversation with Amber McMahon, a Reiki Master, intuitive energy healer, spiritual guidance Coach, spiritual medium, and licensed therapist.  Together she and Dr. MC discuss their self-care routines, the benefits of Reiki, therapy, setting boundaries, and much more! As always we love to hear from our listeners! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you'd like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: Dr. MC blog post on Reiki Amber’s Website You can learn more about Dr. MC and this podcast on her website: https://drmcselfcare.com/podcast-home/ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT  Speaker 1 00:00:37 Welcome to another episode of Dr. MCs self care cabaret podcast. I’m your host Theresa Melito-Conners a PhD level self-care expert in the greater Boston area with a passion for helping others recognize the importance. . Speaker 1 00:00:59 Amber is a Reiki master Reiki, master teacher, spiritual energy healer, spiritual, medium intuitive spiritual coach, and licensed therapist in Arlington, Massachusetts. We met about 10 years ago when I was the guidance coordinator at a therapeutic high school. And Amber worked in a similar setting. I set out to create a job alike group for counselors working with similar populations of students. And Amber was part of this endeavor. We clicked immediately. However, we lost touch for a bit after Amber left that position until I was choreographing a production of the musical legally blonde. I was chatting one day with a woman who owned the dog who was cast to play bruiser. She asked me what I did for work, and I told her she remarked that it sounded like the work her niece did. She then told me that I reminded her of her niece. Out of curiosity, I asked, what is your niece’s name? Speaker 1 00:02:01 Never in a million years? Did I think I would know her niece, but guess what I did and it was Amber, I nearly fell over. That was the spark we needed to reconnect, cut to present day where I have been seeing Amber for regular Reiki appointments for about five years. And I love it. I often credit never sacrificing sleep and never skipping my Reiki appointments as one of the ways I got through the doctoral program that, and the support of my husband and mom. But back to Amber, she is such a remarkable woman and someone I am grateful to have in my life, Amber, his passion is supporting, guiding and empowering others to ignite that bright light within their journey of self-awareness self-mastery self discovery and healing. Amber has found that combining all of her healing modalities using Reiki as her foundation has been the most effective approach to healing and wellness. I am so excited for you to hear my conversation with you. Cross that bridge when we’re not recording, but yeah, no, that makes sense. And we can just dive right in. Speaker 2 00:03:21 All right, go. Let’s go. Speaker 1 00:03:24 All right. Welcome Amber to the Dr. MC self care cabaret podcast. Thank you so much for joining me here today. For this episode, I want to get

Today’s episode is a conversation with Tristyn Sepersky, a Boston-based performer and personal friend. Together she and Dr. MC discuss their self-care routines, the benefits of having various interests, Michael Sheen and much more! And as always we’d love to hear from you! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you'd like to hear about on future episodes. Additional Resources: Dr. MC blog post on sleep Kate Winslet story on Calm Arnold Schwarzenegger photo You can learn more about Dr. MC and this podcast on her website: https://drmcselfcare.com/podcast-home/ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Speaker 1 00:00:27 Welcome to the inaugural episode of Dr. self care cabaret podcast. I’m Theresa Melito-Conners a PhD level self care expert in the greater Boston area with a passion for helping others recognize the importance of caring for themselves. This is a brand new podcast where we will dive deep into the true meaning of self-care dismantling the stereotypes and the societal ideals that make us feel that self-care is selfish and a luxury reserved for those who can afford such things. The time is now to stop the cycle of deprivation. Let go of the idea of perfection and step into the world of genuine self care. I will teach you sustainable realistic cost accessible, effective, and efficient ways to attend to your mental, emotional, and physical needs. I am so excited to take this journey with you. Today’s episode is a conversation with Tristen. a Boston-based performer and personal trainer currently working as a patient coordinator for an orthodontics office, but more importantly, a dear friend, Tristan and I met 10 years ago when I was choreographing and award-winning production of the musical hair, where she was a member of the cast. Speaker 1 00:01:49 I immediately recognized her spirit and fearless attitude and asked her to be my dance captain for the show. Typically a dance captain is someone who is not only a skilled dancer, but is able to help others learn the choreography and run dance rehearsals in the choreographers absence, basically the choreographers right-hand man Tristan and I later went on to work on several shows together for both children and adults. I am delighted to chat with her today. She brings a unique perspective to talking about self-care great. So we’re going to go right in, so I’ll wait for you to finish your, putting your hair in a ponytail. She is now ready for her clothes for my voice up welcome Triston to Dr. MC self-care cabaret podcast. Speaker 2 00:02:47 Thank you. Thank you for having me. Speaker 1 00:02:49 So let’s just dive right in. So first question, can you tell me a little bit about your self-care routine? Speaker 2 00:02:57 My self-care can look like a lot of different things depending on my mood. Sometimes it’s like, I need to like flick off my brain and then I’l

A new self-care podcast has entered the scene and we’re so excited to share this with you! This will be a bi-weekly endeavor where Dr. MC will have conversations with guests ranging from the world of education, spiritual healing, nutrition & wellness, as well as friends she’s made along the way! The first 3 episodes will be available on Weds July 21st, and future episodes to be released every other week. When listening to this podcast on your preferred player, it is important to like, rate, and subscribe! Also, we’d love to hear from you! Reach out to podcast@drmcselfcare.com with any questions or topics you’d like to hear about on a future episode! You can learn more about Dr. MC and this podcast on her website: https://drmcselfcare.com/podcast-home/ EPISODE TRANSCRIPT  Speaker 0 00:00:01 Let’s face it. We all Speaker 1 00:00:04 Experienced stress and challenges in our lives. There is no easy fix or miracle cure for this, but I can tell you that by taking care of ourselves and by that, I mean, true, authentic self care. You can manage this in productive ways to take your power back, putting your health and wellbeing on center stage. I’m Theresa Melito-Conners founder of Dr. MCs. Self-care cabaret. I’m a PhD level self-care expert in the greater Boston area with a passion for helping others recognize the importance of caring for themselves. It is time to find your spotlight. This is a brand new podcast. I am starting. That will be our space to talk about health well-being and how to manage what life throws at us. We will examine all aspects of self care and we’ll cover topics such as learning to love your body, making peace with food, exercising in ways that are joyful, fostering, fulfilling relationships, resting, developing more. Self-compassion how to Sue ourselves and be more mindful, attracting abundance intention setting, and so much Speaker 0 00:01:22 More. We will dive deep Speaker 1 00:01:25 Into the true meaning of self-care dismantling the stereotypes and the societal ideals that make us feel that self-care is selfish and a luxury reserved for those who can afford such things. The time is now to stop the cycle of deprivation. Let go of the idea of perfection and step into the world of genuine self care. I will teach you sustainable realistic cost, accessible, effective, and efficient ways to attend to your mental, emotional, and physical needs. We’ll have guests from all walks of life, joining us on this adventure. And of course I want to hear from my cabaret followers as well. What questions do you have pertaining to self care and wellbeing? Self-care is more than a bath bomb and a smile. It is the daily consistent, foundational way you take care of yourself so you can show up as the best you possible. And with that, welcome to Dr. MCs self care cabaret podcast. And we’ll see you soon for bi-weekly episodes with the doc Speaker 2 00:02:36 To help you on this journey. Make time for yourself. Now your future self will. Thank you. Thank you.