Life in HD

Pulizter Prize winning author, David Zucchino, discusses his book Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy. It's the true account of the overthrow of the elected government of a Black-majority Wilmington, NC after Reconstruction and the city's failed attempts to heal and reconcile.

Masculinity is learned and reinforced behavior and traits.  What does it mean to be "man enough" in contemporary society?  How does popular culture reinforce what it means to be a man?  Is our idea of masculinity still relevant in a changing world? Actor Justin Baldoni decided that living up to our society's idea of masculinity prevented him from reaching his full potential as a human being.  He joined me on this episode of Life in HD to talk about his book, MAN ENOUGH: UNDEFINING MY MASCULINITY. He wrote this book for readers who may find themselves in some of his stories, for men who are hurting and need to be reassured that they are not alone, that there is help, connection, and joy.

This is an incredible story of one woman's quest to find the truth about the identity of her biological father.  It is journey that is full of hurt, regret, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

The 4th story in the DNA series deals with belonging.  A young woman overcomes the adoption barrier blocking her path to deeper understanding of her complete cultural background and discovers a cultural identity that makes her feel whole.  Enjoy Rachel's DNA story.

Charles had an interest in learning more about his Irish heritage.  What he discovered was a first cousin he didn't know he had and a family history that added new context for his existing relationship.

The DNA stories continue with Kalia's Journey.  What started out as a test to assist with research on Crohn's disease turned into a spiritual journey to connect with her ancestors and a trip across the Atlantic ocean to visit the birth land of her forefathers and mothers.

DNA testing growing more and more popular as interest in genealogy increases.  Along the way, people are discovering things about themselves, their families, and heritage that challenge how they view themselves in the world.  This 4-part series features people sharing their discoveries in their own words.  The series starts with my own story.

The beginning of 2021 offers us an opportunity to reflect on the year that passed.  For many, 2020 was a year of loss.  Loss of jobs, loss of freedom to move about, and loss of friends and loved ones.  Dealing with loss provides a moment of reflection on the importance of life itself. Life in HD, the personal development show, kicks off 2021 with an episode that teaches us the importance of embracing life even when someone we love is passing.  Author and Rabbi Steve Leder share important lessons outlined in his book The Beauty of What Remains: How Our Greatest Fear Becomes Our Greatest Gift. In it he uses personal reflections and heart-warming stories to bring the reader into a conversation about what is important and urges us to live more meaningful, more beautiful lives that are less anxious and less frenetic. This book is a reminder of what truly matters especially in this uncertain time.

We could all use a little wisdom in our lives right now.  But what does it mean to be wise and apply it to everyday life?  This episode of the personal development show explores using wisdom to help us transform how we approach a variety of life's problems.  We welcome back to the show personal development expert and best selling author Gary John Bishop to talk about his new book Wise As...

An alarming number of today's kids leave home without knowing certain basic life skills. From how to calculate a tip to the importance of writing a thank-you note, their are things that our kids will need to know in order to move through the world with a certain amount of confidence and grace.  Catherine Newman's humorous book How To Be a Person: 65 Hugely Useful, Super-Important Skills to Learn Before You're Grown Up helps guide us through a ton of useful life skills.  We speak with her about the book and get a better understanding of the challenges of helping our kids transition to personhood.

Dr Michelle Braun, author of High-Octane Brain: 5 Science-Based Steps to Sharpen Your Memory & Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer's, shares tips on improving your memory and cognitive ability.

Four months into Covid-19 self-isolation and social distancing impacts, health and wellness coach Elizabeth Sherman shares tips on self-care and stress management as we cope with our post-pandemic lifestyles.

Language Advisory You are the only person standing in the way of what you want to achieve.  Personal development expert Gary John Bishop says that your success in anything can be measured by how successful you are when you are least motivated. In his audio book Ask Gary F'ing Anything, Gary says that you must develop a no-bullshit relationship between you and what you said you were going to do in order to eliminate constant patterns of self-sabotaging.  His "urban philosophy" approach represents a new wave of personal empowerment and life mastery that has helped thousand achieve results in the quality and performance of their lives.  I hope you enjoy our conversation.

In this episode of Life in HD, the personal development podcast, we explore how everyday activities like walking or working out can be a way for you to make more meaningful connections to self, others, and the world around us.  Author Casper Ter Kuile talks to us about his new book, The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities Into Soulful Practices.  He explains that these rituals can help us heal our increasing crisis of isolation and help us feel more connected.

Despite what we read in greeting cards, dad's are far from perfect. Fathers should strive to be better parents and grow from our mistakes.  In this episode of the personal growth podcast, I reflect on my relationship with my daughters and my own father.  They provide insight to help me be a better dad and a better son.

Being confined to home has its advantages.  We can isolate ourselves from the dangerous novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19; we are discovering new methods of work productivity; and it's creating new opportunities to strengthen relationships with friends and family. But on the downside, being confined to home can lead to a sedentary life style.  Our movements are restricted, we aren't burning the calories that we would under normal circumstances, and we have access to food and snacks all day long.  So how can we stay fit when we are forced to practice social distancing?  This episode of Life In HD (part 3 of our COVID-19 series) tells you how to incorporate exercise routines (without the use of fancy gym equipment) into your daily life to stay fit and healthy while you are confined to home. Joining me today is Elizabeth Sherman, owner of Total Health by Elizabeth. She is a certified health coach, personal trainer, and certified nutritionist.  You can find more information on Elizabeth at www.elizabethsherman.com

It's human to feel stress, especially when our day-to-day lives don't look of feel the same as they used to.  Sometimes stress can lead us to respond in unhelpful ways - like turning to food or alcohol for comfort.  And with Covid-19, stress and anxiety go hand-in-hand.  So how do we manage it all?  For starters, everyone needs to look after one's own basic needs to stay mentally healthy in a stressful time. To help us explore ways to manage stress and practice self-care we turned to Licensed Professional Counselor Katherine Jansen-Byrkit, author of the book River to Ocean: Living in the Flow of Wakefulness. Her book reflects the human voyage of finding your way to an awakened self.

You've been ordered to shelter in place. But for how long? Days? Weeks? Months? Welcome to Life in HD, the personal development podcast that shines a spotlight on how we live our lives. I'm Joe Lee.   So you've followed the herd, bum-rushed the grocery story, gobbled up all the toilet paper, food and snacks that you could get your hands on in preparation for the long haul. My guess is, you didn't have time to thoughtfully plan out your meals, right? Not that the other shoppers in the store left you many options. The memes and jokes all over social media show American's concerns with being sedentary for the immediate future, over-eating and mindless munching to help pass the time of day. So we're offering some tips on how to survive the COVID19 shelter in place dilemma and come out on the other side healthy, happy, and ready to resume your normal life when things finally get back to normal. On this episode, it's all about making food choices that are good for you. My guest today is Sophie Egan, the Director of Health and Sustainability Leadership for the Strategic Initiatives Group at the Culinary Institute of America... And author of the book How to be a Conscious Eater: Making Food Choices That Are Good for You, Others, and the Planet.

Ever been in a relationship that hit a dry patch?  One that feels routine and mundane?  No matter how much you love your partner or how wonderful you think your relationship is, things can often get a little boring.  Today's guest on the personal growth podcast, Life in HD, author and filmmaker Boaz Frankel talks about adding a little weirdness to your relationship to rev things up.  Together with his wife Brooke Barker (author of New York Times bestselling book Sad Animal Facts), Boaz writes about the quirky aspects of their relationship and the inspiration for the couple's new book, Let's Be Weird Together.

Has your New Year resolution to lose weight hit a snag already?  Well our next show will explain how you can get back on track...for the rest of your life.  2 of the top 10 resolutions for 2020 include "exercise more" and "lose weight".  Often that goal falls short for thousands of us because the goal (to lose weight) is a short-term goal.  Making a change in lifestyle can not only help you with your short-term weight-loss goal, but also help you live strong and fit well into your 80's by turning back your biological clock. Authors Chris Crowley and Dr Henry Lodge give us the blueprint for living healthier, longer lives in their book Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, Sexy, and Smart Until You're 80 and Beyond.  Chris Crowley speaks with us on this episode about keys to developing healthier habits that can help you live a longer, fit life.

When I reflect on my own experience as a young father helping my kids learn to read, I realize now that I made many mistakes. A lot of those mistakes were made out of shear ignorance. I tried to teach my children by applying pressure to perform well. And I am not a teacher by trade. I didn't understand the necessary activities and building blocks needed to aid in developing cognitive ability and language skills. I made reading time a tense chore rather than an enjoyable discovery. I wish I had this conversation with New York Times children's books editor Maria Russo when my kids were young. Sage advice from our conversation includes "Leave the teaching to teachers. Your job as a parent is to help your children discover the joy of reading." I hope you enjoy this conversation about the book How to Raise a Reader with Maria Russo. Music bed in this episode is Happy Ending by Scott Holmes under Creative Commons non-commercial use license.

On this episode of Life in HD the the personal growth podcast, we discuss ways to deal with stress and overcome trauma.  When we think of trauma, we tend to contextualize it with major traumatic events like the death of a loved one or a violent event.  But traumatic events can happen to us on a daily basis and we often fail to recognize when it's impacting us.  Psychotherapist Franchesca Clemente helps us identify when we are experiencing trauma and gives us practical advice on managing it.

To achieve the personal growth that we want, we often need the resources to get what we want out of life.  This episode of Life in HD focuses on things that you can do to advance your career.  Our guest is Angela Lee, VP of Talent Development for a publicly traded, mid-cap manufacturing company.  She reminds us that we are all responsible for our own career advancement and she gives us some practical advice to move forward with out career plans.

In 1968, after several platinum and gold albums, members of the iconic rock group, The Beatles, found themselves spiritually exhausted.  The enjoyed the fame and the riches that came with it, but wondered "what's it all for."  The group sought answers through the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the leader of the Trancendental Meditation Movement.  They visited the Maharishi's ashram in India in 1968 and the experience had a profound impact on their music. I often wondered what the experience was like for the Beatles and thousands of others seeking enlightenment at the time.  To help me understand the meditation movement and the impact that the Maharishi had on the Beatles, I turned to Susan Shumsky, author of Maharishi and Me: Seeking Enlightenment with the Beatles Guru.  Susan was under the tutelage of the Maharishi for 22 years and served on his personal staff for 6.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness means different things to different people.  For some, the choice not to have children is one way of living a fulfilling life.  We learn more about the childfree movement in this conversation with Dr Amy Blackstone, author of Childfree by Choice: The Movement Redefining Family & Creating a New Age of Independence.  Dr Blackstone is a professor in Sociology and the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine where she studies childlessness and the childfree choice.

Overcome by emotions from the loss of her father, pressures from a demanding job, and conflicted emotions over failed relationships, author Natasha Scripture embarked on a journey to answer the question at the center of her anxiety..."What is my purpose?" Natasha's book Man Fast chronicles her journey to self-discovery with brutal honesty, wit, and keen observation, and shares the story of her own spiritual awakening...starting with the decision to fast from dating. This is a good episode for anyone who has been badgered with the question, "when are you going to settle down and get married?"

  It is a heavily researched question and the consensus is…yes, it can. One of the key benefits that money provides is safety and security. Having enough money eliminates anxiety when shopping or making large purchases. Money also affords you memorable life experiences that bring joy and happiness, allows you to help loved ones, and give back to your community. But just how much money do you need to be happy? To answer that question, we narrowed the focus of this conversation to how much money and what kind of experiences do the happiest people in retirement have in common.  Helping me explore this question is Wes Moss, author of the book You Can Retire Sooner Than You Think: The 5 Money Secrets of the Happiest Retirees. Wes is also Chief Investment Strategist at Capital Investment Advisors and host of Money Matters, an investment and personal finance radio show. The research conducted for his book quantifies the financial habits of happy people versus unhappy people.    

Nora McInerny has become a reluctant expert in difficult conversations by bringing empathy and wit to difficult subjects.  She is host of the American Public Media podcast Terrible, Thanks for Asking and founder of the on-line support group the Hot Young Widows Club.  I recently spoke with her about her new memoir No Happy Endings where she describes her exploration of the reality of being changed by loss without being completely defined by it.  Within the span of a few months, Nora lost her husband to brain cancer, miscarried her second child, and saw the passing of her father.  Not long after those tragic events, she found love again in Matthew, her new husband. Nora reminds us that there will be no happy endings in life, but there will be new beginnings.

Researchers find that achieving happiness typically involves times of considerable discomfort and that much of happiness is under our personal control.  Indulging in small pleasures, getting absorbed in challenging activities, achieving goals and maintaining close social bonds can all increase life satisfaction. But what if your life has spun out of control?  When all seems lost, can you find your way to happiness from rock bottom?  Our next guest says, "yes".  After a failed marriage was closely followed by the death of his only brother, David Mauro, who suffered from depression, found himself at rock bottom.  That is until he decided to climb a mountain.  David is the author of The Altitude Journals: A Seven-Year Journey From the Lowest Point in My Life to the Highest Point on Earth.  He tells us how he found his way back to happiness after his journey to rock bottom took him to the top of Mt Everest. Music in this episode is Maree' by Kai Engel under creative commons attribution license.

As we explore happiness and what it means to be truly happy, we keep coming across a repetitive theme…that happiness isn’t something that happens to you. Happiness is something that happens because of you. Behavioral scientists have spent a lot of time studying happiness and we know that happiness can predict health and longevity. So why wouldn’t we want more happy moments in our lives? I think most of us do, but we can often be our own worst enemy. We can sabotage our efforts and desires to live a happier life, often without even realizing it. In this conversation with author and illustrator Sheri D Engler, we learn that emotional baggage can stand in the way of experiencing happier times.  Sheri is the author of The Pearls of Wisdom: A Fairy Tale Guide to Life's Magic Secrets for All Ages.  She shares a few tips on how to unload some of that emotional baggage.

Psychologist say that many people don't give enough to themselves.  Studies show that those who do practice self-care can reap benefits in their mental state, physical health and relationships. In this first episode of a multi-part series on the pursuit of happiness, we chat with Christopher Felton, author of the book Re-Member Yourself: A Healing Journey Through Your Innerverse about whether or not it is OK for us to take care of ourselves before we give to others.  In other words, Is It OK To Be Selfish? It's a great conversation on self-care and self-discovery.

*LANGUAGE ADVISORY* John Kim, known as The Angry Therapist, was forced to face his shortcomings as a man and a human being. After a heart-wrenching divorce, he turned to blogging as a way to explore how to become a better person. He shares his journey and his discoveries in a new book titled “I Used to be a Miserable Fuck: An Every Man’s Guide to a Meaningful Life” He describes, that after some deep soul searching, that he was indeed a miserable man. He considers his journey as a rebirth. I this episode, I discuss with John Kim things that you can do to kick start your own rebirth if you are interest in transforming yourself. In a sense, John Kim is redefining what it means to be a man. In his work, he finds that there are many fatherless young men out there without proper role models to emulate or provide a moral compass. In “I Used to be a Miserable Fuck”, The Angry therapist draws on his own personal experiences as a therapist and a man to help readers, men and women, start some important internal dialogue and think about who you are…and who you want to be.  He says it requires work: reflection, pain, courage, and perhaps a rebirth.  And he offers this book as a guide. For more information on the book and John Kim, visit his website theangrytherapist.com.  We’ll provide a link in our show notes.  The music in this episode is Pumpkin Spice by Audiobinger under creative commons license.  I Hope you'll find this discussion to be of some help on your journey to self-discovery and self-improvement. Thanks for listening.  

Have you visualized your life in retirement?  Where you'll live, how you'll spend your days, how you intend to enjoy life?  Have you considered how much it will cost to maintain even a basic lifestyle? A recent GoBankingRate.com survey revealed that 42% of survey respondents have less than $10,000 saved for retirement, including 13.7% who have zero saved.  If you count yourself among them, you have considerable ground to gain if you want to live a comfortable life in retirement. Continuing our series on change, we'll discuss what you need to do to position yourself for retirement success.  We chat with Vicki Brackens, President and Financial Planner at Brackens Financial Solutions Network and a registered representative of LPL Financial, member SIPC to identify some strategies to help you position yourself for success.  We also address common excuses for why people don't save.  It's an engaging conversation that you don't want to miss.  Take a listen.  Your future self will thank you. Music in this episode is "Pixels" by Drake Stafford under creative commons license.

Is avoiding meat and dairy products the single most efficient way to reduce our environmental impact on the planet?  It's a big question and one that won't be easily answered here.  But logic tells us, based on available data, that reducing demand for meat and dairy products can have a meaningful impact on greenhouse gasses. Americans consume on average over 222 pounds of meat per person per year. From deforestation to water pollution to methane producing livestock, agriculture's carbon footprint is massive. Part to of Change Your Diet, Save The World examines how meat production and big agriculture is affecting our climate.  I'm joined by Robert M. Wilson, Associate Professor of Geography at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, to talk about how adopting a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, or simply reducing your meat consumption can have a positive impact on the planet.  

Are you the kind of person that resists change?  If you want to change your life, you've come to the right podcast because this season of Life in HD is all about life changes both big and small. In part 1 of a 2-part series, we explore how making healthy lifestyle changes can improve your quality of life and...save the planet.  Have you considered how meat production and agriculture impacts the planet?  And how reducing the demand for beef can contribute to reducing the environmental impact on our world?  Part 1 looks at choosing a healthier lifestyle by reducing meat consumption.  We speak with registered dietitian, Ruth Sullivan, on adopting a vegetarian, vegan, or flexitarian lifestyle and the impact it can have on our health. We also talk with a woman who recently reduced her meat intake and how it's working for her. Music in this episode is Ultraviolet by AA Aalto under creative commons license.

Happy New Year! The first half of this season of Life in HD is devoted to change.  It's not always easy.  We live our lives conditioned to do the same things over and over because we are creatures of habit.  After all, familiarity brings comfort.  And yet change, if we are open to it, can bring about some very positive consequences. This episode is devoted to getting rid of clutter.  This isn't about organizing your closet or freeing up counter space.  It's about getting your mind prepared to let it all go. The physical and emotional baggage that weighs us down.  Understanding why we collect and hold on to stuff and how to get our souls in a place where we can let go of it.  This curated conversation is with Courtney Carver, author of Soulful Simplicity: How Living With Less Can Lead to so Much More.  Courtney has an amazing story to tell and she shares it with us today.  It's about freeing up the clutter from the inside out. For more information about Courtney Carver, visit her blog at www.BeMoreWithLess.com The music featured in this episode is "Wireless" by Lee Rosevere under creative commons attribution license. For links and more information on this episode, hit me up at www.joeblee.com

Holidays should be a joyous time of year filled with cheerful music, wonderful food, and gift-giving.  Despite the joyful reason for getting together, some family gatherings end up getting tense and uncomfortable, ending in shouting matches with some crazy relative.  But what if you're the problem?  What if the anger and resentment that you carry around is the cause of the family stress? The good news is that you can control it.  In this episode of Life in HD, I speak with Tom Corner, author of the book Borrowed Eyes and Feet: Finding Enlightenment After Rage.  At one time in his life, Tom was so angry that he began to self-mutilate.  He tells us how he turned things around to live a more peaceful, harmonious life.  During our conversation, Tom reveals some tips on how to prepare yourself for potential family friction. For more information on Tom Corner and his books, visit www.tomcorner.net.  Music in this episode is Ride Out by Audiobinger under Creative Commons License.  Links available at www.joeblee.com

According to a recent report from CNN Money, 56% of married women leave investment and long-term financial planning to their husbands, and 85% of women who defer to their husbands feel that their spouses are more educated on financial matters.  As a result, many women are shocked to learn the true financial picture when major life events like death of a spouse, divorce, or job loss happen.  This episode of Life in HD features a conversation with Kathy Longo, author of Flourish Financially: Values, Transitions, and Big Conversations.  She is also President and founder of Flourish Wealth Management.  She offers advice on how women can and should get more involved in managing their personal finances.  Music featured in this episode is Love Me Forever by Audiobinger under creative commons license.

Episode 2 of our series on health and well being features a conversation with an average middle-aged man who shares his strategy to lose weight and maintain the weight loss through lifestyle change.  Before you commit to a fad diet or join an expensive gym as a part of a 2019 New Year resolution, listen to this conversation with George Kilpatrick for some realistic strategies for your weight loss and fitness goals.

Have you ever had an event in your life impact you in such a way that you are unable to let it go and move on?  In this episode of Life in HD we speak with Dr. Susan Nicholas, author of the book The Duality of Being, about how holding on to painful memories can cause stress in your life and how through a conscious awakening letting go of that pain can allow you to move forward and live an abundant life.

Nearly half of American adults have hypertension and many don't even know it.  Called the "Silent Killer", high blood pressure typically doesn't come with warning signs.  Prescription medication is one way to address hypertension but it often comes with side effects.  In this episode, I speak with alternative medicine specialist Dr Steven Helschien about hand grip therapy and other ways to control high blood pressure without the use of prescription meds.

Did you know that a lack of something basic as diaper supplies can have a long lasting impact on mothers and babies?  About 15 million children in America live in families that fall below the federal poverty rate.  Many of these families work but earn low wages of have unstable employment; leaving basic necessities like diapers difficult to come by.  And that can have a cascading affect on family finances and an emotional impact on parents and children. This is a conversation with two young mothers who, upon learning of the struggles of young mothers unable to afford diapers for their babies, decided to take matters into their own hands.  Michela Hugo, founder of the CNY Diaper Bank, and Cayla Clark, volunteer and former board member, sat down to educate me on the issue and the positive impact that they are making in their community. Music in this episode: "Summer's Grace" by Ketsa under Creative Commons License

There are roughly 1.3 million homeless school-aged children in America.  Research has shown that children who experience homelessness face a wide range of challenges related to their health, emotional well being, and safety.  One man in one school district in one of America's most impoverished cities works to bring some relief by collecting and delivering some basic necessities.  This is his story.

This episode explores actualized living and mindfulness with Kirk Abner, author of the book Flower Dog Man.  We discuss how mindfulness can help you live a happier, more fulfilled life.

Part 2 of Carol Barbour's story sees her pick of the pieces after the dramatic experience in DC public schools, begins a new chapter in North Carolina, and comes full circle back to PG County only to find barriers to entry - blackballed.  I Chose Defiance Part 2 is a story about standing up for your rights and gaining control of your life.

Author and educator Carol Barbour shares her intriguing story of how standing up for her rights as a private citizen resulted in being blackballed as a public school administrator.  It's an example of Chaos Theory in action.

A curated conversation with Sean Yoes - author of Baltimore After Freddie Gray: Real Stories From One of America's Great Imperiled Cities.  More than an author and journalist, Sean Yoes is an example of community leadership and how living an impactful life can bring about change.

How do we stop letting the desire to be liked at all times keep us from being our true selves?  Sometimes you just have to take control and lose the fear of being judged.  In this story a first generation Arab American, who is so concerned about the community that she grew up in, decides to put herself out there and run for public office.

The first episode of Life in HD introduces you to a former homeless man who now runs an organization that provides services to the needy.  From gangs to homeless to hero, it's an inspirational story not to be missed.  I hope you enjoy it.