Love Is The Answer

This episode discusses how to manage the way that you interpret the information or data points that guide your decisions, improve and maintain your sense of worthiness, and increase your faith in the universe. Take Action Item: Change the words that you use so that you are accurately reflecting your truth Let go of the places in your life where you are attempting to control the outcomes with a death grip. Come see me at Whole Soul Love on Tuesday nights at 7 pm at the Naughty Shaman in Glastonbury, CT. https://www.facebook.com/events/2247885565444923/?ti=icl Wishing you peace and love!

It can be difficult to accept how much power we have to change our experience because then we are responsible to take action to create what we want.  I mentioned previous episode about compassionate accountability and getting unstuck from valid emotions.  I also mention the website and YouTube channel of Jordan Peterson, Ph.D. Take Action:  Identify an area of your life where you have lost sight of your own power. Process the emotions that you experience as a result of your realization.  Then take manageable steps to start creating what you want in that part of your life.   Wishing you peace and love!

We create our reality with every word that passes through our minds or over our lips.   Learn the effect of your thoughts and words on your ability to sustain motivation toward your goals, your relationships, and other aspects of your reality. I mention Episode 1 of this podcast, which discusses compassionate accountability in detail.  Here is the link to that episode:  https://www.loveistheanswer.one/loveistheanswerpodcast//sustain-motivation-through-compassionate-accountability  Take Action Item:  Option 1:  Practice mindfulness with your self-critical thoughts and practice being more kind to yourself. Option 2:  Choose one relationship to practice greater authenticity or one aspect of your personality to reveal more fully. Please email at suzanne@loveistheanswer.onewith questions or inquiries about healing sessions. Here is a link for more information about Healing in the Akashic Records:  https://www.loveistheanswer.one/healing-in-the-akashic-records/ Wishing you peace and love!

It’s hard to be honest with ourselves.  Most of us if not all of us develop self-limiting beliefs to avoid our fears of change. Unless we reveal the truth behind the lies, we stay stuck in the comfort of the familiar.  Learn to identify some common self-limiting beliefs and align yourself more fully with the truth. Please email me at suzanne@loveistheanswer.one with questions or feedback.  Wishing you peace and love!

It is a very important time to be the light here on Earth.  I will guide you through a visualization to ground yourself into Earth and learn to radiate light. Take Action Item: Practice the visualization and experiment to find the way that it works best for you. Feel free to email me at suzanne@loveistheanswer.one with questions or feedback. Wishing you peace and love! 

We have the power to help create our experiences.  We have choice to see everyone and everything in the worst light or the best light possible. People often match their behavior to the expectations of ourselves and others.  Seeing everyone in the highest light can open up new possibilities and ways of being for someone who perceives themselves to be very limited. Take Action Item: Spend time thinking about your past, present, and future in the highest light Pick someone who you tend to judge and look for their beauty. Share your talents and skills with a community in need. Email me at suzanne@loveistheanswer.one with questions or inquiries for coaching/healing sessions. Wishing you peace and love!

The us versus them mentality causes us to see ourselves as on different teams.  We can be further separated by the roles that we serve on those teams. A perception of separateness fuels feelings like jealousy and anger and may cause us to treat one another unkindly.  Learn how to alter your perceptions of others and have a greater sense of oneness. Take Action Item: Freaky Friday!Imagine yourself living a day in someone else’s life. Make an effort to interact with someone who you have previously judged or would not normally talk to. Please email me at suzanne@loveistheanswer.one with your questions about spiritual partnership for my upcoming new podcast.  Wishing you peace and love!

Many of us want to create what we desire in our lives, but don’t have a clue how to do it.  This episode discusses three simple steps to help you manifest the life of your dreams. Prepare your mindset so that you are open to receive blessings. Clarify and ask for what you want as if you have already received it. Take action as guided and surrender the results in faith. I share a personal example of using these steps to manifest the sunset in the pictures posted on my website and on the Facebook page. I’m starting a new podcast about spiritual partnership and I would love to hear your questions about that topic.  Please email me at suzanne@loveistheanswer.one Take Action Item:  Follow the steps outlined above.  Please let me know how it works out for you. Wishing you abundant peace and love!!

The things that bother us about other people’s behavior often reflect wounds that need to heal within us.  We may also discover the lessons that we need to learn in the advice or feedback that we give to others.  Seemingly random events in our lives can also serve as metaphors for the challenges that we are currently facing. Learn how to identify what the world is reflecting back to you so that you can overcome anything that is keeping you stuck. You are a powerful creator who can create the life that you desire! Take Action Item: Identify the relationships or events that cause you anger, frustration, tension or where you feel stagnant. Reflect to discover the message that you are being given. Act the way that you want to feel by changing your beliefs and actions to align with your goals. Please feel free to email me with questions or feedback at suzanne@loveistheanswer.one Wishing you so much peace and love!!

Do you often feel angry with your co-workers, friends, family, or partner?  If your answer is yes, this episode is for you.  I discuss common reasons why we feel angry with the people in our lives and how we can free ourselves from that anger.  We often search for love outside of ourselves and feel disappointed, hurt, angry, or resentful when it doesn’t work out how we hoped.  Learn a practice to find love within yourself. I refer to a previous episode about letting go of valid emotions.   Take Action Item: Part 1) Identify the parts of you that you have the most difficulty loving. Part 2 ) Practice a meditation to connect with the love that you are.  You may also choose to practice Ho’oponopono to forgive yourself or others.  Please contact me for support or to provide feedback and topic suggestions. Wishing you much peace and remembrance of the love that you are!  

I share about some recent challenges that I’ve experienced and explain how difficult times can push us forward on the spiritual path. I discuss an idea that Jason Louv talked about on a recent episode of the Duncan Trussell Family Hour. It’s challenging to accept and appreciate the pain that comes up when we dig deep into the things that hold us back.  Learning to surrender our desire to control how our path unfolds brings us greater peace. The ultimate magic is when we allow God/Spirit/Universe to guide us.  Take Action Item: Re-examine your current spiritual practices.  Are they still serving you?  If the answer is no, do you have the courage to let go and create space for the new? Please email me at suzanne@loveistheanswer.one with questions or feedback. Wishing you acceptance of and gratitude for whatever your journey brings to you and much peace and love along the way!

This episode takes the concept that “everything is perfect” further to help you cultivate feelings of unconditional love for yourself and all of life. I mention a book by Matt Kahn called “Whatever Arises, Love That.” I discuss why your ego is essential and deserving of your love.  Here is the article by Ram Dass that I reference. I review three different strategies for developing the connection between your personality and higher self.  Take Action Item: Try one of the method for deepening and harmonizing the connection between your personality and higher self and try to send feelings of love to a couple of difficult experiences. Email me for a free 30-minute consultation to determine how my soul coaching service can help you.  Wishing you peace and love!!  

We all carry masculine and feminine energies within us regardless of our biological sex or gender identity.  I review the qualities of the unhealthy and healthy feminine and masculine so you can identify where these energies may be out of balance for you. Balancing these energies is important if we want to create in the world.  Creation is birthed from harmonized and balanced feminine and masculine.  Learn how to cultivate the healthy masculine and feminine through taking action that embody those qualities and by connecting with powerful feminine and masculine energies that are around you. Take Action: Select one or two behaviors of the healthy masculine and/or feminine and practice them in your day to day life.  Cultivate these energies within your energy body by connecting with sources of these energies around you. I welcome you to contact me for a free 30-minute consultation to determine how you might benefit from my soul coaching service. Please join the discussion of each week’s take action item in the private Facebook group. Wishing you peace and love!!

Our society tends to focus on healing through the power of our thoughts.  Learn how our minds can block our healing. I review a three-step process of learning to notice sensations and feelings in your energy body, discovering what message they have for you, and clearing them. You are more powerful than you realize.  You have the power to heal yourself.  I encourage you to use that power and discuss when it may be time to seek assistance in your healing process. Take Action: This week, the take action item is following the process that I discuss in the episode.  EXCITING NEWS:  I will start soul coaching sessions that may or may not include intuitive healing based on your needs in the next couple of weeks.  Feel free to reach out to me at suzanne@loveistheanswer.one for more information. Join us in the Facebook group to discuss the effects of healing your energy body. Wishing you much peace and love!!

There are several concepts that are helpful to consider across topic areas.  In this episode, I discuss how souls ages, ego-based models, beliefs, and expectations, and the concept that “everything is perfect” can help us to transform the judgments that we make of others.  Other people serves as mirrors to ourselves.  When we find ourselves judging others, it is often an opportunity to learn something about ourselves.  Take Action Item: For one day, take a break from making judgments about other people.  Instead of judging others, take time to consider “What is within me that I find hard to love?” Please share your experiences in the Facebook group or email me with feedback. Wishing you peace and love!

My clients inspired me to create this episode as they are often focused on anything but the present.  I discuss books by Ram Dass and Eckhart Tolle that are great resources to explore being in the present.  I review how too much time thinking about the past and the future can make us dissatisfied with the present.  Here is the link to Valerie Harrison's website.   Everything that I share on this podcast is through the guidance that I receive from Spirit.  While recording this episode, Spirit guided me to share some thoughts about the cleaning out of the collective basement that we are experiencing in the United States right now. There is a brief mindfulness meditation focused on cultivating gratitude of your experiences in the present moment.  Take Action Item: Practice mindfulness meditation to practice being in the present moment.  Be mindful of any tendencies to practice mindfulness in a way that keeps you in your mind.  Experiment with different focal points including bodily sensations and emotions. Please comment about your experiences in the private Facebook group or email me.  Wishing you peace and love!

We make contracts with other souls to help us learn and grow in our lifetime.  Some of those relationships are comfortable and harmonious and others may offer us many more challenges.  I discuss the different types of soul connections and what they may teach us. This is the book by Caroline Myss about soul contracts that I reference. Learn how to develop greater peace and understanding about your relationships by viewing everyone you meet as your teacher.  Take Action Item: Identify a difficult relationship in your life and spend a day thinking about and treating that person like they are your teacher.  Please share your experiences in the private Facebook group called Love Is The Answer. Wishing you peace and love!

This most recent holiday with my family was the most peaceful one in as long as I can remember.  So, I've decided to share the strategies that I've been using to create more harmony in those relationships. I reference my previous episode, Don't Own Someone Else's Shortcomings for guidance about not taking it personally if your family members have not been able to meet your needs,  Specifically, I worked to see and understand my family members as imperfect human beings like the rest of us.  I make efforts to remember why my soul chose my family members and uncover the lessons that I am to learn from those choices.   It can also be helpful to identify the challenges and gifts that we inherit from our ancestors so that we can make efforts to utilize our gifts and take steps to overcome our challenges.  Take Action Item: Talk with your parents, grandparents, or other family members to get information about your ancestors.  Identify their challenges and/or gifts and take one small step to enact that gift or overcome the challenge as it applies to you.   Please email me with any questions or concerns.  Wishing you abundant peace and love! 

Happy New Year!!  The new year is a time when we typically reflect on our lives and identify the changes that we'd like to make.  The problem is that we know that New Year's resolutions typically don't work. I discuss reasons why they don't work and offer an alternative approach.  Please refer to Sustain Motivation through Compassionate Accountability for guidance about setting reasonable goals and persisting past challenges.   Any change that we attempt will only last if we are being true to ourselves and acting from self-love.  I discuss my efforts to change over the past year and the challenges that I encountered.  I also review the hidden barriers that I could not have anticipated including past life and ancestral issues.   Take Action Item: Do one thing that helps you to feel grounded.  It can be physical exercise, body scan meditation, or a self-care practice (like rubbing oil on your skin).   Bonus Take Action Item: Write out your intentions for 2018.  You may chose to refer to sources that describe how to write affirmations for manifestation when writing your list. Wishing you a peaceful and loving year!!

Many people search for the meaning and purpose of their life.  Each of us chose a mission for this lifetime.  This episode provides examples of what mission can look like.  You do not have to change careers or quit your job to be on mission (unless you want to).  I review how your passions and the challenges that you have experienced give you clues about your mission.  I also share my story about how the focus of my mission has changed over time even though there have been some central themes.  For many of us, efforts to understand our soul and its history will be helpful in clarifying our mission.  If you feel that you are a Starseed, the book called, Soul Mastery, is a great resource to learn more about your soul group of origin. Take Action Item: You have several options depending on how much you already understand about your soul and its mission in this lifetime.  If you feel that you don’t have a clue, start with learning more about yourself as a soul. Once you feel that you have some ideas about your soul gifts, create space for exploration of your passions and your challenges to discover the guidance that they are providing you. If you know what your mission is, identify the barriers to acting in greater alignment with it.  Start by taking one small step this week to behave in a way that is more consistent with your soul.  Connect by joining the private Facebook group called Love Is The Answer or emailing me with questions or feedback.  I will be taking a week off to enjoy the holidays with my family.  I wish you a healthy and joyful holiday season and of course, peace and love!

Starseeds are souls who have experienced incarnations in locations other than Earth.  They come to Earth to serve the planet.  I discuss the qualities of a starseed during childhood and adulthood. The number of children who are starseeds are increasing.  I discuss how these children are often diagnosed with psychological disorders because the origins of their behavior are misunderstood. I also offer suggestions about how the parents of started children can adjust their own behavior toward their child in an effort to support them and help them to understand themselves.   Here is the link for the episode, You Might Be a Hero (and Other Helpful Perspectives), that I mentioned in the podcast. Take Action Item: Identify who in your life might be a starseed.  Regardless if it is you or a loved one, make an effort to suspend judgment of the behaviors or opinions that you do not understand. If you are the starseed, practice being genuinely yourself in at least one situation in the next week.  Wishing you peace and love!  

Learn about different ages of soul development including the lessons associated with each stage.   Understanding ourselves and others as souls helps us to develop deeper compassion and unconditional love, which works toward one of my favorite things, world peace. Take Action Item: Reflect on the soul ages and identify the one that best applies to you and other people in your life.  You can share your reflections in the Facebook group or email me with questions or feedback.   After reflecting, take action to treat yourself and others with greater patience and compassion.  You may choose to withhold feedback that they may not be able to hear.  You may more readily forgive yourself for a mistake that is related to your current stage of soul development.  You may choose to practice lovingkindness or loving awareness meditation.   Here are the links to The Seven States of Perception: Primary Values and Profound Healing for Indigo Children and Youth and Other Sensitive Souls. Wishing you peace and love!    

I discuss why I believe in reincarnation and how it affects my understanding of myself and others.  I explore how it’s possible to improve our feelings of compassion for ourselves and others by healing past life issues and exploring our past life relationships and soul connections. Take Action Item: Explore your own beliefs about past lives.  Journal about it, ask for guidance, or talk with others who you trust about their reflections on the topic.  Be open to new ideas and experiences.    Please email me with any questions or feedback.

Ever find yourself at the crossroads of fear and what your intuition tells you is right?  I discuss my journey of learning how to identify and trust my guidance or intuition. Often different parts of us are in conflict with each other.  It can help to explore what each part is saying and how to resolve that conflict so that we can move forward.  When we are able to get out of our own way, we receive tremendous support for our goals.  Sometimes that support takes a while to be delivered so surrender is also about letting go of the need for immediate results.  Take Action Item: Reflect on your own guidance and intuition.  Ask for guidance if you are unsure. When reasonably clear about your guidance, identify parts of yourself that may be fighting your path.  Take some step forward that is in line with your intuition. Please email me with any questions or comments.  Wishing you peace and love!

I'm always looking for tools to make it easier to be aligned with reality.  The idea that the "universe is always blessing you" promotes acceptance of reality and decreased suffering.  The goal is to embrace and process reality rather than trying to bypass it.  It is not too difficult to find the lessons in our suffering when the situations are not too intense.   It is much more difficult to accept reality when unimaginable tragedy occurs.  I also discuss the idea that our souls choose difficult incarnations in order to serve humanity. Take Action Item: Identify the blessing or lesson in your own suffering.  Try to surrender your expectations about the way things are supposed to be.  Instead, accept reality as it is and make the best of it.   Here are the links to the previous episodes that I mentioned: Podcast Introduction The Love of The Guru: Reflections on a Ram Das Retreat Getting Unstuck from Valid Emotions The movie that I mentioned is Fierce Grace. I'm taking a week off to reflect on the direction of the podcast.  Send me your feedback to suzanne@loveistheanswer.one Wishing you peace and love!

When you hear "Love Is The Answer," do you wonder what that means exactly?  Or what you can do to make the world a more loving place?   This episode discusses how we can make the world more loving by taking responsibility for ourselves. Your attitude and actions affect everyone who you encounter throughout the day.  We often act habitually and mindlessly.   When we take care of ourselves physically, manage stress, and cultivate connection and play, we are more peaceful and loving people.   It is much easier to treat others with love, kindness, and compassion when we act consciously.   Here is the video that I mentioned and the link to contact your congresspersons. Take Action Item: Identity what you need to feel more peaceful and loving in your day to day life.   Take steps to engage in better self-care.  Be patient and persistent with the process because we have often been neglecting our needs and it may take time before you notice the results. Please email me with questions or feedback. Wishing you and all humans peace and love!! 

Most people have self-limiting beliefs.  These beliefs can develop as a result of feedback that we received from others or from assumptions that we have made about ourselves.   If we continue to see ourselves as limited, we may be less likely to achieve our goals or create the life of our dreams.   In the episode, you will hear about some examples of limiting beliefs that are based in anxiety or depression.   I share several personal examples of how I developed self-limiting beliefs and the steps that I took to overcome them. I review examples of thinking traps that keep us stuck in delusions about ourselves.  I also discuss the concept of "acting the way you want to feel" to break free from the limits of your beliefs.   I refer to a previous episode called, Attachment - The Root of Suffering, which you can find here.   Take Action:  Create your own "tricks" list.  Identify the self-limiting beliefs or tricks that your mind uses to keep you from living the life of your dreams.   Please join us in the Love Is The Answer Facebook Group to discuss the most recent episode, share your questions or feedback, or get to know one another.  I hope to see you there! You can also email me with any questions or topics that you would like me to address in future episodes.    Wishing you peace, love, and freedom from any limits!

Do you take it personally and get angry when someone treats you unkindly?  Learn how to create greater peace by developing compassion for yourself and others.   Some of us have developed self-perceptions of worthlessness, shame, or inadequacy because we have taken responsibility for the shortcomings of the people around us.  In this episode, I talk about how we cannot hold ourselves accountable for someone else's behaviors towards us when we act from good or loving intentions.   You have the power to change your self-perceptions by discovering how they developed.  Once we understand how our story came to be, we can rewrite it with greater compassion for ourselves.   Through mindfulness, we can learn to check our intentions, check our perspectives, and check our actions so that we act more consistently from our values and a place of love.   Take Action: Identify one aspect of your identity that contributes to feelings of worthlessness, shame, or inadequacy and identify the experiences and messages that caused you to develop that perception.   Choose to be open to the possibility that you can develop a sense of identity that is based on love and compassion.   I've started a private Facebook group so that we can interact and discuss concepts from each episode or any progress or challenges when you try to implement the take action items.  I hope that you'll join me there.   You can also email me at suzanne@loveistheanswer.one at any time with questions or feedback. Wishing you much peace and love!

Do you get in the way of your ability to achieve your mind important goals?  Unfortunately, you are not alone.  I discuss my own personal experiences with self-sabotage.   Learn how being honest with yourself can help you to get out of the pattern of procrastination so that you can start to eliminate the perceived barriers that have been in your way.   Even after we build momentum, we can still sabotage further progress.  I discuss when to take breaks for healing and how to make friends with your fears to maintain your progress. I recommend The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks and its discussion of four fears that contribute to what he calls the "upper limit problem."   Take Action:  Take some time to be brutally honest with yourself about the barriers that you perceive between you and your goals.  Wishing you peace and love!  

I was interested in talking about being more joyful and quickly realized that I would need to talk about managing discomfort first.  I refer to a previous episode that discusses tools to get unstuck from valid emotions. In this episode, I discuss how to feel more grounded in daily life and how managing our expectations can help us to be more open and receptive to light and joy. I discuss common barriers to developing more joy and perspectives that promote it.  I also review some specific practices including gratitude and play that help to cultivate a sense of joyfulness.  Take Action:  This action item just might be your favorite.  Play!  I hope that you will find a way to incorporate play into your week more than the one time that is suggested.  I discuss how to monitor your response to play to guide your growth process. I'd love to receive your questions, comments, and topic suggestions at any time.  Please email me at suzanne@loveistheanswer.one Wishing you peace, love, and the joy of play!  

This episode’s topic comes from a listener’s question about dealing with conflict when you are a highly sensitive person (HSP).  I describe tools that can help anyone to communicate more effectively and provide additional detail about consideration for HSPs.  To have your question addressed in an episode or suggest a topic for discussion, please email me at suzanne@loveistheanswer.one Here are the links to the videos that I mention about HSPs and tools that they can use to manage that trait.  There is also a brief digression (01:41 – 05:07) about how empaths and how they can be affected by the emotions of others.  You may choose to learn more information about empaths.  I outline four steps to effectively handling conflict: 1) Overcoming motivational barriers to approaching conflict 2) Working to understand the other person’s perspective 3) Specific strategies about phrasing your feedback to others 4) Surrendering the results of your efforts Take Action: Practice using “I” statements to provide feedback to co-workers, friends, or family members. Wishing you peace and love!

When we expect certain outcomes from our efforts, we can often end up disappointed.  The problem starts with having expectations to begin with, but grows when we develop emotional attachments related to those expectations. I mention previous videos that I made, which discuss how expectations can be a barrier to loving ourselves and review strategies that you can use to overcome them.  In this episode, I review how you can develop a hopeful, optimistic perspective to get you through life’s toughest challenges.  The idea that “everything is perfect” is discussed as well as the benefits of adopting such an attitude.  Take Action:  Surrender your need to know and understand everything by trying out the “everything is perfect” perspective. 

Have you ever felt that you were stuck arguing with yourself in your mind?  You are not alone.  Many of us get caught up in trying to find answers to questions that only time and experience can answer.  This episode discusses strategies from cognitive behavioral therapy, Buddhist meditation, and the four yogic paths (raja yoga, jnana yoga, karma yoga, and bhakti yoga) from Hindu traditions to help you to manage your mind.  I encourage you to practice connecting with your feelings more and taking action that is consistent with your long-term goals regardless of your current emotional state to promote your well being.  I review when it may be helpful to engage with your thoughts and when it may be best to focus on emotions or actions instead.  I mentioned research about happiness that was presented on the TED Radio Hour called Simply Happy.  The entire episode is interesting, but you can skip ahead to 3:53 to get to the discussion of that study.  Take Action:  Practice the path of action (karma yoga) by facing a fear or engaging in rewarding activities or the path of devotion (bhakti yoga) by trying the lovingkindness or loving awareness meditations that were discussed in previous episode. Peace and love to everyone!

We have all developed stories to make sense of our experiences.  Some of those stories make us feel better and some do not.  This episode discusses how you can change your story by exploring alternative perspectives.  Specifically, I discuss the concept of archetypes and how they can help us make sense of our journeys You may choose to explore more information about Carl Jung’s archetypes in general or the archetype of the hero specifically.  The TED radio hour published a very interesting podcast episode about Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.  I discussed Harry Potter as an example of the hero archetype.  If you have not read the books or seen the movies and intend to, you can skip that section by fast forwarding from 13:13 to 14:19.  Applying the hero archetype to my experiences has helped me to heal from the difficulties that I encountered in my early life and feel empowered about my future.    Take Action:  Identify your self-limiting beliefs and journal about them.  Select one of the beliefs and consider if there is an alternative way of looking at the same situation.  You may choose to apply an archetype or use other tools to change your perspective including thinking about what you would tell a friend who had the same problem.  Wishing you peace and love!

Our emotions often provide us with helpful information and serve our ability to function.  Sometimes, they persist long past their usefulness and we get stuck reliving the past.  This episode discusses the function of emotions and their three basic components:  physiological, cognitive, and behavioral.  When we can understand the function of our feelings, it can help us to accept our emotional experience.  I review strategies to accept and experience our emotions as they arise.  I also describe a tool to help process and let go of stuck emotions from past events including abuse and trauma.  I strongly encourage anyone who has experienced significant abuse, neglect, or trauma to consider seeking the support and guidance of a licensed clinician who is experienced in cognitive behavioral therapy.     The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies offers a page to help you locate a clinician in your local area.  Take Action:  Tell your story.  Choose an event involving unresolved anxiety or grief (Note:  repeating something that you are angry about typically fuels your fire).  Repeat the story allowing yourself to fully experience the emotions that are evoked in the process.  Continue until the intensity of the emotions subsides.  Here is a link for more information about Panic Disorder.  And the link that I mentioned to my YouTube video that discusses the highly sensitive personality type.  Wishing you peace and love!!

This is the second episode of a two part series discussing important components of healthy relationships.  It discusses the concept of seeing yourself as an embodiment of love and how that perspective can guide you in your day-to-day interactions (exercise at 07:06).  It also reviews an exercise to help you develop a stable sense of yourself that is not tied to the roles that you play in your life.   By clarifying our values and seeing ourselves clearly, we can develop a more clear sense of what we want from relationships.  From there, we can learn to clearly communicate our wants and needs and set boundaries appropriately.  Developing intimacy in relationships requires that we take a leap of faith into vulnerability.  I mention a compelling TED talk by Brene Brown called The Power of Vulnerability. Finding deep intimacy in relationships sometimes means being able to walk away from relationships when we are no longer compatible to make room from greater connection in new relationships.   Take Action: For one day (or hour or interaction), live as though you are an embodiment of love.  Treat yourself and others from that perspective.  I also encourage you to let yourself be seen in your relationships.  Please email me at with questions or feedback. 

The first episode of a two part series discussing important components of healthy relationships.  This episode reviews our tendencies to conform to others’ attitudes, emotions, and actions and identifies ways to develop greater independence in thought, emotion, and action. Independence of thought:  Concepts are presented to explain processes that influence our attitudes so that we can learn to be mindful of our perceptions and exercise critical thinking about our own beliefs.  Independence of emotion:  Features of co-dependent relationships are discussed.  Suggestions about how to provide support without fueling our loved ones negative emotions are provided. Independence of action:  Types of conformity are reviewed including when it may be serve us to conform and when it may not.  Take Action:  Practice independence of thought, emotions, or actions. Independence of thought:  Express an opinion that you might normally keep to yourself in a kind and respectful manner. Independence of emotion:  Practice being present for a loved one when they are upset without feeding their emotions. Independence of action:  Break social conventions as an expression of your true self or joyfulness. I'd love to hear your feedback and suggestions for topics that you'd like to have covered.  Please email me at suzanne@loveistheanswer.one

This episode discusses the difference between mindfulness and meditation and explores some common myths about developing a meditation practice.   Sharon Salzberg and I discuss applying mindfulness to managing intrusive thoughts including perfectionistic judgments of self.  Sharon offers some advice for people who are thinking about beginning a meditation practice.  She also discusses lovingkindness meditation and how it differs from mindfulness in practice and function.  Lastly, Sharon tells me about her new book, Real Love:  The Art of Mindful Connection, which provides mindfulness exercises and meditation techniques to help us to create deeper love relationships with ourselves, our significant others, and all of life.   I end the episode discussing details of my personal meditation practice and the benefits that I have received from it.   Take Action:  Use the links below to explore different types of meditation practices.  Experiment with these methods and develop a reasonable goal for yourself. Which type of meditation is best for you? Learn how to start of lovingkindness practice. For more information about Sharon Salzberg, please visit www.sharonsalzberg.com Click here to purchase Real Love:  The Art of Mindful Connection

Have you ever been curious about the concept of the guru?  I explore my initial reservations about the concept and revise my definition.  This episode also discusses the question of whether we need teachers, therapists, or gurus to transform.  I share some of my personal experiences learning about and reflecting on Ram Dass’s guru, Neem Karoli Baba.  Let’s consider how experiencing unconditional love can help to purify us from our egos to more fully embody the love that we are.  Please consider learning more about Ram Dass and his teachings by checking out https://www.ramdass.org or this list of selected books by Ram Dass and collaborators:  •  Be Here Now or Remember, Be Here Now (1971) ISBN 0-517-54305-2 •  The Only Dance There Is (1974) ISBN 0-385-08413-7 •  Journey of Awakening: A Meditator's Guidebook (1978) ISBN 0-553-28572-6 •  Miracle of Love: Stories about Neem Karoli Baba (1978) ISBN 0-525-47611-3 •  How Can I Help? Stories and Reflections on Service (with Paul Gorman) (1985) ISBN 0-394-72947-1 •  Compassion in Action: Setting Out on the Path of Service (with Mirabai Bush) (1991) ISBN 0-517-57635-X •  Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing and Dying (2000) ISBN 1-57322-871-0 •  Be Love Now (with Rameshwar Das) (2010) ISBN 1-84604-291-7 •  Polishing the Mirror: How to Live from Your Spiritual Heart (with Rameshwar Das) (2013) ISBN 1-60407-967-3 Take Action:  Loving Awareness Meditation Here is a link to an article  by Ram Dass about the meditation and to a YouTube video where he directs you through the process.  Love is not something that you need to become.  It is something that you already are.  It’s not about thinking or even about doing, it is about being.  This meditation practice can help you learn to be the loving awareness that you are. 

Humans are motivated to eliminate uncertainty whenever possible, even if it means that we believe things that are not true.  Learn tools to help you to swim in the ocean of uncertainty rather than drown in it.  The more that we can tolerate uncertainty about the future, the better we become at taking risks to boldly pursue our dreams.  Take Action:  Practice refocusing your attention when you experience mildly intrusive thoughts.  Use “I don’t know if…” statements for more emotionally charged thoughts. 

Ever try to change your behavior only to find yourself slipping back into your old habits?  Everyone who attempts something new, experiences barriers and makes mistakes.  It’s not a question of if you will make mistakes.  It’s about how you react to those mistakes when they occur.  Whether your goal is to improve your health, your relationships, or some other aspect of your life, this episode will review tools and perspectives to help you to overcome the barriers to making important changes in your life. Take Action:  Identify a goal.  Break it down into small, manageable steps.  Start taking those steps.  When you reach an obstacle, imagine what you would say to encourage a friend who is experiencing the same problem. For more information about how your expectations can affect how you feel about yourself, please check out this video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8m9ZQQOkEY and the video reviewing tools to help you to manage your expectations: http://www.loveistheanswer.one/overcoming-barriers-to-loving-ourselves

Out of everything that exists in the world, we have the most control over ourselves.  By focusing on what we can control, we can create more change.  Love Is The Answer covers topics related to developing greater self-compassion and compassion for others.  Compassion is a necessary component to sustaining motivation and improving our relationships. The four basic premises of Love Is The Answer are reviewed.  They are: 1)   We are worthy. 2)   We are love. 3)   Illusion distorts our perceptions of ourselves, others, and the world. 4)   We are one. I share my knowledge from the study and practice of psychology and my own personal experiences on a journey of self-transformation.  Wisdom from science and spirituality is integrated into each episode.